60 Seconds Left.
“Kira!”
Without needing clarification, Kira ignored her pain, and restarted the Twilight Wolves’ neural network. Suzuki and Kashi’s instinctive directions poured into every Maggots’ mind at the speed of light, prompting them all to spring into immediate action.
“Strike Team! Get in position!” Even as Stryke shouted, he and Hogosha had already begun manipulating the earth. Gugugugu! Clumps of soil rolled around towards the Wolves who had gathered in three distinct groups.
The first group, made up of Suzuki, Leila, and Larsial, held their breaths as the rocks rose from the earth and then encased them. The second group comprised of Shokō, Hektor, and Zuri stuck close to each other as they too were swallowed up by the rocks.
The third group, comprised of Absalon, Kashi, Jade, Syèl, Stryke and Hogosha, stood between the rock formations, which on close inspection clearly resembled a bullet. The group wore grim expressions as they set about fulfilling the next set of tasks. They knew that they could not afford any delay or they would perish on the spot.
As if to prompt their fear, a bright sun suddenly appeared directly above Oni Hill. Only, this was no celestial body, but rather light generated by the searing heat emanating from the rapidly falling Razznik.
The anxiety was enough to shatter anyone’s heart, but… Twang! A confident guitar cried out, its defiant notes dispelling any doubts in the Wolves’ hearts. That’s right. They would finish this! No one could halt this wolfpack’s hunt—not even Razznik.
“Hehe, thanks, Lune!” Syèl laughed as he glanced at Lunette who stood aways with a guitar in hand. The songstress, who had been joined by rest of the orchestra laughed and then launched into a new song inspired by desire, defiance and excitement in the face of danger!
Buoyed by the exhilarating notes, Syèl’s blood danced with delight. The vampire smiled and then sent a line of blood to each stone sculpture. Once he connected, Syèl rapidly chanted a rather complicated spell. Under the spell, the connected blood evaporated into a red mist, before condensing into large mandalas on each stone.
Then, before many stunned gazes, the mandalas glowed bright as they activated. The bullet-shaped stone rapidly condensed under the mandalas, becoming smoother and losing their jagged edges, before ultimately adopting a dark metallic sheen.
That was right. Syèl had just performed Transmutation! The vampire unbelievably learned it from watching Razznik use it to escape. He only had to register the performed magic once before memorizing it for life. This was another example of Syèl’s raw intelligence in play! It was no exaggeration to claim that Syèl might be the most intelligent being in the world – the ways he could change the world if he ever focused his attention that way.
Unfortunately for the world, but perhaps fortunately for the Wolves, Syèl was content to ‘waste’ his talents deciphering a Chaos God’s spell in a virtual-reality game.
Once Syèl finished transmuting both bullet shells, Hogosha and Stryke controlled the earth once again, this time raising two sets of horizontal, parallel pillars on either side of the ‘bullets.’ Both tora and tiger coughed up blood as they overdrafted their mana reserves to forcefully raise these pillars as high as they could. Stryke, eyes leaked blood as he observed the gargantuan structures. “Did we make it?”
“No.” Syèl replied with grim eyes. “We still need another fifty meters!”
“Damn it!” Stryke cursed as he took out a mana potion. His expression was grim as he rapidly chucked down the terrible-tasting liquid. They were racing against time here! Every second counted. They could not afford to wait for the slow-acting potions to replenish his reserves!
50 Seconds Left.
Vwoosh! “How many meters do you need?” Just when everyone’s panic hit their limits, a calm, but slightly playful voice questioned.
Syèl’s eyes widened when he saw Sonic carrying Brilith on his back. Jade had clearly extended her healing to both guild leaders, evidenced by their complete lack of injuries and reinvigorated complexions.
Fortunately, someone reacted as if already expecting the duo’s aid. “Fifty Meters! Stat!”
Sonic smiled as he observed Kashi’s eyes. It was odd. For some reason, he could not bring himself to hate the daeben. There were not many friends who would look at Sonic with eyes that held complete and utter trust. There was no doubt in Kashi’s eyes that Sonic would complete the mission.
Strangely, Brilith was also affected by Kashi’s gaze. She saw in his eyes that Kashi held no hatred or animosity towards her. In fact, it felt like he would welcome her with open arms and no attached conditions if she surrendered her guild. The young woman, who was used to hostile, competitive environments, was uncertain about how to react to someone who retained all the competitive spirit without any hostility.
