[Beast identified]
[
[beast name: Infernal Wyrm]
beast type: Snake
Rank: Gold tier
Abilities: Lava shield, Molten breath, Flame spire, Lava barrage
Useful parts: Lava core
]
Evo quickly scanned the forged-beast before the signal was given.
'This is going to be harder than I thought' Reid thought to himself. If he were being honest, he knew the chances of winning the fight were small.
But small didn't mean zero, Damien had a habit of underestimating those he viewed to be below him and Reid was planning to use that to his advantage.
Elizabeth raised her hand, signaling the start of the fight.
"Fight!" she declared, stepping back.
Damien wasted no time. "Infernal Wyrm, Molten Breath!" he commanded.
The massive serpent-like beast reared its head, exhaling a torrent of molten lava aimed toward Reid.
Without Reid's command, Rusty instantly
teleported both itself and Reid several feet away, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Reid felt the heat on his back even as he landed, the spot he was previously standing had turned into lava.
"Well shit" Reid cursed.
"What? You thought I would underestimate you just because you've been cast out by the Fletchers?" Damien asked with a grin "Think again".
'So much for using his confidence against him' Reid thought.
Without warning, the Wyrm suddenly swung its glowing tail toward Reid.
"Rusty, Pause!"
The Wyrm was quickly frozen mid-swing.
Reid saw his chance and charged forward, aiming to land a decisive blow on Damien. But the lock didn't hold for long. With a roar, the Wyrm shattered the effect, its tail slamming into the ground where Reid had just been.
Reid rolled to the side, sweat dripping down his face. "This is going great," he muttered sarcastically.
Before he could catch his breath, the ground erupted around Reid, forcing him to leap and dodge. One of the spires grazed his arm, the searing pain nearly causing him to scream.
"Rusty" Reid called out through gritted teeth.
Rusty used rewind on him, causing the wound to disappear. It was now angrily growling at Damien and his forged-beasts.
"Come on Reid, I expected you to put up a fight" Damien mocked with a grin.
"I guess you're all bark with no bite"He finally had the chance to prove he was better than Reid, even if it's just in the presence of Elizabeth Cross and three nameless nobodies.
Damien Continued "You truly are a failure. Wyrm, use [Lava barrage]"
He commanded, intending to finish the fight.
The Wyrm unleashed a series of flaming projectiles, each one exploding on impact.
Reid and Rusty dodged the projectiles while his eyes darted around the arena, looking for anything that would somehow work to his advantage.
He turned his attention back to Damien and his forged-beast when Evo suddenly suggested.
[....]
'that's it' Reid thought.
"Rusty!" he called out and Rusty understood exactly what he wanted to do.
Rusty quickly teleported them closer to Damien, avoiding the flaming projectiles aimed at them.
"What—?" Damien's confident smirk faltered as Reid appeared right in front of him.
"Rusty, Pause!"
This time, Reid targeted Damien directly. His movements froze, along with his Wyrm, for just a few precious seconds.
"That's all I need," Reid said, landing a powerful punch to Damien's jaw. The force sent him staggering back.
Reid quickly followed up with a kick, aiming to knock Damien out but the Wyrm had started moving again and it whipped its tail at him causing Reid to jump back.
Evo's suggestion was this:
[The soul connection between your opponent and his forged-beast is high enough so any attack directed at him will affect his forged beast].
Damien wiped the blood from his lip, his grin returning. "Not bad, Reid. But punching me for the second time today was a big mistake and I'm gonna make you regret it".
The Wyrm roared, molten energy surging as it prepared another Molten Breath.
"Rusty, pause!" Reid commanded.
Rusty quickly obligated and the snake was frozen mid attack again, allowing Reid to teleport close to Damien again and delivered a punch.
Damien anticipated the punch and was able to dodge. He threw a punch of his own but Reid caught it and used the momentum to slam him on the floor.
"Keep spamming pause on his beast Rusty" Reid ordered "I'll beat this guy unconscious myself"
Damien quickly recovered and stood up, he then prepared for a fist fight against Reid.
He threw a punch and Reid dodged, delivering a punch squarely on his face. A crunch sound indicated Reid had broken his nose.
"You see Damien" Reid spoke, his voice taking a mocking tone "without your forged-beast to hide behind, you're nothing".
Reid knew this wasn't true, he just outclassed Damien in hand to hand combat even though Damien was at a higher rank.
But this was a fight, and Reid's comment was aimed to anger Damien and making him more likely to make mistakes and it worked like a charm.
Feeling humiliated, Damien abandoned all strategy and recklessly swung at Reid.
"If this is what the so called genius of the Blackwood family is capable of, then I'm disappointed" Reid continued while he dodged Damien's attacks.
"Shut the f*ck up!" Damien screamed at this point he had forgotten all his training and was filled with nothing but rage.
"You can't even take down a failure, doesn't that make you a bigger failure" Reid landed a punch straight on his unguarded solar plexus causing him to fall to his knees.
Rusty on the other hand, just as Reid had ordered, kept on spamming [pause] on the Wyrm whenever it moved.
Damien overcame the pain, stood up and charged like a bull, aiming to tackle Reid. With a swift motion, Reid moved out the way and tripping Damien in the process.
Damien's face had become completely red in anger and was about to charge at Reid again when Elizabeth suddenly clapped her hands
"That's enough!" she ordered and they both stopped.
"Reid wins" she announced.
Rusty quickly returned to Reid's side and the Wyrm who was completely exhausted at this point, returned to Damien's side.
"That's —" Damien wanted to argue.
"I said Reid Wins!" Elizabeth, with her aura pressing on him, slowly spoke causing him to break out in cold sweat "is that clear?"
"Y-yes" He answered through gritted teeth.
"Splendid, now let's leave" she said and walked towards the exit only to pause when they saw spotted someone standing at the door.
"Hello little brother" the stranger greeted with a grin "it's been a while".