Chapter 216: A New Collection

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: A New Collection

Lucian decided to end this quickly.

The Dark Wyvern circled above. Dark blood streamed from the wound. Drip. Drip. But the beast was far from down. Its crimson eyes locked onto Lucian with predatory fury. It opened its jaws. Dark Flame Breath charged again — black fire swirling in its throat. Glow. Hiss. Thrum.

Lucian clapped his hands together as a concentrated mental energy surged from his Mind Palace, compressing between his palms.

A new spell — one he had recently learned but never tested in combat.

"MENTAL SHOCKWAVE."

FWOOOOOM!

A shockwave of pure mental energy exploded from Lucian’s body. Every living creature within a thirty-meter radius felt it. The invisible wave slammed into the Dark Wyvern’s consciousness.

The wyvern’s Dark Flame Breath sputtered. The black fire in its throat dissipated. Fizzle. Its eyes glazed over. Its wings faltered mid-beat. FWOOM. It dropped ten meters before catching itself, shaking its massive head. Shake. Shake.

Zafira gasped. His hands flew to his temples. Gasp. His mental connections linking him to every tamed beast — snapped. The Basilisk froze mid-combat. The Condor veered sideways, crashing into a wall. CRASH. Ven stumbled but recovered — its own consciousness unaffected by Lucian’s spell.

For one brief moment, every beast, vampire and knights on the battlefield was disoriented.

Lucian moved.

Light Acceleration. FLICK. He became a blur of silver and crimson. The wind screamed past him. Fwooooosh. He closed the distance to the Dark Wyvern in a heartbeat — appearing directly before its massive head in mid-air.

He pressed his palm against the wyvern’s forehead.

"Loyalty Bond," Lucian whispered.

Mental Power erupted from his palm — a concentrated lance of psychic energy driving directly into the wyvern’s consciousness. The beast screamed. SCREEEECH! The bond spell forced its way into the wyvern’s mind, tearing through primitive instincts, feral rage, and decades of Zafira’s conditioning.

The wyvern thrashed.

Blood spears materialized around Lucian. Squelch. Squelch. They drove into the wyvern’s body. SHHHK. SHHHK. SHHHK. Not lethal strikes — targeted piercings into non-vital areas. Each wound drained the beast’s strength, weakening its mental defenses further.

SCREEEECH! The wyvern screamed again. Blood poured from the wounds. Splatter.

Zafira realized what was happening. His face twisted with horror.

"NO! You can’t — that beast was bonded to me for forty years!"

He launched himself from the tower toward Lucian. FWOOSH. His Late Grand Core aura blazed. His hands were clawed. His fangs extended. He would kill the boy before the bond completed.

Ven intercepted.

SCREECH! The Crimson Manticore appeared from Zafira’s blind spot — venom tail driving toward the vampire’s chest. Zafira dodged. Flick. The tail missed. But the venom spike grazed his arm. Sizzle. Green venom spread across his skin. Hiss. Zafira hissed in pain but didn’t stop.

The shadow condor attacked it. FWISH! Ven took the hit — the blade slicing across its already wounded flank. Slash. Ven crashed into the ground below. BOOM!

But it didn’t matter.

Lucian felt it. The wyvern’s resistance crumbled. Its feral consciousness yielded — overwhelmed by Lucian’s Mental Power.

Zafira staggered. Blood poured from his nose. Drip. Drip. His connection to the Dark Wyvern severed like a cut string. The wyvern’s crimson eyes shifted. The fury faded. The killing intent vanished. Replaced by absolute and unwavering obedience.

The wyvern lowered its massive head. Thrum. Its wings folded against its body. It hung in the air before Lucian.

A rune burned itself into the wyvern’s forehead. Sizzle. Glow. A crimson mark — the sigil of the Beast Domain — seared into the scales.

"That’s... that’s impossible," Zafira whispered. His voice cracked. Blood ran freely from his nose and ears. Drip. The mental backlash of losing bonded connection was destroying him from the inside. "You can’t — no human has the mental power to — that beast was bonded to me for forty years!"

Lucian turned to face him. Blood ran from Lucian’s own nose. Drip. His mana had drained to a critical level — less than 25% remaining. His Mental Power was nearly depleted, leaving him lightheaded.

Zafira’s face contorted with rage and desperation. He raised both hands. Every remaining C-Rank beast in his kennels — wolves, hawks, lizards, scorpions — poured from underground tunnels. Howl. Screech. Hiss. They charged Lucian from every direction.

The Dark Wyvern looked at the charging beasts. Then at Zafira. Its crimson eyes blazed with fury at the beasts that dared approach its new master.

ROOOOAR!

