The dragon's awakening was an innate ability that allowed me to strengthen almost anything by several levels in exchange for depleting the user's vitality; the wear was directly proportional to the skill level I wanted to perform.

I closed my eyes for a moment, concentrating. The ancient and powerful words of the dragon language began to flow in my mind, each syllable charged with primordial power. I felt my power amplifying, resonating with the very essence of the world. My eyes snapped open, all their attacks were blocked by an inverted triangular shield of water that shone intensely with a sapphire light.

I didn't even move from my spot. I only had to slightly raise my arm to deflect the attacks. I softly kicked the ground. With that simple movement, my field of vision changed in an amethyst flash, and I appeared right beside and behind 025.

—As you wish —I said, conjuring golden flames on my dagger and sweeping with my legs backward.

I watched as blue lightning bolts shot up from the ground trying to deflect my dagger, and a burst of thunder seemed to envelop my opponent.

I felt the satisfaction of my dagger hitting its mark, just before the lightning took my target away. A breath later, 025 reappeared on the other side, facing me, with torn armor and blood flowing from a wound in their side.

This enemy was different from those I had faced before: fast and working as a team with an efficiency that surprised me. I couldn't afford to hold back, not against them.

Suddenly, I saw an energy beam heading towards me at full speed. Without thinking twice, I bent my knees and jumped, barely dodging it. My heart raced when I noticed that wasn't all: a flying kick was already heading toward my face.

In a fluid movement, I ducked and counterattacked with my dagger covered in golden flames. 026 jumped forward, barely dodging my attack. They're coordinated, I thought while watching them land doing acrobatics with their hands and propelling themselves backward.

While heading toward 026, my senses alerted me. Someone was behind me, and a cut was heading toward me at full speed. I had no choice but to turn around to block 045's fire-charged sword, raising my dagger wrapped in golden flames above my head.

With a movement that was as natural to me as breathing, I shook my arm as if swatting away an annoying fly, sending 045 flying.

But my moment of triumph was short-lived. A thick mist spread through the forest, clouding my senses.

The four opponents moved and cast spells. The green wind shields and crimson fire moved with them, turning the forest into hell.

«This isn't good», I told myself while trying to stay calm. And as if that wasn't enough, I felt my body hardening through thick ice that began to freeze me into an icy pillar.

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With no other alternative, I wrapped my body with a pillar of flames that melted the ice threatening to kill me. «The mage class always being a problem», I reflected with some annoyance. Getting frozen in the middle of a death match wasn't pleasant at all.

It was then when my senses alerted me again: ten sharp wind blades were falling from the sky. In a fraction of a second, I jumped backward dodging them. However, I had to stop my legs and lean my back backward when 045 passed in front of me with an angled cut that grazed my face.

Out of nowhere, 026 suddenly appeared and, with a quick movement, hit my face with their right fist. I felt my body flying at great speed and crashing against the ground, breaking the earth in my wake. «This is going to leave a mark,» I thought while trying to recover.

I was barely getting up when I felt my body freezing again. Without wasting time, burning golden flames enveloped my body, thawing me instantly. But I had no time to think: 045's sword, wrapped in crimson flames, fell on my side sending me flying to the left.

Before I could land, I perceived 026 appearing behind my back. Their hand was wrapped with a long wind blade while propelling their body like a rocket, threatening to pierce my back.

I turned my body at full speed while dodging their attack and counterattacking with my dagger covered in golden flames.

I watched as 026 was shot out like a cannonball, destroying the ground while a cloud of dust contrasted with the thick fog. Their body flew breaking dozens of trees before finally stopping. I didn't know if they were alive or dead, and at that moment, I had no time to find out.

It was in that second of distraction when, from the corner of my eye, I saw something that froze my blood: 025 had their hand raised above their head along with their sword vertically covered in thunder, while above them a huge ten-meter lightning dragon took form.

Fear invaded me upon seeing such a manifestation of power, and then I understood why 045 wasn't visible anywhere. "Only a fool would stay to receive something like this," I thought while opening my mouth and inhaling a big gulp of air.

I felt how my abdomen contracted while my chest expanded rapidly. Near my mouth, a golden sphere began to take form, growing larger and larger. I gathered and combined enormous amounts of golden fire along with small lightning bolts in my mouth, and then released it: an immense golden pillar that shone with dozens of lightning bolts shot out.

[Golden Dragon's Roar (A)]

My highly compressed golden fire breath cut through the air with relentless force, causing a great destructive and sparking explosion around it. I felt how the air, earth, and forest itself violently trembled, shaking the entire battlefield.

I watched how the terrifying explosion instantly swallowed the dragon that was only dozens of meters away. At the moment of contact, its enormous body disintegrated at an astonishing speed, devoured by the furious energy I had released.

The destruction was such that the shock wave sent everyone present flying. I could see their expressions full of fear, disbelief, and terror while the tremendous laser shot out toward where the view ended. "Maybe I overdid it a bit," I thought while taking mental notes about precision and control.

But I had no time to reflect more: 025 appeared behind me, threatening to cut my waist in two. A huge lightning bolt fell from the sky toward where I was when 025 stabbed with their sword.

A cloud of dust and earth was unleashed when the huge lightning bolt, along with dozens of rays that extended like tree branches, illuminated the forest. When the dust cloud dissipated and the thunder still shone, I maintained an indifferent expression while holding with my fingers charged with golden fire the tip of 025's sword, who had their left arm stretched and a hardened expression while their eyes trembled.

A lightning bolt shone when we both separated at the same time and kicked the ground simultaneously.