Apocalypse Baby

Chapter 40 Alex's Domain

The cockatrice king raised its head proudly, its voice echoing through the frozen forest. It was loud yet smooth, an unsettling mix of boldness and intimidation.

"Human," Murzok began, its tone heavy with disdain, "to think you would force me to use this form."

Alex swallowed hard, his pulse quickening.

"This form was meant for my evolution," Murzok continued, clearly dissatisfied. "Now it will be much harder to rank up."

The words hit Alex like a hammer. His heart thudded in his chest, and an ominous thought crossed his mind. Had Murzok pulled a fast one?

Quickly, Alex called up the cockatrice king's description, a glowing screen materializing in his vision. His eyes scanned the information, dread creeping in as he read:

[Cockatrice King Murzok (Rank B)* (G)]

Alex's mouth fell open.

A Rank B monster? He wasn't ready for that kind of leap in power.

For a moment, panic clawed at his mind—had he made a terrible mistake by staying?

But something caught his eye: a small asterisk next to the rank. Narrowing his gaze, Alex tapped on it to reveal the details.

[Forced Evolution (*): This ability temporarily grants the user stats and abilities of a higher rank. However, it comes with severe consequences after use. The transformation is short-lived.]

Alex let out a slow sigh, his breath visible in the freezing air. He tightened his grip on his weapon, assessing the situation.

Despite being a D-ranker, he knew his attributes coupled with the accessories he wore, boosted to match those of a C-ranker.

That's how he'd been able to hold his own against Murzok up until now.

But things were different now.

Murzok's so-called rank-up—a.k.a cheating—had shifted the balance. The cockatrice king's forced evolution had made him a rank B, even if only temporarily. The question that burned in Alex's mind wasn't about fairness. It was about survival. Could he bridge the gap in power again?

Murzok's icy voice broke through Alex's thoughts, each word laced with menace.

"But no worries, human. Even with this temporary boost, I'll treat you as the threat you are. Brace yourself for hell."

Alex's eyes narrowed, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"No, you brace yourself."

With a snap of his fingers, Alex triggered the Blastshards he'd hidden around the battlefield.

The small orbs lit up in an instant, glowing with an ominous red light before erupting in a chain of violent explosions.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The concussive force ripped through the air, ice, and debris flying everywhere.

But as the smoke cleared, Alex's smirk vanished.

Murzok was already on him.

The cockatrice king had blitzed through the explosions, his bluish-white form weaving through the chaos like a ghost.

His feather blade gleamed with an icy chill, a sharp edge aimed straight for Alex's chest.

"Damn, he's fast!"

But Alex was ready. His foresight kicked in, a flash of the near future playing in his mind. He saw the strike before it came.

As Murzok's blade slashed toward him, Alex twisted his body at the last second, pivoting sideways.

The blade missed by inches, cutting through empty air.

A wave of cold energy radiated from the near-miss, frost crystals forming on the ground where Alex had just been standing, the slash tearing through the air, releasing a frigid burst of energy that slammed into a nearby tree, shattering it in an explosion of frost and splinters.

Alex grinned, his eyes glowing as he snapped his fingers, and suddenly, the ground beneath them erupted in a violent explosion.

BOOM!

Both combatants were flung backward.

The cockatrice king instinctively curled into itself, its feathers glowing with icy energy as a protective shell of frost formed around its body.

The explosion's force sent cracks spidering across the icy armor, but it held.

When the dust settled, Murzok unfurled with a scowl, his frosty shield splintering and falling away.

Meanwhile, Alex was launched into the air like a ragdoll.

Tumbling mid-flight, he spotted a thick tree branch and reached out.

His fingers gripped it firmly, and with a powerful swing, he launched himself upward, landing gracefully on another branch like a monkey. His movements were precise and fluid, his agility making the maneuver look effortless.

From his perch, Alex peered down at the cockatrice.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips.

From their brief exchange, it was clear to Alex that going head-to-head with Murzok in his evolved form was suicide.

The cockatrice's ice-infused strength and speed were too much to handle directly.

But the transformation wasn't permanent, and Murzok's forced evolution was on a timer.

