Jonathan thrust his hands forwards, sending a concentrated ball of Void energy towards the monster, in the form of a black hole. It streaked through the air like a bullet, and impacted the very center of the monster’s bulky neck. There was a whoosh, and then an implosion that scooped out a solid portion of the creature’s body. It writhed, but did not slow, and Jonathan could see the flesh visibly reforming, knitting back together at a speed far greater than even his own regeneration.
“From what I remember, these creatures regrow their heads when you destroy one, and the only way to stop that is through cauterization or acid. However, I doubt that the former of the options will work as well,” Edgar said.
“The Void will have to do,” Jonathan said grimly. He would have to embed a small amount of Void energy into the monster’s wounds to prevent them from healing over, which was something that he had not tried before. It seemed like it would be a tall order, even for his Journeyman Ranked combination skill.
There was no other option here, and he coated his fists in the invisible conceptual energy of the Void.
“Hushar, use that massive sword attack to bisect as many necks as you can. I will use my energy to stop the stumps from reforming.”
“Got it,” the Uthraki said, running forwards. He pulled his sword off his back and began to enhance it with dark rock, causing it to swell in length.
The Hydra hissed, the noise far louder due to its multiple throats. Then it leaped, its body trailing through the air behind it. With a snarl, Hushar chopped down as the monster landed, aiming the razor sharp edge of his weapon for the Hydra’s necks. The creature twisted, and the necks writhed out of the way. He was able to catch one with his weapon, severing the head, but the rest escaped. Then a bolt of molten rock erupted from the stump, aimed straight for him. Hushar dropped his sword and summoned a shield of rock before him, blocking the attack.The lava dripped to the ground, and Hushar let go of the shield with a grunt as it was superheated by the rock.
Branth raced forwards, his body crackling with power, and attacked the Hydra's underbelly. The monster ignored the discharges of lightning, and continued to advance, its stump already beginning to wriggle with regrowth.
Jonathan sent stamina rushing to his legs, and blitzed forwards, aiming for the creature’s stump. His fist glowed with purple light, and he closed his eyes as he fought to control the energy of the Void. What he was about to do would require every bit of skill that he had.
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The stump writhed through the air like a serpent, and then snapped out towards him. He opened his eyes and thrust his palm forwards, sending a charge of Voidlight into the wound. Then he seized control over it with his will, and created a disc of energy that remained there, even after his hand had left. Just before the stump hit him, he pushed off.The Hydra froze in place as the regrowth paused, and then hissed in rage as it realized that Jonathan possessed a way to keep it from regrowing its heads.
All six remaining heads struck towards him like lightning, their slightly open jaws appearing to be the entrance to a furnace. Within them lurked a morass of fiery rock, promising intense burns to whoever was unlucky enough to be struck by it. Jonathan simply weaved around the attacks, relying on his speed to see him clear. Meanwhile, Edgar raised his hands, beginning to channel his elemental energy.
A moment later, the wind around him began to pick up, and pillars of air shot down onto the monster’s heads, pinning them to the ground. Hushar took his shot and grabbed the sword off the ground, raising it high. Then he sliced down. The pillars of air dissipated a moment later, no match for the monster’s strength, but they had lasted for long enough. Four of the necks were now without heads, and Jonathan charged in to relieve them of the ability to generate more. Branth continued to attack the monster’s underside, in the process of opening up a large wound there.
The Void came into being on top of the heads, and Jonathan suddenly found his ability to control it diminish greatly. He was now connected to four ongoing effects, each of which required immense focus for him to maintain. He gritted his teeth and continued to fight, lending aid to Branth.
The monster roared in pain, and raised its heads to the sky, bellowing out its anger. The ground around it began to fracture, and scorching hot rock erupted from the cracks, quickly sliding across the ground. The Hydra remained motionless, unaffected by the heat, but Jonathan suddenly felt as if he were in an oven. As the liquid encroached, he quickly felt burns forming over his body. Branth was having it even worse, what with his relative lack of armor.
Jonathan looked up at the wound, and made up his mind. He leaped upwards, dragging Branth alongside him. A plow shaped construct of Void energy formed before him, and he slammed into the open wound like a cannonball. The Void ate away at the weakened flesh, and he found himself within the monster’s body. He started to lay about him with his fists, and Branth did the same, widening the wound. The monster stomped the ground, screeching in rage, and started to lower itself into the lava below, in a bid to envelop them in the molten rock.
Jonathan and Branth continued upwards, tearing away at the monster’s flesh as they went. The creature continued to writhe, and every now and again, it stumbled, likely the result of an attack from outside. It was impossible to tell where they were within the creature’s body, and as far as Jonathan could see, there was darkness and pulsating flesh.