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As Santa marvelled at the newfound energy surging through him, his hands instinctively went to his arms, where he could feel the remarkable upgrade. “So, this is level forty then?”

His muscles had become even stronger, turning rock solid. He shook his limbs, savouring the sensation that rippled through his body, realizing that he was now far more flexible and agile than ever before.

Not only had his muscles strengthened, but Santa's senses as well. He could hear the quick, frantic footsteps of the elves below, their urgent shouts, the clinking of tools, and the rhythmic movements of the nutcrackers. Even with his aging vision, he became acutely aware of every detail around him. The scents in the air were now much more noticeable: the tang of machine oil, the woody aroma of timber, and the undeniable presence of magic lingering in the air.

With each passing instant, Santa could feel his body adapting to the upgrades, like a well-oiled machine. It was undeniably exhilarating, transforming his recent despair into newfound confidence in a matter of moments.

Sensing Santa's eagerness, Archibald hopped onto his shoulder. "Is it showtime?"

The surveillance screens painted a bleak picture of the workshop's predicament below. The elves skilfully danced their way around not only the towering nutcracker but also dozens of warriors.

"It sure is," Santa replied.

Santa approached the stairs, but as he took his first step, he experienced an unexpected surge of acceleration.

Archibald clung on for dear life, his tiny claws gripping Santa's shoulder as he squeaked, "Whoa there, speed demon!" The mouse's little body swayed with the sudden burst, and he couldn't help but let out a tiny chuckle.

Santa slowed his pace, offering an apologetic smile. He opened his sack, leaned in close, and whispered to the tiny creature, "Hop in! It’s safe in there…"

Without hesitation, Archibald jumped in, ready for the ride. Santa, with his furry friend safely tucked away, noticed a glimmer of dull metal. His mitten closed around a crowbar, which he promptly pulled free from his sack before hefting it onto his shoulder. With his newly acquired tool, he hurried down the stairs and onto a ring-shaped wooden walkway that stood sixty feet above everything.

The workshop below had descended into pure chaos. The colossal forty-foot-tall nutcracker waved its massive arms in the air, interrupting its soldier-crafting duties to try to swat down the nimble intruders. Fortunately, Santa's elves turned out to be a bunch of tricksters, who were impossible to catch.

Santa's head swivelled like a Christmas ornament as he scanned for a way to get to his elves. The platform was far too high, and he had no desire to become a flattened St. Nick pancake. "Ah-ha!" he exclaimed, spotting a set of stairs tucked away to his right. However, his mirth was short-lived.

[Nutcracker Warrior, Level 19] [Nutcracker Warrior, Level 18] [Nutcracker Warrior, Level 19] [Nutcracker Warrior, Level 19] [Nutcracker Warrior, Level 18]

His eyes narrowed when he spotted a group of fully assembled but weaponless nutcrackers ascending a flight of stairs. To his annoyance, it appeared they had the same idea and were ascending the very stairs he had in mind. Upon reaching the top of the ring platform, they charged forward with their wooden limbs raised, resembling more like clumsy dancers in a holiday pageant than menacing warriors.

Santa didn't back down; instead, he charged them, his pale cheeks taking on an un-Santa-like expression.

As the first nutcracker lunged at him, Santa's quick reflexes kicked in. He effortlessly caught the wooden limb with his crowbar. The expression on the nutcracker's face turned from aggression to shock, but before it could react, Santa yanked the warrior off his feet.

With a deft manoeuvre, Santa utilized the warrior's momentum to swing him around behind his back. Then, with a mighty motion, he hurled the nutcracker like a bowling ball back toward his fellow wooden warriors. Crash! Just like a perfect strike, the initial attacker ploughed into them, sending all of them tumbling off the high platform and into the open space below.

Upon landing, the nutcrackers shattered into millions of pieces.

[+ 1000 EXP] [+ 1000 EXP] [+ 900 EXP] [+ 900 EXP]

[Level up! Mya is now level 6]

[Mya has gained the skill: The Spirit of Christmas past (Passive)]

[+ 1000 EXP]

[Level up! Walterfink is now level 5]

[Walterfink has gained the skill: Reindeer Resilience (Passive)]

Santa stood triumphantly on the platform and chuckled. “Ho, ho, ho!”

Below, Santa noticed Walterfink leaped into action, engaging with the nutcracker that was pursuing Mya.

"Great job, team!" Santa cheered amid the chaotic scene.