‘Would I have turned out differently if we were friends?’ This thought crept to the surface before Brilith ruthlessly crushed it. Her gaze hardened as she tapped Sonic’s shoulder. Vwooosh! The young woman held her breath as Sonic shattered the sound barrier running up the pillar. ‘I will never look back and wonder what if. No one can harm me when I am number one. That is all that matters.’
Dwoom! Thunder clapped as Sonic leaped off the pillar’s apex. The speedster then released Brilith before dropping to the ground with a relaxed smile.
‘Should I sabotage them?’ Brilith snorted as several seeds appeared in her hands. ‘I might be tricky, but no victory is worth my integrity. I will crush them all in my own time.’ Thwomp! Brilith injected the seeds with Yggdrasil’s life aura and then flung them onto the pillars.
Gugugu! Then, just like the fairy tales, gigantic tree stalks shot out of the seeds, rapidly reaching the sky until they added another fifty meters on top.
Brilith smiled, admiring her handiwork. ‘As expected. There is nothing I can’t do,’ she thought to herself as she began to fall.
Meanwhile, Syèl summoned a gigantic glob of blood to hover behind him. This blood was the condensed blood energies he gained from the Sin Floors. There was enough energy in there to cast one or two atomic-bomb-level spells. It was unknown whether Syèl had the magic proficiency to cast such a spell, but unfortunately, he had no intention of testing that theory.
Instead, the Vampire Prince once again cast transmutation, but this time on the four three-hundred-meter-tall earthen pillars. The amount of mana required to cast this spell on something so large was impossible for one to imagine. Even Syèl coughed blood times as he forcefully transformed the earth walls to metal.
Gulululu! The blood orb rapidly shrunk as Syèl absorbed the energies to maintain the spell. Transmutation was a tricky spell. If there was even one second of interruption, the entire structure would explode at the atomic level, possibly killing everyone on Drakase and perhaps a few miles beyond.
Fortunately, there was no magician on the continent better attuned to mana than Syèl. His brain worked in hyperdrive, checking the status of every molecular interaction, and stabilizing any fires before they started.
Unfortunately, this in-depth inspection drained even more energy from Syèl. Within a microsecond, Syèl had already absorbed more than eighty percent of the blood globe, whereas the pillar was only about seventy percent transformed. Even a kindergartener could see that the rate of blood consumption vastly outstripped transmutation speed. Syèl would soon run out of blood!
Even worse, the quality and amount of blood Syèl needed to finish the spell was not something a monster like a Therium Rhino could provide, so he could not even ask Kashi for a quick refill! Syèl ran thousand so calculations in a second, but they all resulted in dead ends. He could not find a solution to this predicament!
Just when despair began to settle in, a gigantic portal appeared next to the Vampire Prince. ‘Does he want me to escape?’ Syèl expectedly recognized the portal’s owner. It was clearly Kashi’s. Furthermore, he recognized the special fluctuations. This portal led to Orez!
Assuming Kashi had given everyone a similar portal, the Vampire Prince was just about to sever his connection to the spell when his eyes suddenly went wide. “What the fuck!?”
***
Meanwhile, a few moments ago within Orez, two cambions mused as they observed a giant, five-meter cauldron surrounded by shoddily built scaffolding.
“No. Really. What’s the point in guarding this thing. It’s not like there’s anyone who can steal it.”
The second cambion rolled his eyes but ultimately ignored his fellow guard. He had heard this same nagging enough times to stab out his ears. He could understand the other guard’s frustration, but having to take boring guard duty was a million times better than their previous lifestyles. When they weren’t being bullied in the NetherRealm, they had to fear getting killed by adventurer humes.
The second cambion shivered as he recalled Leila’s steely gaze as she briefed them on their future. He had no desire to get on that woman’s bad side!
Cha. Cha. Cha. A series of footsteps drew the guards’ attention to the nearby cave entrance, which also served as the entrance to their former dungeon. The guards immediately put on their most professional expression as a group of cambions emerged from the cave with several tied-up, unconscious cambions.
