BANG!

‘Shit.’

Ryker rolled backward, his speed picking up as he hopped and skipped from island to island. But his eyes never left the surge of violet that suddenly came out of the Earth Flame.

‘There’s no way…’

Ryker’s heart practically leapt into his throat. It was impossible for any normal creature to survive that kind of heat, so how had one suddenly come out from it.

BANG!

The creature landed on the lava with ease as though it wasn’t there at all. It seemed entirely unbothered by the heat, its gem-like eyes looking right at Ryker.

Ryker had to admit that it was one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. Although he had heard of beasts more beautiful, this was the first time he had truly seen one of them in person rather than hearing about them in passing.

The fox looked to be bother ethereal and not at the same time. Its violet fur sparkled with a translucent light, and it had a thick mane of fur around its neck that trembled in the wind, dancing like long strands of hair.

The reflection in its eyes were so clear that even separated by dozens of meters, Ryker could see his own eyes as clear as day. They were as gentle as water and seemed carved from exploding Amethysts.

Its tail was especially long and seemed to be the most ethereal and fantastical part of it. It waved in the air, sometimes appearing to be just one, sometimes three and sometimes as much as nine.

Even Ryker couldn’t grasp the exact number.

This was the kind of creature an artist might spot from afar, only passing, and yet find themselves inspired for years to come. It was the kind of creature that could birth a masterpiece of ages, a transcendent technique, or the creation of a treasure that stood above all others.

As it walked on the surface of the lava, it sent out ripples as though it stood on the surface of a calm lake itself. The delicate waves sparkled with a slightly violet hue, adding motes of fantasy to an already unreal image.

Ryker was truly stunned for a moment, and even he was shocked by his own reaction. This was a beast, not some goddess of a woman. But his reaction was no different from if it had been the latter.

It was odd, and he picked up on the reason why instantly.

Dao.

Ryker wouldn’t have understood if he met this creature before he stepped into the prison and met the cat lady, but now he was absolutely certain.

This creature had grasped some sort of Dao, or its existence alone would elicit the reaction of one at least in part, and that led to Ryker feeling that he wasn’t just looking at a beast, but rather instead an unprecedented force of nature.

And that was also enough for him to realize just how dangerous this matter was.

By now, Ryker had realized that the creature was only at the 9th Enlightenment Realm. But somehow, he felt more threatened by it than he had by even Ravanna.

This creature wasn’t much unlike him, having the capability to battle far above its level. And what was more shocking than that was that Ryker was fairly certain that it was an 8th Circle Beast.

He exhaled a breath. “If I hadn’t already contracted one of your brothers, I would have made you mine. But I have my own principles as a Mythical Master. I’ll let you become the tonic of my beast.”

A beast didn’t have to be an Infant to contract it, it was just that it was orders of magnitude more difficult to do so when it wasn’t. Usually, it would only be safe to attempt after the beast had been defeated and its will had been suppressed.

But now, Ryker didn’t have such intentions, and he was backed into a bit of a corner.

He didn’t have his whip or chain on him. Not only had he been worried about destroying them, but he hadn’t seen a point in taking them. If either one of those monstrous existences above woke up, whether he had his weapons or not it wouldn’t make a difference.

Now, that decision had come back to bite him.

He was low on stamina and Spirit Energy, he had practically wrung his soul dry by this point, and all he had were three floating blobs of molten metal and the Silver Mirror in his dantian. Although he had Phoenix as well with him, he didn’t want to kill this creature and Phoenix was still a bit too immature to trust right now. If the big guy suddenly lashed out without Ryker’s command like he had against Patience’s father, it would be too late to regret it.

When an Elemental Spirit Beast died, its body would lose form, and that would make it much more difficult for the egg to absorb it. Ryker needed to suppress and control it first, a task that was orders of magnitude more difficult.

And yet, he could feel his blood boiling.

He had a chance. It was a small chance, but he thrived on it, he loved it.

For so much of his life he didn’t have the right to fight back at all. But today, he had that right even if it was slim.

Plus… slim was relative.

To others, it might be an insurmountable mountain to climb.

To Ryker, however…

He could see the path clearly.

BANG!

Ryker shot forward like a bow from a string. He stepped onto the lava and felt a searing pain his Spirit Energy alone couldn’t combat. He had no choice but to limit how much he used or else the small bits he had left would be his undoing.

The violet fox was a bit slow to react. It was still in the process of curiously observing Ryker, and it seemed to have no understanding of the world around it or even what danger was.

It had likely been here since its birth and had never been forced to interact with other creatures. Add to that the fact it was practically immune to all the elements in here, and that its species was well-known for its poor intelligence, and you had the perfect melting pot for a curious-eyed creature who didn’t react even when a fist appeared before its eyes.

