Strongest Existence Becomes Teacher

Chapter 281: Zayna Creed

The village burned.

Screams echoed through the streets while flames spread from house to house. Demons ran in every direction, desperately trying to escape, but there was nowhere to run.

Daruma descended upon them without mercy.

A swipe of his claw tore through several guards. One sweep of his tail flattened an entire building. Fire poured from his mouth and engulfed anything left standing.

Meanwhile, not far away, Zane floated lazily in the air.

A box of fried pseudo-cockatrice rested in one hand while he casually watched the massacre unfold.

Crunch.

Another piece disappeared into his mouth.

"Hmm..."

He chewed thoughtfully.

"If there was some barbecue sauce with this, it’d be perfect."

Below him, Daruma’s claw descended upon the old demon who had sold him the fried pseudo-cockatrice.

The old shopkeeper didn’t even have time to scream.

A moment later, he was gone.

Zane watched the scene for a second before taking another bite.

The food was genuinely good.

Fifteen minutes later, it was over.

The village had ceased to exist.

Burning ruins stretched as far as the eye could see. Corpses littered the ground while smoke rose into the sky.

Silence followed.

Zane reached into the box for another piece of fried pseudo-cockatrice.

His hand found nothing.

Looking down, he discovered the box was empty.

"Too bad."

He tossed the box away.

"It was quite delicious."

His gaze shifted toward Daruma, who had just finished destroying the last remaining structure.

"You put on a very good performance."

Zane nodded approvingly.

"I think I’ll take my leave now."

"My student should be waking up soon."

He turned around.

Then stopped.

A massive shadow suddenly descended from above.

Daruma appeared directly in front of him.

The wyvern’s gigantic eyes stared into his.

"And where do you think you’re going, human?"

His voice rumbled like distant thunder.

"Uro may have been a traitor."

The wyvern’s lips curled into something resembling a smile.

"But he still brought me a human."

"I would’ve preferred a woman."

A disappointed sigh escaped him.

"Now I’ll have to waste some energy."

Zane looked at him for a few moments.

Then tilted his head.

"Hmm."

"You know, you’re quite intriguing."

Daruma frowned.

"What?"

"You’re a monster, yet you don’t possess a proper monster core."

Zane’s eyes glowed faintly.

"Instead, you have something much closer to a mana source."

"Like a human."

"Or any other humanoid species."

For the first time since they met, genuine surprise appeared on Daruma’s face.

"...You can see my mana source?"

Zane nodded.

Daruma stared at him for several seconds before laughing.

"Interesting."

"Since you’ve discovered that much, I’ll tell you why I need humans."

Zane shrugged.

"Not interested."

"Although I could probably figure it out myself if I dragged you back to my island."

"Unfortunately, I’m currently busy with another adventure."

Daruma ignored that statement completely.

"I am a very special being, different from ordinary beast like wyvern."

His eyes gleamed with pride.

"And I need to evolve."

The wyvern spread his wings.

"To do that, I must consume different species and absorb their characteristics."

"Over the past year, I have eaten most of the species required for my evolution."

His smile widened.

"And now..."

"I only require a human."

"A human will complete my first stage of evolution ."

Zane listened with interest.

Daruma continued proudly.

"When I succeed, I shall become a Dragon-Born."

"My humanoid form will finally manifest and the human will give my body its appearance."

"That’s why I generally prefer a female appearance."

The wyvern sounded genuinely disappointed.

"Though now I suppose I’ll have to alter you in the process."

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Zane smiled.

"Oh?"

"Is that so?"

His interest visibly increased.

The next moment, something strange happened.

His body began to shrink.

The change was gradual at first.

Then increasingly obvious.

His shoulders narrowed. His features softened. Long black hair flowed down his back while his facial structure became more delicate and beautiful.

Even his clothes adjusted alongside the transformation.

Within moments, the handsome young man had vanished completely.

In his place floated an extraordinarily beautiful woman with long black hair and deep purple eyes.

The transformation was flawless.

As if that appearance had always belonged to him.

Or rather...

Her.

Daruma’s eyes widened.

Even the giant wyvern was momentarily stunned.

Then a feminine voice rang out.

"Did you like this?"

Zane smiled.

The sight only caused Daruma to burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha!"

The wyvern’s laughter echoed across the ruined village.

"Looks like luck truly favors me today."

"You turn out to be a woman disguising as male and a beautiful one too.

His eyes greedily swept across Zane’s new appearance.

"Now I don’t have to waste any energy."

"And I get to have such a beautiful body."