Without a word, the guards climbed the scaffolding, and then lifted the lid with practiced steps. They wordlessly looked at the cauldron that was almost filled with dozens of unconscious cambions. These demons did not care as their mates threw the newly captured cambions into the opened pot.
The guards closed the lid after the final prisoner was tossed in. It just so happened that the last one filled up the cauldron, so a group of cambions assisted the guards to take down the scaffolding before lifting and transporting the cauldron to a small village a few kilometers away. The cambions within the village only glanced at the strange scene for a moment before returning to their activities.
The guards went to a field beyond the village, where dozens of such cauldrons ominously sat under the night sky. The cambions had just dropped the new cauldron next to the rest when a terrible pressure descended on everyone present.
BRACKT!
Drixali appeared amidst the shocked cambions in a fit of lightning and wind. “Mm. This should be enough.” Orez’s first appointed god whisked away the dozens of cauldron with mini-tornadoes, and then accompanied the cauldron several kilometers above in the sky. “Mm. My god’s foresight is indeed beyond understanding.” Drixali grinned, admiring Kashi’s planning. He spread his hands, ordering wind to surround the cauldrons. Then, with a squeeze of his hands, blurksh , the winds rapidly compressed into a ball, crushing the cauldrons and all within into a bloody paste.
Just then, Drixali looked up at a portal that appeared in the sky. The centaur god smiled as he flicked the wind ball toward the portal. Vwoosh! The wind dissipated inches away from the portal, but the mass of blood, carried along by its momentum, surged unfailingly into the portal!
***
Back on Oni Hill, Syèl’s eyes widened with shock and delight when he sensed the surging blood bursting through the portal. “Kashi! I owe you a date!” The Vampire Prince jokingly shouted and then commanded, “[Dawn Pelmut]!”
Akin to a life-saving blood tonic, the surging blood flowed into Syèl’s pores, rejuvenating the Vampire Prince. Empowered, Syèl’s golden eyes shone as he poured everything into the spells. “Let’s Do This! Go!”
Vwooom! Under Syèl’s excited shout the entire pillar, including the plant structures at the top turned metal before everyone’s stunned gaze.
“My Turn!” Jade shouted as she punched four identical mandalas that stuck onto each pillar, or better yet, ‘rail-gun’ barrels. Lightning sparked in Jade’s green eyes as she charged the pillars with tremendous electrical energy. The electrified pillars soon began producing electromagnetic fluctuations according to her specifications.
The magnetic fields levitated the metal casings a few meters above the ground as the reactions grew more intense with each passing second.
“Let me help.” Syèl called as he poured his blood into the mandalas, boosting the spell’s effectiveness. Syèl’s stunt was crazy, bordering on isanity. Carelessly injecting your mana into someone else’s spell was a sure-fire way to spark a negative feedback loop that would result in the spell’s destruction. Surprisingly, however, not only did Jade’s mana not reject Syèl’s, it greedily absorbed the Vampire Prince’s mana, allowing the latter to even perform some minor modifications.
BRACKT! Within a few seconds, the bullets’ shells turned red-hot from the searing heat conjured by the intense reactions surrounding their frames.
“Awoooo!” Just when it appeared like the hulls would explode, Kira howled, summoning two gigantic wind columns that surrounded both rail-gun barrels. The wind tunnels spun at such incredible speed that they prevented any air from entering or leaving their center, effectively creating a closed system within their barriers.
These preparations were already overkill, but the Wolves were far from done! “Zero-G!” Following Abslaon’s roar, a pair of purple mandalas suddenly appeared under both rail-guns, within the wind columns’ territory.
Vwoom! Absalon’s spell instantly negated gravity within the system. Normally, he could only affect gravity within a fifty-meter radius, but by focusing the gravitational pull in a ‘thin’ cylinder straight upward, he just about managed to stretch the volume to three hundred meters for both rail guns.
With gravity eliminated, the bullets would receive zero atmospheric pressure while they launched, allowing them to exceed their maximum velocities under normal conditions.
All of these preparations belied Kashi and Suzuki’s fearful evaluations of Razznik’s Titanfall . With time so precious, it was obvious they needed all of this to even stand a chance!
