[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-sss-ranked-awakening-i-can-only-summon-mythical-":3,"chapter-sss-ranked-awakening-i-can-only-summon-mythical--sss-ranked-awakening-i-can-only-summon-mythical--chapter-523":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","SSS-Ranked Awakening: I Can Only Summon Mythical Beasts",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1327224,1762,"Chapter 523: Battle With The Captain","sss-ranked-awakening-i-can-only-summon-mythical--chapter-523",523,"\u003Cp>The pressure didn’t double.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It crushed. Pressed on everyone and everything without exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the captain stepped forward again, the air collapsed inward like an imploding lung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forest canopy above them shuddered violently as condensed demonic essence spiraled around its body in tight, controlled rings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No explosive aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wild flare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just density.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pure, suffocating density.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien felt his muscles strain under it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was not fast. He was simply gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien twisted on instinct but he was too slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fist drove into his ribs at an angle that bypassed his guard entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound came from not one but three ribs!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt them splinter inward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The follow-up elbow smashed into his spine before he hit the ground, driving him face-first into the dirt with enough force to liquefy the soil beneath him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain didn’t let up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A foot slammed down toward the back of his skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien rolled at the last possible instant, the impact shattering stone where his head had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He surged upward with a roar and drove his shoulder into the captain’s abdomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They tore through the clearing together, carving a trench thirty meters long before crashing through the remains of a bone structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien didn’t disengage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hammered his fist into the cracked rib plating again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once. Twice. Three times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fourth strike split the armor wide open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black blood exploded outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain responded by grabbing Damien’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And squeezing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure felt like a vice made of iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demon lifted him off the ground one-handed and slammed him into a suppression pillar hard enough to snap it in half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then it slammed him again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each impact sent fractures rippling through Damien’s bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fourth slam, Damien caught the captain’s wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes lifted slowly, blood running from his brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re... heavy,\" he muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drove his knee upward with everything he had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strike connected directly with the exposed section of rib.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain’s grip loosened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien twisted midair and wrapped his legs around the demon’s neck, flipping backward and using leverage to hurl it over his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain crashed into the fractured stone disk’s remnants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground split open further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien didn’t pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He launched forward, grabbed one of the captain’s horns, and drove its skull into the earth repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each impact sent tremors through the clearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain’s hand shot up and caught Damien by the throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It surged upward, lifting him easily, and drove its knee into his midsection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien felt something tear internally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Air exploded from his lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain spun and hurled him skyward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Higher than the treeline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien twisted midair, his eyes all over the place but the captain was already above him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A downward hammerfist struck his chest and sent him plummeting like a meteor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Booooom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He crashed into the clearing with enough force to create a crater ten meters wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding soldiers stumbled back again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust filled the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, there was stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Damien’s hand gripped the edge of the crater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled himself up slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood ran freely from his mouth now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His chest felt unstable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his eyes were both clear and focused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hungry too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain landed lightly at the crater’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can endure,\" it said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien spat blood onto the demon’s foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can adapt.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next exchange was too fast for the surrounding demons to track.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fist. Elbow. Knee. Counter. Block. Break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each collision detonated like artillery fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien absorbed a body blow and retaliated with a spinning backfist that cracked the captain’s jaw again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demon retaliated with a low sweep that took Damien off his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he hit the ground, the captain stomped down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien rolled and the foot cratered the earth beside his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shot upward from the ground and drove both fists into the demon’s exposed rib cavity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something inside shifted violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain grunted... the first genuine sound of strain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It responded with a headbutt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact split Damien’s forehead open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood poured into his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grabbed the captain’s skull and returned the headbutt twice as hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bone cracked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They separated briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both breathing heavier now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain’s armor was shattered across its torso and face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black ichor dripped steadily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien’s shirt was torn to ribbons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His ribs were visibly unstable beneath the skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One eye swelling slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stared at each other through the wreckage of what used to be a stronghold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the captain shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not its aura or stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its demonic essence began threading inward rather than outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Condensing into muscle fibers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Into bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reinforcement beyond prior levels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien felt it instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Finally,\" he murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain blurred forward again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, every strike carried catastrophic force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first punch shattered Damien’s guard entirely and drove into his chest, sending him airborne again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could recover, the captain appeared above him mid-flight and delivered a spinning kick that sent him crashing sideways through a cluster of trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bounced off one trunk and slammed into another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third tree stopped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dropped to one knee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood spilled from his lips in thick streams now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain approached slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your body will fail first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien laughed weakly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Probably.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain lunged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien stepped into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took the incoming punch directly to his shoulder and his bone cracked, but his right hand shot forward and drove into the demon’s exposed rib cavity up to the wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The core region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not fully exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain roared and slammed its forehead into Damien’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White exploded across his vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It grabbed his arm and twisted violently, forcing him to release.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then it drove its fist into his stomach repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One. Two. Three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each hit deeper than the last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien felt something rupture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His legs nearly buckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain raised both hands overhead and brought them down in a crushing hammer strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien barely crossed his arms in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact drove him into the earth up to his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clearing trembled violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a second, he couldn’t feel his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain reached down, grabbed him by the throat again, and began lifting him from the ground slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are resilient,\" it said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you are not inevitable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien’s fingers tightened around the captain’s wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deliberately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His cracked ribs screamed in protest as he drew in a breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he smiled through the blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who said I’m done?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drove his knee upward again, not at the ribs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the previously cracked knee joint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reinforced armor had focused on upper body density.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The joint hadn’t been fully compensated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knee shattered inward with a violent snap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain staggered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien twisted out of its grip and launched upward with a rising punch directly under the jaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blow lifted the demon completely off its feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grabbed the captain by both horns and slammed its skull downward with everything left in his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They crashed into the clearing again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earth split deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fissure ran through the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both combatants lay still for a fraction of a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, they rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slower now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breathing heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bleeding freely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain’s left leg dragged slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien’s posture was unstable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One arm hung lower than the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But neither stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around them, the remaining soldiers no longer moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because this was no longer about the eastern stronghold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was dominance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain wiped black blood from its mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are nearing collapse.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien exhaled through his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So are you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stepped forward again and the forest held its breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle was not finished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, it was no longer testing strength. It was deciding who would still be standing when the earth stopped shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forest no longer resembled a forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A collapsed basin of shattered stone, uprooted trees, broken suppression pillars, and blackened soil soaked with blood — red and black alike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien stood within it, barely upright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain stood opposite him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One leg damaged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rib plating gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jaw misaligned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black blood pouring steadily from multiple fractures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet it smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not wide and manic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You should not exist,\" it said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien’s breathing was ragged now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each inhale stabbed through cracked ribs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each exhale tasted like iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His right arm trembled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Internal damage was accumulating faster than his body could compensate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had pushed too far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But so had the captain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They moved again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time slower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No blinding bursts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just raw collision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fist met fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound was dull now — less thunder, more bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain’s left hook broke through Damien’s guard and smashed into his cheekbone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt something shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He answered with a straight punch to the exposed rib cavity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His knuckles sank deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain grabbed his arm mid-strike and twisted violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something tore in his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damien roared and headbutted the demon again.\u003C\u002Fp>",1525,"2026-06-05T19:29:03.455Z",1,"novelbin.me","eab899d6ac9d125ce41a523f043c174d7a65cb8d0b5e5cb001f4cae0ad9a45ad","sss-ranked-awakening-i-can-only-summon-mythical--chapter-524","sss-ranked-awakening-i-can-only-summon-mythical--chapter-522",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsss-ranked-awakening-i-can-only-summon-mythical--cover.jpg"]