"Old human," the goat-like Shadow creature said with a mocking tone. "You have quite the talent… but your body's failing you."

Hans, now supporting himself with just one knee, wiped the blood from his lips. "You talk too much…" he said with a shaky breath.

He slowly climbed to his feet, raising his staff again, this time he had a new sense of aura radiating from him, his breathing changed and it was as if every molecule of air around him vibrated and hummed like a thousand invisible blades.

The goat-beast smirked and slammed its hoof into the ground, the hexagonal rings forming once again beaneath it.

"My energy has been restored… in that case"

"Soul Manifestation… Rings of Calamity!"

Boom!

Without wasting anytime, the creature vanished, reappearing midair as it threw a flurry of blows faster than the human eye could keep up or my mind could process, each strike sending trails of red ring-like energy that originated from its elbow region.

Hans countered with bursts of wind, redirecting each blast with spotless precision and every movement of his measured with pinpoint accuracy.

But the more the creature threw at him, the more the toll of his aging body began to weigh on him, his swings grew heavier and his breathing became ragged and too shaky to carry his lungs.

The creature laughed even harder as it relentlessly sent red, devastating rings of destruction the Chancellor's way. "Tiring already?"

Hans was bleeding from his forehead, judguing by his breathing he probably had a couple ribs broken, a fractured collar bone and a disllocated knee. For someone his age, its safe to say he did pretty well against this powerful Shadow creature, although the creature just awakened and hasn't fully mastered its powers and a grasp of reality yet.

If I let this go on any longer, this Shadow creature wouldn't hesitate to end the life of Cindralock's Branch Chancellor and that is something I will never be able to live with myself knowing.

I'm about to engage an opponent that could very well overwhelm me easily, I thought I had levelled up significantly; but it turns out that power is an infinite scale and there will always be someone way more powerful than any level I hope to achieve.

Right when the goat-beast was about to land its finally blow on the Chancellor, a massive shadow burst upward between them, colliding with the strike and sending shockwaves cascading through the entire area. The impact sounded like two planets crashing together and debris exploding everywhere from the sheer force of the collision.

When the dust settled, a colossal serpent with blue-black scale reared its mighty head with its eyes burning with purple energy as it coiled protectively around Hans Wagner, it was able to disrupt the attack with its thick and muscular body that was reinforced with diamond hard scales that ultimately ended up saving the Chancellor's life. Purple lightning cracked alond its side as it raised its head even further and baring its long fangs at the goat like creature.

Ding!

~You have released your Arcane Pet >Naga<~

~Level: Grade Three [Intermediate]~

The great serpent hissed violently and the pressure it emitted made even the creature to stumble backwards in shock.

From behind the swirling portal of black and violet with which Naga emerged from, I stepped forward with my bone white daggers gleaming under the moons light.

"Naga…" I called out, the serpent shifted slightly and locked its gaze on me.

Hans looked down at me from the rooftop where Naga held him protectively, "Levi… you…" he said with a ragged breathing.

I ignored him entirely, he had reached his limit and I had to step in now to protect him or I won't be able to forgive myself for standing there doing nothing while he was killed, not when I have all this power.

"Oh?" the creature started with its voice that echoed in layers of subordinate voices. "Finally decided to join the dance, little predator?"

I didn't answer. I just lowered my stance, with both daggers of mine crossing before me. Then, with one tilt of my head, Naga transported the Chancellor from the roof top where they perched to the ground behind me, still covering him with a protective posture.

Behind me, Naga's mouth opened, releasing a deep, vibrating hiss that rocked the debris around us. My entire body tensed as the master-pet bond between me and Naga deepened and I activated its Snake Art skill via the system.

The creature's grin widened, its red eyes glowing even brighter. "What is this? An Arcane pet? Interesting aren't you…"

My fingers tightened around the hilts of my daggers, my body temperature rose as I began to send Arcane energy throughout every part of my body from my heart.

Then, dark-blue metallic scales as sharp as obsidian started to spread across my arms, sholders, neck and everything inbetween. They shimmered faintly with violet Arcane energy, overlapping like armour forged from snakes skin.

The system's voice echoed in my head, signaling the successful activation of the skill.

Before I moved my body in attack, I wondered if it would be possible to have such a powerful dungeon boss like this goat-like Shadow creature as an Arcane pet of mine. As the thought crossed my mind, the system sent me a notification as if reading my thoughts.

~Regazan The Blood Faun~

~Dungeon boss detected, current status of the creature is outside of its natural prison~

~Rebirth is not possible~

~To be able to Rebirth stronger dungeon bosses, you will have to level up significantly~

'I see, I'm not yet strong enough to tame this Shadow creature if it were to be my pet… I don't care if it takes years or month, I will be the one to kill it and have it under my every control!'

I stepped forward, the ground cracking under my foot as wind and energy spiraled together around me. The creature's grin returned with delight written in its eyes, "Good.. good! I was hoping you'd start acting like that old man over there!"

The interlocking rings that marked the territorial zone of its Soul Manifestation shone brighter as it fell into a combat pose with its hands stretched forward, ready to send deadly rings my way.

Then it crouched, the light from the Soul Territory illuminating itself, I mirrored the stance as I entered the territory— daggers raised, scales glinting red under the light from the territory, Naga circling behind me like a coiled storm in support.

For a second the entire compound was silent, then—

Boom!

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