BANG! BANG!

Ryker unleashed two fists in quick succession, coating his hand in Earth Type Spirit Energy and drilling it into the creature’s eyes.

The violet fox reeled back, not having expected such a sudden spike of pain. Maybe in its entire life, this was the first time it had ever experienced pain at all.

It was immediately blinded as Ryker stomped a foot, circulating his energy for Earthen Spike.

Although his Fire Type Spirit Energy had run to its limit, Phoenix still had a deep well of Earth and Wind Type Spirit Energy.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

And what was lava if not melted earth?

It was more difficult to control with how much Fire Type Spirit Energy was infused into it, but that didn’t mean that Ryker couldn’t make-do with his great energy control.

He could already see that the violet fox’s eyes were growing back. The healing factor of this creature was the most shocking he had ever seen, but it didn’t slow his reaction at all.

The spike drove up the creature’s gut, but it was far too soft.

Ryker couldn’t both pump it with enough energy to harden it sufficiently and have it land before the violet fox retreated. He could only choose one, so he chose speed.

The creature was unbothered by the heat, but even though it was somewhat softened, the earth packed a punch. The difference was akin to getting hit by a boxing glove rather than being skewered by a knife, but it was enough for Ryker’s intentions.

The beast was knocked into the air, causing its attempt at retreat to fail.

Ryker leapt into the air, his leg rising up high. He met the creature’s gaze on the way up, and on the way down he brought his heel down with all the force he could muster.

He pulled on Temporal Weave and his power multiplied several times over.

BANG!

The creature head splintered, and to make matters worse, its body fell back onto the very same spike that had knocked it up in the first place.

Its soft belly was ripped into and it let out a whimper.

The spike of earth was still too soft, so after the violet fox landed on it, the wound was much less devastating than it should have been. Rather than being skewered all the way through, shards of earth pierced its belly and it collapsed onto the broken pile of rubber and eventually the lava it stood within.

Ryker took in a shaky breath, his body feeling like it was collapsing. His energy reserves were fine after switching to Earth Type Spirit Energy was fine, but the damage his body had taken after having Inductive Touch active for so long was too great. Moving like that just now made him feel like he was shredding apart what was left of his muscle.

But it seemed that he had won much more easily than he expected. This was a good thing—

The fox let out a mournful howl. Rather than a fox, it sounded much more like a wolf.

The energies of the world surged, and suddenly huge pillars of lava began to erupt from the water. The pillars curved, slamming down in random directions because the creature couldn’t see Ryker due to the state of its eyes.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Ryker dodged in a hurry, having no choice but to switch out his Earth Type Spirit Energy to Wind Type. His body alone couldn’t keep up with the speed he needed, he had to supplement it with Spirit Energy.

‘Dammit,’ he cursed under his breath and lashed out with a chain.

A Divined Chain erupted from his palm and surged toward the creature. It weaved through the pillars of fire and latched onto the beast. It was so weak now that this should work. Plus, Ryker had seen enough of its kind to know exactly how to seal it away.

Ryker’s gaze shifted, and his heart skipped a beat. On the other half of this underground world, the seas of ice and frigid waters had begun to lash out as well. It was like the creature could command any and everything in this world as it pleased.

The number of pillars multiplied, and Ryker found himself becoming like an ant in a frying pan. The pillars were so tall and mighty, covering the tall ceilings and crashing down with the momentum of falling meteors.

Ryker felt his soul aching, but he pushed more, wringing himself dry. So long as he could suppress this beast entirely, all of this would come to a stop.

The last of his Divined Chains trickled out as he dove out of the way of another pillar of lava, using it to block an incoming arc of frosted water.

‘Come on, come on…’

A searing pain fried a layer of skin off of Ryker’s shoulder and back as he rolled across the lava. He hadn’t had the time to spare more Spirit Energy to protect more than his feet well, and the result was obvious.

He grit his teeth, leaping to his feet again and rushing out of the wave of the rising waves. Every time a new pillar crashed down, it was like the ocean was roaring. Huge wave rose into the air and threatened to suffocate everything.

By this point, Ryker was even worried that the commotion would alert the two meditating beasts above. This was getting to be too much.

How could a 9th Enlightenment Realm beast control so much energy from so far away? If not for the fact it was too stupid, Ryker didn’t think he would stand a chance alone. In fact, even with Phoenix, it was a toss up.

This wasn’t a usual weak beast, it was an 8th Circle Talent just like Phoenix. There was no guarantee that they’d be able to cross levels to do battle with it, at least not without great support from Ryker. And right now, Ryker wasn’t in the best condition to do that at all.

BANG!

