My SSS-Rank Clone Talent: I Level Up Endlessly!-Chapter 97: Tragedy.

Life never goes as planned.

The future is always uncertain, no one can truly predict what lies ahead.

But—

"Haha, I have finally reached the fourth stage."

The Leviathan’s laughter echoed through the surroundings, its face twisted into a mocking sneer.

The gazes of the three beasts turned grim as they beheld the Leviathan’s form.

The whale was the first to speak, its voice trembling:

"Have you truly completed the fourth stage?"

The Leviathan turned to the whale, its deep, slitted pupils narrowing as it extended a palm forward.

"What do you think?"

A staff materialized in its hand, one that looked strikingly familiar.

"This... isn’t this my spear?"

The turtle spoke, utterly shocked.

"That’s right. This is your spear," the Leviathan sneered. "There’s no need to be surprised. All your abilities were granted by the world. As the one who has merged with the world, it’s only natural that my power surpasses yours."

Ignis opened his jaws, and a blast of terrifying heat rays erupted instantly, fiercer and more powerful than ever before. As he attacked, he thought to himself:

’This is my strongest heat ray. Let’s see if you can handle it.’

Swish!

The air twisted violently, disfigured by the sheer heat.

The Leviathan?

He simply turned toward the oncoming heat, slowly, lazily and hurled the staff.

The moment it left his hand, the staff transformed into a blinding green light. It met the heat ray in a thunderous collision.

For a moment, the world went white.

Eryke instinctively shut his eyes against the overwhelming energy radiating from the impact.

It was only after several moments that he managed to open them again, squinting into the aftermath.

The heat ray from Ignis had prevailed.

The Leviathan lifted his tail and flicked it through the air like a ribbon.

"Ignis, you’re certainly interesting. I never expected you to possess such power. With your temperament, I always assumed you were the weakest."

The Leviathan spoke lightly, raising its pinky finger.

Bang!

The heat ray slammed into the outstretched pinky, its scaled surface gleaming in the glow. But against all odds, the finger was only slightly pushed back and went no farther.

Ignis was stunned. It opened its jaws wider, trying to intensify the blast.

But even then, the pinky finger remained unshaken, effortlessly holding back the assault.

Ignis was running out of breath. The Leviathan’s pinky, however, stood firm, barely moving at all.

After a full minute, Ignis finally collapsed, completely spent.

Its once-vibrant skin had faded and dried, and each labored breath now came out like a hoarse, guttural roar.

The Leviathan blew on his pinky finger, releasing a wisp of smoky dust.

"I have to commend you," he said with a smirk. "You actually managed to damage me, if only slightly."

Then he began to walk toward them.

Slow. Steady.

Each step echoed through the air, drawn-out and deliberate, but each one made the beasts’ hearts pound with growing dread.

"Now!" the Whale roared, unleashing a powerful wave of mental vibrations aimed at the Leviathan’s mind.

But the Leviathan merely glanced at him.

That single glance froze the Whale in place.

Its eyes went wide, then glassy.

All vitality drained from them. With a dull, lifeless stare, the Whale collapsed to the ground in a thunderous rumble.

Eryke looked on, stunned:

"It died... just like that?"

Before Eryke could say a word, the Leviathan simply raised a finger and pointed at the Turtle.

The heat surged. Light flared. The air began to convulse, then a searing ray of heat shot forward, aimed directly at the Turtle’s head.

Without hesitation, the Turtle retreated into its shell in a desperate attempt to shield itself.

But the heat ray struck without mercy.

The shell began to melt, and a gaping, scorched hole burned straight through, ending the Turtle’s struggle in an instant.

There’s a theory: anything that can go wrong, will, no matter how small the chance.

Eryke exhaled, a breath of hot air leaving his lips.

But, strangely, he felt calm.

Calm in the chaos.

His mind was still, like an undisturbed river, silent and deep.

A blurry image began to take shape within his mind.

He felt as though a blade hovered inches from his throat.

And yet... It thrilled him.

It pushed him, drove him beyond his limits.

Eryke’s heart began to pulse, steady and powerful.

A rhythm he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

"I... I’m so close to it."

A single string shimmered into view before him, fragile,.

He knew instinctively: if he pulled that string, his Sword Will would take full form.

But instead of reaching for it, he shook his head.

His mind surged with clarity, rapidly absorbing and comprehending every sword swing he had ever made, every cut, every miss, every perfect strike.

With Chun Ma’s memories as the core, the image slowly began to take shape in Eryke’s mind.

In that moment, the Leviathan clearly sensed something was amiss. It immediately recognized the shift and decided to act.

"This brat... whatever he’s doing, I can feel the danger to my life."

The Leviathan wasn’t foolish.

A pulse of terrifying heat gathered in its hand, and with a swift motion, it aimed the concentrated power directly at Eryke.

"Goodbye, little worm."

Bang!

The heat ray shot forward with blinding speed, tearing apart the very air in its path.

Eryke, too absorbed in the process of forming his Sword Will, didn’t notice the impending danger. Eryke the Third was completely helpless to stop it.

It seemed like this was the end for Eryke.

There was no chance of Eryke surviving this.

But at the last possible moment, a massive body crashed down from the sky, shielding him.

With a deafening impact, the creature used itself as a barrier, completely absorbing the full force of the attack meant for Eryke.

Ignis’ scream echoed across the battlefield, a maddened roar that filled the air.

The heat ray tore through its ribs, obliterating its heart before continuing its destructive path, passing clean through the beast’s body and aiming straight for Eryke.

"Not enough."

Ignis summoned the last of its strength, exhaling a final, concentrated burst of heat that met the Leviathan’s ray head-on.

For a full minute, the two forces clashed in a battle of sheer power. The air crackled with intensity as each wave fought to overpower the other.

Finally, the Leviathan’s ray flickered and died out.

Ignis, too, collapsed, his energy completely spent.

With a final, defeated thud, the massive creature fell to the ground, its body crumpling above Eryke and the little baby dragon.