The creature had been blasted backward thirty meters, its chest scales shattered and bleeding. A deep gash, easily five meters long, carved across its torso where Levi's attack had partially broken through its defense.

But it wasn't dead. Wasn't even close to dead.

The wyvern's eyes blazed with fury and pain as it struggled to its feet. Steam rose from its wound as its natural regeneration began to work, the gash already starting to close.

"Huff… huff… huff…"

Levi gasped for breath, his transformation flickering as his energy reserves depleted. That attack had taken everything—he had maybe one or two more golden drops left, and using them would almost certainly cripple his meridians permanently.

Across the plateau, Marcus forced himself to his feet. His spear was broken, snapped in half by the shockwave. His face was pale with shock as he stared at the wounded but still very much alive Golden Wyvern.

"It… it's still alive," he whispered in disbelief. "That attack should have killed it! It should have killed anything below Fiend Warrior!"

"Its defense…" Ren said hoarsely, blood trickling from his ears from the sonic impact. "Those scales are… they're like Tier-3 armor. Even Levi's strongest attack could only crack them, not penetrate fully."

The Golden Wyvern's head turned toward Levi, and he saw something new in those molten gold eyes.

Recognition. Understanding that this small creature had actually hurt it, had actually broken through defenses that nothing below Fiend Warrior should have been able to breach.

And rage. Absolute, burning rage.

"ROOOOOAAAAAR!"

The wyvern's aura exploded outward with renewed intensity! Its wound began to glow as it channeled energy to accelerate its healing! The creature's entire body started to emanate golden light that grew brighter and brighter!

"It's entering a berserk state!" Kai shouted in horror. "When wyverns are seriously injured, they can temporarily increase their power by burning their life force!"

The Golden Wyvern's already massive Astra signature doubled, then tripled! The pressure alone was enough to make the four Silverpeak students collapse to their knees!

"Everyone, grab the cubs and run!" Levi roared, his voice distorted by his Tiger transformation. "I'll hold it off! GO!"

"We can't just leave you!" Lyra protested, tears streaming down her face.

"You don't have a choice! If you stay, we all die! At least this way some of us survive! NOW RUN!"

Marcus's face twisted with anguish, but he knew Levi was right. In his current state, with his weapon broken and his team battered, they couldn't contribute to this fight—they would only be liabilities.

"Kai, Ren, Lyra—get the cubs! We're retreating!"

"But—"

"THAT'S AN ORDER!"

The three younger students hesitated one more agonizing second, then turned and sprinted toward the nest. The two Golden Wyvern cubs were huddled together, squeaking in fear as the massive battle raged around them.

The mother wyvern saw them approaching her children and roared with even greater fury!

"ROOOOOAAAAAR!"

She tried to move toward them, to protect her offspring, but Levi intercepted!

"THUNDER STEP!"

"CRACKLE!"

Golden lightning exploded beneath his feet as he launched himself directly into the wyvern's path!

"INFERNO STRIKE!"

"WHOOSH!"

His saber blazed with compressed fire energy as he slashed at the creature's wounded chest, targeting the spot where his previous attack had broken through!

"SLASH!"

The blade bit into damaged scales, carving another shallow cut that drew a fresh spray of golden blood!

But the wyvern barely seemed to notice. It was in full berserk mode now, feeling no pain, focused only on destruction!

"SLAM!"

Its tail swept around with terrifying speed and struck Levi in the side!

"CRACK!"

Even with his enhanced durability, Levi felt ribs shatter! The impact sent him flying across the plateau like a missile!

"CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!"

His body tore through three large boulders before slamming into the cliff face with enough force to create a crater!

"Koff!"

Blood sprayed from Levi's mouth as he fell to his knees. His vision blurred. His regeneration kicked in immediately, ribs snapping back into place with audible cracks, but the damage was accumulating faster than he could heal.

Through the pain, he saw Kai and Ren reach the nest. Each twin grabbed a cub—the young wyverns struggled and squeaked in protest, but they were too small to resist effectively.

"We've got them!" Kai shouted.

"GO! GO! GO!" Marcus yelled, forming a rear guard as his team began to retreat down the narrow path.

The Golden Wyvern saw her children being stolen and released a sound that was half roar, half scream—pure maternal fury given voice!

"ROOOOOAAAAAR!"

She tried to pursue, but Levi forced himself to stand, his transformed body swaying as he activated Thunder Step again!

"CRACKLE!"

