The serpent lunged.
Its three heads moved at once, each mouth opening wide enough to swallow a man.
Ryuzen jumped backward.
The first head snapped at his chest.
The second struck from the side.
The third lowered its neck and swept across the ground, tearing through the roots of several trees.
Ryuzen twisted in the air.
The weighted whip flashed from his hand.
CRACK!
It wrapped around a thick branch above him.
Ryuzen pulled himself away just as the serpent’s jaws closed beneath him.
The creature’s teeth slammed together.
CLANG!
Ryuzen landed on a tree trunk and immediately pushed off.
“Three heads…”
He swung the whip.
“Three problems!”
The weapon struck the serpent’s left head.
CRACK!
The creature recoiled, but the impact barely slowed it.
Its middle head turned toward Ryuzen.
A dark liquid sprayed from its mouth.
Ryuzen’s eyes widened.
“Poison!”
He pulled the whip sharply.
The weapon caught a tree branch, and he swung sideways.
The poison struck the ground beneath him.
HSSSSSS!
The grass turned black.
Ryuzen landed several meters away.
“That would have been bad.”
Eldran stood at the edge of the clearing, watching carefully.
“Don’t focus on the heads alone.”
Ryuzen glanced at him.
“What?”
“Watch the body.”
The serpent’s enormous body shifted between the trees.
Its three heads moved independently, but all three necks were connected to one thick torso.
Ryuzen narrowed his eyes.
“So the body is the real target.”
“Find its weakness.”
The serpent roared.
The sound shook leaves from the trees.
Ryuzen lowered his stance.
“Alright.”
Blue thunder crawled over his arms.
“Let’s find it.”
The serpent attacked again.
The left head came first.
Ryuzen moved to the right.
The middle head followed.
He ducked.
The third head struck from behind.
Ryuzen spun and blocked with the whip.
BOOM!
The impact sent him sliding across the dirt.
His boots dug deep lines into the ground.
The serpent raised all three heads.
Ryuzen’s breathing became heavier.
He couldn’t fight it like an ordinary creature.
Every time he avoided one head, another attacked.
Every time he struck a head, the other two protected it.
He needed to make them interfere with one another.
Ryuzen looked at the trees surrounding the clearing.
Then he looked at his whip.
An idea formed.
He ran toward the serpent.
The creature’s left head snapped at him.
Ryuzen waited until the last moment.
Then he jumped.
The jaws closed beneath him.
Ryuzen swung the whip around the serpent’s neck.
CRACK!
He pulled hard.
The left head was dragged sideways.
At the same moment, the middle head attacked.
Its fangs struck the space where Ryuzen had been standing.
Instead, they collided with the left head.
BOOM!
The serpent roared in pain.
Ryuzen landed on its back.
“Got you!”
He raised his fist.
Blue thunder gathered around it.
Then the third head turned toward him.
Its eyes glowed.
Ryuzen’s smile disappeared.
“Oh, come on!”
The third head slammed into him.
BOOM!
Ryuzen flew through the air and crashed into a tree.
The trunk cracked behind him.
He fell to one knee.
Pain spread across his ribs.
The serpent slowly turned toward him.
All three heads began moving closer.
Ryuzen wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
“Three heads…”
He looked at the whip.
“Three times the trouble.”
The serpent opened its mouths.
Ryuzen stood.
“But I only need one opening.”
The creature attacked together.
Three mouths.
Three sets of fangs.
Three different angles.
Ryuzen moved between them.
He ducked beneath one head.
Jumped over another.
Then rolled beneath the third.
The serpent’s attacks destroyed the clearing around him.
Trees fell.
Branches shattered.
The ground cracked beneath its weight.
Ryuzen kept moving.
His feet carried him through the gaps.
His whip struck whenever an opening appeared.
CRACK!
One head recoiled.
CRACK!
Another head turned away.
But the serpent was learning.
It stopped attacking separately.
Instead, the three heads began surrounding him.
Ryuzen looked left.