“That’s enough,” Kashi started as a pair of draconic wings sprouted from his back. The draconian crouched low, mana swirling around his feet as he glared at the falling meteor. “LAUNCH!”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Four Sonic Booms rang out in quick succession as four figures shot to the sky at explosive speeds! Both teams within the bullet shells gritted their teeth as the sudden acceleration dropped their hearts to their stomach. Within a second, both shells shot out of the make-shift barrels, their surfaces turning red as they defied the planet’s gravity!
If one looked closely, one would notice that one bullet was just slightly ahead of the other. Within that first bullet, Suzuki’s gaze narrowed as he touched the guild emblem on his forehead. “First Phase! Drop!”
Following his command, the shell’s bottom suddenly swung open like a trap door, releasing Suzuki, Larsial, and Leila to buffeting winds. A few meters away, the second bullet went a little further before opening its bottom to drop Hektor, Shokō, and Zuri.
All around Destia, many onlookers watched with bated breath, their hearts beating in their chests as they witnessed these unbelievable scenes. What the hell was happening, and what were the Wolves planning with this crazy stunt!
Above Oni Hill, Suzuki closed his eyes and then coldly tapped his forehead. “Guild Soul Release! Howl, Twilight Wolf!”
Following Suzuki’s call, the emblem on his forehead glowed with a bright light as tremendous mana poured into it from the atmosphere. Clagalang! A sound like shattering glass spread as the ‘emblem’ broke into several shards of light. But then, before several stunned gazes, those shards quickly rushed above him, and gathered into a 3-meter-tall Direwolf that greatly resembled Kira!
“Guild Soul!” Damah Dumm shouted in disbelief as he stared at the mana-construct in front of Suzuki. He could not believe his eyes, but at the same time, he did not find it too surprising. The signs were already there.
“What’s a guild soul?” A Transcendent asked.
Damah Dumm sighed. “Guild Souls are created when guilds cross a certain threshold. Ninety-percent of the guild has to possess a heart united toward the same goal, and the guildmaster must have a clear vision of what he wants his guild to represent.” The experienced merchant’s released a wry smile as he said, “It’s not enough to say my guild stands for justice or wealth. The guildmaster must have thought deeply about the purpose of his guild, and its future trajectory before the guild can evolve. Furthermore, the guildmates must buy into that vision, and wholeheartedly wish to see that vision come to pass. Since most guilds pursue size above all, it is so immensely difficult for any guild to cultivate a guild soul. It is even rarer that those who successfully cultivate one will ever become aware of them.”
Damah Dumm finished his explanation and turned his attention back to the climactic stunt. Though he said a lot, Transcendents both spoke and understood things much faster than the average hume. Barely two seconds had passed from the moment he started talking.
The Hopeful Maggots had long since cultivated a guild soul, but it was in its infancy. Initially, their guild soul took the form of a fearless horde of maggots that threatened to devour their enemies. The Adjudicators were the first to have the unwanted pleasure of feeling those things crawling up their bodies.
Of course, back then, that discomfort was the limit of the Maggtos’ guild soul’s ability. It was not until Kashi realized what his guild meant to him, and then changed its name that their guild soul finally reached full maturity, transforming into a pack of Twilight Wolves.
Only at this moment did the sharper onlookers realize why Kashi utilized the guild chat when making his speech. He took advantage of that moment to unite almost everyone’s heart toward a similar goal. He was preparing for this exact moment!
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Awoooo!” Howls erupted around Suzuki as Hektor, Zuri, Shokō ,Leila and Larsial also released their Guild Souls, summoning their Twilight Wolves. The group held onto their respective wolves, who barked in excitement before dashing toward the falling meteorite!
Atop the rapidly rising Twilight Wolf, Suzuki’s gaze narrowed as he watched the bullets shoot many miles ahead, before striking the falling Razznik HARD.
BOOOM!
A cataclysmic roar screamed across Oni Hill as an explosion of unprecedented proportions scattered in the night sky. “BUNCH UP!” Kashi screamed as he flew up to meet Hektor’s party. Both groups linked arms, pulling themselves close to each other before Suzuki and Kashi opened a pair of portals to a deserted part of Orez.
VWOOSH! Terrible winds blasted into the portal, but fortunately, both groups remained unharmed as the fallout blasted down around them.
