Arthur crouched low behind a jagged rock, his breathing controlled, his enhanced eyesight locked onto the colossal wyvern’s form. 

It lay sprawled across its rocky nest, a gargantuan creature definitely weighing nearly 80 tons, its breathing slow and rhythmic. The moonlight reflected off its armored scales, each as thick and durable as reinforced steel. 

Arthur tightened his grip on the makeshift spear, its sharpened tip coated in a potent, paralytic poison extracted from the alien flora.

“This has to work,” he whispered, positioning himself nearly 40 meters away. His muscles tensed as he raised the weapon, aligning the trajectory with the wyvern’s closed eye. 

He steadied his breathing, every fiber of his being focused on the throw. With a grunt, he launched the spear with all his strength, the weapon slicing through the air like a bullet.

Just as it was about to strike, the wyvern stirred, shifting its massive head slightly. The spear slid off the thick scales of its neck with a dull clang, bouncing harmlessly onto the rocky ground.

Arthur’s heart sank. “Damn it!” he hissed under his breath.

The wyvern jolted awake, its glowing yellow eyes snapping open, pupils narrowing into menacing slits. It snarled, a guttural sound that reverberated through the air, shaking Arthur to his core. The beast’s head swiveled, scanning the area until its gaze locked onto him.

“So much for the element of surprise,” Arthur muttered, bracing himself.

With a deafening roar, the wyvern lunged. Its wings spread wide, creating a gust of wind that sent loose debris flying. Arthur dived to the side, barely avoiding the snapping jaws that closed around the spot where he had stood.

The wyvern snarled, its nostrils flaring as it turned to face him again. Its tail lashed out, a whip-like motion that shattered a nearby boulder into fragments. 

Arthur dodged, the force of the attack grazing his shoulder and sending him stumbling.

‘This thing’s stronger than I thought,’ he thought, gritting his teeth. ‘I need to keep my distance.’

Arthur sprinted toward a cluster of rocks, hoping to use them as cover. But the wyvern was relentless, its massive claws digging into the ground as it charged after him. 

The ground trembled under its weight, each step a seismic event.

The beast reared back, then lunged forward, swiping with one of its talons. 

Arthur ducked, the claw missing him by inches but leaving deep gouges in the earth. He retaliated, grabbing a jagged stone and hurling it at the wyvern’s face. It struck the creature’s snout but didn’t even leave a scratch.

The wyvern loomed over him now, its head lowering as it sniffed the air. It snarled, baring rows of razor-sharp teeth as it prepared to strike. Arthur grabbed the remnants of his spear, the shaft broken but the poisoned tip still intact.

‘This is it,’ he thought. ‘One shot.’

With a desperate roar, he lunged upward, driving the tip of the spear toward the wyvern’s exposed underbelly. The creature reacted with uncanny speed, twisting its body. The spear scraped against its scales, leaving only a faint mark.

“No, no, no!” Arthur cried out as the wyvern’s tail whipped around, striking him square in the chest. The force sent him flying backward, slamming into a jagged rock formation. He gasped, blood trickling from his mouth as pain radiated through his body.

The wyvern advanced, its eyes glowing with predatory malice. Arthur struggled to his feet, his vision blurry. He clenched his fists, his adaptive abilities pushing his body to its limits.

“I’m not done yet!” he roared, charging at the beast.

He ducked under a swipe of its talons and leapt onto its forelimb, climbing toward its head. 

The wyvern thrashed, trying to shake him off. Arthur held on, using the broken spear to stab at the joints between its scales. The creature bellowed in pain, shaking its head violently.

Arthur reached the base of its neck and aimed for its eye, raising the spear for a final strike. But before he could deliver the blow, the wyvern reared back, its massive wings flapping. The gust of wind threw Arthur off balance, and he tumbled to the ground.

With a burst of speed, Arthur closed the distance between them in an instant, a shockwave rippling through the air as his fist slammed into the wyvern’s chest. 

The impact cracked scales and sent the beast staggering back, but it barely flinched before retaliating. A massive clawed swipe came at him, faster than he anticipated. Arthur leaped back, but not far enough. 

The edge of the talon scraped his side, the force sending him careening into a tree, shattering it on impact.

Arthur groaned, his vision swimming. The wyvern was on him in moments, its maw wide, fangs glistening with saliva. He rolled just as its jaws snapped shut, the sound of teeth clashing reverberating through the forest. 

“That was close,” he muttered, his voice strained. Arthur planted his feet and launched himself upward, driving a punch into the creature’s lower jaw. 

The wyvern’s head snapped back, but it recovered almost instantly, whipping its tail around. The spiked appendage caught Arthur square in the torso, hurling him through several more trees before he crashed into the ground.

Pain lanced through his body, but Arthur pushed himself up. His adaptive ability was already kicking in; the bruises on his ribs were fading, and his muscles felt denser, stronger. 

“Come on, you’ve got this,” he thought, clenching his fists. He needed it. The wyvern wasn’t just stronger than him, it was smarter, more experienced. Every move Arthur made, the beast countered with devastating precision.

“ROAAARRR…!!” The wyvern roared again, the sound shaking loose leaves and sending smaller creatures fleeing in terror. It charged, its bulk flattening everything in its path. 