Then right.
The middle head was directly in front of him.
The other two blocked his escape.
The serpent lunged.
Ryuzen’s eyes widened.
He swung the whip upward.
The weighted end struck a branch.
He pulled himself into the air.
The three heads collided beneath him.
BOOOOOOM!
Ryuzen landed on the serpent’s back.
The creature twisted violently.
Ryuzen nearly lost his balance.
He drove the whip into the ground and held on.
The serpent rolled.
Ryuzen was dragged across its scales.
“Hold still!”
The creature slammed its body against a tree.
Ryuzen released the whip just before the impact.
He landed on the ground, rolled, and immediately rose.
His arms were shaking.
His ribs hurt.
His breathing was becoming uneven.
Eldran’s voice reached him.
“Ryuzen!”
Ryuzen looked toward him.
“Your body is tiring!”
“I know!”
“Don’t let the thunder consume your strength!”
Ryuzen glanced at the blue lightning moving across his arms.
He had been using too much.
The thunder was helping him move faster, but it was also draining him.
He couldn’t defeat the serpent by simply releasing more power.
He needed control.
The same lesson he had learned with the whip.
Don’t force it.
Move with it.
Ryuzen closed his eyes for one brief moment.
The serpent roared behind him.
Not to the roar.
Not to the movement of the trees.
To the rhythm of the creature’s body.
Three heads.
Three attacks.
One body.
One heartbeat.
Ryuzen opened his eyes.
“There.”
The serpent charged.
Ryuzen ran directly toward it.
Eldran’s eyes narrowed.
“Ryuzen?”
The middle head opened its mouth.
Ryuzen waited.
At the last moment, he slid beneath it.
The left head attacked.
Ryuzen swung the whip around its neck.
The right head moved to strike.
Ryuzen pulled.
The left head was forced into the path of the right.
The two heads collided.
BOOM!
Before the serpent could recover, Ryuzen wrapped the whip around a nearby tree.
He pulled himself upward and landed on the creature’s back.
The middle head twisted toward him.
Ryuzen drove his knee into its neck.
Blue thunder flashed through his leg.
The serpent screamed.
Its body rose violently.
Ryuzen was thrown into the air.
But this time, he was ready.
He released the whip.
The weapon flew around the middle head.
Ryuzen caught the handle as he landed.
Then he pulled with all his strength.
The middle head was dragged downward.
The serpent’s body slammed into the ground.
BOOOOOOM!
Dust filled the clearing.
Ryuzen landed on one knee.
The serpent struggled beneath him.
Its three heads thrashed.
Ryuzen gritted his teeth.
He couldn’t hold it for long.
His arms were burning.
His injured ribs felt as if they were splitting apart.
The blue thunder around his body began flickering.
Not yet.
He pulled harder.
“Stay down!”
The serpent lifted its body.
Ryuzen’s feet left the ground.
He was being dragged upward.
Eldran took one step forward.
But Ryuzen shouted,
“Don’t!”
Eldran stopped.
Ryuzen’s eyes burned with determination.
“I can do this!”
The serpent’s body rose higher.
Ryuzen’s arms shook violently.
Then he noticed something.
A faint line of pale scales beneath the creature’s chest.
The scales were softer.
Unprotected.
The real weakness.
Ryuzen’s eyes sharpened.
“Found it.”
He released the whip.
The serpent’s body jerked backward.
Ryuzen dropped beneath it.
The creature’s middle head turned.
Too late.
Ryuzen planted both feet against the ground.
Blue thunder gathered around his right arm.
He pulled the whip in a wide circle.
The weighted end struck the serpent’s exposed underside.
CRACK!
The impact sent thunder through its body.
The creature screamed.
All three heads rose at once.
Ryuzen didn’t stop.
He swung again.
CRACK!
The second strike hit the same spot.
The serpent’s body convulsed.
Ryuzen’s muscles screamed.
His vision blurred.
But he remembered the people behind him during the Thunder Scorpion attack.
