E-Rank or SSS-Rank: I Awakened a Skill That Shouldn't Exist-Chapter 328: Same as Him

Chapter 328

There was simply no beating that.

Han could think of only a handful who might stand as Thunderwrath’s equal. Even fewer who could take him down in a true battle.

So yes, no matter what the Wolfbull Lord thought or did, it would not change how this ended.

He would lose.

The Wolfbull Lord grinned.

His flames would be enough. Enough to incinerate that overbearing, annoying human dragon.

Or so he believed.

The smile vanished.

As the smoke evaporated, something sharp and heavy stood at the center of it. A dome of lightning, dense and oppressive, crackling with terrifying presence. Slowly, it peeled away.

There he stood.

Hands crossed. Grinning.

Thunderwrath.

"Are you done?" he asked casually.

A shiver ran down the Wolfbull Lord’s back.

His secret attack. His ace.

It had done nothing.

That first instinct he had felt when he saw this monster was right. This human dragon was dangerous.

Dark apprehension clenched his heart.

The Wolfbull Lord howled again, louder this time. His claws elongated, stretching into long, razor sharp talons. His eyes glowed a menacing red as fire coated his claws, wrapping them in destructive heat.

He would take this damn dragon down.

No matter the cost.

"That’s the spirit," Thunderwrath said, his smile turning wicked.

He knew exactly what was coming.

He was going to break that spirit.

They charged.

They met at the center.

The impact erased the ground beneath them. Lightning and flames collided, tearing through the area as explosions ripped outward. Thunder cracked nonstop. Fire roared. The sheer violence of it made even the bravest men tremble in awe and fear.

For a time, they looked evenly matched.

The Wolfbull Lord believed it too.

Good, Thunderwrath thought.

A real battle always started like this.

Then one side stepped up.

He did it subtly. A little more strength. A little more speed. Sharper instincts. Cleaner technique.

Not enough to be obvious.

The Wolfbull Lord kept fighting, convinced the winner would be the one who tired first.

Then seconds passed.

And realization struck.

His opponent was getting faster.

Stronger.

His combat skill was evolving right before his eyes.

Shock froze him.

He failed to raise his guard in time.

The next strike smashed into his head, lightning flooding through his body. He howled as fire waves pulsed outward, barely suppressing the electricity.

He staggered back, landing on a massive boulder that had not yet been reduced to rubble.

He stared at Thunderwrath.

How is he doing that?

His body trembled. He told himself it was just fear. Just a trick.

He calmed his nerves.

He was the ruler of this plane. Something like this should not shake him.

With a roar, he drained every drop of essence around him, forcing his body past its limits.

He launched again.

Thunderwrath met him head on.

The battle resumed.

Fast. Brutal. Relentless.

They clashed again and again, explosions and lightning filling the battlefield. Once more, it became a stalemate.

The Wolfbull Lord felt relief creep in.

His strength was not increasing again. Right?

He watched carefully. Nothing changed. They kept colliding. The chaos continued.

He exhaled.

Now it would come down to endurance.

He smiled.

Thunderwrath met his gaze.

And smiled back.

That smile was wrong. Twisted. Promising pain.

No.

He is not getting stronger again.

Right?

The Wolfbull Lord forced his heart to calm.

He was wrong.

Thunderwrath began to overpower him.

His strength surged. His speed nearly doubled. His combat style shifted completely, transforming into an endless assault that never gave space to breathe.

Why is this world so unfair?

The scream echoed inside the Wolfbull Lord’s mind.

Lightning drenched punches crashed into him one after another, shattering bones, invading his body, locking his muscles in place.

He could not move.

He could not resist.

He could only endure as Thunderwrath closed in.

Thunderwrath was moving too fast.

So fast that the Wolfbull Lord could not even catch a glimpse of his figure. There was no form to follow, no shadow to track. Only crackling lightning.

And pain.

Each flash sent him crashing into another world of agony.

What felt like an eternity passed, though in truth it was only a few seconds. Then Thunderwrath stopped.

The Wolfbull Lord slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash.

His body throbbed with unbearable pain. His mind went numb. For a moment, he truly believed he was going to die.

Slowly, the effects began to fade.

And that was worse.

Now he could feel everything.

He was ruined. Far too injured to recover normally. It would take a long time for any Wolfbull to heal wounds like these.

But he was not just any Wolfbull.

He was the Lord.

Gritting his teeth, he grabbed one of his shattered arms and tore it off. Bone snapped. Flesh ripped. He did the same to his other arm. Then both legs.

Blood splashed across the ground.

He focused.

Essence surged.

