SSS-Ranked Awakening: I Can Only Summon Mythical Beasts - Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Battle With A Talking Demon
The demon lunged, claws slicing through the air with unnatural speed.

Damien dodged just in time, twisting his body as the demonic talons slashed through the spot where his neck had been a fraction of a second ago.

The force of the attack tore through the rocky ground, leaving deep gashes on the dungeon floor.

Fast.

Damien barely had time to regain his footing before the demon pressed forward again, its eyes gleaming with malice and fury.

“You move well,” the demon mused, tilting its head, voice smooth yet filled with sinister amusement. “Most humans would be dead by now.”

Damien said nothing, tightening his grip on his sword.

This wasn’t his first time fighting a Grade Three Demon, but something about this one was different—stronger.

The mana pressure around it felt heavier, and unlike other demons he had faced, this one spoke fluently, its words sharp and intelligent.

It wasn’t a mindless beast.

It was calculating.

And that made it far more dangerous.

The demon vanished in a blur, reappearing behind Damien in an instant.

Instinct took over.

Clang!!

Damien pivoted, bringing his sword up just in time, deflecting the demon’s attack with a burst of sparks.

The force rattled his bones, pushing him back several feet.

The demon grinned, clearly enjoying itself.

“You’re resisting better than I expected,” it mused. “But it won’t be enough.”

Before Damien could respond, the demon raised its hand, and a wave of dark energy erupted from its palm.

‘Here it comes!’ Damien leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blackened blast as it obliterated a chunk of the dungeon wall behind him.

Boooooom!!

Rubble crashed to the ground, filling the chamber with dust.

Through the haze, Damien could still see the demon’s glowing golden eyes, unwavering and locked onto him.

It wasn’t fighting wildly.

It was testing him.

A chill ran down his spine.

This wasn’t like the other Grade Three demons he had fought before.

Damien exhaled slowly, his mind working fast.

If brute force alone wouldn’t win this fight, then he needed to change his approach.

Speed. Precision. Counters.

The demon lunged again, but this time, Damien was ready.

As its clawed hand slashed forward, Damien ducked low, slipping under its guard.

Before the demon could react, Damien twisted his body and drove his blade toward its ribs.

But—

Clang!

His sword barely pierced its toughened hide, the impact vibrating through his arm.

The demon grinned at Damien’s effort. “You’ll need more than that.”

It kicked out with brutal force, catching Damien square in the stomach.

The air rushed out of his lungs as he was sent flying backward, slamming into the dungeon wall.

Booom!!

A sharp crack echoed through the chamber, dust and debris scattering across the floor.

Damien coughed, forcing himself to his feet.

The demon stood in place, watching him with something akin to curiosity.

“You’re still standing,” it noted.

Damien wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “You talk too much.”

The demon laughed and Damien knew he had no time to waste.

Summoning his beasts would be the easy answer.

But he wasn’t looking for easy.

He was looking to test his own strength.

With a sharp breath, Damien’s mana surged, coursing through his veins like liquid lightning.

The dungeon reacted to his presence, the very air vibrating with pressure.

The demon’s grin widened. “Oh? So you do have some fight in you.”

Then—they clashed again.

Clang! Clang!! Clang!!!

Bang!! Bang!!

Their blades and claws met in rapid succession, each strike sending sparks flying. Damien weaved through the demon’s attacks, moving faster than before.

His sword danced, aiming for weak spots between the demon’s hardened flesh. The demon responded in kind, adapting to Damien’s speed with every passing second.

Kraaaa!!

The ground beneath them cracked, unable to withstand the force of their battle.

For a split second, Damien found an opening.

With a burst of speed, he swung his blade—

And this time, it connected.

The edge of his sword slashed across the demon’s torso, leaving a deep, jagged wound.

The demon hissed, golden eyes flaring with something almost like anger.

“You dare—?!”

Without warning, its aura exploded outward, flooding the chamber with suffocating pressure.

Damien barely had time to react before the demon’s hand shot forward—

Too fast!

The clawed hand punched clean through his side, tearing through flesh and muscle.

A sharp wave of pain shot through him as he staggered back, his vision blurring. “Shit!”

The demon’s hand was coated in his blood, dripping onto the dungeon floor.

For the first time, Damien struggled to breathe.

Most people would collapse.

Most warriors would realize they had lost.

But Damien wasn’t most people.

Through the pain, his grip on his sword never wavered.

His breathing steadied.

His body screamed at him to stop—

But his mind refused.

“Still standing?” the demon asked, tilting its head.

Damien forced a smirk. “Like I said… You talk too much.”

