Elias stood in the middle of a thick, circular arena. Everything around him shimmered as the system began the simulation. Slowly, the surroundings changed into a vast forest, full of tall trees and howling winds.
An azure blue coloured holographic notification popped up in front of his eyes with a melodic beep sound.
["New Quest Initiated: Defeat Zephyrax.
Reward: Advancement of skill: photon manipulation to master level.
Unlocking of the second skill: Starpower Infusion"]
Elias let out a sharp breath, clenching his fists. A glint in the distance caught his eye. From the treetops, Zephyrax appeared as its fur shimmered in silver under dim moonlight. Its light blue eyes sparkled with an undeniable intensity, and the fierce look they fixed on him was nothing short of intimidating.
The beast moved first. Zephyrax jumped down from the tree, its wing-like form shining brightly in the heavenly light. A powerful gust of wind surged forward, tearing through the trees and heading straight for Elias.
"Gale Force," Elias muttered, bracing himself. He remembered what he had learned while fighting Celestia in the Astral Realm.
"Gale Force is a technique used by those from the Wind Realm. It might not deal a ton of damage, but it's great for throwing off your opponent's balance. Plus, it can weaken water-affinity beast tamers by drying out the air a bit."
That's what she said while she was totally dominating him in their practice duel.
He planted his feet and materialised a barrier of light. Yes. This was photon manipulation. The wind smashed against it, scattering leaves and dust. The force pushed him back several feet, but the barrier held.
The moment Zephyrax unleashed Gale Force, Elias instantly grasped his motive. It was clear that he aimed to instill fear and assert his dominance over him..
Zephyrax moved without hesitation, leaving no opportunity for him to catch his breath. In an instant, it vanished from where it had been, producing a piercing whistle that threatened to overwhelm his senses. This was its second ability, Aerial Grace, the beast's remarkable second legendary skill.
Elias fixed his intense gaze on the creature. "You won't even give me a chance? Is it because of fear?"
In response, the beast let out a piercing shriek that sent shockwaves through the air. Waves of energy rippled toward him, distorting the atmosphere around them.
"Is that how it is? Then I think it's time to level the playing field," Elias bellowed, a surge of unexpected excitement coursing through him.
He raised his hand, bending the surrounding light to render himself invisible.
The beast stopped, its head tilting as if sensing something was amiss. The swirling wind around it picked up speed.
Elias suddenly became aware of soft murmurs swirling around him, as if the voices were urging him to respond. Initially, these sounds were faint, resembling low hums, but they gradually grew louder and more numerous. He shook his head, attempting to dismiss them, but as soon as he did, he realized he had made a mistake.
Zephyrax pivoted sharply, its claws slicing through the air where Elias had just been.
"Too close!" Elias adjusted his stance, quietly manoeuvring around the creature.
'Damn it! I completely forgot that!'
Whispering Winds was a skill employed by this beast to detect targets within a certain range. Zephyraxes utilise such techniques to locate their prey, and the unique aspect of this ability is that it can even pinpoint invisible targets that are undetectable to the naked eye.
Without wasting time, he formed a small, glowing object in his palm—an arrow of light. With precision, he launched it toward Zephyrax.
The arrow hit the beast's shoulder. Zephyrax roared, its silver fur singed and its flapping appendages created a vortex that disrupted Elias' invisibility.
A shocked Elias appeared.
The audience erupted with cheers as the beast and the Tamer showcased their skills. Neither of them flinched in the face of each other's moves, both determined not to give in.
The wind around Zephyrax spiraled in, focusing into a condensed tornado. Elias dove for cover as the cyclone tore through the forest, uprooting trees and splintering wood.
"Fuck!," he muttered, rolling behind a boulder.
" What is this? I have heard about God's making tornadoes and cyclones and all that, but I never knew there were beast's with this kind of op abilities!" He roared in pain as a boulder hit him hard on his chest, while he was on his way trying to protect his dear life.