Meanwhile, atop Oni Hill, Absalon and the rest crumpled to the ground under the ferocious shockwaves. The shockwaves from that explosion dozens of kilometers away in the sky was enough to severely damage them on the ground. Then, what would happen if Razznik actually dropped!?
For the first time, the onlookers got a feel for the true terror of Razznik’s Titanfall! More than a good half of those on Oni Hill nervously fingered their teleportation treasures as they painfully gazed at the burning clouds.
“GO MAGGOTS!” It was unknown who shouted this first. Perhaps they had lost their teleportation treasure, and as a result screamed in desperation, or they had found something great and were unwilling to leave it behind and teleport away. Regardless, this one shout soon spread around Drakase’ forests like a disease. The warriors from every faction, most of whom remained ignorant about the Wolves’ new name, soon began to cheer on the brave daredevils amidst the hellish storm!
“Ah, thanks for the wake-up call.” A icy, but scorching voice drummed into the hearts of everyone in Drakase.
Vwoosh! A coldly smiling Razznik emerged from the flames relatively unscathed. A translucent mana shield glistened in front of him, revealing it had taken the burden of the shell strikes.
Shockingly Kashi returned Razznik’s smile with a defiant grin, seemingly unfazed by Razznik’s appearance. The draconian’s eyes shone with a mischievous light as he whispered, “You slowed down.”
Then without waiting for Razznik to respond, Larsial suddenly accelerated, obviously intending to smash into Razznik head-on.
“Are they crazy!? They’re going to sacrifice themselves to stop Razznik’s fall!?”
Many onlookers questioned the Twilight Wolves’ sacrificial play, but the Wolves had no intention of playing by any assumed script.
Just as Larsial accelerated, a hail of arrows shot past her shooting toward the still falling Razznik.
Razznik’s gaze narrowed as he observed the incoming missiles. “These can’t stop me.”
“Who said they have to?” Suzuki softly retorted as he returned Ferlic’s Bow to Orez. The daeben’s action belied an arrogance that bordered on manic disrespect. He had fired his shot so it would hit. He did not need to hold the bow a second longer for a follow-up!
The arrows quickly reached Razznik, but just when everyone expected them to explode on impact with the barrier, a portal appeared in front of them. Whoosh! The arrows slipped into the portal and then shot out of a second portal that appeared within Razznik’s barrier, just beneath his shoulder.
The arrows then struck Razznik, but they instantly shattered against the Titan’s strengthened form, clearly not issuing the slightest threat.
“Did they fail?”
While countless pondered this question, the second set of arrows shot through the portals and shattered against Razznik’s shoulders. Only, this time, thousands of silver petals poured out from the shattered bolts.
Before the world’s stunned gaze, Leila dropped her bow and clapped her hands. The distant petals morphed under her command, transforming into several whip-like structures. They rapidly bound themselves around Razznik’s arms, legs, and waist, before stretching into long tails that stretched behind Razznik.
“Now, Phase Three! Jump!” Suzuki ordered as he and everyone else except Larsial leaped off their Twilight Wolves. The Twilight Wolves then turned into blurry shadows that shot into the night sky, joined by a much more corporeal black-furred Twilight Wolf!
Kira barked as she led the charge, speeding past a confused Razznik.
Crunch! The world’s mouth opened wide in shock as each Twilight Wolf bit into a dangling tail and then began running upward to counteract Razznik’s weight and speed!
Unfortunately, while they did indeed slow down Razznik a little, the Titan had gained way too much weight! They could not stop this man who weighed as much as a meteorite from crashing, especially when his comparatively smaller size meant his weight was immensely focused!
“That’s enough.” Suzuki stated despite the seemingly dire straits.
“HAA!” As if affirming his words, Larsial fearlessly charged into the dimension portal which Suzuki forcibly kept open. The assassin emerged at the other end of the portal, and found herself within inches of the face of the god she had served for over twenty years.
Panic instantly seized her heart, but the rumbling of the Twilight Wolf beneath her instantly calmed her nerves. So what if Razznik was the strongest god? She had chosen to devote herself to the Twilight Wolves. Nothing would get in the way of the family she had finally found after so long.
Not. Even God!
Larsial screamed as the searing heat surrounding the falling Razznik peeled skin from flesh. Still, she did not hesitate to drive her dagger into the Chaos God’s chest before quickly escaping on her Twilight Wolf.
