Chapter 185: Counter Element

Nyxara reacted immediately.

?The moment the beam entered her perception range, shadows erupted from beneath her boots, spreading outward before surging upward into a massive barrier.

Its surface was layered with countless overlapping tendrils of darkness, each heavily reinforced with the mana she drew continuously from Cassian.

?BOOOOM!

?The beam slammed directly into the barrier.

?Cracks instantly spiderwebbed across the dark defense.

?Nyxara’s expression tightened as she felt the crushing force pressing against her Authority.

Before she could channel more energy to reinforce it, several sections began disintegrating under the scorching, concentrated light.

?Cassian’s eyes narrowed sharply.

?’Counter element.’

?It was one of the fundamental rules governing the twelve branches of mana.

Certain branches possessed natural, elemental advantages over others, allowing them to suppress or erode opposing attributes.

?Life was the natural counter to Death.

?Although Shadow was technically a spatial manifestation of the Death branch, it was exceptionally susceptible to the purifying properties of Light mana, which fell under the domain of Life.

Consequently, even with the virtually endless supply of mana Nyxara was drawing from Cassian, her barrier struggled to withstand the thermal assault.

?CRACK!

?The shadow barrier shattered completely.

?Cassian moved instantly.

?[Burst]!

?His physique accelerated as he closed the distance to Nyxara in a fraction of a second.

Before the remaining fragments of her broken shield could dissolve, he swept her up into his arms, pulling her close in a swift princess carry.

?The next instant, his figure vanished into a blur.

?The colossal light beam passed through the space they had occupied a microsecond earlier, plunging straight into the cavern wall behind them.

?BOOOOOOM!

?The entire subterranean chamber violently shuddered.

?A massive explosion detonated as the beam struck the solid rock, blasting countless stone fragments across the passage.

Dust and pulverized debris filled the air, while the glowing crystals lining the walls flickered wildly from the shockwave.

?Cassian landed heavily several meters away, holding Nyxara securely against his chest.

?He looked down at her. "Are you alright?"

?Nyxara stared up at him, momentarily flustered by their proximity before quickly recovering her composure. "Yes, my Lord. I am unharmed."

?"Good."

?Cassian lowered his gaze and turned toward the entity responsible for the attack.

?As the dust cloud gradually settled, an enormous silhouette materialized through the haze.

?It resembled a massive, terrifying wyvern, though its physiology was distinctly different from standard dragonkin.

Its body was encased in smooth, pale-white scales that brilliantly reflected the faint crystal light of the cavern.

?It possessed four muscular limbs, each ending in razor-sharp claws capable of rending reinforced alloy.

Its elongated neck connected to an oversized, heavy skull, while a thick, armored tail whipped rhythmically behind it.

?However, the most striking feature was the complete absence of wings.

?Despite lacking flight appendages, the creature possessed an imposing, heavy physique built for subterranean dominance.

?Four glowing golden eyes were set into the front of its skull.

?All four were locked directly onto Cassian.

?His blue eyes narrowed slightly.

?’Front-facing eyes...’

?It was a telling biological detail.

?Unlike ordinary prey or low-tier predators that relied on a wide field of lateral vision to detect incoming threats, creatures with forward-facing eyes possessed deep binocular vision, built exclusively for tracking and executing targets directly in front of them.

?More importantly, they were top-tier predators that never had to worry about being hunted.

?They sat at the apex of their localized food chain.

?And the readout displayed by his [Soul Gaze] confirmed that exact reality:

?[Wingless Wyvern]

[Rare ★ ★ ★]

?Cassian analyzed the entity’s profile.

?A Three-Star Rare creature.

?It was exponentially stronger than anything they had slain since entering the Orion Rift. Its internal mana core was massive, and the refinement of its Light attribute was remarkably pure.

?Even without deeper inspection, Cassian could tell this beast was leagues above the fodder Nyxara had been dicing up.

?Then there was the elemental matchup.

?Light was the absolute counter to Nyxara’s Shadow Authority. Engaging such an opponent put her at a severe attribute disadvantage, especially if the beast possessed specialized skills designed to purge dark mana.

?Yet Cassian didn’t feel a shred of concern.

?Instead, the corners of his lips curved into a sharp, eager grin.

’?Now this is getting interesting.’

?He had spent the last hour watching Nyxara effortlessly butcher monsters that barely qualified as warm-ups.

While efficient, it hadn’t provided any real opportunity to gauge the current limits of their combat strength.

?This creature was different.

?It possessed enough raw power to pose a legitimate threat, and its elemental advantage presented a genuine challenge.

?For a Lord seeking rapid growth, that was no reason to back down.

?Cassian finally set Nyxara back onto her feet. "Stay behind me for a moment."

?Nyxara nodded, though her violet eyes remained fixed on the white wyvern, her fingers white-knuckling her scythe. "My Lord, its mana attribute is highly destructive to my Authority."

?"I noticed." Cassian’s gaze never wavered from the apex predator. "That’s why I want to see what it can actually do."

?As if responding to his challenge, the white wyvern lowered its massive head.

?Its four golden eyes blazed with blinding intensity.

?A dense concentration of Light mana gathered inside its maw, compressing further with every passing second.

The surrounding air warped under the thermal pressure, generating a high-pitched, ringing vibration that echoed through the cavern.

?The wall crystals flickered erratically.

?Even the solid bedrock beneath its talons began disintegrating into slag from the sheer heat radiating from its throat.

?Cassian’s smile widened.

?The beast was charging a second strike.

?And judging by the density of the energy coiling within its throat, this blast would be far more catastrophic than the first.

?BOOOOOOM!

?The white wyvern lunged forward.

?Its jaws snapped wide open.

?A blinding column of searing radiance erupted from its throat, ready to incinerate everything in its path.

Mana surged through Cassian’s frame as he raised a single hand toward the incoming torrent of searing light.

?His expression remained deadpan as he activated one of his newly acquired abilities.

?"Push."

?The moment the word left his lips, a colossal wave of invisible force erupted from his palm.

?BOOOOOOM!

?The wyvern’s Light beam slammed into the invisible kinetic barrier, causing space itself to ripple violently.

The concentrated blast collided with an immovable wall, its thermal energy dispersing wildly across the surrounding cavern instead of touching Cassian.