Kessia stands firm, her eyes narrowed with determination. The drake's massive leg is trapped in a thick block of ice, and for a moment, the creature seems to hesitate, a rare moment of vulnerability.
"Shiver, freeze," Kessia chants with a flick of her wrist, and the ice forms rapidly, locking the beast's leg in place. The drake roars in frustration, thrashing as its movements are restricted.
Benjamin, his focus sharpened, digs his boots into the ground and shifts his stance. The air around him seems to shimmer, growing warmer as he begins to accelerate. His body moves like lightning—he dashes forward, his blade slashing through the air, igniting everything it touches. The fire from his strikes blazes across the ground, scorching the earth beneath him.
INFERNAL BURST
he swings, and the fire explodes around him in a wild, devastating wave of heat. The drake's scales brush off most of the blows, and the few that connect heal almost immediately, the creature's resilience more powerful than they had anticipated.
Benjamin's expression hardens. He watches the creature's wounds mend before his eyes.
"My attack took longer to heal when I hit with Blazing Cleave, but now it heals almost instantly… Did it adapt? Was my strike too weak, or did I hit a weak spot before?" His thoughts race as the beast shrinks back from the force of his flames, but it's already healing, its monstrous body recovering with terrifying speed.
The drake's shriek fills the air as it shatters the ice around its leg, its body moving with brutal force. But Kessia is quick to respond.
"Skewer, ice blade!" she calls, summoning a massive shard of ice that hovers above the drake. The jagged weapon comes crashing down, but the beast deftly dodges, its agility belying its size. It leaps onto a nearby tree, using its claws to latch onto the trunk, scaling it to avoid the strike.
"Foolish beast," Metrelar scoffs from the sidelines, his voice dripping with disdain. Without hesitation, he launches himself at the drake's head, aiming for the monster's vulnerable eyes. But the drake reacts in an instant.
Its tail lashes out, a deadly weapon of scale and fury. The blow lands just before Metrelar, but at the last second, a large, stuffed cat summon intercepts the strike. The tail impacts the summon, sending it crashing to the ground, but the creature's teeth sink into the drake's tail, clamping down fiercely.
"Reflect and morph—body feint," Lara chants, her voice unwavering. With a sudden shift, she appears on the drake's head, summoning vines that burst from the earth.
"Tangle!" she commands. The vines erupt from the ground and trees, wrapping around the drake's massive limbs, binding it in place.
"Now, Benjamin and Metrelar, kill it!" Lara screams, her voice urgent. She leaps onto her summon, preparing for the next move.
Benjamin and Metrelar exchange a glance, the unspoken understanding passing between them. Without hesitation, they charge forward, their blades raised. In an instant, the two strike in unison—Armis Piercer—the combined force of their blades landing with precision.
The beast writhes as a large gash is torn open across its head, its blood splashing over Benjamin and Metrelar. They ready themselves for the decisive blow, both knowing this could be their last chance.
"Dash and pierce, ice arrow!" Kessia chants again, her voice commanding. A sharp shard of ice shoots forward like a spear, aiming straight for the drake's head.
Benjamin grunts, narrowly avoiding the shard's trajectory by leaping to the side. Metrelar follows his lead, the two of them evading the deadly projectile.
"Gragh!" The drake roars in fury as it bursts free of the vines, its body thrashing violently. The ice shard pierces its shoulder, but it's not enough to finish it off. The impact causes the creature to slam into a tree, splintering the bark and causing the trunk to crack.
Benjamin and Metrelar are momentarily stunned by the falling debris. As the tree comes crashing down, the drake leaps away, its large body now positioned in front of the pond. The beast's wounds are already healing, the scales knitting back together.
"Smash it!" Lara yells, her summon knocking the fallen tree aside with a powerful swipe of its paw.
"Tsk, filthy beast," Kessia mutters under her breath, her hands already forming another spell. She doesn't seem to care about the others.
Benjamin, his anger rising, looks up at her. "You could've killed me there!" he roars, gripping his sword. "Are you here to help or hinder?"
Lara scoffs, narrowing her gaze on the drake. "It seems you've lost your mind, worm," Metrelar sneers at Kessia, his eyes full of disdain.
The drake pauses, its massive form looming over the water. It measures the battlefield, its glowing eyes scanning its foes.
"What the hell is that thing thinking about?" Benjamin mutters under his breath.
The beast suddenly dashes toward the water, creating a deep mist that cloaks the area, its form almost disappearing from view.
"Oh, fuck," Lara curses, her eyes darting around, trying to locate the creature in the growing fog.
She closes her eyes for a moment and chants, "Surround and shelter, shield." A pale blue glow rises around the group, creating a protective barrier, though it also reveals their positions to the drake.
The mist swirls, and the drake lunges at Benjamin, its claws slashing at the shield. The protective barrier holds, but the force of the blow sends a shockwave through the room.
Benjamin takes the opportunity to solidify his stance, his feet digging into the ground as the sword flames surge around him.