Unfortunately, even with her drive, she only managed to leave a mosquito bite-sized wound that was swiftly cauterized as a result of the heat. Still, the attack left a familiar grotesque ‘X’ on Razznik that most would recognize as the assassin ‘Mark of Death.’ Once that set in, Larsial only needed one more successful strike in the same of spot to spell Razznik’s doom.
Unfortunately, Razznik was not someone who would get done in by a skill of that level. The Chaos God channeled ki to his chest, and began eradicating the mark piece by piece.
Below, not only was Suzuki not discouraged by the attack, a small smile tugged at the edge of his lips as he pulled his hand out of a portal. Across several hundreds of meters, he met Razznik’s shocked gaze as he muttered, “Checkmate.”
Above, Razznik eyes widened as he looked at his arm where a small rune had appeared out of nowhere. A runemaster himself, Razznik instantly recognized the ancient rune: It was an ancient word that meant many things from degradation, to ruin, but in the context Suzuki used it, it only meant one thing: [Slow]
[Slow] was a rune from the Runes of Creation Zeing reluctantly gave Kashi many months ago. It was a primordial rune that was used to reduce the speed of time, to grant Ferulic more time to shape the world and such. Of course, neither Kashi nor Suzuki could craft a rune that affected time, but they could draw one that slowed down a person – especially when the rune was drawn directly on the target.
Rune-combat was not something Kashi invented. In fact, it was a tried and tested combat style in King’s Journey. Unfortunately, most people could not afford to use this combat style because it was too restrictive. Not only did one need a powerful brush that could withstand the power of the rune, but they also needed ink blended from specific materials for each individual rune! And that was not even bringing in the artistic difficulty of drawing these complicated shapes in a single stroke!
In L.N.E, the lack of widespread rune technology had all but killed this combat class. However, not only had Kashi found the Runes of Creation, but he already had prior experience with drawing runes from Razznik’s days. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Jingu Brush eliminated the need for materials or a strong brush. Jingu Brush was most likely the most powerful painting brush in the world, and its second upgrade unlocked universal ink that could work with any rune, eliminating the need for high-quality materials.
Naturally, Kashi, and in turn, Suzuki, hid this ability throughout their battle in Oni Hill. Only with the element of surprise could they catch Razznik off-guard for maximum benefit.
Evidence showed their patience had paid off!
‘She was a distraction!’ Razznik finally realized that Larsial was only a deflection to draw his attention toward the Mark of Death. After all, no one would assume that someone would go through all that pain for a mere diversion. How did that make any sense!?
Unfortunately, the Twilight Wolves were just as insane as their guildmaster. Logic did not apply to the way they did things!
Razznik groaned as he sent mana to his right arm and shattered the rune. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done!
Razznik’s momentum had been cut short by more than half! This finally allowed the Twilight Wolves to exert more pressure, slowing him down even more. At this point, even if Razznik hit the ground, he would at most cause a gigantic crater due to his weight, but nothing more.
“WHOOO!” Several warriors within Drakase’s forest whooped in delight and hugged their friends as they realized their lives were no longer in danger.
Unlike the cheering crowds, the Twilight Wolves near Oni Hill clenched their fists, exposing whitened knuckles as they softly whispered, “Twenty Seconds.”
Meanwhile, Kashi’s eyes glowed as he raised his hand and created portals below Shokō, Zuri, and Hektor. With glittering eyes, he roared, “Give him hell!”
Razznik’s eyes widened as three portals appeared around him. The bloodthirsty Shokō, Zuri, and Hektor shot out from their respective portals with murder in their eyes. This deadly trio, which represented the trinity of greatest direct firepower within the Twilight Wolves indiscriminately unleashed several of their strongest attacks on Razznik, who was yet to destroy the Slow Rune.
“Suzu, I’ll leave this to you!”
“Hmph!” Suzuki harrumphed but ultimately kept his eye on the trio, showing his acknowledgment.
Kashi chuckled as he observed Suzuki. “What a tsun-tsun.”
“What!?”
The draconian swiftly flapped his wings, descending several meters before Suzuki killed him out of anger. Kashi stopped before a smiling Syèl, whose eyes were red with blood as he ascended. “You ready for this?”
