The battle was as brutal as ever, with constant close calls that would have been nerve-wracking even to seasoned veterans. But they all had an iron column to support themselves in the form of Rich, who never once gave an indication that they might lose this fight.

In Rich’s mind, however, things were different. He knew that this was the best their team could do, but the ball of power that represented the hydras regeneration was diminishing too slowly. He needed to decrease his attack power slightly; otherwise, he would run out of energy before the hydra ran out of regeneration. Even while he was being as efficient as possible, Rich was uncertainty about who would be left standing in the end.

The fighting continued for hours, getting closer and closer to the deadline. But even faster than the approaching deadline came the limit of the other four party members that fought with Rich. They did their best, gave everything and even more, but they simply didn’t have the resources meant for a fight this long.

Their potion limit was long ago maxed out. Horus was the first to go, collapsing even while still trying to dodge. He had been unresponsive to communications for over a minute, and that was the only reason why Luana was able to get the defensive spell over him; otherwise, he would have died on the spot.

Arabella was the one who rescued his unconscious body, and for a moment there, Rich needed to fight all five heads simultaneously, losing ground. Time was needed to make a safe place where the unconscious body of Horus could be placed, and most likely for the rest of them if this fight didn't end soon. "Rich, how much longer?" Arabella asked as she reengaged her head, but she was barely able to speak, she was so exhausted.

There was a brief silence before Rich replied, his voice as gentle as he could muster. "Longer than any of you can endure. Just do your best, but ensure you inform the rest of us when you're nearing your limit."

Rich's words didn't offer much comfort, but the remaining party members continued to fight with all they had. For Rich, it became increasingly challenging to damage the heads, especially after Arabella had to retreat. As soon as she reached safety, she passed out, but at least no one had to worry about rescuing her.

Now, with only three members left, they faced the five heads, which began to be pushed back by the coordinated attacks of the heads. The only reason they hadn't been defeated was Rich, who punished any head that became too aggressive.

Luana was the next to fall, leaving the lightning head to cause chaos. Shortly after, Adam had to retreat after having to heal half his body that had been devastated by a lightning strike. All four lay unconscious in the safe spot created by Luana's spell, leaving Rich to face the five heads alone.

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He didn't retreat. Instead, he did the opposite, instilling fear into the hydra for the first time during this fight. He charged at them, cursing each head with creative curses, all conveying the same message: why wouldn't they run out of regeneration?

His sheer willpower intensified his energy, allowing him to continuously fend off the heads that relentlessly attacked him. The hydra, in its desperation, began using powerful elemental attacks near its own body, causing severe injuries to its other heads but forcing Rich to momentarily back off.

While the hydra was an intelligent monster, it was still a beast, and its instincts began to dominate its actions. The most prevalent instinct now was fear against this diminutive creature that continued to harm it repeatedly.

For the first time since the battle began, the hydra's body started to move, trying to create distance between itself and this formidable adversary. This action, however, brought a smile to Rich's face. His next attack penetrated deep into the hydra's body, causing it to scream out in pain. It knew instantly it made a mistake.

The hydra's ability to render its body invulnerable was disrupted when it began to move. Now, Rich had a better target to attack to cause permanent damage. It took a while, but the hydra managed to reengage its protective ability, slowly making its body invulnerable once again.

However, the damage was done. It bled from numerous wounds, and its regeneration only worked on its heads. However the damage to its body effected its regeneration efficiency and now, that regenerative power was waning, diminishing faster with each passing moment, especially when a head was severed from its body.

Rich, screamed a battle cry, sensed victory was near. But he was so engrossed in the fight that he failed to notice his dwindling energy. When his attack faltered, he tried to drink another potion, but spat it out. It tasted vile because he had reached his limit, and consuming more would be as lethal as the hydra's fangs.

Pushing himself, he began using the last of his core energy to bolster his other abilities, making him appear demonic to the hydra. All five heads trembled, fearing that their opponent had merely been toying with them.

The hydra was also running on fumes; its energy, mana, and regeneration were all close to being depleted. They tried their best, but he was overpowering them, severing their heads with every strike. For the first time, the heads didn't regrow in ten seconds.

Every time Rich cut a head, it took longer for one to regrow, allowing him moments where he didn't have to dodge or attack. However, he could barely stand. His body was destroyed from the energy he had used, and he was bleeding from his eyes, nose, and ears. Yet he still persisted.

With his last cut, he took out two more heads and then collapsed to the ground. He observed the hydra, which was now completely headless. Every single one of its heads was trying to regrow, but they did so slower and slower. If none of the heads managed to regenerate Rich would win.

The red heads had almost managed it, but because every one of the heads tried to regrow, it took the last bit of energy inside the hydra. If only the other heads had not tried to regenerate they might have managed to survive but with the regeneration halted, the massive heart of the beast finally stopped, and it slumped down in defeat.

Rich pushed himself up, making his sword disappear into his tattoo storage. Before that he however took a moment to look at his greatsword and thank it sincerely for bringing them this far. Slowly, he walked towards the safe spot where the rest of his party members were all unconscious. Each step for him was agonizing, feeling like a stab wound. But his traits and body was already working hard on restoring his damaged condition.

He pushed onwards, reaching them, and then did the impossible: he threw two of them over his shoulder, grabbed another in his hands, and began to walk, wobbling on his feet, towards the stairway downwards. He knew the exact time, thanks to his trait, and was aware that he only had ten minutes to reach the stairway down or they would have failed.

He made it there in five minutes, and as he stepped onto the staircase and felt the world shift. He found himself in a new location where he was staring at a seven-headed hydra that was twice as big as the previous one. But above that, shining brightly, was a huge floating dungeon core. "Congratulations," said an unearthly voice that echoed in the gargantuan room Rich found himself in.