I laughed for a full minute straight, my mind finally cracking at the absurdity of everything. I could see the emberfang dude's brow crease as it was clear I had offended. I tried my best to regain my composure, taking a deep breath.

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  "Sorry Dude, I didn't mean to laugh, it's just this is so strange," I said, fighting back another laugh as he did a superhero landing, jumping down from the broken remains of the orb.

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  "I understand that this is all too much for your simple mind. But you should show some decorum; we are Progenitors, the apexes of this new world." The edgy emberfang said, tipping his fedora and taking a fighting stance.

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  "Look, dude, it's great meeting another progenitor, especially one from Earth. I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Rakim, and you are?" I said, trying to smooth things over. This was the first person from Earth I'd met since everything went tits up, and I did not want things to descend into violence.

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  "I see you have some manners. I'm Xero Cinderblade, supreme Kage of the Emberfang clan. You have slain my subordinates, but no matter, I'll soon have others. What brings you to my mountain, and for what reason do you commit your slaughter?" The emberfang said, bending his knees and gripping the hilt of his katana.

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  I watched him trying to work out what to say without laughing at his stupid name. It was clear this motherfucker had drunk deeply from a cup of weebo juice. I had experience with weebs, you'd be surprised how many violent inmates spend all day watching anime DVDs in their cells. They were usually the most unstable ones. I took a breath and replied.

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  "I was training and on a noble mission," I said, deepening my voice. "I have heard of a tale of a group of my reptilian brethren that are trapped within this mountain. Perhaps you will aid me in freeing them, or if you know of their location, guide me."

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  The way to work these guys is to make them feel like heroes. At least that's always worked for me.

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  "I think you're mistaken." Xero said, "Those reptiles you call your brethren are my property. They owe a debt of protection to me for keeping them safe from the roving goblin clans and the otterkin warriors. I have kept them safe within my mountain as they are part of my empire. As their brethren and as a capable warrior, I will extend this invitation to you. Submit and join me."

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  Well, that was as far as I was getting with diplomacy.

  "Why don't you bring your monkey ass over here and make me!" I said.

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  "With Pleasure!"

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  My Battle Focus saved me. Xero was stupidly fast. One second, he was in his anime-style fighting stance; the next, he was below me, the heel of his foot racing toward my chin. I was barely able to react in time, taking a step backwards. I was about to capitalise on the opening when his figure blurred again. This time, my battle focus managed to track him again just as he appeared to my left. I saw my chance and swung my fist, aimed clear at his jaw. I was certain I was going to connect, only for him to side-step the blow and counter with a punch straight to the gut. I was crumpled. That weeb hit me with enough force to lift me off the ground and fold me around his fist.

  I spat out a glob of blood as he grabbed me by the tail, swung me around and tossed me upwards with so much force my body erupted from the Earth and into the midday sun. I landed in a heap by some rubble and forced myself to my feet. This motherfucker was tough. I felt my body begin to heal as the sun's rays hit me. I pulled all the Earth around me using Earthen Arsenal and turned it into a hundred spikes. The ground around me began to rumble, and a pillar of flame erupted from the hole my body had created. A moment later, Xero stood there in front of me.

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  "Your blood is not worthy to stain my blade." He said all edgy and smug. That was when I launched my volley. I poured every bit of Primal Force I had into the attack. The spears of Earth shot forward at speeds exceeding the speed of sound, producing a series of massive booms and a huge eruption as they slammed down.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

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  It was not enough. I watched in awe as the Emberfang King parkoured past my spears, even grabbing one out of the air and lobbing it at me. I had enough control of the thing to pull it off course. I ran to intercept him, twisting my body at the last possible moment to slam my tail into his chest. It was like punching a tree; still, he was already in motion, and I had swung with all my strength. He was sent flying back into the mushroom cloud of dust. I wasted no time, and as soon as my Primal Force had topped off enough, I unleashed my Tectonic Maw. The jaws swam through the Earth like a crocodile in a river before slamming shut right where I had seen Xero land. I was about to relax when I noticed a red glow from within the dust. I prepared myself. As I watched the red glow turn into a familiar red silhouette.

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  "Oh, for fuck sake!!" I said as the emberfang king emerged from the cloud. His entire body was ablaze, and a stupid grin was plastered on his face. His outfit is turning into a suit of black flame.

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  "Consider yourself blessed to gaze upon this form." He said as each footstep turned the ground beneath him into a molten mess.