His mischievous elves managed to squeeze in smirks in the midst of their workshop shenanigans while dodging attacks from all sides.

Emboldened by Santa's presence, Mya glanced up and shot a smirk towards the towering nutcracker. "Illumination!" She channelled her magical spell, conjuring a blinding orb that stuck to the nutcracker's wooden face like super glue. The massive behemoth started flailing uncontrollably, its colossal limbs wreaking havoc as it desperately tried to rid itself of the blinding light, inadvertently causing even more destruction to the workshop.

Amidst the chaos, the elves darted and dodged, their green attire blending with the mayhem as they used their years of experience with snowball fights to skilfully dodge the falling debris.

"What!? Get them!" bellowed the evil elf from his perch atop the giant nutcracker. He screeched orders in a desperate bid to steer the massive creature's attacks. Unfortunately for him, his directions only seemed to confuse the already clumsy nutcracker. “What are you doing? To your left!”

Santa couldn't help but chuckle at the comical spectacle. However, his light-hearted optimism appeared to fade as he read the name and description of the malevolent elf.

[Malgrim the Malevolent, Level 19]

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Elves were known for their harmonious and kind spirits, making the sight of one turned corrupt and evil all the more disturbing. It was a sight Santa had not seen for centuries. His fists clenched, and he steeled himself for the challenges that lay ahead, his determination unwavering as he surveyed the chaotic battlefield.

"It's just light, you dolt!" Malgrim snarled, his eyes fixed on the glowing orb.

The giant nutcracker paid no heed to the elves' commands, persistently attempting to swat away the blinding light. Its efforts only resulted in crushing a few more of its smaller clones into splinters.

"Fine! I'll do it!" Malgrim shouted in frustration as he violently ripped open his black sack, causing the magical hem to flap in the air like an irritated flag. In that fleeting moment, Santa thought he heard the ominous chink of chains as the bag opened, sending a shiver down his spine.

“Stop him!” Santa called out pointing towards the black clad elf.

With an air of annoyance, Malgrim bounded effortlessly off the towering nutcracker's head, dodging its flailing limbs with the grace of a gymnast.

Seeing the impending threat, Mya cried out, "Frosty frost!" as she tried to direct her spell to thwart Malgrim's efforts. Unfortunately, her luck quickly took a turn for the worse as one of the nutcracker's limbs inadvertently intercepted the magical spell, sending it wildly off course. “Oh no!”

Santa dodged the icy spell and swiftly snatched up a fallen piece of wood and hurled it at the nutcracker, astonishing everyone, himself included, with his remarkable speed and precision. But to his frustration, the wood was deflected as it collided with another one of the nutcracker's limbs. "Darn it!"

Malgrim continued to climb, then, with a daring leap, he scaled over the front of the nutcracker's face, deftly dodging the monster's sluggish reactions. With a single, fluid motion, he snatched the magical orb within his bag and climbed back atop the giant's head.

"There you idiot! Now, crush those two little holiday claptraps!" he taunted with a malicious grin.

As two colossal wooden fists raised into the air, fear shot through Santa's spine. Mya and Walterfink were trapped and in danger. He understood he had to act quickly. The looming shadows of the giant fists threatened to crush his two precious elves, and they couldn't evade the impending danger in time. Without a moment's hesitation, Santa activated his Candy Cane Leap ability. He became a blur of motion as he soared through the air and landed with a thud onto the giant nutcracker's back.

[Santa has gained: Inner Fire]

As the massive nutcracker staggered forward from the impact of the attack, its wooden frame groaned and creaked. Mya and Walterfink dodged out of the way as Its colossal hand slammed against the tower's side in a desperate attempt to maintain balance, but the sheer force of the landing sent shockwaves reverberating through the walls.

At the same time, Santa clung to the crowbar, which was firmly fastened to the Nutcracker's back. Malgrim's malevolent eyes bore into him with sinister intentions, and the evil elf began to hurl stray fallen objects at Santa from within the black sack. Santa hung suspended, skilfully dodging a few of the projectiles, but some struck his upper arm and shoulder. He fought to maintain his grip on both the crowbar and the sack in his other hand as he dangled precariously.

But just as he narrowly avoided another incoming object, his gaze shifted upward, and a sense of impending doom washed over him. The behemoth's colossal hand had sent a powerful crack racing through the entire structure. It climbed the wall and extended across the wooden supports for the floor above, threatening to bring down the entire tower.