"Volcanic Barrage!" he roars, and with a swift motion, he unleashes a flurry of blazing strikes, each one hotter than the last. The fire rains down on the drake, exploding upon contact.
The drake shrinks back, its fur singed and its scales scorched. But it's not defeated. The battle continues, each side pushing to their limits, with the end nowhere in sight.
"Goddamnit!" Benjamin roared, frustration boiling over as the group braced for another round.
The drake crouched low, its wounds knitting together at an alarming rate. This fight wasn't over.
"Benjamin, I'm running low on mana," Lara panted, her breaths ragged. "Maybe a couple more big hits, and I'm out."
"Alright. Me, Kessia, and Metrelar will hold it off until the others arrive."
Lara snickered. "Alright, boss."
Benjamin ignored her and turned to Metrelar. "We're taking it head-on. Kessia, cover us from range."
Before he finished, he and Metrelar were already moving.
Sensing the attack, the drake launched itself into the air.
"Scorch and cleave—Flame Slash!" Kessia chanted, sending a burning crescent of fire arcing toward the beast. The drake twisted midair, barely avoiding a direct hit, but the blade still grazed its side, scorching flesh and leaving a shallow wound.
Thrown off balance, the drake crashed downward.
Benjamin smirked. "Gotcha." He planted his foot firmly.
"Hurricane Fury!"
The ground splintered beneath him as he launched a rapid barrage of strikes at the drake's exposed underbelly.
"That's the spot!" he shouted as deep gashes tore across the beast's belly—only for the wounds to close almost instantly.
"Metrelar, your turn! We need to pace ourselves!"
"Tch. Fine." Metrelar surged forward, grinning. "Time to show these worms what a real swordsman looks like."
From above, Kessia kept up the pressure.
"Wild Burst and Fury—Flaming Barrage!"
Flaming orbs rained down. Some struck weak spots on the drake, while others missed, igniting the surrounding forest.
Metrelar leaped high, blade flashing.
"Armis Piercer!"
His sword carved into the drake's flank, a deep but non-lethal wound. But once again, the beast healed.
Before he could follow up, the drake's tail lashed out with terrifying speed.
"Damn it… no way this is how it ends." Panic surged through him—until something deeper awoke. His mana surged, raw power coursing through his limbs.
"I won't die here. Not to a beast like you—a failed wyvern!"
With newfound speed, he twisted midair, narrowly dodging the tail. His grip tightened, the hilt of his sword creaking under the force.
He darted past another strike, slipping through the drake's defenses with inhuman precision.
"I picked up a little move from someone. Wanna see it?" A manic grin spread across his face. "Raging Torrent!"
Metrelar became a blur, his blade carving through flesh with terrifying efficiency. Every attack was met with a counter—dodge, slash, weave, strike. It was brutal. Beautiful.
Lara watched in awe. "So this is who Metrelar really is… a monster in human form."
But no matter how much damage he inflicted, the drake healed faster and faster.
Benjamin clenched his teeth, frustration gnawing at him.
"No. I won't let him take all the glory."
His grip tightened around his sword. His mana flared, burning hot beneath his skin.
"The last time I used this, it was countered like nothing. But I know this attack isn't weak—it split a mountain in two. This time, I'll use it right."
He launched himself skyward, flames trailing behind him. Kessia takes the cue to infused his blade with magic, the brilliant hue of red as orange full the sky
"Ultimate Flame Sword Style—Heaven Ascension!"
A streak of fire, Benjamin shot downward.
Metrelar sensed the danger and backed off. The drake looked up, but there was no time to evade.
Benjamin's flaming blade crashed down, carving a burning gash down the beast's back. The impact sent a shockwave through the battlefield, flames scorching the earth.
The drake howled in pain, staggering, but its body did not split apart—it clung to life, though the wound was deep.
Silence followed. Then—
"Finally, we did it!" Kessia exhaled, dropping onto one knee.
Metrelar slumped onto the ground, utterly drained. Benjamin barely remained standing before collapsing.
"Benjamin!" Lara rushed over, hands glowing as she began a healing chant.
"Specter of Growth, Progression of Strength—Heal!"
Warm energy enveloped Benjamin, mending his wounds.
"That was close," Lara sighed. "At least we're all alive."
"Yeah, yeah. Now heal me, you slug," Metrelar groaned.
Lara sneered. "Don't make me change my mind."
As she went to work, Kessia hovered above, slowly lowering herself to the ground. Her breath hitched.
Something was wrong.
The drake's body twitched. Its flesh began to knit back together—again.
Her eyes widened. "Guys… the drake isn't fucking dead!"
The others snapped toward the corpse just as it began to rise.
Benjamin cursed. "Shit. I should've known."
The beast roared, louder than before, its rage mounting with every second.
Metrelar's hands clenched into fists. "Damn it… this is it, then?"
And then—
A voice, deep and commanding, rang out.
"Singe and burn, erupt in response to my call—TARTARUS!"