CHAPTER 435: HALF OF WHAT I WAS

Logan knew he had to go all out. To do this, he chose to merge immediately with Scorch.

His fangs lengthened as a snout formed—he had practiced this skill more and now understood he could select any of Scorch’s evolutions. He chose the Inferno Raptor form, but kept the density of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

His strength was halved, but he would still have the mobility, claws, and leaping power needed to attack the warrior before him.

[Let’s do this, Scorch. You were a raptor for a good part of your life—show me the ropes!]

Scorch took command of the body. The dinosaur, remembering his days as a swift hunter, charged forward faster than ever before.

He combined it with Burst Charge, fire erupting around him as he bolted. Despite the heat, Logan noticed the warrior didn’t flinch. He was ready, sword raised to meet him head-on.

"Use the claws, Scorch. Save the bite for when we find an opening. He’s wearing top-tier armor."

Scorch growled in agreement. He straightened his neck slightly as he accelerated.

The first clash came fast. Logan had expected to be pushed back, but instead, they were the ones pushing forward. The warrior’s sword wasn’t able to cut through Logan’s hardened claws completely.

That gave Scorch an opening.

He kicked with his talons, scraping the armor and testing its durability. One claw even managed to slice into the warrior’s armored leg, just enough to draw a reaction.

"Damn, those are some strong claws," Logan muttered.

Scorch lunged for a bite, but before his jaws could reach the man’s neck, they were blasted back by a barrier skill.

"Perfect. You’re going all out, hero. Come—we’ll need to enjoy this. Have your eagle help out; I don’t want you tiring so quickly."

Logan, however, had already given the command to Zephyr a moment earlier. Above them, two massive tornadoes had formed, waiting only for Logan to disengage before closing in on the warrior.

"Let’s pull back, Scorch. Give Zephyr time to attack."

The dinosaur leapt back at just the right moment, so precisely that Zephyr’s skill struck the instant the opening appeared.

The tempestuous winds tore through the battlefield, ripping apart the corpses littering the floor in seconds.

The tornadoes roared as they carved a path of destruction, their combined fury directed at the warrior’s position. Debris flew as Scorch added to the chaos, breathing fire into the cyclones, transforming them into twin firestorms swirling toward the lone human.

But then, Logan saw movement within the blaze.

A single, cross-shaped strike erupted from the center—so precise, so forceful, that it shattered the firestorms in an instant.

The winds dissipated, flames extinguished, and there the warrior stood—blade positioned before him, his eyes steady, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

[He’s still strong. Don’t get cocky, Scorch. The best move now is to wear him down. We’ve got mana to spare—so don’t go wild.]

Even as Logan gave the warning, Scorch didn’t slow down. He surged forward once more, claws grinding against the warrior’s armor. This time, the man’s blade was met by resistance, not just from Logan, but from Zephyr’s winds that shaped and overpowered the man’s movement.

Logan’s body was unaffected by the wind, but it radiated a blistering heat as Infernal Wrath had begun to activate. The very air around him became a hazard, burning those who dared to breathe it.

Each strike shattered the floor beneath them, stone cracking under the weight of their clash. The warrior didn’t yield—he summoned small barrier shields in front of his face, using them to block the scorching air from entering his lungs.

Then Logan noticed it—steam rising in waves.

Water was forming from the warriors’ palms.

The fire around him was slowly being suppressed by something the warrior had prepared.

Zephyr dove in to counter, his wings slicing the air, launching feathers like blades. Each one streaked forward, precise and fast—but the warrior adapted again.

He didn’t stop swinging. Instead, he shifted to one hand and drew a dagger in the other. The weapon shimmered with an earthy glow—each swipe of the blade releasing a burst of sand that absorbed and deflected the feather projectiles midair.

A sand barrier.

[That dagger... It’s enchanted. Earth and water both. He’s stabilizing the battlefield,] Logan realized.

Scorch, still in control, took advantage of the smoke and swirling debris. He crouched low and roared, fully channeling Infernal Wrath. Flames gathered and clung to his scales, igniting every breath.

Above, Zephyr strained against the thick curtain of particles, slicing at the air to push back the sand and steam. But the moment’s delay was dangerous.

The warrior wasn’t just defending.

He was preparing something.

Logan felt it now—his instincts flaring, mana pulling in toward the man’s core like the eye of a storm.

[He’s charging something...] Logan narrowed his eyes. [We need to interrupt it before it’s too late.]

He slammed a clawed foot into the floor, launching forward again. They weren’t going to let him finish.