And then—

His mana exploded outward, flaring brighter than before. It was like Damien hadn’t been fighting at his full strength earlier.

Booooom!!

The dungeon shook.

The battle carried on once again, the dungeon walls trembling with every violent clash of steel and claws.

Damien could feel it—the shift in the demon’s combat style.

At first, it had been fast and brutal, overwhelming him with sheer force and speed.

But now…

Now it was changing.

It was adapting.

Every time Damien dodged, countered, or landed a strike, the demon adjusted, moving with greater precision than before.

Its footwork improved, its defensive reactions sharpened, and worst of all—it had begun mimicking his techniques.

Damien’s eyes narrowed.

He had fought intelligent demons before, but this one wasn’t just clever.

It was learning.

And that made it far more dangerous than any Grade Three Demon he had ever encountered.

Damien lunged forward, his blade cutting through the air.

The demon sidestepped with ease, shifting its weight in a way that was eerily similar to how Damien himself dodged.

Then, without hesitation, it countered with a precise strike, its claws slashing toward Damien’s chest.

Too fast!

Damien barely managed to bring his sword up in time, deflecting the attack. But the force behind the blow sent him skidding backward, his boots scraping against the stone floor.

The demon grinned, golden eyes gleaming with wicked amusement.

“You’re a fascinating opponent,” it mused. “I didn’t expect to learn so much from a mere human.”

Damien’s grip on his sword tightened.

“So you’re imitating me?” he muttered, breathing heavily.

The demon tilted its head, considering.

“Not just imitating,” it corrected. “Evolving.”

A chill ran down Damien’s spine.

This wasn’t just a strong opponent.

This was an opponent that was getting stronger the longer the fight dragged on.

If he didn’t end this soon, there was a chance that the demon would become something even worse.

Something beyond his ability to handle.

Damien exhaled, his mind working rapidly.

The demon was growing more precise, but that meant it was also predictable.

It was learning from Damien—which meant it was fighting like Damien.

And Damien knew his own weaknesses.

Fine.

If it wanted to fight like him, then he would force it into a situation it couldn’t learn from.

With a flick of his wrist, Damien switched his grip on his sword, adjusting his stance.

The demon’s eyes widened slightly.

It had been mirroring his previous combat form—but now Damien had changed it.

It hesitated.

And in that fraction of a second, Damien moved.

He charged forward, but this time, he wasn’t aiming for the demon’s torso.

The demon expected an attack—it braced for a high-speed slash or a feint.

But Damien didn’t do either.

Instead—

He dropped low at the last second, spinning into a sliding attack aimed at its legs.

The demon, caught off guard, stumbled backward, its balance momentarily thrown off.

That was all Damien needed.

With a sharp burst of mana, he twisted mid-slide, shifting his weight upward and driving his sword in a brutal upward slash—

Straight into the demon’s side.

The blade tore through its flesh, dark blood splattering across the dungeon floor.

The demon roared in pain, staggering back, its golden eyes flashing with fury.

“You—!”

But Damien wasn’t done. “Stay quiet!”

Before the demon could recover, Damien followed through, unleashing a rapid flurry of attacks, his strikes relentless.

His blade sliced through flesh, severing tendons, cutting deep into muscle.

The demon tried to counter, but Damien was faster now, pressing his advantage. ‘You had your chance to win.’

With one final strike, Damien drove his sword through the demon’s chest, twisting the blade as dark mana erupted from the wound.

The demon gasped, its golden eyes flickering.

For the first time—there was fear in its gaze.

“You…” it wheezed. “You… planned this…”

Damien exhaled, pulling his sword free.

“Of course I did.”

The demon staggered, its body trembling.

Then—

With one last guttural growl, it collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Damien stood over the lifeless body, his breath ragged.

Blood dripped from his wounds, staining his coat.

The fight had been brutal, but he had won.

Still—

His muscles ached, and his mana reserves were drained far more than they should have been for a fight like this.

This wasn’t normal.

This demon had been different.

Stronger.

And that worried him.

If demons like this were beginning to appear more frequently, it meant something far worse was happening.

Something that wasn’t natural.

Damien wiped his blade clean before sheathing it.

He needed to leave this dungeon but then again, something wasn’t right. He didn’t feel fulfilled.

Damien turned to the demon and noticed a black smoke rising from its body and his blue eyes narrowed, closing in on the demon.

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A/N: Dear readers!! I apologise for the lack of recent updates. I promise to upload two more chapters today to make up for the previous missed days.

I am still recovering but you all matter to me too!! Thank you guys!! I love you all!!!