He remembered the palace gates closing.
He remembered being called worthless.
He remembered Eldran’s words.
Your thunder isn’t weak.
Ryuzen gritted his teeth.
“I’m not stopping!”
He swung the whip one final time.
Blue thunder exploded across the serpent’s body.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The creature crashed to the ground.
The clearing became silent.
For several seconds, Ryuzen remained standing.
The whip hung loosely from his hand.
Smoke rose from his arms.
Then his knees buckled.
Eldran appeared beside him and caught him.
Ryuzen breathed heavily.
“Did I win?”
Eldran looked at the fallen serpent.
“Yes.”
Ryuzen smiled.
“Good.”
Then he looked at the creature.
“Is it dead?”
“No.”
Ryuzen frowned.
“Why not?”
“Because you struck its weakness without destroying its life.”
Ryuzen stared at him.
“I didn’t want to kill it.”
Eldran nodded.
“That is why you won.”
Ryuzen looked confused.
“What does that mean?”
“A warrior who only knows how to destroy will eventually destroy everything.”
Eldran helped him stand.
“But a warrior who knows when to stop can protect what matters.”
Ryuzen looked down at the whip.
He had defeated the serpent without losing control.
Without releasing a massive attack.
Without allowing his anger to decide his actions.
That felt different from his previous battles.
He had not simply endured.
He had understood.
The three-headed serpent slowly began moving.
Ryuzen tensed.
Eldran raised one hand.
“Stay back.”
The creature lifted its heads weakly.
Its eyes were no longer filled with the same wild fury.
For a moment, it stared at Ryuzen.
Then it turned and disappeared into the forest.
Ryuzen watched it leave.
“Why did it attack us?”
Eldran looked toward the dark trees.
“Some creatures become aggressive when their territory is disturbed.”
“That wasn’t normal aggression.”
“No.”
Eldran’s expression became serious.
“The Thunder Scorpion was also out of control. Now this creature.”
Ryuzen looked at him.
“You think someone is doing this?”
“I think something is changing the balance of the wilderness.”
“Is it connected to the monster from your forest?”
Eldran didn’t answer immediately.
Then he said,
“Perhaps.”
Ryuzen frowned.
“You know more than you’re telling me.”
Eldran looked at him.
“There are questions you are not ready to ask.”
“And when will I be ready?”
“When you can survive the answers.”
Ryuzen sighed. Get faster updates on g.com.
“You always say things like that.”
“Because you always ask dangerous questions.”
Ryuzen looked toward the mountains.
“Then maybe Thunder Mountain has some answers.”
Eldran’s expression changed slightly.
“Thunder Mountain will test more than your strength.”
Ryuzen tightened his grip on the whip.
“I’m ready.”
Eldran looked at his exhausted body.
“No. You’re injured, tired and still too confident.”
Ryuzen smiled.
“But I’m going.”
Eldran shook his head.
“Rest first.”
They camped near a small stream that evening.
Ryuzen sat beside the fire while Eldran treated his injuries.
His ribs were bruised.
His arms were swollen.
His hands were covered in small cuts from the whip.
But he couldn’t stop thinking about the battle.
He had mastered the weapon’s movement.
He had learned to read the serpent.
He had defeated a creature stronger than himself.
And he had done it without surrendering.
Ryuzen looked at his hands.
“Eldran.”
“What?”
“Do you think I’m getting stronger?”
Eldran continued wrapping his arm.
“Yes.”
Ryuzen smiled.
“Really?”
“Your body is stronger. Your control is improving. Your instincts are becoming sharper.”
Ryuzen looked into the fire.
“But I’m still far from strong enough.”
Eldran glanced at him.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because there are still people out there who are stronger than me.”
“There will always be.”
Ryuzen clenched his fist.
“Then I have to keep training.”
Eldran nodded.
“That is the correct answer.”
Ryuzen looked toward the mountains.
“How long until Thunder Mountain?”
“Two days.”
Ryuzen’s eyes brightened.
