The Climax (3)

As the dust from the battle finally settled, silence returned to the devastated landscape. The once-pristine rocky mountains and forest had been reduced to charred remnants, with craters marking the ground where lightning strikes had landed. The Thunder Wolf lay unconscious, its massive form sprawled across the shattered earth, the faint crackle of lightning still dancing along its fur.

Alex stood a few feet away, his breathing steady despite the intensity of the battle. His katana hung loosely at his side, glowing faintly with residual energy. The charms on the hilt chimed softly in the still air. His expression remained calm, almost disinterested, as if the battle had been nothing more than a routine exercise.

Nyxara, in her massive form, padded over to him. Her sleek, obsidian fur shimmered with a faint aura of black lightning. She lowered her head slightly, her luminous golden eyes gleaming with admiration.

"You never cease to amaze me, Alex," Nyxara said, her voice a mix of awe and pride. "To think you held your own against an entity of its caliber—viewed as a demi-god by mortals—and did so without even revealing half your strength." She glanced at the wolf, then back at Alex, her voice laced with teasing admiration. "And you only used two of the rules in your domain. 

Alex smirked faintly, wiping the blade of his katana clean before sheathing it deliberately. "You're giving me too much credit, Nyxara," he replied casually, his tone as calm as they were discussing the weather. "I was just the natural enemy of this overgrown pup." He gestured toward the wolf with a slight nod of his head. "Its authority over lightning was its main source of power, and all I had to do was suppress its power. That's all there is to it."

Nyxara huffed, a crackle of black lightning running along her whiskers as she straightened to her full height. "Downplaying it doesn't change the fact that you dismantled its pride piece by piece," she said, her tone playful yet firm. "You weren't just the natural enemy, Alex—you completely nullified its element and turned its greatest strength into its biggest weakness."

Alex shrugged, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana as he looked out at the destruction. "It's not as grand as you make it sound. A fight like this is just a warm-up, a way to gauge the earth's Patrician power."

Nyxara chuckled, the sound resonating through the air like distant thunder. "If this was a warm-up, then I almost pity the fools who stand in your way when you decide to fight seriously."

Her words lingered in the air as Alex gazed toward the horizon, where the faintest hints of dawn began to creep into the night sky. His expression grew colder and more resolute. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said, his voice quieter now. This is just one step forward. There's still a lot more work to do."

Nyxara tilted her head, watching him closely. "And what's next, oh natural enemy of lightning?" she asked with a wry smile, her massive tail flicking behind her.

Alex exhaled deeply, his eyes narrowing. "Next," he said, his tone sharpening, "we prepare for the next phase of the plan. But first…" He glanced back at the unconscious wolf. "I'll deal with this thing."

Nyxara watched him with amusement as he approached the defeated wolf. Though she said nothing, the pride in her gaze was unmistakable. Alex's power wasn't just raw strength but a calculated brilliance that made him truly dangerous. She knew that if the world hadn't realized what it was against, it soon would.

Alex stopped a few steps away from the unconscious Thunder Wolf. The once-proud beast lay still, its massive chest rising and falling weakly. The aura that once dominated the region faded, leaving only a faint crackle of residual energy behind.

Nyxara shifted to her smaller form and moved closer, her glowing eyes watching Alex with interest. She knew what was coming next. "Are you going to take it?" she asked softly.

Alex didn't answer immediately. He crouched beside the wolf's colossal frame, lightly touching its chest. His palm emitted a faint glow as he channeled his energy, searching for the core. The wolf stirred faintly, its eyes fluttering open, though its strength was long gone.

It growled weakly, its voice trembling with rage and disbelief. "You… dare…?"

Alex met the beast's fading gaze without a flicker of emotion. "You were strong," he said simply. "But your strength wasn't enough." He pressed his hand firmly against its chest and plunged inside it as a faint shimmer of light spread under the wolf's fur.

As its life force waned, the beast's growl became a low, mournful whimper. Finally, with a shuddering exhale, the Thunder Wolf fell silent, its eyes dimming forever.

The faint shimmer intensified as Alex extracted the mana core from the heart area of the massive beast. A sphere of crystalline energy pulsating with chaotic black lightning emerged from its chest. The core hovered momentarily in Alex's grasp, radiating immense power before stabilizing into a glowing orb.

He stood, holding the core in his hand, its weight surprisingly light despite the unimaginable energy it contained.

Mana cores were the essence of life and power for all living beings. Found nestled within the heart region, they served as the central reservoir of energy and were deeply tied to an individual's vitality and abilities.

For magical beasts, the mana core represented the culmination of their elemental authority and physical strength, often granting them their unique powers and dominance over others.

For entities like the Thunder Wolf, a Legend-ranked being, the mana core was a near-limitless source of power, imbued with decades of accumulated energy and mastery over its element. The core wasn't just a trophy—it was a treasure capable of fueling weapons, enhancing cultivation, or even being crafted into artifacts of immense power.

Alex studied the mana core in his palm, the chaotic black lightning within the orb reflecting in his calm eyes. The raw energy it contained was enough to level entire cities if unleashed improperly. He could feel its resistance, the remnants of the Thunder Wolf's pride and authority still embedded in the core.

"Quite the prize," Nyxara remarked, stepping closer and examining the core with a predatory glint in her eyes. "I can feel the chaos in it from here. A lesser beast would be consumed just by holding it."

Alex smirked faintly. "Good thing I'm no lesser beast," he said, slipping the core into a small black pouch lined with runes to contain its energy before throwing it into the spatial storage in his earring. "This will come in handy."

Nyxara tilted her head before reducing her form and jumping to lie on Alex's shoulders. " Are you to keeping it for like the last one?"

"Yeah," Alex replied as he surveyed the ruined battlefield. "For now, we move. The Earth Clan will notice the wolf's absence soon, and I don't feel like explaining this to them will let them all."

Nyxara glanced back at the lifeless wolf, then turned to Alex. "You handled that well," she said, her tone almost teasing. "Though I admit, I was tempted to step in and show it what real chaos lightning looks like."

Alex chuckled as they began their trek away from the battlefield. "You would've ruined my fight, Nyx."

She flicked her tail at him, her voice light but firm. "I'm just saying… next time, don't hog all the fun."

The two figures disappeared into the charred remnants of the forest, leaving behind the silent, shattered domain of the once-mighty Thunder Wolf. The faint crackle of lightning in the distance was all that remained—a haunting echo of a battle that had shaken the very earth.