The wyvern didn't wait. It spread its massive wings and charged forward before taking flight.
Flap! Flap! Flap!
Its wings beat heavily, lifting its enormous body into the air.
A visible layer of wind wrapped around its form, distorting the space around it as it hovered above Zachary like a predator watching its prey.
Then it opened its jaws.
Mana surged violently into its mouth, gathering at a terrifying speed.
The air itself began to feel heavier, the scent of condensed mana thick enough to almost suffocate him.
"…Chimera," Zachary said calmly.
The ground beneath him darkened as the Chimera rose again, its undead body towering behind him.
It let out a low, distorted growl, its multiple heads shifting as it prepared to attack.
Zachary raised his index finger slightly.
That was enough.
The Chimera understood.
Its heads aligned, each one drawing in mana before compressing it into a single point.
Lightning crackled violently between them, merging into one concentrated attack.
The wyvern fired first.
A pillar of blue flames erupted from its jaws with a deafening roar, the heat warping the air as it shot forward.
At the same time, the Chimera released its attack.
A blast of condensed lightning surged forward, crackling loudly as it tore through the air, scorching anything nearby.
The two attacks collided mid-air.
For a moment, everything froze.
Then—
The impact exploded outward, heat and energy clashing violently.
The air burned, the pressure immense, like standing too close to something far beyond human scale.
"Woah…" Zachary watched, his eyes narrowing slightly in focus rather than fear.
From what he could tell, the Chimera was still weaker—probably around ten to twenty levels below the wyvern.
But that didn't matter.
Not to him.
Not after what it did.
Zachary's expression hardened slightly, his gaze shifting between the clash of attacks and the wyvern above.
He still held a grudge against the Chimera.
And honestly—
It was justified.
Zachary glanced at Barnacle, the clash of lightning and fire still raging in the air above them.
Heat pressed down on the battlefield as sparks scattered, the space between the two attacks distorting from the sheer energy.
He raised his hand slightly and pointed toward the wyvern.
"Attack…"
The command was simple, no further details on what to do.
Barnacle moved instantly.
It launched upward, the ground cracking faintly beneath its feet from the force.
Both hands gripped its sword tightly as it cut through the air in a straight line toward the wyvern.
Slash—
The sound came a second late.
A clean line carved across the wyvern's belly, as if reality itself had been cut a moment before it realized.
Then—
Blood burst out violently, scattering into droplets that rained down below.
"CCRRAAWW!"
The wyvern shrieked, its wings faltering as its body trembled mid-air.
Before it could even touch Barnacle—
CRACK—!
The Chimera's lightning slammed directly into the wound, electricity surging through its entire body.
The wyvern convulsed, its form destabilizing as both attacks overlapped in a brutal combination.
For a moment—
It looked finished.
Then it fell.
BOOM!
Its massive body crashed into the ground, dust exploding outward from the impact.
Zachary watched carefully, his eyes locked onto it.
Waiting.
But then—
The wound closed.
Instantly.
Not slowly.
Not even gradually.
Just—
Gone.
"What the…?" Zachary muttered, his brows tightening.
He scanned the area immediately. No mana traces, no hidden casters, no sign of external interference.
"…Regeneration," he said under his breath.
It was the only explanation.
But something wasn't right.
Zachary's gaze sharpened as the wyvern stood back up, completely restored.
"Regeneration takes time…" he murmured.
Even the strongest recovery abilities needed at least a few seconds to take effect.
Even his own—
"…with the exception of the x9 boost…"
He paused.
"…I couldn't even heal that fast."
Zachary clenched his fist slightly, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the wyvern.
"…So what are you?"
Because that—
Wasn't normal.