Cecilia took to the air, slowly building up radiant golden energy in her hands.

The alpha saw it, trying to leap at Cecilia, but the phoenix held tight. Its talons held the alpha's shoulders, dragging it into the air with it.

With an exhale, Cecilia let go of the energy. It zipped through the air, sinking into her phoenix.

The phoenix let out a deafening shriek, its body erupting in golden light.

It beat its wings once, then twice, and dove, carrying the struggling Alpha down with it.

The impact shook the entire chamber. Golden fire cascaded outward in every direction, swallowing everything in sight.

The Alpha howled in agony. Its black-red flames sputtered and died, replaced by a brilliant gold that refused to yield.

Its regeneration began to slow. The cracks in its bones widened instead of healing, and the glow within its chest dimmed.

Cecilia landed hard beside Noah, her face glistening with sweat.

Her hands trembled from the strain, but her golden eyes never left the Alpha, which was now pinned under the phoenix's talons.

"It can't heal anymore!" she shouted.

"Then let's kill it!" Noah yelled back, his armor shifting as he surged forward again.

The Alpha thrashed beneath the phoenix, flames and bone fragments scattering like shrapnel.

Noah dodged through the debris, shadows trailing behind him as he closed the distance.

The phoenix screeched again, slamming its burning beak into the creature's skull, driving it deeper into the burning rock under them.

The Alpha tried to bite back, but Cecilia joined in, hovering above them both, her arms outstretched.

She summoned a torrent of fire that cascaded downward, enveloping the monster in pure destruction.

"NOW, NOAH!" she cried.

Noah's hammer formed in his hand once again. He raised it high, shadows spiraling around his arm like chains, and brought it down with all the force he could muster.

The hammer struck the Alpha's skull with a sickening crack, spiderwebs of fractures racing across its surface.

Its roar grew weaker as its blue eyes flickered.

And still, Noah didn't stop. He struck again. And again.

Each blow landed like a meteor, the sound of shattering bone echoing through the cavern until, finally, the Alpha's movements slowed.

The phoenix pressed its claws harder, pinning the creature in place.

Cecilia landed beside Noah.

"Do it."

Noah looked at her once, then at the dying Alpha. He raised his hand, the shadows gathering around him like an army awaiting command.

The abyss answered him.

The darkness spread outward, consuming the light of the phoenix and the fire, curling along the walls like smoke.

The Alpha's dimming eyes locked onto Noah's glowing orange ones.

Then Noah spoke.

"Feast."

The familiar maw of darkness roared open, vast and bottomless, like the throat of the abyss itself.

Its edges rippled and shifted, dripping darkness that ate through the light in the chamber.

The Alpha Bone Wolf, still thrashing weakly beneath Cecilia's phoenix, released a strangled roar as the darkness reached for it.

The phoenix flapped its wings once, retreating as the darkness surged forward.

The Alpha's glowing eyes widened in terror as tendrils of pure void coiled around its body, dragging it inexorably towards the gaping maw.

It fought, claws gouging deep trenches into the ground, its fire flaring violently, but the darkness swallowed flame as easily as air.

Then the creature's head disappeared, followed by its chest, its limbs, and finally, the glowing light that served as its core.

Only silence remained.

Noah exhaled, sweat rolling down his temples. The darkness shuddered once, and then sank into him, vanishing without a trace.

Then came the familiar chime.

Ding!

[Fire Affinity Detected!]

[Bone Affinity Detected!]

[Bone Affinity Granted!]

Noah's brows rose slightly. Bone Affinity, huh? That would definitely be useful in the future.

Before he could think further, another series of notifications flashed before his eyes.

[Pure Abyssal Energy Detected.]

[Would you like to receive a spell, or advance?]

A slow smile spread across his face. The answer was obvious.

"Advance," he whispered.

At once, power surged through him.

The air trembled, and the shadows around his feet deepened as mana poured into his veins.

He grit his teeth as his body convulsed, every cell reforging itself. His bones creaked, his muscles tightened, and his mana core shuddered violently, expanding, fracturing, and then stabilizing into something denser.

When it was over, he dropped to one knee, panting, the last remnants of energy crackling faintly over his skin.

Ding!

[Congratulations! You have ascended to E-rank.]

[30% synchronization with Abyssal Energy complete.]

His status screen appeared before him.

[Status:]

[Noah Webb]

[Race: Dark Dragon]

[Rank: E]

[Potential: FFF]

[Affinities: Darkness, Fire, Void, Decay, Hunger, Ink, Bone]

[Core Attributes:]

[Strength: E]

[Endurance: D+]

[Agility: D+]

[Mana Capacity: SS]

[Magic Control: S]

[Skills: Roar (FFF-Rank), Dark Furnace (SS-rank), The King's Dominion (SS-rank), Decay of a Thousand Ages (SSS-rank)]

[Spells: Fireball (F-rank), Flame Spark (FFF-rank), Devour (B-rank), Rot (D-rank), Blackflame (D-rank), Pillar of Judgement (A-rank), Void Bolt(S-rank), Utter Annihilation(SSS-rank), Frigid Hunger(F-rank), Eternal Cradle(B-rank), Null Stride(A-rank), Pocket Cube(S-rank)]

His mana capacity had increased! Sweet!

He was slowly getting closer to the version of himself that would be able to use his SS and SSS-rank skills.

That was when a sound ripped through the air behind him, as two new wings burst from his back.

The pair that he had formed during his last advancement ripped out of his back, joining the pair that were already there.

Four now, total, all black as the void, faintly lined with veins of dark blue. They stretched wide before folding against him, their movement.

Cecilia, who had been watching from a few.paces away, stared with open astonishment.

"You… advanced," she said, stepping closer. "You actually advanced right here?"

Noah stood, rolling his shoulders experimentally, his new wings flexing slightly. "Seems that way."

"That's impossible," she murmured, half to herself. "To advance without the use of a proper ritual? That's against everything we know about..."

Noah smirked faintly. "Guess we can agree that I'm special."

Cecilia gave him a narrow look. "No, this isn't just about being special. This is…"

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