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Chapter 6 - Asterion

The throne loomed above me, chained to the black sky by bolts of violet lightning. Each link hummed like the heartbeat of a dying god.

And Asterion sat upon it, waiting.

His voice rolled like thunder.

"I have watched you bleed, crawl, and claw your way through my domain. The weak perish. The stubborn survive. But to rule the storm, you must break it — or be broken in turn."

The chains snapped, and Asterion descended.

Every step shook the ground. Lightning bled from his skin. His presence alone crushed the air in my lungs.

I gritted my teeth, purple sparks dancing at my fingertips.

"…Then let's see who the storm really belongs to."

The fight began with a roar.

Asterion's fist came down like a meteor, purple lightning exploding on impact. I barely rolled aside, the shockwave blasting me into a wall of shattered stone.

My body screamed, but my instincts burned hotter. I thrust out my palm, and a Spear of Lightning shot forward, tearing through the haze — but Asterion caught it. Just caught it. His hand closed around the bolt, crushing it into nothing.

"Child's play."

Before I could react, his other hand swept forward. A storm-wave hit me square in the chest, hurling me across the throne's platform. Bones cracked. My ears rang.

This wasn't a beast I could outwit. This was the storm given form.

But I wasn't the same timid mercenary anymore.

I drew in the lightning. Not just my own — the storm itself. The chains in the sky vibrated, sparks leaping toward me. Purple arcs danced across my arms, my veins glowing like molten lines.

When Asterion charged again, I met him head-on.

My fist collided with his jaw, lightning screaming out in a shockwave that tore the stone beneath us. For the first time, Asterion staggered. His eyes narrowed.

"Good. Now break yourself upon me."

The duel spiraled into chaos.

I wove Shroud around my body, my movements blurring as I clashed with his colossal strikes. He answered by tearing chunks of the storm from the sky and hurling them like spears. I expanded Domain, the storm bending to my will, slowing him — but every step he took shattered the ground, resisting my control.

At one point, his hand closed around my throat and he slammed me into the throne. My vision dimmed, breath stolen.

"Weak. Frail. Pretender."

Through the haze of pain, I forced a grin. "Maybe… but I don't stay weak."

Lightning surged from my chest, bursting outward in all directions. It tore into Asterion, his grip faltering. I drove my sword — crackling with stormlight — into his side.

The explosion lit the dungeon like day.

When the smoke cleared, I was on my knees, coughing blood.

And Asterion stood, a massive wound burning across his ribs. He looked down at me, eyes filled not with hatred… but something else.

Pride.

"You are not unworthy after all."

He raised his arms, and lightning consumed his form. His body shattered into pure energy, pouring into me like molten fire.

The storm screamed, and my system flared.

System Update:

—Mini Boss [Asterion, the Storm Sovereign] defeated.

—Stats increased.

—Purple Lightning attribute strengthened.

Current Stats:

Strength: 35 Agility:

35 Vitality: 33

Intelligence: 28

Willpower: 40

Perception: 35

Unique Attribute: Purple Lightning (Awakened)

— Now capable of evolving into higher forms.

I collapsed, breath ragged, body barely holding together. The storm quieted. For the first time in weeks, silence.

I thought it was over. I thought I had won.

But deep in the dungeon, beneath the throne, something stirred.

Something that made the lightning itself hesitate.

And in the silence, a whisper echoed.

"The Sovereign was but the gatekeeper. The storm's true master still waits."

My blood ran cold.

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