Outside the barrier, Kran realized he couldn’t go any further. Something was blocking him, an invisible force that refused to let him pass.

  He circled the area, trying to understand what was preventing his entry into the Dead Lands. Eventually, he sat beside his Moa bird, chewing on a strip of dry meat he’d brought with him.

  Then the ground trembled.

  The invisible barrier rippled, and for the first time, Kran saw what was keeping him out.

  His Moa bird backed away, uneasy. Before Kran could grab her reins, another quake shook the earth, and two massive serpents crashed through the barrier from deeper within.

  The barrier flickered under the pressure of their clash, and Kran finally saw what lay beyond.

  A half-demolished dark castle stood in the distance, many of its walls shattered. One side had completely lost its roof. The two serpents fought violently, one icy white, the other pitch black with horns.

  Kran’s eyes widened as he recognized the mana of the white serpent.

  “Eira…” he gasped. What is going on in there!?

  As the barrier flickered again, he caught glimpses of explosions erupting from the castle. A massive silver figure burst through a wall and leaped out.

  I’ll sneak in while the barrier is unstable, but I’ll keep my distance.

  He waited for the next flicker, then dashed forward at top speed, slipping through the weakened barrier.

  His Moa bird had long since fled; the sight of the serpents had sent it running for its life.

  ***

  Minutes before Eira and Mamba crashed through the roof…

  Xarion was locked in a relentless duel with Longhorn. The two clashed without pause, their powers shaking the courtyard.

  Xarion pushed his aura to its limits, more precise, more destructive. His white fire burned brighter with each strike. He was close to reaching Grand Master-level aura, but the final push still eluded him.

  Longhorn charged across the yard, his icy horns glowing with power. Each attack filled the area with frost, strengthening him further. Xarion countered with fire spells, but the overwhelming ice mana in the air weakened them.

  I’m actually being pushed… No more. I’ll end it here and go help the others.

  His red markings flared, contrasting against his white scales. Fire mana spiraled around him in concentric circles. His twin scimitars glowed crimson.

  He slashed, sending crescent-shaped waves of fire toward Longhorn, but the beast shattered them with ease.

  Xarion smirked and attacked again. With each strike, his red markings deepened in color, charging with latent power.

  Sensing the growing danger, Longhorn began gathering mana in his horns, as they shone with a brilliant blue light.

  Xarion’s fire attacks weakened further as the icy mana spiraled around Longhorn like a storm.

  With a beastly roar, Longhorn unleashed a massive two-meter-wide beam of pure ice mana and destruction. Ice boulders spiraled around the beam, growing in size and intensity as it surged toward Xarion, a true peak attack of an Ice Master.

  Xarion didn’t flinch.

  He smiled.

  “You’ve been a worthy opponent, noble beast. Let my fire send your soul into the afterlife.”

  His markings flared one last time, then dimmed.

  Fire mana gathered in his throat.

  “Breath of the White Dragon, Eternal Fire!” he roared.

  A torrent of pure white fire exploded from his maw, melting the ground and distorting the air around him.

  The white fire met the ice beam head-on. At first, they were evenly matched. Then Xarion roared again, pouring more fire into the attack.

  Longhorn tried to reinforce the beam with his body, but it was too late.

  The white fire consumed everything in its path, even devouring mana itself. It was the true breath of a dragon.

  The ice melted. The beam shattered. The fire enveloped Longhorn, who screamed in excruciating pain.

  Moments later, the beast was gone.

  Only his broken, mana-depleted horns remained.

  Xarion fell to one knee, stabbing his scimitars into the ruined ground.

  He didn’t notice the explosions from the castle until the tension eased. Then he looked up and saw two massive serpents fighting on the rooftops.

  That must be Miss Eira… She looks majestic.

  He sighed and tried to recover some mana.

  This was unexpected. My strength should’ve ended this quickly… but his mana was designed to counter mine. And his madness gave me no room to breathe.

  Xarion stared at the spot where Longhorn had fallen. A flicker of admiration glinted in his draconic eyes.

  He needed a moment.

  Then he would go and help whoever he could find.

  ***

  Zara and Umbra burst through the window, soaring into the air above the northern courtyard.

  Below them, the Lion landed with a thunderous roar, both of its massive heads snarling in unison. Its triple tails lashed violently against the ground, sending up clouds of dust.