Then suddenly the vortex slowed, and Elias made his move. He came out from cover, his hands ablaze with concentrated light. In quick succession, he launched a volley of energy beams at the beast.
Unlike earlier Elias was now familiar with his beam-shooting skills after millions of battles with Celestia. His precision was more than 95% accurate and above all that the power of his beams were also stronger than previous.
With ease, Zephyrax dodged and floated through the air. Its movements were smooth, almost mocking.
Under his breath, Elias swore. "Are you challenging me?"
With that, Elias called a circle of light objects around his person, each whirling like a blade. He showered a whole lot of them at Zephyrax, compelling the beast to remain on the ground.
The beast landed on the ground with a loud thud, as the ground opened apart from the impact it created. Zephyrax growled low, its pale blue eyes glowing brighter.
Then, dark storm clouds gathered in the heavens, as the raindrops began falling, followed by streaks of lightning. Storm Surge had begun.
From the beginning the beast had seemingly resolved to deal with Elias quickly. This irritated Elias, as from the beginning he couldn't deal any damage to it rather than getting himself damaged from its massive attacks.
" Damn it! Why are you in such a hurry?" Elias roared his voice lacing clear frustration.
Elias barely dodged the first lightning bolt in a series of continuous massive lightning. The spot where he had been standing was blackened with ash, and even the rocks had melted from the intense heat generated by the clashes.
Elias closed his eyes and focused, bending the light around him. There was a glowing dome, sheltering him from rain and wind.
Inside, he concentrated on the movements of Zephyrax. The beast continued wide, sweeping attacks, relying on its capability to control the battlefield.
"Let's see how you handle losing your advantage," Elias muttered.
He raised both hands, pulling light from every direction. The rain seemed to evaporate as a brilliant, blinding glow enveloped the forest.
Zephyrax roared, disoriented by the sudden brightness.
Elias didn't relent. He shot a focused beam of light right into the beast's face. It hit its wing-like appendages and pinned Zephyrax to the ground.
Zephyrax stumbled, much slower now. The burning blue light in its eyes had slightly died down, but the storm did not cease.
The beast let a defiant roar and called a last Cyclone Strike. The vortex grew in size, tugging into its centre, debris from everywhere.
Elias planted his feet firmly. There was no way he could afford to get tugged into the vortex.
He channelled every ounce of energy he had into creating a massive spear of light. The construct hummed with power, its edges sharp and deadly.
With a yell, Elias heaved the spear right at the eye of the storm.
The spear cut through the winds and pierced it's mouth all the way down, severely damaging its internal organs. The beast emitted a guttural scream as the light engulfed it.
The storm broke apart. The forest fell silent.
A brief moment of silence hung in the air before the announcer erupted with excitement, "Incredible! What a monumental victory! Zephyrax, the legendary wind beast, has vanished just like that! Unbelievable… Absolutely unbelievable!"
Cheers erupted all around, causing the atmosphere to pulse with energy.
Elias found himself staggering forward, as if every ounce of his strength had been drained away in the aftermath of the battle.
As the simulation came to a close, Zephyrax began to dissolve into fine particles. The lush forest backdrop faded away, revealing the stark, gray walls of the simulation room.
And with that a holographic notification popped into his vision.
[
"Quest Complete: Defeat Zephyrax.
Reward: The host has given a chance to become a master level photon manipulator."
]
[ "The host has leveled up.
The points gained by completing the quest has been used.
Level 3 -> 5"
]
[
"Would you like to receive the reward? Y/N"
]
" Fuck, yeah!"
Elias felt energy surge through him. His core burned bright, the unique symbol inside it coursing with new strength.
The beast emblem sigil glittered, emitting an ethereal glow, as he felt the area where the sigil was getting heated.
He breathed in deeply, permitting himself a momentary release.
[ "The next quest..
Please exit from the simulation room
Reward: None"
]
" What the – ?"