Astra darted down directly onto the creature's head, yet thanks to a swift movement, one of the longer horns blocked its path.
Boom!
The impact sent Atlas flying into the sky and the creature's head onto the ground.
Both suffered a light injury, but their reaction speed was flawless.
In particular, the creature was slightly faster and sent its long tail toward the sky, clearly intent on smashing the human's chest.
Its speed was so scary that the space was literally cut in two.
Waves of strong wind turned the soil into a desert storm.
Atlas felt the danger coming from below and instinctively directed his weapon down.
Boom!!
Another impact, but this time, Atlas was the only one to suffer.
The attack was so strong that his body flew to the cave's other side.
"Damn!! He is so powerful... on the open, he is at the Initial Stage, yet his true level is beyond that... especially his physical body."
It took him a while to land on the other side and stabilize his body.
"Puny human... you are weak as an ant... I'll smash your head a few more times before asking you more questions..."
The lizard didn't give him even a second to rest and suddenly appeared in front of him with his paw raised.
"Fuck..."
Atlas was truly scared this time. There was no time to think, so he activated the movement technique and emerged fifty feet away.
The young man thought he was safe, but the reality was different.
"You are fast, but... I'm faster than you!"
Boom!!
Atlas suffered another terrible attack.
His body repeatedly hit the ground like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
Scratch and scars appeared all over his body. Atlas's mind was in a total mess.
He was so overwhelmed and felt so useless.
Finally landing again on the other side of the cave, Atlas found a moment of peace.
The lizard didn't assault him again but strode slowly, showing all his arrogance to the world.
"Puny human... do you understand the immense difference between us? Surely you are stronger than ordinary people, I will give you that. But being able to fight two minor realms higher is not enough. Not against me!!"
Atlas knew it. Indeed, after this short but intense exchange, he was sure that that lizard could easily fight against a major realm higher, which meant an Epoch Descendant Ruler.
A frightening combat capability.
"Hmm... Hmm..."
Atlas coughed blood a couple of times, but in his gaze, there was no terror but rather a desire to fight.
"Oh... You are quite brave, yet it's all useless..."
The dragon respected the strong and not the weak, so Atlas earned some of his admiration.
The fight exploded once again, yet it was vastly different this time.
Armed with a hammer and the Impenetrable Void Shield, Atlas counterattacked with brutality. Some of the damage from the blows was devoured by the shield, giving Atlas a bit more freedom to exert more damage, yet his Chaos Energy was disappearing fast.
Adding to the fact that he was constantly using the movement technique, his condition kept worsening.
"Eathly Submission!"
As soon as Atlas was near enough, he activated the upgraded version of the Earthly Submission. It was a Primordial Chaotical Technique, utterly different from the weak ability of before.
As if to respond to the young man's call, everything around him in a radius of thirty feet started to vibrate. The gravity power took place almost instantly, pressing against the soil and the few rocks nearby.
The ability affected all space, yet it acted even more fiercely against the creature, over imposing the brutality of a mutated gravity on his body.
"Crap..."
The ability surprised the creature and slammed its body onto the ground. It looked so miserable, but Atlas felt no pity and instead acted with savagery.
Astra, in his hammer form, smashed down onto the creature's head, hitting the target easily.
This was an excellent opportunity, so the young man repeatedly hit the creature, leaving behind wounds and broken scales.
"How dare you!!"
What followed was clear. In fact, the dragon felt so humiliated that its power burst out, sending the young man flying away from its head.
ROAR!!
An enraged roar escaped the creature's maw, showing all his anger to the world. Despite all expectations, the gravity power could do nothing against its brutal muscle strength.
ROAR!! ROAR!!
The ground below the creature's paws cracked and formed deep imprints behind.
All happened so fast that when Atlas was ready for the next barrage, its enemy was already standing proudly with a murderous gaze.
"Grrr... Human, you make me angry!"
Atlas ignored his arrogant remark and activated another technique: "Mother Earth Grip!"
Another Primordial Chaotical Technique showed its mightiness, forming a giant hand made entirely of rock.
It was large enough to effortlessly catch the grand creature's body, yet the creature counterattacked as soon as the hand appeared.
"Not again!"
BOOM!!
With a wave of its robust tail, the hand crumbled as if made of simple sand.
Atlas's attack was directed at the enemy's blind spot. However, nothing could escape its rage.
ROAR!!
The creature charged at him, and in no time, the battle resumed, putting the young man under great pressure.
After a couple of more minutes, the fight was nearing its end, but neither of the two was willing to surrender.
The dragon had his tail lacerated at some points and one of his paws broken.
Atlas instead had the bones of the arm holding the shield broken and a deep wound along his chest.
It was clear who was in the worst condition, yet he was too stubborn to surrender.
"Human... you surprise me a lot... You even wounded my body... that's incredible... Alas, as I told you before... This is... not... ENOUGH!!"
"Right?" Atlas's answer was simple, yet it contained a deadly power.
As soon as those words came out of his mouth, the Impenetrable Void Shield disappeared, and darkness took its place, forming a deadly dagger.
"What is that??"
The lizard took a few steps back when the weapon appeared, scared by the profound feeling of danger emitted by it.
Even Falerra felt nervous for a tiny moment.
Their reaction was almost the same, yet on a different level.
"It's the legendary Voracious Fang... I heard rumors about that devilish thing... How did that thing appear here?"
The lizard said in a low tone.
Just when things were getting dangerous, Atlas's body faltered and then fell to the ground.
His consciousness slowly faded, but he wasn't scared because Falerra was there to protect him.