Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

The Tidal Flamingo's four eyes glanced back at the spot where its prey was meant to be stuck, completely immobilized by its supposedly inescapable water-lock technique. But the space was empty—nothing but rippling water where Arthur should have been helplessly trapped.

Confusion flashed across both heads as the legendary creature's gaze swept across its domain, searching for the escaped human. It didn't take long to locate its target.

High above the endless sea, Arthur sat astride a majestic dragon with pure black scales that seemed to absorb light itself. Aetherion's magnificent wings beat slowly, maintaining their aerial position with effortless grace as void energy rippled around his powerful form.

The Tidal Flamingo's confusion quickly transformed into rage. No creature had ever escaped its water-lock before—the technique was supposed to be absolute, inescapable. Yet somehow this human had found a way to break free.

Arthur didn't wait for the legendary creature to process its shock or launch another attack. Time was critical, and he intended to seize the initiative while the flamingo was still reeling from his unexpected escape.

"Aether, send him a quick Singularity Collapse," Arthur commanded, his voice carrying the authority of someone accustomed to coordinating devastating attacks.

Aetherion's void-black eyes glinted with anticipation as he channelled his most powerful offensive ability. There were very few moments like these where his master allowed him to use his powerful skill. Usually, he would reprimand him for thinking about using it.

The space around the Tidal Flamingo began to distort as reality itself prepared to bend inward.

"Singularity Collapse!"

A point of absolute darkness materialized directly above the Tidal Flamingo's twin heads, no larger than a marble but containing gravitational forces that defied natural law. The miniature black hole immediately began exerting its terrible influence on the surrounding environment.

The peaceful water of the domain suddenly became a chaotic maelstrom as gravitational forces yanked liquid toward the singularity's center. The Tidal Flamingo's massive form, despite its legendary-rank strength, was pulled inexorably upward as the artificial gravity well asserted its dominance over the local space.

The creature's twin heads shrieked in alarm as it found itself being compressed and crushed by forces beyond its experience. Its coral-pink feathers pressed flat against its body as the singularity's pull intensified, and the water that had been its greatest advantage now became a weapon turned against it.

Arthur knew the attack wouldn't kill a legendary-rank creature outright, but it would deal substantial damage and, more importantly, create the opening they needed to exploit. The flamingo's confidence in its aquatic domain was about to become a liability as its own element was weaponized against it.

The gravitational singularity continued its work, pulling everything within its influence toward inevitable crushing force while Arthur and Aetherion prepared their next assault from their aerial advantage.

The gravitational singularity reached its critical point and collapsed in on itself with devastating force. The explosion that followed sent shockwaves rippling across the entire domain, the peaceful tropical paradise temporarily transformed into a scene of chaotic destruction.

BOOM!

Water erupted skyward in massive geysers as the compressed gravitational forces released their accumulated energy. The blast created a temporary crater in the endless sea, displacing thousands of gallons of water that crashed back down like a localised tsunami. Steam rose from the impact site as the sheer force of the explosion heated the water to high temperatures.

Arthur watched with interest as the effects became visible. The Tidal Flamingo emerged from the chaos, but it was clearly wounded. Several coral-pink feathers drifted slowly through the air, torn from its massive frame by the gravitational compression. Dark crimson blood trailed down both necks where the crushing forces had managed to penetrate its defenses, and one of its legs showed visible scrape marks across the scaled surface.

However, the damage was far less significant than Arthur had anticipated. The legendary creature remained upright and alert, its four eyes blazing with increased fury rather than the stunned disorientation he had hoped to see.

"Interesting," Arthur murmured, his mind immediately analysing what had gone wrong with their assault. "It managed to mitigate most of the damage somehow."

As the water settled back into its normal shallow state, Arthur could see evidence of the flamingo's defensive strategy. The creature had used its water manipulation abilities during the singularity's activation, creating dense layers of compressed water around its body that had absorbed and deflected much of the gravitational crushing force.

The Tidal Flamingo's mastery over its aquatic element extended beyond simple offensive applications—it could weaponise water defensively as well, turning the endless sea into adaptive armour that responded to incoming threats. What should have been a devastating attack had been reduced to light wounds through its talent and environmental advantage.

"Master, the big pink bird is tougher than we thought!" the void dragon observed with obvious disappointment, his voice carrying frustration at seeing his most powerful attack largely negated. "The water-shield trick made my singularity go 'poof' instead of 'BOOM!'"

Arthur nodded grimly as he processed the implications. The Singularity Collapse was now on cooldown for the next five minutes, meaning they wouldn't be able to rely on that particular advantage again during the immediate battle. They would need to find alternative methods to penetrate the flamingo's aquatic defenses.

The Tidal Flamingo's twin heads weaved hypnotically as it recovered from the assault, its legendary-rank constitution already beginning to heal the minor wounds inflicted by Aetherion's attack. The blood flow slowed and stopped, while the missing feathers seemed almost insignificant compared to the creature's overall mass and power.

More concerning was the way the flamingo's four eyes tracked their aerial position with intelligence. The creature was learning from this encounter, adapting its tactics to account for their mobility and offensive capabilities. The next exchange would likely be far more dangerous as the legendary beast abandoned any pretense of testing its opponents.

Arthur's hand tightened on his katana's hilt as he prepared for escalation. The opening gambit had revealed important information about their enemy's defensive capabilities, but it had also demonstrated that this would not be a quick or easy victory.