Is this really a Game?!

The rider's transformation had not only granted him immense strength and speed but also a heightened level of skill and combat prowess. The rider moved differently compared to before, it now possessed the grace and power of a predator, and because of that, his movement had changed, he had become more unpredictable.

The rider was fully aware of how powerful he was right now and just what danger he posed to Reign, Wolf, and Tank. That made him a great danger to the three men as the rider was fighting smart, he was not allowing his primal urges to take over, and he was in complete control over his new body, unlike Beast who had actually changed a bit the first time he had fused with Blackie.

Beast had grown a lot more violent back then, his psyche had changed and he didn't mind slaughtering his enemies, even being bathed in their blood wouldn't have mattered at that point. It had actually taken Beast some time to familiarize himself with the fusion, and each time he tamed a new beast, he would first have to get familiar with them, increasing their affinity, before daring to fuse.

If he didn't do so, his mental state would change during the transformation, which was why he was still hesitant when it came to fusing with the flood dragon. The Wyvern was easy to tame and easy for him to fuse as he had raised it since it was a baby and it looked at him like a parent, thus their affinity was off the charts.

"Tank, Wolf, how much strength you guys have left?" Reign asked the two who stared at the rider.

"I used about 55% of my mana previously, the attack itself took a good chunk, but it was mostly the preparation for that that took a lot, not to mention that I continued pouring mana into the flames after the attack in order to take the Alpha down," Wolf stated before glancing at Reign.

"I have regained about 7% thanks to the flames that were present around us, so I can still fight with maximum efficiency, just not for too long."

"I used up about 60%, the shields took a lot, but I had to reinforce them so that Wolf's flames wouldn't destroy them right away, which was what cost me the most."

"And I used about 40% during my battle with the rider." Reign said at the end before sighing.

"We have enough mana then, but … whether we have enough firepower is a different story, this guy … he's trouble."

"Don't have to tell me twice, I get goosebumps every time he even looks at me," Wolf said as he smiled while looking at the rider who was merely standing still and observing them, seemingly not interested in attacking and interrupting their conversation at all.

And then, once they stopped talking, he disappeared, turning into darkness itself and suddenly appearing behind Wolf, leaving them no time to respond.

Reign quickly moved, his lightning turning white as he almost teleported behind Wolf and struck the spear of the rider from the side, causing it to pass harmlessly next to him and Wolf before stabbing forward with his other sword.

"The pull!" Wolf shouted as he suddenly moved to the side. Reign's eyes widened slightly as he did the same, abandoning his attack and jumping to the side as the rider pulled back his arm, causing the spear to move back incredibly quickly, whistling through the air as the blade of the spear hit both Reign and Wolf on the side, drawing blood.

Had Wolf not alerted Reign right away, causing both of them to jump to the side to evade the attack, the small cut they had both received would have definitely been deep gashes that would have done quite some damage to them.

"Damned bastard!" Tank shouted as he appeared above the rider, coming down with his shield placed to the front while slashing down with his axe, which was back in his hand.

The rider calmly placed his spear in front of him, holding it with both hands on each side and blocking the attack before pushing to the side, causing Tank's axe to glide on the shaft and him to pass next to rider who whipped the spear around him, aiming to hit the back of Tank's head with the blade, only for a flaming sword to suddenly appear in front of the spear, blocking the attack and continuing forward to the rider who was forced to move.

The sword stabbed into the ground, and Wolf arrived right after the sword, clenching it with his hand and spinning before launching a powerful wave of flames at the rider who extended one hand, causing shadows and darkness to spread from it, engulfing the wave and smothering it.

Then the rider narrowed his eyes slightly as he heard the sound of birds chirping. Reign was behind him, his two swords slashing at him from behind with immense force. Reign aimed at the head, planning on decapitating the rider, only for the latter to bow down and dodge before spinning his entire body while it was in the air and kicking Reign away.

Reign flew backward, the force of the rider's kick slamming into his chest and knocking the wind out of him. He gritted his teeth as he landed roughly on the ground, his lightning flickering in and out as he struggled to regain his breath. The rider, now fully transformed, was faster and more powerful than any of them had anticipated.

Wolf and Tank immediately went on the offensive to cover Reign. Tank charged forward, raising his shield to deflect another strike from the rider's spear, while Wolf unleashed another torrent of chaos flames, creating a searing wall of fire between the rider and Reign.

The rider, however, was relentless. He pushed through Tank's defense, using the spear's long reach to keep the bulky warrior at bay while easily dodging Wolf's flames. The rider's movements were now fluid, his form blending with the shadows as he slipped around the battlefield with terrifying agility.

Reign pushed himself up, wiping blood from his mouth. His eyes burned with determination. He couldn't let this monster keep the upper hand, not after all they had been through. The rider's newfound strength was immense, but Reign knew that they still had one advantage—they were a team, and they fought best when they worked together.

"Stick to the plan!" Reign shouted through the telepathic link as he caught his breath. "Tank, hold him! Wolf, hit him from the sides!"

Tank grunted in response, his shield glowing as he reinforced it with mana. He planted his feet and braced for impact, standing between the rider and Wolf. The rider's eyes narrowed as he recognized the change in their formation, but instead of retreating, he pushed forward, striking at Tank with renewed force.

The spear slammed into Tank's shield, the impact sending tremors through the ground. Tank gritted his teeth, absorbing the blow, but the rider was already moving again, his spear spinning in a blur as he tried to get around Tank's defense.

Reign then appeared on the side of the rider, his sword and arm getting enveloped in lightning and forming a lance mid-thrust. The rider's eyes widened at the sight, sensing some danger, quickly jumping back, only to sense danger from behind as well as Wolf had previously jumped over both Tank and the rider and was now slightly behind him.

He slashed down with his sword, which was not enveloped in flames, this time, it had just turned bright red from the immense heat that Wolf had poured into it.

And if that wasn't enough, Tank suddenly moved, slashing forward with his axe, causing a red axe light to move toward the rider.

Each attack caused the rider to sense danger, and he was now airborne, with the attacks coming from 3 different directions.

He first tried to do what he had previously done, blending in the shadows in order to escape, but he was shocked to find it impossible as Reign's white lance shone brightly, causing the shadows and even the darkness coming from the rider to be pushed back.

Light could contend against the darkness and they were both equal in strength, but Reign's light was stronger than the rider's darkness as the latter had only recently acquired it after fusing with the Alpha.

In fact, both the rider and the Alpha were able to manipulate shadows, but previously, thanks to Reign's light, the rider's control over shadows was useless as the light made them disappear.

Without any way to dodge, the rider could only steel himself and attack, spinning his spear around him, causing darkness to appear around his body, enveloping it in order to defend against the attacks. The darkness was thinner thanks to Reign's light, but he couldn't completely eradicate it, thus the three attacks landed on the cocoon of darkness the rider had summoned to defend himself.