[Warning! Silver-tier lizard has entered rage mode, all its abilities and stats are doubled for the next 3 minutes.]
"Doubled stats for three minutes?" Reid said, seeing Evo's warning. "Things just got a bit harder."
The lizard didn't wait for Reid's attack. It immediately transformed into a ball of flames and shot forward in a trail of fire, aiming for him.
Reid jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding it. The lizard didn't even give him or his partners a chance to recover before launching another attack.
It kept getting faster by the second until Reid could barely track it with his eyes.
It slammed into Reid's back, sending him tumbling forward. The lizard prepared for a follow-up attack before it was [Paused] midair.
"Got you," Reid said, standing up from the ground.
He walked toward the lizard and slammed his bat on its head. He prepared to land another hit when its tail suddenly whipped forward, colliding with the metal bat and disarming him.
"F*ck," he muttered, dodging another attack from its tail.
Rusty couldn't directly attack it since its entire body was basically made of flames. This left Rusty with support as its only option. Nyx, on the other hand, had a few attacks that could work.
The lizard had somehow broken Rusty's time lock and was aiming directly for Reid with another tail strike. Nyx quickly used [Smoke Screen] to obstruct its vision, allowing Reid to retreat to safety.
Nyx then used [Collapsing Space], hoping to crush the lizard just like it did with the other beasts.
The lizard roared in pain as the invisible pressure squeezed it from all sides. It suddenly activated [Molten Shield], countering Nyx's ability.
It then spat flames at them again, but this time, instead of dodging, Reid ordered Nyx to use [Nullification], which negated the fire completely.
'Defeating it in this form is going to be hard,' he thought. 'How long will its rage last, Evo?'
[One minute and fifteen seconds,] Evo answered.
'We can do this,' he told himself.
The air and the ground below Reid suddenly grew hotter, and he knew exactly what was coming. Rusty, Nyx, and he teleported away again, narrowly avoiding a much bigger flame tornado.
As soon as they reappeared, Reid was greeted by a massive fireball that slammed into his chest, sending him flying—burning his shirt and searing his skin.
"Argh!" Reid groaned in pain. The lizard had perfectly baited them into teleporting, somehow knowing exactly where they'd appear.
Rusty used [Rewind] on him again, erasing the burn, though Reid still felt the phantom pain lingering.
"The bastard's getting smarter by the minute," he said, keeping his eyes on the now smug lizard. "I have to end this quick."
'Evo, bring up the description for Nyx's [Nullification] skill,' he said as an idea formed in his mind.
[Okay.
[Skill]
Nullification: Negates or nullifies any type of energy.]
'This could work,' he thought after seeing the description.
He suddenly rushed toward the lizard. Before it could react, Rusty used [Pause], freezing it for a second, and Nyx used [Smoke Cloud] to blind it, allowing Reid to get closer.
The lizard leapt out of the smoke cloud—only to meet Reid's swinging bat, which struck its head hard. The hit dealt some damage, but the beast shrugged it off and attacked with its tail.
"Rusty!" Reid called. Rusty used [Delayed Reaction], slowing the lizard's movement just enough for Reid to land another blow, this time to its skull.
Feeling even more enraged, the lizard prepared to use [Eruption] when Reid shouted,
"Nyx, now!"
Nyx reacted instantly, activating [Nullification] just as the lizard began to charge its attack.
Expecting another tornado of flames, the lizard froze in shock for a brief moment—its ability failed to activate even though it could feel energy flowing from its core.
Reid didn't waste the opening. Gripping his bat tightly, he dashed forward with everything he had.
"Rusty, keep it locked down!" he barked.
Rusty activated [Pause] once more, locking the lizard in time.
Reid swung his bat with all his might, aiming for the creature's head. The impact echoed across the battlefield as the weapon connected, cracks spreading along the molten scales on its skull.
"Nyx, one more time—crush it!" Reid shouted, sweat pouring down his face from the suffocating heat.
Nyx activated [Collapsing Space] again, compressing the area around the lizard.
It tried to use [Molten Shield] again, but Rusty was faster, freezing it once more with [Pause].
[20 seconds remaining on Rage Mode,] Evo updated.
Reid grimaced. "Still not enough to finish it."
The lizard, in a last-ditch effort, exploded again, breaking free from Rusty's time manipulation and Nyx's spatial crush. It staggered, but quickly recovered.
It looked at Reid, hatred burning in its molten eyes, desperate to crush the "insect" that had pushed it this far.
"You stubborn bastard," Reid muttered, gripping his bat tighter.
"Nyx, smoke cloud! Rusty, lock it again when I give the signal!" he commanded, stepping back as the beast charged at him.
Nyx conjured another [Smoke Cloud], blocking the beast's line of sight, but it didn't stop—it kept charging blindly through the haze.
"Now, Rusty!"
Rusty activated [Pause], freezing the creature mid-charge.
Reid sprinted forward, pouring every ounce of strength he had into his legs. As he reached the immobilized beast, he raised his bat high and shouted, "Nyx, nullify the heat!"
Nyx quickly obeyed, neutralizing the scorching aura surrounding the lizard.
With the suffocating heat gone, Reid closed in, and with a shout, brought his bat down on the beast's head with everything he had left.
The impact was thunderous, the force nearly breaking Reid's arm.
The beast let out one final, ear-splitting roar before collapsing, the flames on its body flickering out.
[Congratulations on killing the Silver-tier Flame Lizard: Infernal Ravager. You've gained a Silver-tier core.]
Reid collapsed onto his back, breathing heavily as Evo's confirmation echoed in his mind. Rusty and Nyx walked over to him, and Rusty gently nudged him with its nose.
"You did good, boy," Reid said, patting it before turning to Nyx. "You too, Nyx."
"That was one hell of a fight, kid," Old Man Scrappy said, approaching him. "Now let's go back—we have a lot to talk about."
Old Man Scrappy helped him up, and together with the other tamers, they began heading back. By this time, the sun was already peeking over the horizon.