So his strategy was clear—hit hard, then disappear.

Keep the cockatrice guessing, wear it down, and run out the clock.

The cockatrice then flicked its wings, launching a flurry of feather blades. These weren't ordinary feathers—they gleamed like deadly icicles, razor-sharp and glistening with frost.

Alex's sharp instincts kicked in.

He leaped from his branch just as the icy projectiles shredded the tree into splinters, the trunk collapsing with a thunderous crack.

Mid-air, Alex didn't aim for the ground. Instead, he vanished into it, seamlessly activating Earth Swim, disappearing beneath the surface like a shadow in water.

The cockatrice's sharp eyes darted across the battlefield, scanning for any sign of movement.

Its feathers bristled its form tense but composed.

It wasn't going to be caught off guard again.

But suddenly, the ground rumbled, and several glowing rocks shot up from beneath the earth, crackling with energy.

BOOM!

The first explosion sent debris flying, but the cockatrice was quick. With a sharp hiss, it darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the fiery blast.

Before it could catch its breath, the earth quaked again. Another trap triggered beneath its feet, and an eruption of flames and dirt burst upward.

The cockatrice hissed again, leaping clear just in time. Its icy claws found new footing, but then there was another explosion and then another.

And the realization that he was surrounded hit Murzok.

Explosives had been hidden all around, turning the battlefield into a minefield. Every step was a gamble.

"Clever pest," the cockatrice muttered, its voice a low growl.

As the cockatrice landed, confident it had evaded the worst, the ground beneath it suddenly rippled. Alex erupted from below in a spinning blur, his blade gleaming in the dim light.

He twisted like a Beyblade, his momentum carrying him forward, and his blade connected with the cockatrice's chest, slicing cleanly through its icy armor.

The cockatrice winced, blood seeping from the gash on its chest.

Yet, the injury seemed more an annoyance than a debilitating wound.

Its furious eyes locked on Alex, and with a sudden burst of icy energy, it dived toward him at an alarming speed, its blade-like feathers aiming directly for his neck.

Alex, however, didn't flinch.

Instead, a confident grin spread across his face.

"Not today, birdbrain."

At the last possible second, Alex snapped his fingers.

And then there was another deafening explosion

BOOM!

The ground beneath them detonated, hurling both combatants backward.

The cockatrice was flung into the air, its icy armor cracking further, while Alex skidded across the ground, his boots digging into the dirt to steady himself.

He came to a stop several yards away, crouched low with smoke curling around him. His breath misted in the cold air as he straightened, brushing off the debris from his shoulders.

"What's the matter?" Alex called out, his voice laced with mockery. "Weren't you about to show me hell?"

The cockatrice hissed, its feathers rattling like blades ready to strike.

Alex smirked, glancing at his armor.

The legendary plating covering his chest shimmered faintly, absorbing the brunt of the explosions and keeping him relatively unscathed.

Combined with his enhanced heat resistance, he had just enough of an edge to keep pulling off these dangerous maneuvers.

But he knew he couldn't rely on this strategy forever.

Each blast drained the armor's durability, and it wouldn't last indefinitely.

Alex adjusted his grip on his blade.

He needed to think of something that would be more effective.

The cockatrice hissed, its icy breath visible as it vented its growing frustration.

Every second that passed was another step closer to its temporary evolved form running out of time—and it hadn't even landed a decisive blow on Alex.

Its sharp eyes scanned the battlefield, and for the first time, it began to understand the true nature of the situation.

This wasn't just a random skirmish.

No, this place had been turned into Alex's domain.

The traps, the explosions, the controlled chaos—all of it had been meticulously prepared. And Alex must have set this up while it was undergoing its transformation.

"Clever human," Murzok growled once again, its voice resonating with an icy chill that seemed to freeze the air itself. "But it doesn't matter."

The cockatrice's body began radiating an overwhelming amount of cold energy.

Frost spiraled outward, creeping across the battlefield like tendrils, consuming everything in its path.

Trees shattered into icy shards, the ground hardened into a glacial surface, and the already frigid air became suffocating.

The solution was simple.

He just had to make Alex's domain his.