Chapter 14: The Triumph-The Battle of the Dark Lion and Severoth

The Dark Lion stood firmly and looked at Sevaroth, speaking in a deep voice, "Who are you and what do you want here?"

Sevaroth smiled and said, "I am Sevaroth, and I've come to test my strength against you. I've heard a lot about you, and I think it's time to see if those stories are true."

The Dark Lion responded with a challenge, "You dare to challenge me? Very well, let's see what you've got. But don't think I'll be an easy opponent."

Sevaroth smiled confidently and said, "That's exactly what I'm hoping for."

...

Severoth and the Dark Lion prepared for battle, each scrutinizing the other carefully. Suddenly, the Dark Lion let out a loud roar that caused the surrounding trees to shake. This roar signaled the start of the battle.

The Dark Lion leaped with astonishing speed towards Severoth, trying to attack with its powerful claws. But Severoth was ready, using the "Earth Manipulation" skill to raise a stone wall in front of him, forcing the Dark Lion to retreat.

As the Dark Lion retreated, Severoth jumped over the stone wall and unleashed the "Dragon's Breath" at the Dark Lion, who barely dodged it, sustaining some burns. "It won't be that easy!" Severoth said with a mocking smile.

The Dark Lion responded angrily, saying, "I'll show you my true strength!" and then suddenly disappeared into the shadows. The shadows began to move around Severoth, who tried to predict where the Dark Lion would appear.

The Dark Lion leaped from Severoth's shadow. Severoth thought, "He's fast," but he reacted quickly and flew into the air, though not fast enough to avoid a scratch on his shoulder.

Severoth thought, "How did he reach my shadow?" before realizing that the shadow of one of his wings was connected to the shadow of the stone wall. Looking at the Dark Lion, he thought, "He is more experienced in handling shadows."

Suddenly, the Dark Lion showed a mocking smile, angering Severoth. Severoth flew higher and activated the "Rage Burst" skill, releasing a powerful "Dragon's Breath" at the Dark Lion, who was surprised by its intensity.

A massive explosion shook the ground around them. After the smoke and dust cleared, there was a large crater 50 meters in diameter. The Dark Lion emerged from the shadow of a tree far from the crater, severely burned. "He's very strong; if I don't fight with all my strength, I will die in this battle," thought the Dark Lion.

Severoth looked at the Dark Lion and said with a mocking smile, "You're really slippery, it seems you've become even darker." The Dark Lion's face darkened, and he moved quickly through the shadows, appearing in front of Severoth and striking his face with his claw. But Severoth responded quickly, crossing his arms in front of his face in an (X) shape. Behind him, a stone pillar formed and struck the Dark Lion swiftly, knocking him to the ground.

Severoth looked at the Dark Lion and mocked him, "Is that all you have?" The Dark Lion, enraged, calmed himself, realizing that Severoth wanted him to get angry. He began moving faster, appearing, striking, and disappearing. Severoth was barely defending, and many wounds began to appear on him.

Severoth thought, "If I continue like this, I will lose. Think, Severoth, think." Suddenly, he noticed that the shadows from which the Dark Lion emerged wavered for a fraction of a second, but he wasn't fast enough to respond.

While Severoth was thinking of a way, he felt a strange warmth and heat inside his body. At first, he didn't pay attention to it, but as the heat increased, he noticed it. Suddenly, the heat moved to his brain, and time around him slowed down as he saw the Dark Lion disappearing into the shadows slowly, feeling he could move faster than before.

Severoth understood what this heat and state he entered were. If his assumption was correct, the heat was his talent [Evolution], and the state he entered was Bullet Time or Thought Acceleration, where his talent evolves his skills based on his needs or desires. The other was Speed Skill.

From the beginning, it had been with him all along. From the Rage Burst where he wished for a skill to increase his strength, and the Shadow Stealth skill when facing a pack of wolves where he wanted to sneak and reveal them when he wanted a stealth skill, and now where he wanted to be faster and have quick reactions.

While thinking about his talent and new skills, he noticed the shadow wavering to his right. He thought quickly, using all his skills: Thought Acceleration and Dragon Sense to pinpoint the time and place of its appearance. When the Dark Lion emerged from the shadow, Severoth used Blood Suppression to pin him down, even if for a short time, increased his speed with his new skill, and used Rage Burst to boost his strength.

At the moment the Dark Lion appeared, he saw himself flying and crashing into several trees, breaking them until he stopped. The Dark Lion tried to get up, but couldn't from the immense pain and injuries.

He saw a body flying towards him at high speed, and knew it was Severoth. After many attempts, he finally stood up, intending to dive into the shadows. But Severoth reached him, and the Dark Lion thought, "I'm dead," closing his eyes and feeling a fist hitting his face, sending him flying and crashing into more trees until he collided with a hill, shattering it into pieces, where his wives and cubs watched him with concern.

The Dark Lion lay on the ground, unable to move even a finger. Severoth landed in front of him, saying with exhaustion and fatigue, "You've lost, Dark Lion, you know what the victor does."

The Dark Lion opened his eyes and said something that shocked Severoth, "Please don't kill me, I'll give you everything, even my wives and children, just don't kill me, please."

Severoth looked at the Dark Lion with disappointment and said, "As expected from someone who was Blacky's friend, you're a coward like him. No, although Blacky was a coward because he ran away and left you to face the danger alone, he feels guilty. But you are scum who would sell your family for life, but I won't kill you because I promised Blacky."

Severoth looked at the Dark Lion's family and then back at the Dark Lion one last time. He then spread his wings and flew high into the sky, letting out a roar that shook the entire outer region and even reached the inner region, thinking he was declaring his victory.

Severoth flew back to his cave after a grueling battle that pushed him beyond his limits. As he flew, he didn't feel the joy of victory, suddenly saying, "It reminds me of bad memories."

After a long flight, he reached his cave, opened the stone gate, entered, went to the pond, and quickly washed off the blood and battle remnants. After bathing, he went to his usual corner and quickly fell asleep from exhaustion.

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