What happened?

Calron inwardly thought as he gazed down at the eight-foot goblin staring back at him. The beast’s face was pale with shock.

Glancing down at his body, Calron sensed that his body was vastly different from before. Spreading his wings wide, he noticed that even his scaly feathers were much thicker and sharper than before.

Nice going, kid. You had me worried there for a second.

Ezkael stated within Calron’s mind.

Teacher, what happened to my body?

You just went through a shape-s.h.i.+ft.

Ezkael replied evenly.

Didn’t I already shape-s.h.i.+ft when I first transformed into the golden bird?

Calron inquired, as he familiarized himself with this new body.

Yes, and no. You did shape-s.h.i.+ft the first time. However, it was not your complete form. Your bloodline is that of a primordial beast! How could you think a beast of that stature would only stand at a puny six feet tall? The stronger you grow in the future, the more of your bloodline’s power you will be able to use.

Ezkael calmly explained to his student.

However, it IS strange that you underwent a shape-s.h.i.+ft right now, as your cultivation has not increased since last time… anyways, you better focus on your match. You’ve already roused suspicion and I’m sure there will be several people trying to stop you from leaving.

Ezkael conveyed in a serious tone.

Understood. Keep an eye on Avi, Teacher, and I will fly over the Arena once the battle is over.

Calron firmly stated, as he turned to sharply glare at the green beast in front of him.

“I still haven’t paid you back for what you did.”

Calron coldly whispered, and then immediately charged straight at the monster.

*SCREEEE*

An ear-splitting cry resounded in the pouring rain, as a colossal golden bird whizzed through the air towards its enemy. The sound of thunder reverberated out in the dark cloudy sky, while bolts of lightning continued to strike the ground.

Under the onslaught of this lightning and rain, many beasts within the audience had long since retreated back to the outer corner of the Arena to watch from afar, yet none left the vicinity.

The two hovering badges in the air were a clear sign that the battle was still ongoing. Besides, who would want to miss out on a fight that seemed to defy all their expectations?

Seeing the much larger golden bird abruptly charge towards it, the monster crouched low to the ground and prepared to strike back. Initially, the physical change in its opponent bewildered the goblin, but upon sensing that Calron’s cultivation remained at the same rank, a bit of confidence seeped back into its mind.

“GRAAAHHH!”

Roaring into the dark sky above, the monster raised both its fists into air and slammed them against the ground, creating a t.i.tanic crater on the stage.

BOOOOM!

Head-b.u.t.ting the beast right in the chest, Calron instantly clutched the goblin’s thighs with his claws and began tightly squeezing.

The monster let out a gut-wrenching scream when Calron struck it in its previously injured chest, and swiftly grabbed the bird’s neck with its calloused palms.

*SCREEEEE*

Screeching into the green beast’s right ear, Calron viciously pecked into its shoulder, eliciting another roar of pain.

In fit of rage, the goblin momentarily escaped Calron’s clutches and raised its knee to strike the bird’s scaly abdomen.

BOOOOM!

Calron stopped himself from crying out, but a thin line of blood oozed out from the corner of his beak.

Dammit, I still can’t beat him!

Calron cursed within his mind when it hit him that his cultivation was still too low to contend against a genuine fifth rank Vajra expert. His body might have grown larger and slightly stronger, but it was nowhere close to the raw strength of his opponent.

“I will take you down.”

Calron icily whispered, as bursts of lightning crackled within his azure eyes and spread across his entire body.

Detecting the incoming attack from the lightning beast, the giant goblin gazed up into Calron’s eyes and bellowed a mighty roar, as gusts of wind spiraled behind it.

*CRACKLE*

The sound of an explosion resonated on the stage, as two figures suddenly flew out in opposite directions and crashed onto the ground.

“Sh..it…”

Calron rasped, as he lay on the ground.

This was an uphill battle from the very beginning, as there was no way that he could have defeated a fifth rank Vajra beast with his current strength. However, there had been a seed of hope hidden within him that had made him feel like he could have achieved victory.

Ever since the fight with Lord Regis, Calron had decided that he would never run away from anyone again. Ever.

Lying on the cold ground, as the raindrops splashed onto his scaly body, Calron simply gazed at the lightning in the dark sky above.

It was so beautiful.

It did what it wanted to do, and never had to run away from any creature under the heavens. Nothing could stop lightning.

From the corner of his eyes, Calron noticed the green beast falteringly treading towards him, but he could not move.

His focus was completely enraptured by the flashes of lightning in the dark sky.

Lightning is as much a part of us, as we are of it. Tell it what you want it to do, and it will obey your command.

Calron’s eyes suddenly widened in alarm when he felt a strange sensation bubbling up inside of him.

His azure eyes reflected the flashes of lightning occurring in the sky, and a bolt of shock penetrated through his mind.

A single sentence thrummed through his entire being: The Will of Lightning.

*chi-chi-chi*

The metallic feathers on his right wing started to withdraw back and shrink, as they were slowly replaced by a new set of scales. His right wing began to distort and morph into the shape of a human arm.

Haha, never would I have thought that I would get to see that again after Raizel used it in the Divine realm!

Ezkael’s laugh faintly echoed within his consciousness, but Calron couldn’t hear any of it at this moment.

Hazily staring at his new scaled arm, Calron tried to regain his composure. He had five fingers of a human, but instead of nails, the tips were akin to the claws he had on his feet.

“GRAHHH!”

From the corner of his eye, the giant goblin suddenly let out a roar and punched down toward Calron’s motionless body.

“The Will of Lightning…”

Calron blankly muttered, as he slowly raised his arm towards the nearing beast.

Lightning is as much a part of us, as we are of it. Tell it what you want it to do, and it will obey your command.

*RUMBLE*

The lightning in the sky crackled wildly, as a wave of bolts came cras.h.i.+ng into the ground and spiraled like a electric snake around Calron’s mutated body. The broken shards of rock from the damaged stage slowly rose up in the air, as thin streaks of lightning enveloped around them.

“Go.”

Calron weakly whispered, as he pointed his palm towards the incoming beast.

*zzt-zzt-zzt*

The mult.i.tudes of small broken rocks struck like lightning, blasting into the defenseless goblin.

A series of gaping holes appeared on the beast’s body, as he numbly stared at Calron. The lightning shards of rock had wholly drilled into the monster’s body, leaving numerous see-through holes.

“Grah…”

Still not knowing what had happened, the beast mumbled in confusion as it slowly toppled onto the ground. Not even a drop of blood dripped from its body, almost as if the lightning had seared the sides of the hole when it pa.s.sed through.

The rain continued to pour down on the audience, yet they remained frozen in silence.

Only when the enormous silver badge in the air faded away, did they all suddenly erupt into a ma.s.s of chaos and cheering. Today was the day that they had witnessed a fight that they would talk about for the rest of their days to come. It was a fight that left them speechless, and their hearts wildly pounding against their chests.

“I… win… hah… haha…”

Calron coughed out, as he felt vision fading away and being replaced by a wall of darkness.

Before he lost his consciousness, Calron saw a giant shadow looming over the sky as it gradually descended down to the ground by flapping its gigantic silver wings.

“Calron.”