[Dragon Nemesis: Death Glutton – Level 40]
[Lord-Class Beast] HP: 5,000,000 Attack: 2,000 Crit Rate: 40% Skills: Destruction Breath, Super Armor Recovery, Devouring Growth
The Crimson Lizard King had been reborn, transformed by the divine relic into the fearsome Death Glutton!
"Well done, Unit One. You never let me down." Orson finally smiled, his satisfaction evident.
The Death Glutton now glowed with a fiery, orange-red hue. Its body had grown tenfold, and its newly formed wings were covered in dagger-sharp black spikes. Each breath from its maw seethed with molten flames, exuding primal ferocity and menace.
Though smaller than the Frost Dragon, the Death Glutton's raw, vicious aura surpassed it.
Orson focused his thoughts, and the Death Glutton's skill panel appeared.
[Destruction Breath]:
Release a stream of magical flames, dealing 20,000 direct damage and applying burn damage equal to 200% of attack per second. Includes splash, spread, and melting effects. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
[Super Armor Recovery]:
Gain 20 seconds of immunity to knockback, airborne, and slow effects. Upon expiration, recover 50% of max HP. Cooldown: 10 minutes.
"A dragon-breath-style attack, plus an enhanced Super Armor skill," Orson mused. Both were powerful, but they paled in comparison to the third skill:
[Devouring Growth]:
Exclusive to the Glutton Tribe, this skill allows the beast to consume the corpses of monsters, NPCs, or other targets.
Gains 0.1%–100% attribute growth, based on the strength of the consumed target.
Upon reaching 300% total attribute growth, the beast can evolve into a Domain-Class Ancient Shadowbeast using a Dragon Crystal.
"An evolving beast?" Orson's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Beasts, like players, could gain experience and level up by killing monsters. However, a beast's initial grade usually dictated its power ceiling.
For instance, no matter how much a goblin leveled up, it could never surpass even a low-level hatchling dragon. Beastmasters typically had to rely on incremental boosts—like leveling up or adding beast skills—to enhance their companions.
But with a growth skill, a beast's potential could far exceed its starting limitations, continuously breaking through its grade's barriers.
The Death Glutton stirred from its slumber, shaking off debris from the surrounding ruins. It turned its glowing crimson eyes toward Orson, exuding a chilling, hostile aura.
A searing heat radiated from its maw as it began to charge Destruction Breath, melting the ground beneath it and creating a scorched clearing.
"Rebelling already?!" Orson's eyes twitched. He leaped into action, wielding his legendary staff like a disciplinary rod. Smacking the beast's massive head three times, he barked, "Try me, dog breath!"
The Death Glutton whimpered, the fire in its mouth sputtering out. Despite its massive size, it hunched like a scolded puppy, its claws scratching at the ground in frustration.
"Trying to kill the egg, huh?" Orson quickly pieced together the situation.
Berenice, hiding in Orson's inventory, trembled in fear. As a self-proclaimed "Queen of All Dragons," she was naturally the Death Glutton's mortal enemy.
"Leave her alone for now," Orson said, smirking. "This little egg's still useful. She's like a walking blood bank."
With her divine heritage and fourfold bloodline, Berenice was a treasure trove. If she could be hatched, Orson figured he could harvest enough sacred blood to make himself a legend.
"I saved you! You should call me Mommy!" Berenice screeched, leaping onto Orson's shoulder. "You drank my supreme blood, and now you don't even acknowledge me? Keep hitting him, servant!"
"All my employees, no fighting." Orson sighed, shaking his head.
The Death Glutton growled, scratching deep furrows into the ground with its claws but refrained from acting against Orson.
Meanwhile, Inevan II's taunts echoed through the collapsing halls.
"Show yourself, coward! Face me like a true knight!"
"Adventurer, do you have no honor?"
Orson snorted. "Every 'honorable' knight I've met in the apocalypse ended up as a Death Knight. I'd rather just win."
The chase resumed as Inevan unleashed another Frost Dragon Breath, scouring the corridors with icy destruction.
The Death Glutton roared defiantly, countering with its own Destruction Breath. Fire and frost clashed violently, creating a devastating shockwave.
However, the gap in their levels quickly became apparent. After just two seconds, the Glutton's flames were overwhelmed by the Frost Dragon's icy torrent.
"Time to work." Orson smirked, equipping the Will of the Battle Beast saddle onto the Death Glutton. War drums thundered as its aura erupted with dark energy.
To Orson's surprise, many of the Crimson Lizard King's original skills remained intact after its evolution. They had become innate abilities, passively enhancing its speed and power.
With an earsplitting roar, the Death Glutton charged out of the ruins, smashing through debris like a juggernaut.
It burst into the open air, where Inevan sat astride the Frost Dragon, his arrogance on full display. "Surrender Berenice, and I may yet spare your miserable life!"
"Your trump card is a dying relic of a dragon? That's your big plan?" Orson taunted, shaking his head. The Frost Dragon's remaining 3,000,000 HP was a far cry from its original 60,000,000.
The Death Glutton's eyes burned with fury as it lunged at the Frost Dragon, ignoring Inevan entirely.
"Foolish beast!" Inevan sneered, activating the Dragon Knight skill Hunting Pursuit to mark the Glutton as his prey. His lance aimed to skewer the smaller beast before dealing with Orson.
But Inevan wasn't the only one with a plan.
Orson smirked coldly, casting a long-range Explosive Fireball followed by Stormblade, shrouding the battlefield in thick mist.
The Death Glutton vanished into the fog, its speed making it impossible to track.
Seizing Inevan's momentary confusion, Orson whispered, "Bloodthirsty Tide."
The skill disrupted the minds of both Inevan and the Frost Dragon, causing them to momentarily lose control.
Though Inevan quickly activated his Super Armor to break free, the Frost Dragon was too slow to react.
With a sickening crunch, the ancient dragon snapped its jaws around Inevan, biting into half his torso.
As the Frost Dragon turned its attention to its rider, the Death Glutton reappeared, unleashing another Destruction Breath.
18,000! Crit: -6,700! Burn: -4,000 per second!
The combined effects of burn and direct damage steadily drained the Frost Dragon's health.
"Die, you wretched beast!" Inevan roared, thrusting his lance at the Glutton. But the Glutton swiped its claws, shattering the magical weapon with ease.
Meanwhile, Orson activated Thunderstrike, chaining attacks for massive damage. Paired with the Glutton's burn effects, the boss lost nearly 500,000 HP in an instant.
Ironically, the Frost Dragon itself dealt the final blows, unleashing an errant Frost Breath that obliterated Inevan's remaining HP.
As Orson predicted, the dragon's erratic behavior was a liability. Its skill cooldowns were abnormally long, and it failed to execute basic survival tactics like activating Super Armor after being charmed.
Bloodied and panicking, Inevan fled atop an ice bridge, narrowly escaping his own mount's wrath.
But even in his Crystal Frost Armor, his HP dropped dangerously low. If not for his defensive buffs, he'd have gone down as the first Dragon Knight in Infinite Dimensions history to be killed by his own beast.
From afar, a voice shouted, "I've got this! Check out my new RPG mana-penetration missile!"