The First Legendary Beast Master

With Karl in the sky above the mountain now, instead of standing directly on top of it as most did, the damage had been largely mitigated.

However, the ferocity of the storm had not.

The eighth round of tribulation did not come immediately after the seventh, instead it was building, gaining power as if it had estimated what Karl could take and was willing to adjust to ensure that he did not escape without damage.

The very world around him seemed to shake as Karl absorbed the impact of the eighth round of lightning, while the glow on his scales increased to a nearly blinding level.

Remi, now satisfied that she had read everything that there was to read about the process of advancement to Immortal, a vague passage that took only two paragraphs, cheered for the lightning.

[The book says that more is better. Just keep it going and don't let it stop. Though, it might also just stop on its own. The book didn't say.]

That couldn't be accidental, Karl knew. Someone knew the answer about why the Tribulation worked the way that it did, or at least what were the signs of a powerful advancement.

But they had withheld that information, even from the few books that did mention the process.

Golden flickers of light filled the sky, and static electricity crackled as the storm surged, and wind began to pick up around Karl at gale force.

That was different.

There was a storm around Dana, but primarily it was just the lightning. The fact that it was beginning to turn into a real natural disaster, beyond the mountain range that had been damaged by the lightning, was more than a little concerning.

But the Immortals who were spectating didn't move, they simply watched from the distance as the tribulation built toward a peak.

The eighth round began much like the seventh, only the power of the tribulation lightning seemed to suck all the mana out of the air around it, turning everything to lightning as it collided with the [Eternal Lightning Barrier].

Thor was quite proud of that.

Lightning on Lightning, the barrier was perfect for the role, and eight rounds in, it was still standing, even if it took as much mana as Karl could move to keep it up.

That didn't bode well for the ninth round, and the clouds had paused again, while they turned a brilliant gold, the same colour as Karl's scales in dragon form. The tension in the beast spaces was palpable, as they all absorbed the influx of power, unwilling to give up even a little bit.

Karl had made it to where Dana did before they started getting any, so it should be fine. He definitely had enough to make it to Immortality.

His body was being buffeted by the winds, as if the storm was trying to force him to exit the tribulation storm in any way possible, but Karl held himself stationary as the lightning prepared to strike one more round.

The lightning came again, and the world vanished in a blinding white light.

Karl's ears rang, the world spun around him, and he was vaguely aware that his defensive barrier had fallen before he instinctively put it back up just in time for the next strike to take it down again.

Then again. Over and over, long after he had lost count of the strikes.

Logically, it should be nine, no more, no less. But somehow it felt like he had been stuck in the tribulation forever, then as if it had all been over in an instant.

Blinking away the afterimages of the lightning strikes, Karl tried to steady his mind for the next round of lightning, only there didn't seem to be any more storm above him.

No, there was, he was just turned around and looking to the side.

Only vaguely conscious, Karl brought his barrier back up, and prepared for the onslaught of Tribulation Lightning, while the beasts eagerly absorbed all of the Immortal Energy that had been left by the nine strike volley that had shaken him senseless.

And then he waited.

And waited.

The storm began to fade, and Karl let out a relieved sigh. The storm had passed, and he was still alive.

Alive and Immortal.

Rotating himself back upright, Karl straightened out his body and shook the lingering aches from draconic muscles before transforming back into his preferred form.

Then, he descended to the mountain top and settled in cross legged to let the power surging in his body balance.

If he didn't then the beasts were surely going to drive him insane fighting over the power, and his head was already aching.

After one long blink that must have taken longer than he had thought, Karl found himself staring directly at Dakkarian and Azov.

"Well hello, my Immortal friends. It's fine to see you again."

"There is something damaged in his brain. Give him five minutes and he will be back to himself again." Azov noted.

"At least his badger doesn't try to lick you." Dakkarian countered.

"She did that, but stealthily. She also stuffed cupcakes in his pockets because he didn't have anything to steal." Karl added helpfully.

Azov smiled. "See, he's recovering already. The question is if one of the beasts is going to trigger a tribulation the moment they step out of their separate space.

That could very well be suppressing them, and it might cause issues with our spectators.

Everyone loves a good show, and you never know what they are going to do if something that is actually interesting comes along."

Dakkarian smiled. "Interesting like a chain tribulation, with each one triggering another through an entire group? I suppose that would count."

The Immortals in the distance probably couldn't hear them, but everyone was keeping their voices to a bare whisper. None of them knew the few strangers in the group as far as Karl could tell, but at least one of them had a very familiar magical aura on them.

If he had to guess, he would say that they were likely a Darklight Host member from another world, or perhaps just an Immortal from a world that also had a System created by the World Dragon.