NOVEL NEXT Chapter 428: Live or die?
The Roc's screech tore through the heavens, its domain blazing hotter, every beat of its wings stoking the furnace into an inferno. The beast poured everything into smothering the intruder on its back. But Damon only laughed.
"Not bad… but let me show you what real fire tastes like." Lethal poison seeped in from his claw and began to spread all over the roc's body.
The roc was not like the other demons. It was a peak C rank beast and possessed a strong and sturdy physique innately. Damon's poison wasn't enough to simply take it out in one hit. But it was more than enough to make the bird beast feel some real pain.
The Roc thrashed violently, its colossal frame blotting out the sky as it tried to shake him off. Demonfire rippled over its feathers in desperate waves, but the poison was already sinking deep. Wherever Damon's claw had pierced, blackened veins began to crawl outward.
The mighty beast's screeches turned from fury to pain, each beat of its wings less steady than the last. Damon smiled. "You don't have to struggle so much. I can offer you a way out."
[Tame] He immediately activated his taming skill.
The Roc's infernal domain wavered, flames dimming, collapsing inward as its body betrayed it. It was truly suffering from the effects of the poison. Still, its eyes burned with refusal, molten hatred glaring back at the parasite riding its spine.
It looked like the Roc would tear itself apart before ever submitting. Its wings cut the sky with hurricane force, and its molten eyes were defiant with the sheer pride of a beast that had never bowed to anything.
Ding! [Tame] has failed to activate
Damon smiled. Then the poison inside the roc flared again. The infernal blaze sputtered. Its screeches faltered into guttural croaks, and its body shuddered under him, flight growing clumsy and uneven.
"Submit," Damon commanded. "There is nothing wrong in submitting yourself to someone stronger than you. Or do you prefer to die?"
The roc screeched defiantly. It definitely did not agree with him.
Damon only laughed at that. "Yes, yes. I am being a hypocrite. I probably would not submit to someone else either. But then again, I also wouldn't want to die. You could always become my tamed beast and, down the line, find ways to stab me in the back and take me down, you know? I think that's what I would do!"
The roc once again screeched in defiance. Damon let out a sigh. He took out a healing potion and shoved it in the roc's mouth. The bird seemed surprised at the sudden burst of energy, but before it could make sense of it, the relief turned into dread. Another round of torture began.
Ding! [You have successfully tamed Demonic Roc (Level 200)]
After one whole hour, the damn beast finally relented. Damon sat cross-legged on the beast's back, calm and unbothered, as if he'd been patiently waiting for this outcome all along.
"Good bird," he muttered with a satisfied grin, patting the Roc's molten feathers that no longer burned him. Its molten eyes, still filled with grudging hatred, nevertheless lowered with reluctant obedience.
"Alright. Can you get back to the coast? You wasted an hour of my time, and now I have a lot more work to do."
The roc screeched and then started flying. Damon enjoyed the view from atop for a couple of seconds. The rolling landscape, the distant blood clouds, and the endless ocean were all sights to enjoy. But for the real view, he needed to close his eyes and then focus.
Damon once again used his primordial senses to see if there were any particularly concerning auras. This time, nothing came up. Except for a couple of demonic creatures here and there, nothing else was within the vicinity.
"Deal with those two." He patted the roc, and the bird immediately screeched in obedience. It quickly changed the direction and, in no time, took care of the two demonic creatures. It did not even have to land.
The bird simply swooped down once, wings slicing the air with hurricane force. A barrage of molten feathers rained from its body, cutting through the two demons like a storm of flaming guillotines.
The creatures barely had time to shriek before their bodies were reduced to cinders, their blood essence evaporating into crimson mist. Damon extended one hand lazily, and the mist immediately coiled toward him, sinking into his veins with a hiss of satisfaction.
The roc screeched triumphantly, banking hard to rise back into the skies. They were once again coastbound. His crimson eyes gleamed as the outpost came into view with tiny dots of activity. "Let's get down here and say hello to everyone."
The outpost stirred like a kicked anthill the moment the colossal shadow swept over it. Merfolk scrambled, weapons raised, and even Mark's Titan-forged frame stiffened at the sight of the flaming beast.
"This is the same one Erin was fighting against," Kate mumbled as she too prepared herself.
Everyone knew that this fight wasn't going to be easy. Even Erin, who hadn't yet fully recovered, sensed the bird's presence and quickly steadied herself, her massive serpentine form appearing to compete with the enormous bird.
In response, the roc shrieked, a thunderous cry that rattled the very bones of those below. But the next second, instead of diving to slaughter, it slowed, wings folding in, and descended with deliberate grace. Dust storms exploded outward as its talons crushed into the earth, and it calmly landed.
Just as everyone was wondering what was going on, they finally caught sight of Damon sitting casually atop the beast's molten feathers, one leg propped up as though he were lounging on a throne. He leaned forward and gave the creature a lazy pat, as if rewarding a loyal dog.
"No need to panic, guys. This one is ours now." Damon casually jumped from the bird's back and gave a thumbs up, flashing his shameless grin.