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  If he was going to transform, so was I! I poured all my remaining Primal Force into the Bestial Transformation spell. Instantly, I felt my body change: it heated, smoke rising from between my scales, until my form was completely obscured. I watched as the ground began to move further away as I grew taller. My arms grew shorter and shorter as my body elongated. My legs fused with my tail, and I felt all my senses grow sharper as my tongue grew longer. My senses expanded into another dimension as I could taste the world around me. As my tongue flicked out, I sensed the air particles shifting in response to the flaming emberfang's movements. I could taste the changes in the atmosphere.

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  Xero charged forward, becoming a flaming blur. While my eyes couldn't keep up with him, my enhanced sense of smell let me know where he was going to come from. Left! I twisted my huge form, marvelling at how easily my colossal serpentine form moved. Xero flew past harmlessly. His flaming form smashed into a huge boulder, reducing it to rubble. I could taste his intentions as he turned back around to face me.

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  "Oh, so you have another trick up your sleeve," Xero said in that forced, edgy way he spoke. His body flared up even hotter, his red flames turning bright white.

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  "Let's play monkey boy!" I said, my voice coming out with a hissing lilt.

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  We charged at each other, me a giant golden cobra and him a flaming monkey king. He narrowly avoided my snapping jaws by jumping high and landing on my head. He attempted to punch through my skull, but I knew it was coming. I flicked my head up, tossing him up into the air. I didn't give him a chance to react. I slammed my titanic tail into his torso, sending him arse over end, bouncing across the rocky landscape before he was able to stop himself by clawing at the ground, creating molten welts in the ground. I had hoped that my attack would have done something, but from the way he got back up, the ground beneath him was glowing as it grew molten.

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  I saw him take a deep breath, his whole body inflating like a burning balloon, before his back appeared to explode as several high-pressure beams of lava bent around him and all charged towards my position, liquifying the ground and burning through boulders to reach me. It reminded me of those beetles that attacked from that temple. Still, I wasn't the same as I was back then. I sensed the trajectory of all the beams, and my body flowed like water, dancing around all his strikes as it moved forward. I managed to reach him and hit him with another tail strike, sending him flying once more. He didn't fly as far this time and jumped straight out of the crater his body had made, two balls of blue fire in each hand.

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  "Special technique - Twin Fireball jutsu!" Xero shouted, launching both spinning fireballs towards me. My body auto-adjusted, but I sensed something was off; his fireballs were course correcting. The jammy bugger! I surged towards him, weaving through the field of boulders, all the while Xero stood there, his hands out in front of him and clear concentration on his face. All the while, his fireballs trailed me. That's when an Idea struck me. I cast beastial Dustveil, and the sandstorm serpent erupted into being around him. Instantly, I sensed a change in air pressure behind me as both fireballs detonated a few seconds later. A wave of heat washes over me.

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  I glanced back and gulped as I saw the huge flaming crater left behind. I didn't let it distract me for long and pressed the advantage. The Beastial Veil was far more aggressive than before. I guessed this was thanks to my new form. Instead of small bits of debris whirling within it, there were thin sheets of obsidian whirling around within it. I saw the damage they had done to the surrounding environment as the boulders around us crumbled to nothing. I compounded the issue by burning all my PF into Earthen Arsenal, creating thousands of spinning, sawblade-like discs. With all of my willpower, I forced it forward. Bringing the barrage cascading into Beastial Dustveil.

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  I let out a sigh of relief as I saw the glow of his form diminish. Still, something didn't sit right with me. I held onto my beastial form, conscious that the longer I held the form, the more risk that I would fall to the Monstrous Hunger. Still, my decision was confirmed when, a moment later, I felt a change in air pressure. A moment later, my Beastial Dustveil was forcefully cancelled, causing me to reel back as I felt a sharp pain in my mind. It was over as soon as it came, but by the time I could focus again, Xero was standing there. His flames were still white, but where before they had been aggressive, they were now calm, gentle. Something felt off; the world felt far too quiet.

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  Xero stood there in a different stance, one hand on the hilt of his blade, the other on his scabbard.

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  "You've fought well, you are worthy of witnessing my blade," Xero said, his voice calm and almost serene.

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  It was so strange to see him so calm after how he had fought like a wildman. All my senses were warning me that danger was coming. I was prepared when he struck again. I was going to use my tectonic maw right where he would land. I had the spell prepared in my mind. In one fluid motion, Xero drew his blade. And in that instant, I was blinded by a flashing light. The next thing I knew, I was high in the sky above the mountain, staring at a small, flaming form beside the headless body of a titanic snake, lying beside a huge rift that ran from the serpent corpse all the way down to the Jungle in the distance.

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