Divine Beast Ascension

“Thanks,” Durik hastily commented, shaking off some broken scales.

“Don’t mention it,” replied the larger Toxic-shadow dragon. Then, both black dragons rushed out of the deathly flames. The larger dragon charged at the low-god ape. The early-god dragon flew at one of the peak-kings.

Before Durik could reexamine the battlefield, a huge lion was thrown into the deathly flames. Durik rushed to evade the crash landing but was quickly met with an ape fist.

Durik was forced to put everything he had into defense. That time, Durik was only forced back a few krin. And because he wasn’t flying, the strange energy that made Durik feel heavier wasn’t as effective. He held strong and didn’t lose a single scale from the exchange. However, the attacking mid-god ape was also unharmed.

That lion roared and flanked the mid-god ape, creating more openings. Also, another mid-god dragon joined the encirclement, turning the fight into a three-v-one.

“COME!” bellowed Durik, drilling back into the ape while launching projectile scales to slow the frenzied foe.

.....

But the ape swatted the scales aside while driving another fist into Durik, again hurling the huge Razor-hide Dragon into the dirt. The encircling beasts jumped in for their chance to strike. But how could they be fast enough to stop the ape from launching another punch at Durik from point-blank? And why would they focus on saving Durik when they didn’t know if they would get another opening to attack?

CRACKLE! CRACKLE! SNAP!!! CRUNCH!!!

Blood sprayed into the air as the ape’s fist smashed through Durik’s essence armor and scales. It left a gaping hole in the dragon’s side, causing Durik to roar and breathe fire in mad agony.

The ape was also hit in the side, and in the back. Blood fell from his wounds as the ape roared. Still, it showed no signs of backing down or slowing in any way.

Chomp!

Suddenly, the mid-god flying serpent sped through the air and bit into the ape’s back wound while wrapping around the ape’s body.

Durik sank his fangs into the ape’s leg, forcing the ape to the ground.

Crackle! Crackle!

Even when constricted and badly injured, the ape howled and stomped down on Durik’s neck, breaking almost every scale protecting Durik’s fragile neck.

But the other two beasts didn’t allow the ape to do anything more. They attacked the ape’s head and neck, finally stopping the rampage with a loud crack.

“FINALLY!” Durik roared, unlocking his jaw and rolling aside. “Hurry, get rid of the others and attack!”

The two beasts at the sides hurried to finish off the low-god ape. However, there was no sign of movement or heartbeat from the serpent. Its corpse was still clinging to the lifeless ape, joining it in death. Only then did Durik notice the ape’s hands firmly gripped around the snake’s crushed throat

Though Durik wasn’t dead, his breathing was haggard and his vitality was at an all-time low. A vial appeared in Durik’s mouth. He had no strength left. Unable to move or open the bottle, Durik shattered the bottle in his mouth and swallowed it all, including some of the glass. A warm green glow emerged from Durik’s body, helping him begin to heal and slow his blood flow.

He spat out the remaining glass and groaned, “AAAaaahhh... Damn it...”

With just enough essence, Durik sealed the hole in his side with earthen armor, but that was the only spot he kept active. Durik knew that he wouldn’t be fighting anymore. He watched as the remaining three apes were killed off. But he couldn’t help but tremble and pout in awe.

“They... They’re so strong...” Durik groaned between breaths. It was impossible for him to not count the corpses. “Four apes... two gods and two kings... Yet... They killed... two low-gods... and two mid-gods... almost three...”

While Durik was entranced by the ape’s power and gusto, especially in the face of so many opponents, the able-bodied gods ran into the estate.

Lightning storms. Flaming rain. Slicing tornados. Deathly fires... Every divine catastrophe imaginable fell upon that clan residence in an instant.

“DIIIIIIIIIIIEEE!!!!”

Tremors overtook the world. The ground split open, swallowing the ape corpses and the husks of any other lifeless beast.

Durik forced himself to take a human form, somewhat aiding his injured side at the cost of excruciating pain and the consumption of every last drop of essence. He winced while jumping aside to collapse from exhaustion out of harm’s reach.

The other injured beasts did their best to evade as well. A few also tried to hurry and grab the corpses, scrambling to save the godly cores. But no one was as lucky or as willful as Durik.

If Durik hadn’t forced himself past his limits, stunting his cultivation for decades or even hundreds of years to force that transformation, he too would’ve been swallowed.

Just as the beasts seemed to exit the range of the tremor, more cracks spread through the ground and collapsed. And the ground beyond the collapsed space suddenly rose up and swallowed the eight corpses and five injured gods.

“I SAY DIIIIIIIIEEE!!!”

The world violently shook as the roaring voice grew more frenzied and frantic. Durik vomited blood over and over again from the shout’s pressure alone.

Finally, a towering figure launched itself into the sky. It rocketed through the combined barrages of the high-gods and peak-gods. Blood rained down as the twenty-krin ape ripped through the air, crashing into its decimated home.

“DON’T LET HIM ESCAPE!!!” another, equally frantic voice roared.

The long green dragon raced after the ape with terrifying speed. Blood and slime mixed together and fell to the ground, sizzling wherever it landed. The ragged yet raging glare in the dragon’s eyes was evident.

Both the flaming tiger and the electrifying dragon followed next. But there were only three high-gods left to give chase.

Durik shivered. He... He didn’t want to believe his eyes.