SSS Awakening: I am the First Legendary Mage

Blood dripped steadily onto the broken pavement from the Doom Bull’s injuries.

Standing opposite it was an enormous mantis nearly as tall as LeBron James. Its dark green exoskeleton looked thick enough to turn aside ordinary attacks, while rows of sharp spikes lined its limbs and back.

The pair of scythes extending from its forearms gleamed like polished steel, each one easily capable of slicing a person in half.

The Doom Bull suddenly lowered its head and charged. The crimson glow covering its body gathered around its horns, making them shine with an intense red light. The mantis crossed both scythes to meet the attack head-on.

The collision sent another shockwave through the street. Even after blocking, the mantis was dragged backward across the road as the Doom Bull continued forcing it back with overwhelming strength.

Just as it looked like the mantis would be smashed into an abandoned truck, it suddenly pulled one scythe back.

The remaining scythe could no longer fully block the Doom Bull’s glowing horns, and they slowly forced their way toward its abdomen. Instead of retreating, the mantis committed to the exchange and swung its free scythe with frightening precision.

The blade pierced straight through the Doom Bull’s neck.

The beast reacted immediately, transferring the crimson Origin Energy from its horns to its neck in an attempt to reinforce the wound, but it was a fraction too slow. The scythe burst out the other side, spraying blood across the cracked pavement.

The Doom Bull refused to die. It roared in pain as the red glow gathered around its horns once more, clearly intending to finish the mantis even if it lost its own life in the process.

Before it could charge again, the mantis twisted the embedded scythe, sending another wave of pain through the massive beast and making its legs stumble.

Alex recognized the opportunity almost instantly. The Doom Bull had incredible vitality and wouldn’t collapse for another few minutes, while the mantis was completely focused on its opponent. If he killed the mantis first, his teammates could safely finish the dying Doom Bull.

’I hope one of them is a Mid Rank Species,’ he thought.

He flooded his brain with mana, increasing his concentration as his wand appeared in his hand. Mana rapidly gathered at its tip, forming a piercing Fire Bullet instead of the explosive version. It was the same spell variation he used to kill the Wild Orc.

An Elastic Thread appeared in front of him, anchored firmly in the air. Alex pulled the Fire Bullet against it and released the spell. The projectile ripped across the battlefield, leaving behind a faint blue-white streak as it raced toward the mantis.

The mantis tilted its head at the very last second. The Fire Bullet missed its skull by only a few inches before continuing into the distance, and the monster’s compound eyes immediately turned toward Alex. Even from so far away, it seemed to have pinpointed his exact location.

Alex’s was surprised for a brief moment, but he didn’t hesitate. He immediately began forming another Fire Bullet, this time aiming at the mantis’s abdomen instead of its head.

The Doom Bull was still pinning it in place, leaving much less room to dodge.

The mantis reacted by yanking its scythe free from the Doom Bull’s neck and slashing across the incoming projectile.

The blade sliced the Fire Bullet cleanly in half before it could strike its target, but Alex already expected that response. Even though this was a piercing Fire Bullet, it still carried a considerable amount of compressed fire element mana.

The split projectile exploded in a burst of fire. Flames engulfed both monsters as the shockwave rolled across the street, shaking abandoned vehicles nearby.

When the smoke cleared, the mantis’s shell was covered with fresh burns, while the Doom Bull looked even worse than before.

Neither monster had died.

Alex wasn’t particularly surprised. These creatures were clearly stronger than the monsters he fought before, and the piercing Fire Bullet sacrificed explosive power for penetration.

Without wasting any time, he immediately started creating a third Fire Bullet, this one with the largest payload he could manage.

He had already damaged the Doom Bull and would receive contribution for the kill regardless. There was no point leaving it alive for his teammates anymore when eliminating both monsters as quickly as possible was the safer option.

Despite maintaining the unstable Elemental Rune over his heart, his casting speed remained remarkably fast.

That’s why the next events were surprising. Just as the third Fire Bullet was nearing completion, the mantis abruptly released the Doom Bull and jumped sideways.

A green glow suddenly covered its body, and before Alex could fully register what happened, the glow vanished. The mantis had already crossed the entire distance separating them.

Its massive scythe came crashing down toward Alex’s head.

Battle Instinct suppressed every trace of surprise before it could interfere with his actions. He dispersed the fire bullet, summoned the sword from the inventory, coated the Mana Thread tightly over the blade and immediately began vibrating it at high speed.

Alex swung upward, meeting the descending scythe head-on.

The collision produced a violent shockwave that shattered the windows of nearby cars.

Cracks spread beneath Alex’s feet as the concrete struggled to withstand the force, while his bones creaked under the tremendous impact. More alarmingly, the Mana Thread coating his blade was nearly sliced apart. If the thread broke, his ordinary sword would not survive the next exchange.

The mantis didn’t give him a chance to recover. While its first scythe remained locked against Alex’s sword, the second one swept toward his waist in a fast horizontal strike. The timing was flawless, forcing Alex to respond immediately.

He activated Lightning Reflex Spell.

Mana poured into the Lightning Element Rune and transformed into lightning-element mana before surging through his spine.

The lightning-element mana enhanced electrical signals in the neurons, accelerating his reflexes to an unbelievable degree, so much so that even his reinforced mind could barely keep pace with his own body.

Instead of stepping backward, Alex moved forward reflexively. He tilted his sword slightly, allowing the first scythe to slide harmlessly along the vibrating Mana Thread, while his blade traced a smooth arc that looked as though it would intercept the second attack.

At the last instant, however, he changed directions completely.

Rather than blocking, Alex thrust straight toward the mantis’s chest. Because he stepped so close during the exchange, the sweeping scythe passed just behind his back instead of striking his waist.

His sword slammed into the monster’s armored chest, but the thick shell stopped the blade before it could pierce through.

Alex immediately wrapped the sword’s tip completely with Mana Thread as well, reinforcing the point where all of its force was concentrated.

Without taking his eyes off the mantis, he shouted over his shoulder, "Go finish the Doom Bull while it’s dying. I’ll deal with this one."

He didn’t wait for anyone to answer. Instead, he immediately began forcing highly compressed, unstable mana into his mind, pushing it beyond what he normally considered safe.

The extra mana sharpened his thoughts until everything else faded away. The battlefield became strangely muted, with only the mantis remaining clear inside his perception.

Every movement of its body, every shift of eyes, and every tiny change in its posture stood out with perfect clarity.

The Mana Thread wrapped around Alex’s sword suddenly began vibrating much faster than before.

The increased vibration slowly forced the blade through the mantis’s armored chest, grinding against the shell before finally breaking through the outer layer.

A shallow wound appeared, and green blood trickled down the monster’s body.

..

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