Ryker’s heart trembled. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Just now, he felt his chains shatter. He had felt some hope after he gave it his all, that was because although the surroundings were still wild, that was mostly the after effects of the previous pillars. New ones weren’t being formed, and the situation was quickly stabilizing…

Until now.

The fox let out a more furious roar, and this one sounded a lot more like it came from an enraged lion. It was gravelly and grainy in its cadence, and carried a deep rumbling fury.

It seemed that Ryker had awakened some of its baser instincts. It was no longer curious, it was just enraged. And it now seemed that its eyes had healed.

‘…’

Ryker shook his head. He had been too greedy.

If he shocked it with Phoenix first instead of worrying about the egg’s improvement, he could have just gone for the kill immediately.

But now, he had not only enraged an 8th Circle Spirit Beast, but it was on its full guard. Though it was still susceptible to being tricked, tricks hardly mattered in the face of its strength.

Even at full power, Ryker wouldn’t dare to casually take on such a beast. He might be a 9th Circle Talent, but he was a human. Spirit Beasts were far more powerful at the same level, especially when Elemental Spirit Beasts, to begin with, tended to have affinity and control over Spirit Energy that could match a creature a tier above it.

Of course, the trade off was that their bodies were usually weak. But did that matter if Ryker could no longer get close?

“Jaana is gonna get a kick out of this one. She always told me to learn the bow and arrow, and yet here I am wishing I knew the bow and arrow.”

He shook his head and chuckled, rising to his feet.

“Here we go.”

Ryker’s eyes sharpened as the creature locked eyes within. The lava surged once more, but this time it was far more pointed. It could see him now and it let him know it.

The worst part was that these pillars of lava could not curve in the air. Somehow, this beast was able to control so much all at once, it was hard to even see where its limits lay.

It was entirely immune to both Fire and Water, and even other Spirit Energies were severely weakened by its presence.

Ryker even had a feeling that the reason it had shattered his Divined Chains so easily was because of the Dao he sensed. That protection should mean that unless Ryker comprehended a Dao himself, his Divined Chains were entirely useless against this creature.

But it was impossible for him to do such a thing now.

‘Should I run now? Can I even run if I wanted to?’

This creature would definitely chase him. Escaping was one aspect, but what about the slumbering Elevated creatures above? If they were disturbed, he was finished, and he couldn’t trust this creature to be intelligent enough to notice that.

There was no choice but to defeat it, but how?

Phoenix might really die if he brought them out to this environment. This creature was far too powerful.

‘But if I die, Phoenix will die too…’

Phoenix was in his dantian. There was no way out for a creature whose master died while they were inside of them.

The lava beneath Ryker shuddered and suddenly burst. His eyes widened. This creature had suddenly become smart.

It kept using the lava around Ryker to try and attack him, but it finally realized it didn’t need to do that.

Ryker found himself high up in the air in the next instant, his body flailing.

He tried to use his Divined Chains to switch directions, but his soul practically screamed at him. He could push it, but if he did so it would only come out in a trickle that would change the overall situation at all.

Pillars and tendrils of lava lashed out at him from all directions. He gathered up all the Wind Type Spirit Energy he could and used Soar. This caused the violet fox to miss, not ready for Ryker’s sudden change in momentum.

‘Shit, shit, shit,’ Ryker cursed, finding it harder to remain calm.

At that moment, he missed his former indifference to everything. In the past, he would have never wasted time on such useless thoughts, every fiber of his being would be honed in on finding a path to victory.

It was right then his eyes suddenly glowed.

‘One last-ditch attempt. Come on!’

Ryker suddenly controlled the air and fell toward the creature. He might not be able to fly, but he could certainly fall very, very fast.

He reached out a hand and a small sliver of Divined Chains formed; it was all he had left in him. But then he forcefully activated Temporal Weave again, causing the small tendril to multiply several times over.

It felt like his soul was being split in two, as though his mind would go blank, never to return again.

He bit his tongue hard and controlled the third of the floating globules of molten metal. It was this very glob he had sensed an odd sealing energy from, so he gambled.

If he could coat his Divined Chains in this molten metal, would it be strong enough to restrain this beast?

BANG!

The violet fox roared by Ryker’s Divined Chains reached it first. His sudden acceleration through the air flipped the tables before the creature could react, sending chains spiralling around its maw and then its body.

Ryker landed heavily on the ground, but when he looked back he unleashed a wave of curses.

“You dumb, stupid, idiotic beast. Now we’re both gonna die, are you happy?!”

Behind Ryker, a huge wave of lava was making its way over. He wasn’t even sure if he had successfully sealed the creature yet, but its follow up attacks were already rushing at him…. No, at the both of them.