Syèl grinned as he flapped his bat-like wings. “Just so you know, I did not copy this move from you.”
“Sure, sure.” Kashi laughed as mana rapidly surged towards the explosive duo. “Just try to keep up!”
BOOOM!
Both Kashi and Syèl shot into the sky like a pair of rockets. Kashi’s black scales, surrounded by swirling rocks, water, wind, rocks and lightning cut a majestic impression, especially when compared to Syèl’s demonic appearance. The vampire’s fangs were out in full glory as a tidal wave of blood spiraled around him.
Dragon and Bat flew parallel to each other for a brief period, but then began to rotate, their energies spinning around them until they co-joined into a double helix of elemental blood! One would expect the differing energies to collide and destroy each other, but the men resonated in an improbable way as they fully opened their hearts to each other.
Blood was the lifeforce of all living creatures. On this day, the continent finally understood what that truly meant.
ROOOOAR!
The double helix rapidly coagulated before the world’s eyes. Rock turned to flesh; Lightning controlled the impulses; Wind gave the being breath, blood mixed with water to fuel its veins, and fire… The burning flames of ambition condensed into a beating heart that echoed for miles!!!
The creature had the head of a wolf, the body of a Long dragon, the wings of a bat, and a roar that shattered the very foundations of the world!
“Oh Shit!” Suzuki’s eyes widened in shock as he rapidly summoned portals, sending everyone to Orez, including himself. Kashi could not enter Orez, but that restriction did not apply to him! Due to Suzuki’s swift action, the skies rapidly emptied aside from Kira who now pulled on Razznik all by herself, forcing Razznik to have no choice but to face the terrible dragon-construct head-on.
“DOUBLE-DRAGON ELEMENTAL JUDGMENT!”
BOOOOOM!!!
Another apocalyptic roar shook the world, the aftereffects of which uprooted several layers of earth, sending stone and rocks flying for miles!
The petals holding Razznik shattered, causing Kira to tumble into the sky as shockwaves rocked by her. Fortunately, she smartly created a wind barrier, smartly diverting the harsh winds around her.
Meanwhile, the world its breath as the smoke cleared at the epicenter of it all.
*Cough* *Cough* The world was first greeted by the sight of Kashi weakly hovering in the sky. His body was riddled with several garish injuries that were painful to even look at. Many couldn’t help but wonder how he even remained standing when they saw the blood that leaked from him like a fountain!
“Goddamn it!” A couple of meters below, the smoke cleared, revealing a very sickly-looking Syèl, also barely hanging on. Unlike Kashi, he did not appear to have too many injuries, but he still cut a garish figure, as it looked like someone had sucked every inch of fat from his body, leaving him with only skin and bones! Syèl ignored his terrible condition as he peered through the smoke at Kashi. “Did we get the bastard?”
“Fuck.” Kashi was not necessarily superstitious, but he could not help but curse at Syèl’s rookie mistake. Sure enough, reality punished them for raising that dastardly flag!
“Weren’t you taught never to tempt fate?” Razznik’s voice echoed as the smoke cleared to reveal his form, eliciting gasps from every onlooker around the world.
If Kashi’s body was garish, Razznik’s was a complete tragedy!
The Chaos God’s Body was riddled with so many holes it was harder to find a piece of undamaged skin than it was to find injuries. Furthermore, that explosion had obviously done its job, as the undefeatable god was forced to sacrifice an arm and a leg to save his life!
Everyone could instinctively tell that it would only take one attack. Just one to finally end the Chaos God’s life.
Kashi was the best candidate to attack, but his meridians were beyond damaged after that last attack. He needed at least a few hours to a few days to recover. The daeben couldn’t even issue the weakest punch, let alone deliver an attack capable of killing Razznik.
Of course, opening portals was also out of the question.
Kashi gritted his teeth as he stared at Syèl. “It’s up to you.”
“Damn slave driver!” Syèl complained through gritted teeth, but he still pulled on his final reserves. The Vampire Prince’s figure shrunk even further as he utilized the final dregs of blood to summon a red mandala. “Fuck it. If we’re going to die anyway, might as well… Unlimited Fire Works. ”
Hundreds of tiny fireballs shot out of the mandala and then raced towards Razznik, threatening to eliminate him.