  With a fluid motion, the creature’s now-viscous body morphed, forming bullet-like marbles of blood. It launched them at the airborne duo with deadly precision.

  Zara and Umbra twisted and dodged through the air, narrowly avoiding the barrage. But every attempt to counterattack was thwarted; the Lion controlled the blood projectiles with terrifying mastery.

  Realizing his initial assault wasn’t enough, the monster recalled the blood pellets, merging them into spiked orbs of condensed blood mana.

  He hurled them skyward, transforming the sky into a deadly minefield.

  “Umbra, this isn’t looking good,” Zara said, her voice tense as she flew with shimmering ethereal wings. Her Wasp Sword gleamed in the sunlight. “We’re running out of room to dodge.”

  “I’ve got an idea,” Umbra replied, eyes locked on the swirling orbs. “Your sword can absorb attacks and release a stronger counterstrike, right?”

  Zara nodded slowly. “I have a bad feeling about this,” she muttered with a nervous chuckle.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “I’ll summon lightning to detonate the traps,” Umbra said confidently. “You absorb the mana from the explosions with your blade and aim for his core.”

  Zara stared at her. “Are you insane? We’d have to survive the blast first.”

  Umbra grinned. “We will.”

  Zara sighed, gripping her sword tighter. “Fine. Let’s do this.”

  Umbra ascended higher into the sky, summoning dark clouds that rolled in like a storm tide. Lightning crackled around her, and the sun vanished behind the thickening veil, casting a massive shadow over the Lion.

  Zara melted into the shadows below, gliding closer to the ground, unwilling to risk exposure until the moment was right.

  Sensing the shift in power, the Lion roared, unleashing waves of blood mana that surged into the spiked orbs above. One by one, they detonated in violent bursts, sending showers of mana and razor-sharp spikes hurtling toward Umbra.

  There was no time to prepare further. Umbra raised her wings and unleashed her attack.

  Beams of dark lightning tore through the sky, colliding with the bloody onslaught.

  Blood evaporated mid-air, but the lightning weakened under the sheer force of the explosions.

  Zara flew straight into the chaos; her body wrapped in layers of aura and mana. She plunged her blade into the heart of the explosion, absorbing the destructive force.

  ?Wasp drank in the mana greedily, its surface glowing brighter with each surge. Zara gritted her teeth, enduring the shockwaves that threatened to tear her apart.

  When the blade finally gleamed with pure green light, she vanished.

  Reappearing like a shadow behind the Lion, her senses locked onto its core. With a swift motion, she struck.

  ?Wasp unleashed a torrent of green energy, and a colossal spectral wasp materialized, its stinger piercing the Lion in tandem with Zara’s blow.

  The Lion reacted instantly, both heads roaring as its tails slashed toward Zara. Waves of blood mana erupted from its body, but Zara held firm, driving her blade deeper.

  The explosion that followed was immense; the Lion’s body shone, then imploded, hurling Zara like a rag doll into the ground. The courtyard was painted red with mana, the air thick with the scent of blood and ozone.

  Umbra dove down, landing beside Zara. Her metallic body shielded her companion, wings flaring wide. Her aura surged, negating the brunt of the lingering explosion.

  After a few tense moments, silence fell. Where the Lion once stood, only a blood-soaked crater remained. The monster was finally dead.

  Umbra exhaled, her voice soft. “Good job, Zara. You did well.”

  Zara coughed, blood staining her lips. “Wow… you used my name for the first time. Thanks.”

  Her body trembled; internal damage from the blast was evident.

  “Recover. I’ll protect you,” Umbra said firmly. “Then we go help Kai.”

  ***

  While the other battles neared their end, Lucius sprinted outside, chasing after Eira, who had long since climbed to the roof.

  Elsewhere, Nerva pursued Rhino, who rampaged through the castle, unable to stop. Finally, with nowhere left to run, Rhino crashed through the outer wall. Nerva followed, his body glowing with a radiant silver aura.

  Xarion, kneeling nearby, looked up as the two silver figures burst through the wall and dropped into the courtyard.

  Seeing Nerva alive, Xarion smiled, but he knew the situation was far from resolved.

  “Nerva, are you okay? Give me a few moments, and I can help,” Xarion called out, still recovering his mana. The red flame-like marks on his body slowly regained their color.

  Nerva didn’t respond. His eyes were locked on Rhino, who had finally stopped, panting heavily. The creature’s body gleamed like polished metal under the midday sun.