Scorch’s body began to grow into his third form—the Tarbosaurus. It retained agility but was now far stronger. His tail, now empowered by flames, sliced forward like a plasma blade, cutting through and crystallizing the sand barrier. It let Logan finally see what the warrior was doing.

[Damn it, retreat, Scorch. It’s time to use long-range spells. I know what he’s doing!]

Logan took control of the dinosaur’s body, forcing it to retreat as it shifted back to its semi-human state. In his hand, he began channeling Holy Nova—the same spell the warrior was building. Logan still didn’t understand how, but the man was somehow able to cast it—and had already demonstrated three other elements: earth, water, and darkness, the last one he’d imbued into his sword.

Logan dove for cover, activating Silis’s skill to conjure a stone bulwark. With any luck, it would survive the detonation that was seconds away.

[Zephyr, hurry—come here! You can’t be out when that thing hits!]

He rushed the bird to hide within the mark engraved on his body. Zephyr could assist better that way, his presence merged with Logan’s own to boost his stats.

Logan then hurled his own Holy Nova, shielding the entrance to the pit he had created.

The floor trembled. His shelter began to deteriorate rapidly, but the blast was partially offset by the opposing energy.

[What the hell is this?!]

Flames burst from Logan’s mouth as the roof above cracked open, letting in light. His breath held off the impact just long enough for his Holy Nova to breach the incoming surge.

He huffed, feeling his throat dry as the blast dispersed. The recoil stung—but the attack had been repelled.

Logan then jumped out and surveyed the destruction across the field. The warrior, like him, had barricaded himself within a hardened structure of earth.

"Who are you to be able to use all those elements?" Logan called out in his demi-human form.

He was still debating what to do next. So far, every attack he had launched had been repelled almost instantly.

Suddenly, Logan formed another Holy Nova in his hand—only to notice the warrior doing the same.

"You already know this won’t work. Why do it again?" Logan asked.

But instead of detonating the divine bomb, the warrior directed the energy and allowed it to be absorbed into his sword.

Logan immediately recalled Scorch. The beast couldn’t keep fighting while Logan also used his own skills. Like Zephyr, Scorch entered Logan’s mark, feeding him a surge of raw strength.

Logan drew his whip, channeling the divine energy of Holy Nova into it. At the same time, he conjured tendrils of darkness and wind.

His power doubled—Scorch enhanced his strength, and Zephyr sharpened his agility.

This time, Logan didn’t charge.

Unlike Scorch, he waited. His weapon wasn’t meant for reckless offense. It was a tool of control.

"It seems you’ve lost that drive," The warrior called out. "Then it’s my turn to receive your attack."

The warrior charged in, Logan readied himself, and cracked his whip—each strand flaring outward in a different direction. Even without concentrating on them, they snapped forward with force and precision. His free hand clenched into a fist, prepared to meet the strike head-on.

"Damn it, I’m long overdue for sword training!" Logan gritted his teeth as the warrior tore through the whip strands.

All he had time for was to punch the sword away from his face and entangle the warrior with his whip. Both of the man’s legs were wrapped, the wind tendril slicing into his flesh—but he paid it no heed and continued his onslaught of blows.

Logan could only defend himself. He deflected with his bare fists, a small aura of black energy preventing the blade from shattering his gauntlets.

The strikes were too fast. Parts of his armor were barely holding. Logan had to toss the whip aside and concentrate fully on defending with both hands. He dodged just as fast and managed to strike the warrior’s blade at the right angle, sending it flying from his grasp.

The two seemed to reach a stalemate—until two massive pillars of earth surged in from either side like waves, trying to crush them both.

Losing focus, Logan took several hits to the face, knocking him down. That was when he saw the earth coming down like an ocean wave, almost ready to turn him into paste.

He barely managed to summon a few pillars—just enough to shield himself.

But then he felt someone pass through them.

The warrior.

He continued his barrage. Each hit landed like a siege hammer. Logan tried to rise, his creatures stirring within their marks, ready to emerge—but he knew the moment he lost Zephyr’s speed or Scorch’s defense, he would fall.

He tried to gather all his power into a single point—but his hand was slapped away.

Then came a hard tug on his arm, and he was flung toward the wall. All he could do was spit blood as his body slammed into it.

As he struggled to get up, he felt the presence of the warrior looming above him once again.

"Disappointing, hero. You’re not even half of what I was. It seems you haven’t really suffered like I did..."

Logan barely had time to react before the next punch struck him in the face, knocking him out completely.