New limbs burst forth. Fur grew back. Hooves reformed. Claws sharpened. Lightning that still crawled through his body evaporated under the force of his regeneration.

Finally, he stood again.

Barely.

His chest heaved as a crushing strain settled over his mind. That healing had cost far more than it looked. He had reclaimed the essence he had poured into the portal to survive.

That meant only one thing.

The portal he had kept open for months would soon close on its own.

Dread crawled through him.

If he knew about this.

No. Who was he fooling.

He would know.

The only question was when punishment would come.

Why?

Why did they force him into something he might actually die for?

He looked at the dragon.

Thunderwrath stood there, unimpressed.

His smile was gone.

He looked bored.

The Wolfbull Lord felt his world collapsing.

He ruined his life, and all he received in return was boredom.

If he had the power, he would capture this damn dragon and torture him for eternity. But reality had already beaten that thought out of him.

He exhaled sharply.

This was damn annoying.

Then the human dragon turned toward the throne.

"It’s all yours now, Young Master. I’ll be leaving."

Han nodded.

Thunderwrath vanished as a pillar of lightning descended. When it lifted, he was gone, returning to wherever he had been summoned from.

That’s right.

The dragon was not the true cause of this disaster.

The Wolfbull Lord slowly turned his head toward the throne.

Han sat there calmly on the Wolfbull throne, just as composed as when he first entered the room. His blue eyes glowed faintly.

"Now that you’ve lost," Han said evenly, "I won’t torture you. I don’t have time for that."

He leaned forward slightly.

"Instead, let me ask you a question before you die."

The Wolfbull Lord remained silent.

"How do you keep the portal open?" Han asked calmly. "And why?"

The Wolfbull Lord said nothing at first.

He weighed his options.

He was not a fool.

Dragons were prideful. There was no way a dragon would serve someone weak. If Thunderwrath followed him, then this human was at least on the same level.

Perhaps even stronger.

Stronger than a dragon.

The Wolfbull Lord swallowed.

Then he threw his head back and howled.

Louder than he had during the battle.

Louder than ever before.

He smiled.

He might not be able to take him head on alone, but not if thousands of his underlings joined the fight. With his army at his back, this battle would be won.

"You will fall soon," the Wolfbull Lord growled.

Han’s expression did not change.

His head remained resting on his cheek as he looked at the Wolfbull Lord the way one looked at a child throwing a tantrum.

"Tell me," Han said calmly. "You and what army are going to make me fall?"

The Wolfbull Lord scoffed.

"What kind of stupid question is that? Me and my army of course—"

He froze.

He should have felt them by now.

Their presence. Their movement. Their bloodlust rushing toward his call.

Nothing.

A chill crawled up his spine.

It can’t be.

Slowly, he reached out through his connection to the plane, searching for even one of his underlings.

There was nothing.

No response.

No link.

They were gone.

All of them.

Dead.

The Wolfbull Lord stared at Han in pure terror.

When did he do it?

"How long will you keep wasting time?" Han asked calmly. "Will you tell me what I need to know or not?"

The Wolfbull Lord snapped back to reality.

If he stayed silent, this man would kill him.

If he spoke, something far worse would come for him.

Either way, death waited.

But if he spoke, he might find a way to live.

He had to live.

He shook his head, preparing to state his conditions.

Then it hit.

A crushing force slammed into him, forcing him down onto his knees. The ashen ground shattered into rubble beneath the pressure. His hooves split and bled profusely.

Pain exploded through his body.

He looked up in horror.

Han’s face was still calm.

But one of his eyes had turned red.

"Do you think you have a choice in your position?" Han asked evenly.

He tilted his head slightly.

"My mistake. Let me rephrase."

"Tell me everything I need to know, and I will grant you a quick death."

His red eye glowed brighter.

"Refuse, and you will experience a fate far worse than death."

"You might wonder what that is," Han said with a faint smile.

"Trust me. You do not want to find out."

The gravity intensified. The pressure multiplied. The air itself felt heavier.

"Y-you..."

The Wolfbull Lord’s expression changed completely as he stared at Han.

Shock.

Recognition.

Terror.

"You... you’re just like him."

The words escaped him in a broken whisper.

A flash of memory surged through his mind.

Flashback...

The wolfbull lord could be seen was kneeling, face filled with dread as sweats covered his entire body dripping through his pale fur.

His throne room was destroyed. Flames devoured everything. Dread crushed his soul as he looked at a figure sitting on his throne like a god.

But it was not Han.

It was not even human.

It was a dark goblin with white hair.

Smiling faintly.

Both of his eyes glowing the same terrifying red.

TO BE CONTINUED...