Razznik, just like Kashi was injured beyond reason. As he was, there was no way he could channel his mana to do anything, like set up defenses. For all intents and purposes, it was Game Over!
But then, just when the Wolves were about to erupt in jubilation, Razznik took out a small metal plate hanging from his waist and flicked it ahead of himself.
Despair colored the world in grey as the metal plate rapidly expanded, turning into a floatin tower shield that all but covered Razznik’s frame.
If it were any other time, Syèl could have manipulated the fireballs to curve around the shield. Unfortunately, in his current state, Syèl could barely hang onto his consciousness, let alone manipulate hundreds of fireballs. As a result, the world could only watch as several fireballs meant for Razznik struck the shield without producing any meaningful result.
Razznik turned in the air to face Kashi. “What was it you said? A trump card can only remain a trump card for as long as it remains hidden? Two seconds left . You lost.” Boom! As if punctuating Razznik’s declaration, Syèl’s remaining fireballs harmlessly exploded behind Kashi, illuminating the Chaos God’s confident smirk.
“I lost?” Kashi’s lips spread in a wide grin as he shook his head. “No. You lost.”
“What!?” Razznik knew Kashi/Suzuki well enough to know the draconian’s expression was not faked. Kashi truly believed he had won. But how? There was no one that could affect this battle in range of his senses. Was he forgetting something? Did he miss someone?
Wait! A chill shot up Razznik’s spine as he recalled something important. Someone was missing! A Wolf, whose presence he did not sense this entire time!
Kashi’s grin spread even wider when he saw realization dawn in Razznik’s eyes. Alas, it was too late! Syèl’s fireballs illuminated the daredevil draconian, simultaneously casting a rather large shadow on the Chaos God as a result.
Before the world’s stunned gaze, a figure emerged from the shadow on Razznik’s chest, and decisively drove a dagger into Razznik’s chest. Several gemstones with wicked properties adorned both the blade and hilt. No one could imagine the result if all those gemstones exploded within proximity of each other. The chain reactions would be unbelievable.
Curiously,whether by coincidence or not, the dagger happened to pierce the same spot where Larsial once marked Razznik for death. Of course with his hole-ridden body, Razznik’s defenses could do nothing to prevent that dagger from sliding deep into his chest until even the hilt was buried.
Razznik stared at the white-haired reaper who silently crouched atop his chest. He sensed no malice in the assassin’s gaze, just a matter-of-fact expression like it was only natural he should be stabbing Razznik at the moment. No, perhaps it was not just Razznik. It was only natural that he would end the life of anyone who threatened Kashi.
One second left.
Shadow coldly said the words that finally brought this long-fought battle to its bitter end. “Explode.”
Razznik chuckled and closed his eyes as an hour’s worth of stored mana and ki exploded all at once. The explosions triggered the gemstones embedded in the dagger, resulting in an even greater explosion that thoroughly destroyed Razznik from the inside out!
The explosions sent Kashi, Suzuki and Shadow flying, but fortunately Kira dashed past, catching them all on her back before they flew to god-knows-where.
“Of all your plans, this one has to be your craziest.” Kira scolded as she slowly descended amidst the explosions.
Kashi weakly laughed as he gazed at the horizon where a hint of red had begun to tint the morning sky. “Only crazy can defeat crazy,” chuckled the draconian.
“I agree with Kira,” Syèl concurred as he painfully gasped for air. “Don’t involve me in any of your crazy plans again! It felt like I died enough times for three lifetimes today!”
Kashi chuckled as he gazed at Shadow. The assassin was the least injured amongst everyone present on account of avoiding direct combat with Razznik. “What does it feel like to be the man of the hour?” He teased. “I bet you’ll have adoring fans as far as the eye can see soon.”
Shadow softly snorted as he rested on Kira’s back. “I agree with Kira. Hanging out with you is severely reducing my lifespan. I should consider talking to Lune.”
Kashi rolled his eyes in response. Shadow was always like this. The young man treated his words like gold but was never afraid to loosen his purse strings to cut Kashi down a peg or two.
“Huh? Wait a moment.” Kashi finally realized that something was off. Kira was not using the mental connection at the moment, so how did Shadow and Syèl understand her? “Kira, you can talk now?”
“Hmph. Took you long enough.”