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The massive valley crackled now and then with flashes of lightning. At its center, Venom and the Thunder Wolf Dragon locked eyes, neither backing down.
Venom stretched his body, full of fighting spirit, then lunged straight at the beast.
The Thunder Wolf Dragon snarled, gathering arcs of electricity and firing them at the charging Venom.
Venom twisted and darted aside with inhuman agility, dodging the bolts before leaping high into the air.
The dragon tilted its head upward, only to see a shadow drop down from above.
Venom raised both arms midair, then slammed down hard onto the monster's back.
The impact forced the dragon's limbs to buckle slightly before it bellowed in rage. Lightning exploded outward, surging straight into Venom's body.
The moment the electricity hit, Venom's form instinctively liquefied, writhing as if roaring back in pain.
He rolled off to the side, breaking free of the attack, but already felt his strength faltering.
The Thunder Wolf Dragon wasted no time—it charged.
Venom bared his teeth and rushed to meet it head-on.
The dragon's claws flashed, swiping with deadly speed.
Venom twisted away, but not fast enough—three shallow gashes burned across his chest. At the same time, he managed to land a punch across the dragon's face, though it only forced the beast to wrench its head aside.
With another furious snarl, the dragon swung its other claw.
Venom ducked, slid in close, and seized the monster's body. With a burst of raw strength, he heaved it into the air and hurled it against the cliff wall.
The Thunder Wolf Dragon smashed into the stone and crashed down, shaking itself as it staggered back onto its feet, shaking its head.
Venom darted forward, fist raised for another blow.
The dragon lunged too, forelegs striking out.
Venom caught the attack with both arms, straining against the force—then his body shifted into liquid form, crawling up onto the beast itself.
The Thunder Wolf Dragon's scales turned black as the oily substance wrapped around it.
Howling, it bit and tore at the symbiote clinging to its body, but every piece ripped away simply slithered back, crawling over its skin again.
Frustrated, the dragon rolled on the ground, thrashing to shake it off.
Finally, with a furious roar, it stood tall. Its entire body blazed with lightning, arcs crawling over its fur and scales.
Under the onslaught of electricity, Venom writhed in agony, forced to peel away. His black form ripped free and slithered back into the shadow where his discarded body lay. Slowly, he pulled himself upright again.
The Thunder Wolf Dragon, however, looked truly enraged now.
Electricity surged across its body, blue eyes flickering with lightning. From the horns crowning its head, energy built and built, drawing power from the sky itself.
The once-clear heavens above the valley darkened. Clouds gathered thick and heavy, lightning cracking in the distance, growing louder with each strike.
"You gotta be kidding me… hey, let's talk this out, okay? Nice and calm…"
Venom forced a crooked smile, backing away step by step. But he could feel it—something deadly was forming in the storm above, a threat that promised certain death.
"ROAR!"
The dragon's cry ripped through the valley. Bolts of lightning exploded outward at random, while the power building in its horns shot upward into the blackened sky.
Venom turned to run—but it was already too late.
The storm split open, and countless bolts rained down into the valley. Lightning filled every corner, flooding it like a river bursting its banks.
Not far away, Saeko Busujima watched the storm strike with wide eyes, worry written all over her face.
She clenched her jaw, unable to just stand there. She sprinted toward the valley—
—then froze mid-step, staring at the ground.
A shadow split open at her feet. From it crawled a palm-sized piece of black liquid.
Saeko hurried forward and reached out her hand.
The black symbiote latched onto her instantly, clinging as if it had finally found what it was searching for.
"Run…"
Venom's weak voice echoed inside her head.
Saeko pressed the trembling blob against her chest, spun around, and dashed away with everything she had.
Behind her, the Thunder Wolf Dragon's furious roars shook the valley.
Clinging to Saeko's hand, Venom let out a silent breath of relief.
Good thing he'd slipped into the shadow dimension at the very last moment when the storm hit. Any slower, and he wouldn't have survived.
Still, he'd left most of his body behind—and that was probably vaporized by the lightning.
If things kept going like this, he knew he couldn't beat such a terrifying creature without first fixing his weakness to heat.
He had only one option: gather a million points to eliminate that flaw.
And in this world, where every dangerous beast carried a fortune's worth of life energy, he knew exactly how to do it.
"....."