  “Xarion, stay out of it. I need to be the one to end this,” Nerva said firmly.

  Xarion didn’t understand, but he knew better than to argue when Nerva was this resolute. He stepped back, sat down, and continued absorbing ambient mana, watching silently.

  Rhino roared and spread his arms wide, channeling silver aura and metal mana into them. Then, with a thunderous clap, he unleashed a sonic wave that crashed into Nerva.

  Nerva braced himself, stacking his shields and digging his feet into the ground. The force pushed him back, but he held.

  Rhino struck again, sending another compressed wave of wind and metal mana. The blast cracked Nerva’s silver armor, shattering his pauldrons and armguards. Blood trickled from his ears, his eardrums ruptured by the sonic assault.

  Gritting his teeth, Nerva focused his power into his legs and leaped upward, shattering the ground beneath him.

  In midair, he somersaulted and slammed both shield edges into Rhino’s traps, denting them and breaking several bones.

  Rhino screamed and retaliated, punching Nerva square in the left shoulder. The impact sent him spinning through the air and crashing into the ground.

  Nerva cried out, his left arm hanging limp and useless as he stood up.

  Xarion stood, ready to assist, but waited, sensing Nerva’s resolve.

  Above them, Eira and Mamba clashed, ice against dark beams, while Lucius stood below in the western yard, channeling focused light mana to support Eira. He remained unaware of the battle unfolding in the front yard.

  ***

  Nerva gripped his left arm and, with a painful grunt, popped the shoulder back into its socket.

  It moved, but the strength was gone.

  “Time to end this,” he whispered. Then, louder: “Goodbye, James.”

  He looked at Rhino one last time with warmth before burying the emotion deep. “Unyielding Sentinel!” he roared.

  His aura surged around his right arm and shield. Mercury-like metal flowed from his body, coating his arm.

  ?This was a half-step toward Grand Master level, fusing an aspect of metal mana with his aura and the indomitable will of a defender who never backs down.

  His roar echoed through the courtyard, not just a battle cry, but a declaration: he would not let his old friend suffer as a slave to madness.

  The more he stood his ground, the more his will shaped his aura. The mercury-like energy spread across his broken armor, merging with it, forming a new, unbreakable shell.

  His upper body and right arm now radiated with Grand Master aura.

  Rhino, sensing the shift, snapped. He sprinted forward, dust trailing behind him.

  ?He leaped into the air, fists raised like a hammer, spiraling the air around him as he descended.

  Nerva met the attack head-on.

  With cold determination, he propelled his right arm upward, punching through Rhino’s strike.

  ?Both of Rhino’s hands shattered, and Nerva’s fist connected with his chest, burrowing a massive hole where his heart once beat.

  Tears streamed down Nerva’s face as he ended his old friend’s life.

  He didn’t care that his aura had evolved. He didn’t care that he had grown stronger. All that mattered was that James died by his hands, here, now.

  Rhino collapsed, green blood splattering across the courtyard. He fell to his knees before Nerva, and for a moment, clarity returned to his eyes.

  “You always were a crybaby,” Rhino chuckled weakly.

  “James? You’re still in there?” Nerva gasped.

  “Thank you, Nerva. Don’t feel bad. I died that day. This rage… it wasn’t me anymore. I just regret Lisa and Cecily died too.”

  Tears rolled down Rhino’s face. His body had only a few breaths left.

  Nerva wiped his own tears and placed a hand on Rhino’s shoulder. “Lisa is alive, James. I met her. Cecily… I’m sorry.”

  Rhino’s eyes widened. “My baby is alive? Thank you, Nerva. Truly. I can die now. Please… protect her and Theo, like you always have.”

  Mana slowly dispersed from his body.

  “Kill the monster that did this to us,” Rhino whispered. “And check the underground warehouse. That’s where I was kept. I sensed something deep… something ancient. Goodbye, my old friend.”

  Rhino smiled and died on his knees.

  Nerva screamed in anguish, hugging James’s lifeless body.

  Xarion walked up and placed a hand on his back. “I’m sorry, Nerva. This world is truly cruel,” he said softly.

  Above them, the serpents clashed, scattering rooftiles.?

  main page and hit follow and favorite, or leave me a rating! Your reviews and feedback mean the world to me and help spread the word, especially for a small author. Thanks for your support!

  My Patreon