The wyvern opened its jaws. Dark Flame Breath erupted. FWOOOOOM! A massive torrent of black fire swept across the charging swarm. They burned. Screech! Howl! Hiss! Ash and embers filled the air. Crumble. Hiss. Most were incinerated instantly. The survivors scattered — terrified, broken.

Zafira coughed blood. Cough. Splatter. Losing so many beast connections simultaneously was destroying his mind. Each severed bond sent shockwaves through his consciousness. Crack. Crack. His knees buckled. Thud. He fell to the stone floor of his tower. Blood pooled beneath him. Drip.

Lucian walked toward him through the air. Tap. Tap. Tap. He descended to the tower rooftop.

Zafira looked up.

"Pathetic," Lucian said.

He raised his hand. A Blood Spear formed. Squelch. He drove it through Zafira’s heart. SHHHHK.

The wyvern screeched above. SCREECH! It dove toward the two Early B-Rank beasts still attacking Ven. The Basilisk looked up. Too late. CRUNCH! The wyvern’s claws closed around the Basilisk — crushing its body like paper. Crack. Squelch. The Condor tried to flee. Screech! The wyvern’s tail whipped. WHOOSH! It struck the Condor mid-flight, sending it crashing into the fortress wall. CRASH! The wyvern followed. Its jaws closed around the Condor’s neck. CRUNCH. Dead.

Lucian had no intention of taming those two. The mental strain of one taming was already nearly unbearable at his current level. His Mental Power was depleted. His mana was dangerously low. He needed rest.

But the battle wasn’t over.

Zafira’s death broke the remaining vampires’ morale.

The beasts still fighting in the courtyard — those not burned or killed — lost their controllers. They milled about in confusion. Some fled into the tunnels. Others were cut down by Knights who seized the opportunity. Slash. Stab. Thud.

Lucian sent the Dark Wyvern toward the vampire forces. SCREECH! The beast dove into the courtyard. Its massive wings sent vampires flying. WHOOSH. Crash. Thud. Its claws raked through formations. Dark Flame Breath erupted. FWOOOOOM! Vampires scattered. They screamed. Aaaagh!

The vampires stared in disbelief.

"THAT’S ZAFIRA’S WYVERN! WHY IS IT—"

"RETREAT! RETREAT!"

The Knights were confused too. But they were professionals. They pressed forward, exploiting the chaos. SLASH. CRASH. BOOM!

Gideon vs Iskandar — Resolution.

Gideon pressed harder. Without Zafira’s beasts interfering, his full attention focused on Iskandar. The Peak Grand Core vampire dissolved into shadow again. Ssssss. Shadow serpents launched from every direction. Hiss. Hiss. Hiss.

Gideon planted his feet. BOOM. Gravitational Compression — focused into a ten-meter singularity — expanded from his body. The space around him warped. Thrum. The shadow serpents were caught in the gravity field.

Iskandar tried to reform. His shadow body materialized — but two Mid Grand Core Knights appeared behind him. A fire blast and an ice spear struck simultaneously. FWOOM! CRACK! Iskandar staggered. His shadow form flickered.

Gideon compressed the space around Iskandar. THRUUM. The gravity field tightened. The shadow couldn’t escape — the compressed space trapped it. CRACK. Iskandar’s body solidified.

Gideon’s fist connected. BOOOOM! Gravitational Compression focused into a single point of impact. Iskandar’s chest caved in. CRUNCH. His heart exploded. Blood erupted from his mouth. Splatter.

Iskandar’s body flew across the courtyard, crashing through three buildings. CRASH. CRASH. CRASH. He didn’t get up.

A Peak Grand Core vampire elder. Dead.

Serena vs Rasheed — Resolution.

Serena finished what she started. Absolute Zero spread across the entire eastern courtyard.

Serena froze the moisture in the bedrock.

Rasheed attacked with bare hands. FWOOSH. He lunged at Serena with everything he had.

His fist connected. BAM! Serena was launched. She crashed through a building. CRASH! Rumble. Stone and dust erupted. She gasped. Cough. Blood trickled from her lip.

Rasheed pressed forward. He would kill her while she was down—

Lucian appeared behind him.

Flick.

The black greatsword swung toward Rasheed’s heart. SWISH! Rasheed barely sensed it. He twisted. The blade missed his heart by centimeters. But it didn’t miss his arm.

SHHHHK!

The greatsword cleaved through Rasheed’s left arm at the shoulder. Slash. The limb separated as the arm hit the ground. Thud.

Rasheed screamed. Aaaagh! But the pain was secondary. The death energy from the skeleton’s greatsword corroded the wound. Sizzle. Hiss. Black veins spread from the stump across his chest. The corrosion prevented regeneration. Hiss. Hiss. His healing factor was shut down.

Rasheed staggered. His remaining arm clutched the corroding stump. His crimson eyes widened with fear.