The smile on Zane’s face widened.

"Good."

"Then you’ll especially enjoy what comes next."

The burning ruins crackled beneath them as both stared at each other in the sky.

The moment Daruma finished speaking, Zane now a girl disappeared from her position.

The wyvern reacted instantly. One of his massive wings swept through the air, generating a violent gust powerful enough to tear apart buildings, while a giant fireball erupted from his mouth. Yet both attacks missed completely.

By the time Daruma realized it, Zane’s fist had already slammed into his throat.

"Guhh!"

Pain exploded through the wyvern’s body. He immediately swung a claw toward her, but struck nothing except empty air.

Several meters above him, Zane floated upside down with both hands still inside her pockets.

"Now that I’m a woman," she said thoughtfully, completely ignoring the battle, "what do you think my name should be?"

Daruma ignored her and attacked again.

Wind blades filled the sky while streams of fire followed behind them, turning the air itself into a killing zone. Zane casually moved between every attack as though she were strolling through a garden.

"How about..."

She stepped on a passing wind blade before pushing herself away from a fireball.

"Zayna?"

The next moment she appeared beside Daruma’s head.

"Zayna Creed."

Her foot connected with his chin.

BOOM!

The giant wyvern was launched out of the sky and crashed into ground and finally stopped.

Daruma immediately rose back up, fury burning in his eyes.

The battle continued.

Fire, wind, claws, teeth, tail strikes—Daruma threw everything he had at her. The sky shook from the force of their clashes and explosions constantly erupted throughout the already ruined village.

Yet not a single attack landed.

Zayna kept both hands inside her pockets the entire time.

Sometimes she dodged by a fraction of an inch. Sometimes she simply drifted aside. Once, she even stepped on Daruma’s snout, used it as a foothold, and kicked him away before he could bite her.

The entire fight looked absurd.

One side was fighting desperately.

The other looked mildly entertained.

As time passed, Daruma’s injuries began piling up. Scales cracked, bruises formed beneath his hide, and several teeth had already gone missing. His pride suffered even more damage than his body.

Finally, he jumped backward and laughed.

"Hahaha... hahaha!"

A strange green gas suddenly poured out from his body and rushed toward Zayna. Before she could be fully engulfed, the gas solidified into a metallic green crystal, trapping her completely inside.

Daruma’s laughter immediately became triumphant.

"Now you’re trapped! Even a seven-star warrior would struggle to break free from that!"

For a moment, the battlefield became quiet.

Then a crack appeared.

Daruma’s smile froze.

Crack.

Crack.

CRACK.

More cracks spread across the crystal until suddenly Zayna stepped through it.

She simply walked out as though she had been trapped in loose sand.

The wyvern’s eyes widened.

"What...?"

Zayna brushed imaginary dust from her shoulder before pointing a finger toward him.

"Bam."

A thin white beam shot forward and pierced one of Daruma’s wings. The wyvern roared in pain and tried to retreat, but dozens more beams immediately followed. White streaks flashed through the battlefield, puncturing joints, muscles, scales, and every vulnerable point on his body.

Blood sprayed through the air.

Daruma staggered backward as new holes appeared across his massive frame.

"You monster!" he roared.

Zayna blinked.

Then she looked around theatrically before pointing at herself.

"Me?"

Her finger shifted toward the giant blue wyvern.

"You’re the giant blue lizard here."

A few moments later Daruma finally collapsed.

His entire body trembled from pain while blood pooled beneath him. Slowly, Zayna descended from the sky and landed directly on his snout.

Then she placed a foot on his nose.

The humiliation was unbearable.

Daruma glared at her with pure hatred.

"If I had my evolved form..." Blood dripped from his mouth as he spoke. "You would be begging me for mercy."

A smirk appeared on Zayna’s face.

"Is that so?"

She leaned slightly forward.

"Then I’ll give you a chance."

The wyvern froze.

"Go on, lizard. Do your best. Reach your strongest form and try to entertain me."

Her smile widened.

"Maybe I’ll even keep you as a pet."

Daruma ground his teeth together.

"You’ll die, human."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

The pressure beneath Zayna’s foot suddenly increased.

CRUNCH.

Daruma screamed as his nose completely collapsed beneath her foot.

Only then did she finally step away.

Her attention shifted toward the horizon and she tilted her head slightly.

"Hmm."

"My student is about to wake up."

Turning around, she casually waved.

"See ya, lizard."

The next moment she shot into the sky and disappeared, leaving behind a broken, bleeding wyvern lying in the ruins of a village that no longer existed.