"Uh-oh!" Santa said, his eyes widening in alarm. Malgrim, upon hearing Santa's warning, turned his head upward, his expression shifting from one of malicious glee to sheer horror.

Time seemed to slow as the wooden floor above shattered, and the roof cracked open and the orange smoke billowed out, revealing the sky above and the dancing aurora lights. An eerie green glow bathed the space as wood, tiles, stones, bones, and equipment rained down upon them.

“We got to get out of here!” Santa shouted. With a quick decision, he kicked hard off the giant's back, leaving his crowbar behind.

He soared through the air, managing to use his sack to curl around a beam and slow his descent. With his free hand, he gripped the bar, deftly dodging a falling cauldron as he swung himself onto a shaky platform just below him. His elves scattered, trying to avoid the debris, but it was clear that the entire structure was on the verge of collapse.

Santa's eyes shot up, locking onto the wicked grin spread across the dark elf's face as he casually climbed into that ominous black sack. The giant nutcracker wasted no time, swiftly snatching the bag with a protective hand and completely covering the precious cargo beneath his towering frame.

In that critical moment, Santa knew exactly what he needed to do.

Without a second thought, he leaped, descending rapidly until he landed with a sickening crunch and a pained grunt, his elves just a few feet away. He fought through the pain in his shins and sprinted toward them, his face etched with determination.

Santa swiftly gathered up his protesting elves and tossed them into his own sack, fastening it securely. With them now safe from harm, he frantically looked around for an escape route, but the options were dwindling. There seemed to be no exit in sight. With no other options, he dashed toward the giant nutcracker, hoping it could shield him. The stone walls were crumbling inward, closing off any alternate escape routes.

Wooden beams crashed onto the behemoth's head, but it appeared unscathed, its dense frame resisting the debris that pummelled it. As Santa sprinted, the massive dragon skull from above tumbled into view, and he realized a moment too late, that it was about to crash right on top of him.

In a quick reaction, he shouted, "Dragon fire!"

The festive dragon fire spell erupted in a dazzling spectacle of hot embers, painting the area with an enchanting, iridescent flame that looked like a thousand twinkling Christmas tree lights. Although it didn't appear to impede the skull's descent, the heat of the spell triggered a mysterious reaction deep within its core. The dragon skull's massive maw yawned wide, almost as if it were compelled to do so. Seizing the chance, Santa took a daring leap through the gaping mouth just as the skull crashed down around him.

As the tower continued to crumble, even the floors below them gave way under the immense weight. Santa desperately sought refuge beneath the colossal nutcracker, hoping to use the creature as a shield. Just as he was about to find a moment of safety, a sudden flicker of energy burst forth from the black sack in the giant's hands, snapping the nutcracker's eyes toward Santa.

The monstrous creature, seemingly possessed by a mysterious force, zeroed in on its bright red target and effortlessly swatted Santa away as if he were nothing more than a pesky insect. A sharp, searing pain overwhelmed Santa as his precious sack was cruelly wrenched from his grasp. A cry of both physical agony and emotional despair escaped his lips, his heart sinking as he desperately attempted to reclaim the bag.

He landed with a painful grunt, Santa rolled to one side just in the nick of time to avoid a large stone brick that came crashing down, narrowly missing his head. The world around him was a chaotic whirlwind of pain and confusion, but he knew he couldn't afford to give in.

Determined to retrieve his sack and protect those within, Santa scrambled upright, his focus unwavering even as stones and tiles rained down upon him. Ignoring the pelting hail, he reached out and tackled the red sack, clutching it tightly to his body in a protective embrace.

The ground beneath him trembled and convulsed as if the tower's very foundation were erupting, unleashing a surge of pent-up power from below, which sent him flying.

He slammed into the crumbling side of the tower, swallowed by a tumultuous torrent of stone and wood. His once-jolly suit became lost in the chaotic debris that surrounded him as he held his sack to his chest. His vision blurred and faded as tons of material tumbled on top of him like an earthquake, colliding with a meteor shower. Agonizing pain shot through his body as debris relentlessly assaulted every corner of his being.

🎅 NOTIFICATION: Mysterious Tower has been destroyed.

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🎄Santa’s party has left: Cotton Candy Island (Mysterious Tower - Top floor)

Then, just as suddenly as it had all begun, everything ground to a sudden halt. The world descended into silence, shrouded in dust and darkness, while Santa found himself immobilized, trapped beneath crushing weight.

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🎄Santa’s party has entered: Cotton Candy Island (Sugar Valley)