“Two days?”
“Yes.”
“Then we leave tomorrow.”
Eldran shook his head.
“You will rest tomorrow.”
Ryuzen frowned.
“But—”
“Your body needs time to recover.”
Ryuzen sighed.
“Fine.”
Eldran looked at him carefully.
“Ryuzen.”
“Yes?”
“The sword on Thunder Mountain is not an ordinary weapon.”
Ryuzen became serious.
“What makes it different?”
“It was created by a Master of Souls.”
Ryuzen stared at him.
“A Master of Souls?”
“Someone who understood the connection between the body, the soul and the Inner Beast better than almost anyone in history.”
“What does the sword do?”
Eldran looked into the fire.
“It does not simply obey its wielder.”
Ryuzen frowned.
“Then what does it do?”
“It judges them.”
The fire crackled between them.
Ryuzen looked at his whip.
“Judges them for what?”
Eldran’s eyes became distant.
“For the reason they seek power.”
Ryuzen thought about Kryptoria.
His father’s rejection.
His brothers’ insults.
The desire to prove them wrong.
Then he looked toward the mountains again.
“What if I want the sword because I want to become stronger?”
Eldran’s voice was quiet.
“Then the sword may reject you.”
Ryuzen lowered his gaze.
He had never considered that strength could be judged by intention.
After a moment, he looked up.
“I don’t want power just to hurt them.”
Eldran said nothing.
Ryuzen continued.
“I want to become strong enough that nobody has to stand helplessly while someone else gets hurt.”
Eldran watched him for a long moment.
Then he turned toward the darkness.
“Perhaps the mountain has been waiting for that answer.”
The next morning, Ryuzen rested as instructed.
He hated every moment of it.
While Eldran gathered supplies, Ryuzen sat beside the stream and practiced moving his fingers.
The whip rested beside him.
He could still feel its weight.
But now he understood it differently.
It wasn’t merely a weapon.
It was a lesson.
A lesson in patience.
A lesson in balance.
A lesson in control.
He picked it up and slowly moved it through the air.
The motion was smooth.
No wasted strength.
No unnecessary movement.
Blue thunder appeared along the whip.
Ryuzen watched it carefully.
Then he stopped.
He could feel the energy beginning to rise.
Instead of forcing more into the weapon, he allowed the thunder to fade.
Eldran watched from nearby.
“Good.”
Ryuzen turned.
“You’re watching me again.”
“I am your teacher.”
“You could at least make some noise when you sneak up on people.”
Eldran ignored him.
“You’re beginning to understand the difference between using power and controlling it.”
Ryuzen looked at the whip.
“Will that help me with the sword?”
“That depends on whether the sword accepts you.”
Ryuzen smiled.
“Then I’ll make it accept me.”
Eldran shook his head.
“You still don’t understand.”
Ryuzen frowned.
“Understand what?”
“You cannot force a Life Contract.”
The words stayed with Ryuzen.
A Life Contract.
A sword that judged its wielder.
A weapon created by a Master of Souls.
And a mountain filled with thunder powerful enough to kill him.
Ryuzen looked toward the distant peak.
For the first time, he felt nervous.
Not because he was afraid of dying.
But because he was afraid the sword might look into his heart…
And find that he was still fighting for the wrong reason.
By sunset, Ryuzen and Eldran continued toward Thunder Mountain.
The wilderness grew colder.
The trees became thinner.
The air began to hum with electricity.
Ryuzen felt the thunder inside his soul respond.
His Electric Eel stirred.
Not violently.
Almost as if it recognized something.
Ryuzen stopped walking.
“Eldran.”
The old wizard turned.
“What is it?”
Ryuzen looked toward the mountain.
“I can feel something.”
Eldran’s expression became serious.
“That is the mountain.”
A distant rumble echoed across the sky.
Lightning flashed around the peak.
Ryuzen tightened his grip on the whip.
Thunder Mountain stood before them.
And somewhere at its summit…
an ancient sword was waiting.