Chapter 1705 The Dragon's Breath and the Hero's Might
Chapter 1705 The Dragon's Breath and the Hero's Might
Gary could feel his entire body beginning to undergo a massive change. It wasn't just a standard transformation; his fur was turning into an ash-like substance, trailing dark smoke behind him as he moved. He felt himself growing slightly larger, and embers were visible with every breath he took, glowing from deep within his body. This was the Shadow Ash Lycan form, and he needed it now more than ever.
The pressure coming off Jack was insane. The sheer amount of Qi radiating from the hero's body was suppressing Gary, making it hard to even stand upright. But Gary wasn't going to just stay on the ground. He forced his head up, looking Jack right in the eyes, and opened his mouth as wide as it would go.
[Infernal Roar]
A vortex of fire erupted from Gary’s throat, shooting out like a concentrated stream that slammed directly into Jack. Because they were so close, there was nowhere for Jack to go. The heat was intense, filling the space between them instantly.
Jack reacted on instinct. Even in his feral werewolf state, the heat was enough to make him pull back and let go of Gary. The attack didn't seem to do massive damage, but it gave Gary the opening he needed. Jack looked around, trying to figure out where Gary had gone, only to look up and see him descending from above.
[Volcanic Burst]
Fire wrapped around Gary’s entire form. He looked like a meteor as he propelled himself forward with a burst of energy, crashing straight into Jack.
The impact was violent. The floor on one side of the cavern began to tear up, and chunks of the ceiling started to fall. It looked like the entire place was about to crumble under the force of their fight.
Gary scrambled to his feet, eyes locked on the spot where Jack had been sent flying. Jack looked hurt, but he was already getting back up. He clearly had plenty of fight left in him.
“It looks like I managed to get through that wall of Qi and hurt you at least,” Gary claimed. He felt more confident now. “That strike right there is strong enough to even get through the hide of a dragon.”
The other werewolves in the cavern were frozen, watching in total shock. They had never seen a werewolf like this before. To them, this kind of power didn't even seem possible. But while they were watching the fight, their minds were still mostly focused on the hunger. They were too far gone to truly appreciate the level of the battle.
Gary didn't want to give Jack any time to recover. He started running, moving from side to side at high speeds.
[Ember Dash]
He was moving rapidly, trying to find the perfect angle to get close and land a finishing blow. But Jack wasn't going to just stand there. He flexed the muscles in his legs, the ground cracking under his weight, and launched a strike of his own.
It was a kick that came out faster than Gary could anticipate. Even though Gary was still a distance away from Jack’s actual leg, a force had hit him dead-center, and for a second, Gary felt like he had run into a solid brick wall. The force of it stopped him right in his tracks.
[-35 HP]
‘That hit...’ Gary thought, shaking his head to clear the stars. ‘It hit me harder than anything else. Is this the real power of combining raw strength with Qi? Is this the advantage he has over me?’
Before he could even get his guard up, Jack was already on top of him. He swung a heavy punch that buried itself deep into Gary’s stomach. It was a brutal blow.
[-45 HP]
Gary tensed his entire body, digging his feet into the ground to keep from being knocked back. He opened his mouth again, letting off another Infernal Roar to blast Jack back, and then lunged forward with his own fist, aiming right for Jack’s stomach.
But Jack was ready for it. He planted his feet and took the hit, barely flinching. He reached out, grabbing Gary’s transformed body and pulling him down. He drove a hard knee into Gary’s stomach, then followed it up with a punch directly to Gary’s head.
Gary tried to charge up another roar, but Jack was too quick. He moved behind Gary, grabbing his snout with both hands. He used all of his strength to hold Gary’s mouth shut, preventing the fire from coming out. Then, using a combination of raw strength and Qi, Jack swung Gary and threw him violently to the floor.
Gary’s head slammed into the stone. He needed to move fast, because he could see Jack was already raising his foot, ready to stomp down on him.
Using Ember Dash, Gary rolled out of the way just in time. Jack’s foot crashed into the floor, sending ripples of Qi spilling out across the cavern.
Gary got back up, looking at Jack. He realized something was wrong with how he was fighting. He looked at Jack’s body and saw that despite all the hits, the man barely looked damaged.
‘I’m an idiot!’ Gary thought. ‘I’m doing the same thing I always do. I’m relying on my forms and my health bar, waiting for the system to give me a win rather than using what I actually spent time learning!’
He realized that Jack’s body was being reinforced by a massive amount of Qi, making it almost impossible to penetrate with standard attacks. If he wanted to win, he had to do the same thing.
Gary used Ember Dash again, darting from side to side as he approached Jack.
‘I went back to my old ways. Relying on the system and the forms rather than the Qi control I worked on!’
Jack threw out another massive kick, the speed of it creating a whistle in the air. This time, while using Ember Dash, Gary activated the Qi in his feet. The extra boost shot him forward, allowing him to dodge the kick and get right inside Jack’s guard.
‘Volcanic Burst did some damage, but it uses my whole body like a meteor. It's too spread out. I’m not skilled enough to control Qi through my whole body like that yet... but I can definitely do it in my fist!’
Embers started to swirl around Gary’s fist, spinning faster and faster. He combined his raw strength with the flames and focused every bit of Qi he had into that one point. He swung, digging his fist right into the pit of Jack’s stomach.
[A new skill has been created]
[Volcanic Fist]
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