He appeared in the wyvern's path once more, this time targeting her eyes with rapid strikes!

"SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!"

His saber moved in a blur, each cut aimed at the vulnerable orbs!

The wyvern's head jerked back, her eyelids—armored with transparent scales—closing just in time to protect her vision. But the attacks forced her to focus on him instead of the fleeing students.

"SLAM!"

Her wing swept down like a massive club!

Levi activated his Void Step Boots, creating a platform of solidified air that let him leap over the attack!

"WHOOOM!"

The wing strike missed him by centimeters but created a shockwave that still sent him tumbling through the air!

He used the momentum to create distance, landing thirty meters away and immediately channeling another attack!

"Water Manipulation: Ice Lance Barrage!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Multiple spears of crystallized ice materialized and launched at the wyvern's face, each one aimed at eyes, nostrils, ears—any vulnerable opening!

The creature's head weaved and dodged with serpentine grace, most of the ice lances shattering harmlessly against her scales. But three got through, one striking her left nostril and two hitting the softer scales near her ears.

Small injuries. Trivial injuries. But enough to enrage her further.

The Golden Wyvern's jaws opened wide, and Levi's Danger Sense screamed louder than ever before!

Golden energy gathered in her throat, growing brighter and brighter until it was painful to look at directly!

"Oh, fuck—"

"ROOOOOAAAAAR!"

A beam of concentrated destruction erupted from her mouth!

It was wider than before—at least ten meters in diameter—and it moved so fast that Levi barely had time to react!

"ETERNAL DOME!"

"WENG!"

A spherical barrier of golden Astra energy materialized around Levi's body!

"BOOOOM!"

The breath attack struck his barrier with the force of a meteor impact!

For exactly half a second, the Eternal Dome held. Levi's technique, which he'd painstakingly mastered, created a perfect spherical defense that distributed the attack's force evenly across its surface.

But half a second wasn't enough.

"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!"

Spiderweb fractures spread across the golden barrier as the wyvern's breath attack overwhelmed it!

"SHATTER!"

The Eternal Dome exploded into a thousand fragments of light!

The remaining energy of the breath attack struck Levi directly!

"AAAAGH!"

His entire left side was flash-burned, the flesh charring black in an instant! His white fur ignited! His transformation flickered and threatened to cancel as his body took catastrophic damage!

"CRASH!"

The attack blasted him backward with such force that he carved a trench through solid stone for twenty meters before finally coming to a stop!

"Huff… huff… huff…"

Levi lay in the crater he'd created, steam rising from his ruined body. His left arm was completely charred. His ribs on that side were exposed, the flesh burned away. Blood pooled beneath him.

But even as he lay there, his Ungodly Regeneration was working overtime.

"Sizzle… sizzle… sizzle…"

New flesh began to grow over exposed bone. Charred skin sloughed off, replaced by healthy tissue. His lungs, which had been partially vaporized, reformed cell by cell.

It was agonizing. Every nerve ending screamed as it regenerated. But within thirty seconds, he was functional again—battered, exhausted, but alive.

Levi forced himself to stand, swaying slightly as vertigo washed over him.

Across the plateau, he could see the Silverpeak students had made it to the path—they were almost to safety, the two Golden Wyvern cubs still clutched in Kai and Ren's arms.

The mother wyvern saw this too. Her children were escaping, being stolen by these insignificant creatures!

She tried to take flight, to pursue them into the air where she would have every advantage—

"THUNDER STEP!"

"CRACKLE!"

Levi appeared on her back, having used the last dregs of his Thunder Step reserves to close the distance!

His saber, now covered in cracks but still functional, plunged down toward the joint where her wing connected to her body!

"PIERCE!"

The blade sank deep, finding the gap in her scales where the joint required flexibility!

"ROOOOOAAAAAR!"

The Golden Wyvern shrieked in pain and fury! Her wing spasmed, the attack damaging the muscles and tendons that controlled it!

She couldn't fly properly now—not with that injury!

But she could still kill Levi.

The wyvern's body twisted with impossible flexibility, her head snaking around to snap at the pest on her back!

"CHOMP!"

Her jaws closed on empty air as Levi leaped away at the last instant, but her tail was already moving, sweeping in from his blind spot!

"Bang!"

The tail strike hit him square in the chest!

"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!"

Multiple ribs shattered! His sternum fractured! Internal organs ruptured!

"CRASH!"

Levi was sent flying like a rocket, his body tumbling end over end before smashing into the plateau's edge!

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