Arthur darted to the side, his enhanced speed barely keeping him ahead of the beast. He grabbed a fallen tree trunk, nearly ten tons of wood and bark, and swung it like a club. The makeshift weapon splintered against the wyvern’s shoulder, eliciting a snarl but no real damage. Arthur cursed under his breath.

‘I need a new plan,’ he thought, dodging another swipe. The beast’s tail lashed out again, but this time Arthur anticipated it. He ducked low and grabbed the appendage, planting his feet and twisting with all his might. 

The wyvern’s massive form was dragged sideways, its balance faltering. Seizing the opportunity, Arthur surged forward, driving his shoulder into the wyvern’s midsection. The beast staggered, its wings flaring as it tried to steady itself.

Arthur pressed the attack, landing blow after blow on the creature’s vulnerable underbelly. Cracks began to form in its scales, but the wyvern’s retaliation came swiftly. It reared back and slammed its forelegs down, the sheer force creating a crater and sending Arthur sprawling. 

Before he could recover, the wyvern’s talons pinned him to the ground. He strained against the weight, his muscles burning as he tried to push the claw off. The wyvern’s head descended, its teeth bared in a cruel snarl.

With a surge of adrenaline, Arthur managed to free one arm. He grabbed a shard of a broken tree trunk and drove it into the wyvern’s eye. The beast roared in pain, jerking back and releasing him. 

Arthur scrambled to his feet, his breathing ragged. Blood trickled from dozens of wounds, but he felt his strength growing. “Not done yet,” he growled, wiping blood from his mouth.

But the wyvern was far from finished. It launched itself into the air with a single powerful beat of its wings, the gust knocking Arthur off balance. The beast hovered above, its shadow enveloping him. 

Then it dove, claws extended. Arthur leaped to meet it, his fist colliding with its snout in mid-air. The impact was thunderous, sending both combatants crashing back to the ground.

Arthur coughed, spitting blood as he stood. The wyvern’s chest heaved, its wounded eye leaking blood. Yet it seemed more furious than weakened. 

‘How much can this thing take?’ Arthur wondered, frustration and determination warring within him. The creature lunged, its jaws snapping shut around Arthur’s torso. 

His skin held, the incredible durability increasing with the fight and resisting the immense pressure, but cracks began to form. The wyvern’s bite was powerful, each second testing the limits of his resilience.

‘Hold it together,’ he thought, gritting his teeth. With a guttural roar, Arthur planted his feet and pried the jaws apart, his arms trembling with effort. 

He broke free and drove an elbow into the beast’s snout, followed by a knee to its jaw. The wyvern recoiled, but its tail whipped around, catching him off guard. The spiked end pierced his shoulder, pinning him to the ground.

“Argghhh!!”

Arthur screamed, the pain white-hot and all-consuming. ‘Not like this,’ he thought, his vision blurring. He gritted his teeth, pulling himself free with a sickening squelch. 

Blood poured from the wound, but even as he stumbled, his body began to heal. He roared in defiance, charging the wyvern with renewed fury. Each punch landed with greater force than the last, his ability pushing his strength closer to the beast’s level.

The forest was a battleground of destruction, trees toppled and the ground cratered from their titanic clash. Arthur’s blows sent shockwaves through the air, and the wyvern’s claws tore deep gouges into the earth. 

Yet for all his growing power, Arthur couldn’t overcome the wyvern’s sheer mass and ferocity. The beast’s talons caught him again, slamming him into the ground with bone-shattering force. Arthur’s vision blurred, but he forced himself to rise.

The wyvern’s jaws closed around his arm, teeth puncturing his skin. Arthur roared in pain, his free hand hammering against the creature’s skull. The bone cracked, but the wyvern’s grip remained unyielding. 

With a tremendous effort, Arthur twisted, snapping the beast’s tooth and freeing himself. He staggered back, blood dripping from countless wounds.

‘This can’t be how it ends,’ Arthur thought, his breathing ragged. The wyvern snarled, its chest heaving as it prepared for a final assault. Arthur braced himself, his battered body trembling but unbroken. 

When the beast charged, he met it head-on, driving his fists into its chest. The impact sent shockwaves through both their bodies, but the wyvern’s momentum carried it forward. Its claws tore into his abdomen, ripping through muscle and bone.

“Arggh…!!!”

Arthur gasped, blood bubbling from his lips. His hands clawing weakly at the beast’s face. But the wyvern’s strength was insurmountable. With a sickening crunch, it tore through his skin, severing his spine.

Arthur’s body went limp, his lifeless form crumpling to the ground. The forest fell silent, save for the wyvern’s labored breathing. It stood over its fallen opponent, bloodied and battered but victorious. 

The air was thick with the scent of death, the once-lush clearing now a graveyard of shattered trees and broken earth.

Arthur had fought valiantly, his strength pushing him to unimaginable heights. But in the end, the wyvern’s raw power proved too great. 

“Roooaarrrrr!!”

As the beast roared its triumph to the heavens, the forest bore witness to the brutal fight, a testament to the relentless brutality of nature.

***

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep