"I have to do this," I declared, my eyes fixed on the stars, determined not just for Gil and Zest but for myself.

Sky-high, the Mournfoombo let out a chilling wail as I rose to my feet, feeling the Nexus's continued strengthening and the emergence of newfound abilities. Energy surged from within me, mirroring the stormy area around me.

The once soft and fluffy fur of my Merecritt form transformed into something more majestic and formidable. I now stood tall, my figure exuding an air of power and regality. Antlers sprouted from my skull, their jagged points crackling with electricity.

The masked, skull-like head of the Doervus (Doom Deer) formed a barrier around me, crackling with potent energy. It shielded me from the devastating winds and spectral storms that the Mournfoombo conjured, granting me a momentary respite from their destructive force.

As for Zest, my loyal companion underwent a remarkable change too. The Nexus granted me control over Zest's form, transforming their body into a magnificent staff that crackled with electrifying energy, as if I wielded the strength of a thousand storms in the palm of my hand.

Now, Zest and I were one, linked together by the Nexus. In that moment, I felt as if nothing could stop us. Zest, now a transformed staff, became an extension of myself, effortlessly shifting between forms like the shifting sands of a desert. It swiftly transformed into a sniper rifle with a barrel charged with crackling lightning.

I held Zest with a firm grip, my aim steady and true. As an arm augmentation, the pseudo-sniper rifle was also reminiscent of a fearsome deer-head—ready to be wielded with precision and devastation.

But I was not limited to ranged attacks alone as I flexed the pseudo-hands of my Merecritt ears. Lightning axes materialized, made from the same properties as Zest's antlers, crackling with power. They swung through the air with the speed of lightning itself, cleaving through the stormy maelstrom that threatened to engulf me. It became known as the [Zest Axes].

With the [Zest Axes] held by my stretchable pair of ears, I moved with enhanced agility and speed. I leaped and bounded across the battlefield, defying gravity itself. My new legs and hooves, countered the significant knock-back from the concentrated lightning bolts fired from my pseudo-sniper. [Zest Rifle], I granted the weapon such a name.

Eyes and barrel focused on the Mournfoombo, I fired focused blasts of lightning at the blimp-like creature. The thin crimson bolts cut through the air like lasers, tearing through the swirling tempest that surrounded us.

Each shot was imbued with the force of my and Zest's will, seeking to pierce the Mournfoombo's defenses and bring the massive, avian-airship of an abomination to its knees.

Once impervious to our attacks when we were separate, the Mournfoombo now faltered under our onslaught. Lightning bolts punctured its form, causing it to lurch and emit mournful wails that resonated through the desolate landscape.

A gust of wind swept across the terrain, but my new deer-legs granted me unparalleled speed and grace.

I leaped effortlessly over obstacles, creating distance between us and the Mournfoombo. I continued to fire, using lightning-charged stomps and the magnetic power of my hooves to maintain steady footing amidst the chaotic storm the Mournfoombo conjured.

The Mournfoombo fought back with furious flaps of its [Dolorous Gales], unleashing its tempestuous power of hurricanes and wind in a last-ditch effort to destroy me.

Perched upon my head, the antlers of the skull-like mask radiated with crackling bolts of lightning. It created a protective barrier, enveloping me in its electric embrace. This shield not only kept harm at bay but also amplified the destructive force of my attacks.

I maintained my relentless assault, firing upwards at the Mournfoombo, which had now grown more agile and retaliatory. It retaliated by conjuring colossal crescent formations of water from its wings. These majestic and deadly constructions of water emerged with a graceful yet menacing sweep, poised to counter my shots.

As if I'd allow that to happen.

My rifle roared with increasing speed, unleashing lightning blasts that tore through the air, obliterating anything in their path. One bolt struck and pierced the Mournfoombo, while another sliced through its wing, eliciting a furious screech.

The air crackled with electricity as I continued my assault, the Mournfoombo's sorrowful wails drowned out by the might of my onslaught.

I wove intricate patterns of energy, forming a secondary barrier around myself that crackled with untamed power, shielding me from the Mournfoombo's relentless onslaught.

In a daring move, I leaped into the air, defying gravity itself. The world around me blurred as I propelled myself forward, streaking through the sky like a bolt of lightning. I kicked the air mid-flight, launching myself with incredible speed, closing the gap between myself and the Mournfoombo in an instant.

The Mournfoombo had fired a tremendous tornado—one above the EF5 scale—and with a slash, I cleaved through it, obliterating the colossal tempest.

Violet electricity crackled from the Zest Axes as the axes swung effortlessly through the air, guided by my stretchable pair of ears. With each swing, I carved through the tumultuous atmosphere, leaving trails of electrified destruction in my wake.

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The slashes I swung sliced into the Mournfoombo with dreadful precision and speed. Electrified marks appeared on its ghastly blimp-like body as it cried out.

It retaliated—to my surprise, as its body shot forward like a blustering rocket in an attempt to crush me with its immense size and the pressure of its weighty winds.

I twisted and turned, evading the Mournfoombo's charge with lightning-fast reflexes. The winds buffeted me, threatening to knock me off-course, but the Mournfoombo's momentum carried it past me, its winds raking against my fur.

The Mournfoombo's body contorted unnaturally as it turned to head for me once again, concealed and wrapped in a thick, cloudy gust.

I dodged and weaved with my enhanced agility. The Mournfoombo's attacks were devastating, but they were also slow and cumbersome. I maneuvered around its massive form with ease, striking with lightning-fast slashes from my axes when the opportunity presented itself.

With a flick of my wrist, Zest transformed from a sniper rifle augmentation into a spear, crackling with lightning. I hurled it towards the Mournfoombo with incredible force, the spear tearing through the air like a missile.

The Mournfoombo was caught off guard, its body unable to dodge in time. The spear impaled itself into its flesh, sending a shockwave of electricity throughout its body.

The Mournfoombo's cries grew louder, it flailed about in a desperate attempt to dislodge the weapon. But it was too little, too late. The spear exploded with a bright burst of lightning energy, tearing through the Mournfoombo's body and leaving it an electrified husk.

Reacting quickly, I kicked the air tremendously hard with a hoof, launching myself through the sky, and lashed out with another powerful kick. The resulting impact sent the Mournfoombo hurtling downward, its momentum disrupted as it streaked through the sky.

The Mournfoombo let out an ear-piercing cry as it plummeted to the ground, its massive body crashing into the barren wasteland below with a thunderous THUD! The impact sent shockwaves rippling across the desolate landscape.

The Zest augmentation rematerialized on my arm as the pseudo-sniper to my disbelief, but my disbelief was short lived; as I followed up with a barrage of lightning blasts, each one hammering into the Mournfoombo with ferocious power. Its body shook and convulsed with the impact, the air around it shimmering with residual energy.

With a burst of speed, I closed the gap between us. The crash-landed Mournfoombo let out a bloodcurdling screech as I stomped my hoof on it, while I proceeded on with an onslaught of my lightning-charged axes severing through the thick leathery hide of its blimp-like body once again.

The Mournfoombo let out a deafening roar, its body convulsing under the force of my attack. It thrashed and bucked, but I didn't let up. I continued to strike, each blow fueled by my unyielding rage and desire to avenge Gil and Zest… and to emerge victorious!

I swung the lightning axes with all my might, cleaving through the Mournfoombo's spectral body with ease.

The air and ground shook with every strike, and the Mournfoombo's cries of anguish grew even louder. But still, the Mournfoombo fought back, unleashing terrible blasts of wind and water pellets in a desperate attempt to throw me off, but my barrier held strong, deflecting its every attempt.

The damn thing refused to give up!

With each strike, I could feel the Mournfoombo's defenses waver. The once invincible creature now faced a force that matched its own fury. The skies roared with thunder, mirroring the battle unfolding below.

I lowered my rifle, firing off a barrage of lightning bolts, striking the beast again and again.

The Mournfoombo reeled under the assault, its cries of agony echoing across the battlefield. But even as it teetered on the brink of defeat, it refused to surrender. It spread its massive wings, the air around it crackling with energy.

I knew what was coming.

I deftly sidestepped the oncoming attack, my body moving with lightning-fast reflexes as an tremendous tornado ripped through the area. With a sudden burst of speed, I placed an immense amount of distance between us, my lightning axes flashing in the air as I dashed backwards.

The Mournfoombo rose up once more, its hollow eyes blazing with fury. With a deafening roar, it charged towards me, its razor-sharp talons extended out with strings that sliced through the air, entangling in a incomprehensible mass.

I dodged, weaved, and sliced through the deadly onslaught, my movements as fluid as the wind and talons that threatened to tear me apart.

With a fierce battle cry, I charged towards the Mournfoombo, rupturing the ground underneath my hooves with a mighty leap, my axes crackling with power. The beast reared back, ready to strike, but I was faster. I swung my axes in a wide arc, the power of violet lightning tearing through the air.

The Mournfoombo let out a monstrous roar as my axe connected, its thick hide sizzling with energy. It staggered upwards creating gusts with powerful flap of its wings, a gaping wound torn into its flesh—it was becoming frantic.

The Mournfoombo retaliated with a torrential downpour of rain and gale-force winds, trying to knock me off my feet.

I could feel my strength waning.

The Mournfoombo seemed to have inexhaustible reserves of power, and I knew I needed to end this quickly.

My rifle arm-attachment shifted into that of a railgun.

With a mighty roar, I unleashed the full force of my power at the Mournfoombo, unleashing a concentrated blast of lightning and thunder that shook the very foundations of the earth.

The energy blast collided with an enormous crisscrossed crescent blast released by the Mournfoombo, sent down in a singleminded path of destruction: me. Its [Penumbrae Devastation].

The force of the impact of our attacks created shockwaves that shook the very ground beneath my feet. It became a stupendously radiant beam struggle between me and the Mournfoombo. All of our abyssal energy poured into the very stakes of our lives!

The air sizzled with chaotic energies, the ground heaving and buckling as our powers clashed. For what seemed like an eternity, we stood locked in combat, each refusing to yield to the other.

But I was not alone in this fight.

Zest, in their railgun form, pulsed with an intense energy. I could feel their power, pulsing and thrumming through my veins. Zest was a part of me—infused with my very being.

Together, we poured all of our strength into the attack, surging forward with renewed determination. The Mournfoombo let out a final, mournful cry as the blast struck hard, piercing and obliterating its body with a devastating explosion of violet lightning and thunder.

The ground shook with the force of the impact, and the air was filled with the acrid scent of burning ozone as the Mournfoombo's abyssal particles rained down from the sky.

For a moment, there was silence.

And then, a deafening roar rang through the landscape as I let out a primal scream of triumph.

"I had done it! We defeated the Mournfoombo!"

As I stood amidst the ruins of the battlefield, my breath coming in ragged gasps, I could feel the power of the Nexus fading. My antlers and railgun arm-attachment began to shimmer and fade, and my Merecritt form began to revert back to its original state.

Exhaustion and immense pangs consumed my body, aching for respite after the battle we had fought. With the taste of victory still lingering on my lips, I yearned for Zest's presence, for that one person who had stood beside me through it all.

Yet…Zest was nowhere to be seen as my gaze scanned the desolate surroundings. "Zest? Zest…!" I could barely muster before collapsing onto the barren wreckage.