A flash of dark green light burst out from John's chest, wrapping around his entire body like a spiral of life. The wounds on his shoulder, his bruises, and burns—everything disappeared in seconds. His breathing calmed. His strength returned.
He was healed—completely.
Hovering midair, his body shimmered with a green glow, eyes steady, breath smooth.
Below, the Primordial Black Dragon's violet eyes widened.
It sensed what had just happened.
This human… had just fully recovered in the middle of battle.
The dragon's heart trembled for a second. It was instinctive—but that fear lasted only a moment.
The dragon's eyes narrowed, glowing deeper purple. It opened its jaw wide and let out a monstrous roar.
ROOOOOAAAAARRR!
The soundwave wasn't just noise—it carried violent energy that tore through the cavern like a storm. Walls cracked. Crystals exploded. The air itself vibrated with pressure.
Chunks of the ceiling fell. The runes on the walls flickered wildly, some completely going out.
At the edge of the battlefield, Tony dropped to his knees, hands on his ears. "Ahh! My head…!"
But the roar didn't reach him directly.
A transparent dome of white energy had formed around him—coming from Eccaruss, who stood calm and unshaken.
The old man's eyes narrowed as he stared up at John's glowing body.
"…What an amazing ability," he muttered under his breath. "He recovered all that damage… in an instant."
---
High above, John stood calmly in the air. A thin, transparent film of light hovered around him, protecting him from the sound attack. It wobbled slightly but held strong.
He stared at the dragon through the vibrating air.
"That's all you got?"
With a flap of wind, he surged forward again.
The battle resumed.
---
John dashed through the air, wings of wind behind him once more.
This time, his movements were sharper, faster. A fresh wave of energy filled his body. He zigzagged through the sky, forming spells with smooth precision.
"Fire Blades!"
Multiple fire blades formed in front of him—each nearly 20 meters long, shaped like crescent moons, burning with an intensity that could melt solid stone in seconds. The air around them shimmered from the extreme heat as they sliced through the sky.
They slammed into the dragon's side, forcing it to twist in the air.
"Water Chains!"
From his other hand, thick ropes of water shot out—as wide as tree trunks, spinning rapidly before wrapping around the dragon's legs and tail. As they tightened, they instantly froze into ice, forming a shimmering prison that made loud cracking sounds from the pressure.
"Thunder Rain!"
Dozens of lightning bolts, each as thick as a man's arm, fell from the air like a barrage of spears. The bolts struck fast and hard, exploding with deafening crackles that lit up the entire cavern.
The dragon roared in frustration, trying to dodge, trying to shake off the bindings.
Smoke and steam rose from its wings.
John was in control.
But not for long.
Suddenly, something changed.
The dragon's glowing mouth closed.
Its violet eyes dimmed slightly… then burned even brighter.
Its entire body twitched.
The black scales on its chest turned rougher—denser.
Its muscles expanded slightly. Its wings turned sharper. Claws extended farther.
John's eyes widened. "What the—"
Below, Tony became worried once again. "What's going on now?! It's getting faster!"
Eccaruss's face grew serious.
"…It's entering Berserk Mode."
Tony looked at him. "What?!"
Eccaruss explained, voice calm but grim, "The Primordial Black Dragon can sacrifice its elemental power to boost its physical attributes. Speed, strength, defense… all rise. But it loses most of its magical attacks while in that state."
Tony gulped. "So it becomes more like… a giant physical monster?"
Eccaruss nodded. "A fast, angry, living tank."
---
The dragon lunged.
Faster than before.
So fast it looked like it teleported.
John's body flickered out of the way at the last second—he used short-range teleportation to dodge. But even that was barely enough. A claw scraped his side.
'It almost kept up with teleportation…?!'
John's eyes narrowed. His heart pounded.
"He's really in a frenzy now."
The dragon flapped its wings with explosive force and appeared right in front of him.
John teleported upward.
But the dragon was already behind him.
Claws slashed.
He ducked midair and countered with a lightning strike.
ZAP!
A bolt of pure white lightning, 15 meters long, erupted from his palm, crashing into the dragon's scales with a violent snap.
The dragon didn't block.
It tanked it—rushing through the sparks to punch him with its tail.
BAM!
John blocked with a wind shield, a circular barrier 3 meters wide, but it cracked, and he was thrown backward.
He spun midair and caught himself.
'Its attacks… are so much stronger now. I can't rely on slowing it anymore. I need to keep moving—strike only when I have the chance.'
He raised his hands.
"Ice Net!"
A mesh of frozen ropes formed above the dragon—dozens of interconnected ice threads, each glowing faint blue, creating a sharp, freezing trap nearly the size of a small house.
The dragon flapped hard—breaking most of it—but a few strands stuck to its wing, slightly delaying it.
John used the opening.
"Flame Strike!"
A beam of fire, as thick as a car and 30 meters long, surged from his palm. It burned the air itself as it shot forward, slamming into the dragon's chest with a deep rumble. The temperature spiked enough to turn nearby falling rocks into glowing embers.
The beast roared, spinning midair like a living hurricane and charging forward again.
---
From below, Tony watched helplessly.
"He's going to get hit again!"
Eccaruss narrowed his eyes. "No. He's adapting. Look carefully."
And he was right.
John wasn't dodging randomly anymore.
His movements were tighter, more efficient. He was predicting the dragon's strikes—not fully, but enough to avoid direct hits.
Even while on the back foot, he was planning.
---
John's thoughts were calm despite the chaos.
'It's fast, but now it lacks elemental range. That means I can fight more mid-range safely. And if I pressure its wings enough, it'll lose air control.'
He formed two orbs—one wind, one fire—each glowing with power, as big as water barrels.
"Spiral Tempest!"
The two orbs combined into a twisting tornado of flame, 10 meters wide, swirling with slicing winds and blazing heat. It roared toward the dragon, creating shockwaves in its path.
The dragon flapped into it, taking damage—but not slowing.
John immediately followed up with another move.
"Flash Teleport!"
He appeared behind the dragon and launched an ice blade, 5 meters long, razor-sharp and frosted with white mist, toward its exposed wing joint.
It hit.
The dragon twitched.
John grinned slightly.
'Found a weak spot.'
But his joy didn't last.
The dragon whipped its tail again, catching him midair and sending him flying into the cavern wall.
BOOM!
Stone cracked. Dust rose.
Tony screamed. "JOHN!!"
Eccaruss held him back. "Wait."
From the broken wall, a glowing figure floated out.
John, bruised—but smiling.
"Didn't hurt that bad."
His right arm raised slowly.
"Let's keep going, big guy."
TO BE CONTINUED...