The Hydra's attack came in fast, the lava burning hot at Aren.

"Tsk, I'll need a good defense skill soon," he thought to himself before looking at Zero.

"Zero, cover," he yelled, and she immediately moved, thrusting her hands forward. A dome formed right in front of the millipede. The lava slammed hard on it but couldn't get through.

After blocking the attack, Aren rushed forward, leaping off the millipede while it rammed right into the Hydra, knocking it back.

BOOM!

The collision shook the air hard.

Aren, mid-air, had his opportunity, so without any hesitation, he unleashed a barrage of shadow blades and claw strikes, each one cutting into the air and slamming into the Hydra.

Roarrrrrrrrrrr!

It let out a thunderous roar. Black blood poured from its body. The wounds healed almost instantly, but the Hydra was enraged.

Aren landed on the ground beside his millipede. Seeing the Hydra healing itself, he gritted his teeth. "This is going to be harder than expected," he said, but then a smile formed on his face. "Let's see just how far I've come," he said with a confident smile.

The Hydra focused on him again, unleashing its terrifying lava breath, but Aren had already moved, dodging the attack with speed. He ran through the terrain, leaping over rocks and lava.

Two heads turned immediately, following him and unleashing lava breath to follow. He could feel the heat right behind him, but as long as he kept out of reach, then it would be fine.

The Hydra, seeing that two heads were not enough, decided to dedicate seven. They all turned and attacked, lava coming from seven directions, but Aren didn't falter. He charged ahead. A tendril came from the ground, wrapping around him, throwing him up into the air and evading the attacks.

He summoned the horned snake right there, already in a forward motion. He rode the head like a skateboard as they came down.

The Hydra, seeing the snake appear, knew that it had to focus even more. The millipede also took this advantage to attack. If all seven heads were focused on Aren and the snake, it was the best opportunity, but what it didn't expect was for the Hydra to decide to turn two heads toward it.

It unleashed lava breath at the millipede and Aren all at the same time, this time with more pressure, moving like high pressured water.

"Shit," Aren cursed. He didn't think that the Hydra would still attack the millipede. Regardless, he pushed ahead. The snake and the millipede kept rushing forward, while Aren ran backward on his snake.

The lava slammed into the snake and millipede, powerful and destructive, but before they were stopped by it, their massive bodies slammed into the Hydra, knocking it back hard.

Aren leaped off the tail of the snake at the right moment, floating up there in the air.

"Zero," he yelled, and immediately she formed a platform under him. He stepped on it and pressed, leaping forward fast, eyes locked on the Hydra while his two summons got killed and unsummoned.

When he was close, he unleashed another barrage of claw strikes and shadow blades, putting as much soul energy as he could inside, creating large and powerful attacks. They slammed into the Hydra's necks, cutting deep inside, blood spilling in every direction, knocking it further back.

Aren knew that it would heal almost instantly, so he kept pressing forward, headed for one Hydra head. He gritted his teeth.

"Arghhhhhhhhh!" He let out a roar, crossing his hands on his chest and bending his knee forward. He slashed with both hands, one a shadow blade and one a claw strike.

They traveled through the air together, hitting the neck that had already been cut deep, and they cut clean, decapitating one head of the Hydra. Aren saw the head fall and joy filled him. A smile formed on his face, but it didn't last long as the six remaining heads locked onto him fast.

Enraged and in pain, the Hydra unleashed a blast of lava at such close range. Aren immediately lifted his hands, crouching and turning himself into a ball. The lava slammed into him, the intense heat fighting to burn him instantly.

His body was thrown back hard. He slammed into the ground and skidded back.

"Aren!" Kira yelled and rushed forward. She pointed her hands forward, using icy mist as fast as she could to act as an extinguisher. She poured until she couldn't see any lava again.

"Aren!" she yelled, her face worried, but he got up the next moment, looking as if nothing had even happened.

"Thank you," he said to her. She heaved a sigh of relief.

He had two layers of defense, so it made sense that the attack didn't kill him. The heat was immense, but he could withstand that.

"Uhm, guys, look up," Aiden, who had finished killing another salamander, said. Everyone looked up and were shocked the next moment as the head of the Hydra began healing back, and not only that, it was growing an extra head, making it eight heads now.

"You have to be kidding me," Aren muttered.

Not only had it grown a new head, it also looked immensely enraged. It stepped out of the lava completely, standing right there on solid ground.

"It heals its head and grows an extra?" Kira asked in shock.

"I think I know what to do," Aren said.

"Hmm, what's that?" Kira asked.

He looked at Kira. "When I cut a head, I'll need your help. Freeze the stump. If it can't grow back, then we might be able to stop it," Aren said.

"And what about the extra head?" Zero asked.

"I'm hoping if one can't grow, then the other won't start as well," Aren said.

"We don't have many choices. Let's do that," Zero said.

"How do I get close?" Kira asked.

"Zero will help with that. The both of you cover me and Aiden," Aren said, then looked at Aiden. "Rush ahead," he said and charged, while Aiden, who had killed the last salamander there, rushed forward as well, sword by his side. Both of them had their eyes locked on the Hydra, and it had all sixteen eyes locked on them.

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