Chapter 350: Taming Himself

Without waiting for Sol's reply, the beastman Varek bent his legs slightly before launching forward at incredible speed.

'He's fast!'

Varek had fully inherited the Raijin's lightning fast agility. But unlike the inexperienced beast, his movements carried years of battle hardened experience. There were no wasted motions, no exploitable openings like before.

Sol didn't dare meet the charge head-on. Instead, he activated the Singularity Band's third skill, [Space Crack], directly in front of him.

The bracelet's power distorted the air, causing it to twist and ripple violently. Within moments, the space ahead of him collapsed under the strain with an ear piercing crack. A jagged rift tore through reality, stretching outward in a chaotic, unstable fracture nearly four meters wide. It pulsed ominously, emitting an eerie shriek as it consumed the surrounding air with terrifying force.

Though it wasn't a law technique, Sol knew anything caught within that unstable rift would be shredded to pieces. Varek, clearly aware of the danger, wasn't about to test whether his new form could endure the tear in space.

With a grunt, he shifted his momentum upward, launching himself over the space crack in a graceful arc. As he soared through the air, lightning gathered rapidly in the Raijin's head, crackling with ominous power. The beast's maw opened wide, releasing a deafening roar that echoed across the battlefield.

"Let's see you survive this!" Varek bellowed, aiming his Raijin arm at Sol before unleashing multiple blasts of lightning from its mouth.

Bolts rained down, sending shockwaves across the battlefield. A massive surge of electricity erupted outward, scorching everything in its path. Even the space crack was caught in the blast, the magic maintaining it shattered, causing space to return to normal. Dust and debris swirled violently, obscuring the area in a thick cloud.

When the dust settled, all that remained was a deep, smoking crater.

Varek, still hovering above, threw his head back in triumphant laughter.

"Hahaha! Not even bones left behind!" He reveled in his newfound strength, basking in the destruction.

But before he could gloat any further, a shadow loomed behind him.

Sol shot up from the ground in an instant, his stone blade poised to strike. He had used [Ethereal Traversal] to phase into mist moments before the lightning struck, escaping into the earth before reemerging for a counterattack.

Varek's honed instincts flared, and he barely managed to raise his left arm to block. The stone sword, now coated in pitch black Death Aura, plunged forward with lethal precision. The blade pierced through flesh and bone, driving deep into his forearm.

Varek howled in pain but reacted instantly, twisting with monstrous strength and shattering the stone blade into pieces. Shards of rock scattered in all directions as both fighters leaped away, keeping a close eye on each other.

Sol didn't miss a beat. He extended his hand, and with a sharp snap, the shattered fragments reformed into a brand new stone sword, seamlessly returning to his grasp. His sharp gaze locked onto the damage he had inflicted, Varek's arm was already succumbing to the Death Aura.

The beastman grimaced, his expression darkening as black veins crawled up his arm, the deadly energy ravaging his flesh. His muscles twitched, and a trace of panic flashed across his face before he snarled in defiance.

"Tch... You think this will stop me?"

Without hesitation, Varek swung his Raijin arm toward his own infected limb.

With a sickening crunch, the Raijin's powerful jaws clamped down, severing the corrupted arm in a brutal bite. The severed limb hit the ground with a wet thud, shriveling instantly as the Deathly Aura consumed it entirely.

Varek rolled his remaining shoulder, blood dripping from the fresh wound. Though his expression remained defiant, a hint of strain was evident.

"Cute trick… but if that's all you've got, it's useless."

Sol leveled his sword at him, his voice cold and unwavering.

"You're an arm down. Don't think you're in a position to say that."

Varek let out a bark of laughter.

"You think losing an arm matters to me?" He sneered before shouting, "[Beast Recovery]!"

The stump where his arm had been began to pulsate grotesquely. Muscle and sinew writhed unnaturally before a brand new arm regrew, identical to the one he had lost. Varek flexed his regenerated limb, grinning wickedly.

"You see? I don't just have the Raijin's abilities… I can even use my tamer skills on myself!" His glee turned to malice. "And with [Beast Ascension], I'll crush you for good!"

He slammed his fist against his chest and roared, "[Beast Ascension]!"

Nothing happened.

Varek's grin vanished.

"Still?! You're behind this!"

He wasn't a fool, he quickly put two and two together. Checking his status page, he saw that his law technique was still there. That could only mean one thing, Sol was somehow suppressing it.

"No matter," he growled. "It seems you can only seal one law technique at a time. Unfortunately for you, I have more than one!"

With an explosive burst, Varek lunged forward, the very air distorting from his speed. Sol braced himself, raising his stone sword, now imbued with [Weapon Empowerment (Variant)] atop his Slayer Aura to reinforce its durability.

Their collision sent a shockwave rippling across the battlefield. The ground beneath them cracked and split apart. The Raijin arm, crackling with lightning, roared as it tried to bite off Sol's head.

Sol activated [Reflect], deflecting the beast's snapping jaws while simultaneously summoning shadow spears that launched toward Varek's face.

Varek barely spared them a glance. He swung his hand, sending a wave of bright lightning that instantly vaporized the attack before refocusing on Sol. Shadow magic was naturally useless in the face of a lightning law technique.

At first, the battle seemed evenly matched. Each clash sent tremors through the landscape, shaking the ruins around them.

But as their strikes intensified, a problem arose.

Small cracks began appearing on Sol's stone sword.

With each impact, the fractures deepened, spiderwebbing across the weapon. Sol did his best to repair it with [Terra Manipulation], but Varek relentlessly chipped away at it.

A particularly vicious overhead swing sent Sol staggering back. He barely managed to deflect the blow, but the strain caused a large portion of his sword's edge to chip off. The weapon was reaching its limit.

The Raijin's head lunged forward with unnatural speed, its maw opening wide. Before Sol could react, it clamped down on the stone blade, its fangs crushing through the reinforced weapon like brittle wood.

The sword shattered into countless fragments, scattering across the battlefield.

"Got you!" Varek roared, his fist crackling with lightning as he swung forward.

A grin spread across his face as his attack connected. In his mind, the battle was already over.

But his elation turned to shock in an instant.

"What?!"

His fist, mere inches from Sol's face, had been stopped.

Sol had caught it.

Lightning from Varek's law technique seared his skin, but despite the burning pain, his grip remained ironclad. The attack was frozen in place, unable to move further.

"Let go of me!" Varek snarled, trying to retract his fist, but Sol's grasp didn't budge. His fingers tightened, an unprecedented strength radiating from his grip.