The Golem Mage

Seeing Alec's new transformation, the two free demonic beasts could no longer remain idle; as they began to make their way toward him, with the Ice Serpent leading the charge.

It slithered through the terrain, leaving a trail of ice in its wake.

After their initial encounter, Alec felt more confident that the snake would attack with its tail again, as that seemed to be its primary method of assault.

However, as it drew closer, it released a glob of spit from its mouth, at first glance, it appeared to be ordinary, but upon closer inspection, Alec realized the spit was imbued with ice elemental properties.

Even though he was unsure of the Ice Serpent's intentions, he was not willing to let the spit touch him, as he extended his right hand, causing his claws to elongate.

[> Bloodline Skill – Horned Drake – Metallic Claw Rend <]

This skill was one of the awakened abilities of the Golden Horned Drake, and now that Alec had assimilated with it, he could use the skill as well.

It was no longer at entry-level; he had upgraded this particular spell to level five, bringing it just one big step shy of being an intermediate spell.

The Ice Serpent watched as Alec brought down his claw, causing five golden claw marks to materialize in front of him and move toward the serpent's spit.

When they were close enough, Alec willed the claws to split, pushing his right hand forward and manipulating them mentally, this was an added feature of the newly upgraded spell.

In addition to being stronger than entry-level, he could now control the claws to target multiple foes.

Most claw Qi attacks typically converge on one area, and once unleashed, they could no longer be directed, making it easier for anyone with quick reflexes to dodge or for multiple opponents to consolidate their defenses against the strike.

However, with Alec's newfound ability to control the claws like anti-missile weapons, locking onto their targets, the skill had taken on an entirely new dimension.

The five claw rends split into five, with one of them continuing along the initial path Alec had unleashed it, resulting in a direct clash with the ice spit.

Bang!

As soon as the strike made contact, it exploded into an icy mist, sending shards of crystal ice cascading through the air and crashing to the ground.

Alec quickly realized just how cunning the serpent had been. It had executed that icy spit as if it were a regular attack, such a move would have tricked any unsuspecting mage into thinking it was a casual strike that could easily be dismissed.

And if Alec had half-heartedly defended against it could lead to him being encased in a massive glacier, debilitating not only his speed but also severely undermining his chances of survival against the beast's assault.

The serpent had planned effectively, likely gathering that attack for a long time, but still yet it had pretended it was just throwing out a casual attack to probe.

However, Alec's extreme caution towards it from the very beginning had foiled its strategy.

As the remaining four golden Qi claws sliced through the air, two aimed for the Ice Serpent's neck while one targeted the Arctic Gryphon soaring overhead.

Seeing Alec bypass its initial attack with such ease, the Ice Serpent discarded any pretense of restraint.

As its body slithered low to the ground, and it accelerated toward Alec at a much faster speed.

Meanwhile, the Arctic Gryphon attempted to neutralize both golden claws with its talons, underestimating the strength of Alec's attacks post-shapeshift, as a result, it sustained injuries while trying to dispel the strikes.

With two strikes left in play, Alec found it comparatively easy to control the remaining claws, only needing to split his focus between two targets.

The last two golden claws, which had initially missed the Ice Serpent's neck, changed direction mid-air, now heading straight for the snake from behind.

Realizing it had nowhere to escape and facing imminent attack from the claws, the serpent decided to unleash a strike of its own against Alec, raising its tail high into the air.

At the tip of its tail, ice energy began to gather, forming what looked like a small ice ball.

After accumulating enough energy, the Ice Serpent slammed its tail down toward Alec.

As Alec watched as the tail fell from the sky, while the Gryphon dove toward him, its wings positioned forward for a stabbing attack.

[> Bloodline Spell – Horned Drake – Tail Lash <]

Alec chose to meet the serpent head-on, swinging his tail toward the Ice Serpent's.

The moment he cast the spell, his tail became enveloped in an ethereal golden glow and elongated as he swung it like a sword.

With no resistance, he cleanly sliced off the Ice Serpent's tail. Even though a deep cold sought to penetrate his tail and seep into his skin, he maintained his resolve, the golden glow around his tail dispelling the icy power.

"Ahhhh!" The Ice Serpent cried out in pain as its tail was severed, and the two golden claws finally dug deep into different parts of its body, leaving it in a critical state.

But that wasn't all; the severed end of the tail fell away, giving rise to a massive ice sword that materialized, approximately seven feet long, as spikes of ice erupted from the path it had struck.

Seizing this opportunity, Alec pushed himself off the ground in pursuit of the Arctic Gryphon, which was still reeling from the serpent's pain.

The Gryphon's expression changed as it sensed Alec's sudden disappearance; it could no longer keep up with or anticipate his speed.

The next second Alec reappeared above its head, delivering a powerful fist strike while casting the Flaming Fist spell.

Bang!

The punch struck the Gryphon's skull with tremendous force, but due to its formidable defense, it was only slightly affected, quickly shaking off its stupor.

Since the normal flame failed to penetrate, Alec decided to use a different tactic.

His left hand ignited with black flames, giving his golden scales an eerie, dark appearance.

Alec's left hand blazed with black hellfire as he pressed it against the gryphon's head, landing atop its body as they plummeted from the sky together.

Alec was determined to ensure that the creature crashed head first into the ground.

And that is why he is using the undying black flames to scorch the gryphon's head, aiming to disorient its thoughts.