The Dawn of the New World Chapter 1483

It was more than 6 meters tall even on all fours. Its skin was hard, calloused, and full of amaranthine scales not much different from those of a real dragon.

But its head was more akin to a lion, with over foot-long canines rising into the air from the corners of its toothy maw. Two heavy wings were chained to its back so it couldn't fly away.

A bushel of bright red hair wrapped around its neck to create a thick mane that ran down the back, all the way to its tail. This not only provided some extra protection but also gave it a touch of nobility that its bloodline naturally came with.

Two horns on its head curved in such a way that it looked like a floating crown from the front. (Reference Image posted in Discord)

One look into the creature's smoldering eyes was enough to tell Hao Xuan everything he needed to know.

It was able to completely hide its presence which meant that, at least in this state, it was stronger than him. It had dragon blood running through its veins that was on par, if not even more pure than his lycan bloodline.

And with that came a few traits that could be found in most of the draconic sub-species.

They were proud, smarter than most beasts, and some were even capable of speech at lower levels too. Its elemental powers would see an enormous boost while its physical prowess would not lag behind most others of its kind.

The chains around its neck and back continuously sapped its internal energy but that wasn't even enough to make it lower its head, let alone limit its power in any significant way.

And while he was evaluating the beast, the beast was doing the same to him. It had sensed something familiar from him.

This could have been thanks to Hao Xuan's recently acquired 'Beast Charmer' ability or something else entirely but, whatever it was, it made the beast reluctant to instigate a fight in the usual way.

'It could have attacked from the shadows but chose to reveal itself and make its presence known. But it is blocking the only exit...it wants a fight, a fair fight,' Hao Xuan thought to himself before taking a step back.

This was not from fear but out of respect for a fittingly powerful opponent.

The beast kept his gaze, allowing him to put some distance between them.

"There is no animosity between us. We don't have to fight," Hao Xuan made his intentions known but saw no reaction from the beast.

"I know you can understand me, even if you can't speak," he said as a matter-of-factly.

The beast's eyes suddenly narrowed, in a very human way- as if it had just confirmed something. Its head rose into the air while its chest puffed out, letting out a dim yellow light.

A red flame was birthed in its chest that was visible even outside through the scales, bones, and flesh. Motes of similarly colored red and orange flames were pulled out of the ground, answering the call of the flame.

Hao Xuan's wide eyes began to glow softly in the darkness when he sensed the copious amounts of Yang energy in the surroundings.

He looked at the chains wrapped around its figure and realized they had little effect on it.

"Fine. If this is what you want then I will oblige," Hao Xuan grabbed two of the chains coming out of his collar and pulled, HARD!

*Creak*

A metallic groan came out before the chain link broke apart, increasing his power by 40% in the blink of an eye.

The motes of fire floating around the arena were suddenly pulled into the mouth of the beast while its power began to rise exponentially.

They both lunged at each other, claw and sword meeting in the air to create a powerful blast.

Countless runes and magical spells came to life in the arena trying to suppress the resulting forces but some still leaked out.

*BOOM*

*BOOOM*

*BOOOOM*

Explosions rang out one after another, and if the surrounding area wasn't mostly abandoned then it could created a real uproar.

Ryuk was hiding up in the stands watching the battle unfold.

The beast, despite its large stature, was shockingly agile and could match Hao Xuan's speed for the most part. It surpassed him in raw strength but his techniques were far too many and changed too often for the beast to predict what was coming.

He could change his entire fighting style in the blink of an eye and counter the beast no matter what it tried to do, which irritated the creature to no end.

It spewed out copious amounts of fire motes that remained inert if left untouched but the moment he got close they would explode in a flurry of fire and air.

***

Author's Notes:

All images are posted in the Official Discord.

Link: https://discord. gg / AHdSBFQ