They stood victorious among the corpses of the Void Drakes.

Seven S-rank lesser dragons. Slaughtered.

The team was breathing hard. Wounded. But alive. And confident.

"We did it," Jin said. A grin spreading across his bloodied face. "Seven S-rank beasts. We actually did it."

"That was incredible!" Erica laughed. Her voice giddy with adrenaline. "Did you see how we coordinated? We're unstoppable!"

Even Masha was smiling. A rare, genuine expression. Looking at the massive corpses around them.

'The harvest is good,' Dante thought. Looking at the drake bodies. 'Cores to absorb. Spirits to enslave. We're getting stronger. Ready for the Bone Dragon.'

He turned to his team. About to command them to divide the spoils equally.

But the words died in his throat.

He saw their faces. And something was wrong.

Kael's jaw had dropped. His eyes wide. Staring at something behind Dante like he'd seen a ghost.

Lana was trembling. Actually trembling. Her knuckles white on her staff.

'What could make Lana afraid? What could—'

He followed her gaze. Looked up at the sky.

And his confidence shattered like glass.

The sky was black.

Not the twilight of Zone S. Not clouds or smoke.

Absolute. Total. Black.

It wasn't magic. It was simple presence.

The presence of creatures. So many creatures that they blocked out the sky itself.

Wyverns.

Bodies sleek and black. Same size as the drakes they'd just killed. Wings beating in terrible synchronization.

And there were approximately one hundred of them.

"No," Talia whispered. Her voice breaking. "No, no, no..."

'One hundred. We just barely killed seven. And now there are one hundred.'

But it got worse.

As the Wyverns descended closer, the sky behind them became partially visible.

Barely. Because it was covered by something else.

Creatures three times the size of the Wyverns. Massive. Powerful. Terrifying.

Dragons. True dragons.

Ten of them. Each one with elemental energy visibly coursing across their scales.

One burned with molten lava. Another crackled with lightning. A third exhaled frost with each breath.

'S-rank. All of them. Ten S-rank dragons. Plus a hundred Wyverns.'

"Edgar," Dante commanded. His voice hollow. "Analyze."

His ghostly analyst appeared. Its form flickering. It looked at one of the massive creatures.

"Magma Drake," Edgar's voice echoed in his mind. "S-rank beast. Dragon evolution. Capable of flight. Abilities include—"

But Dante wasn't listening anymore.

He was staring at the horrifying sight above.

The ten drakes were circling. Like generals surveying a battlefield. Like predators toying with their prey.

And the hundred Wyverns were descending. Wings folded. Diving. Charging.

"Dante." Talia's voice was small. Broken. "What... what can we do now?"

'I can't die here. Not here. Not like this. I was supposed to get the wish. I was supposed to—'

He forced his face into a mask of courage. Fake. Desperate.

"We can do this," he said. His voice stronger than he felt. "No. We will do this. We just need to—"

WHOOSH!

Something moved behind him. Fast.

CLANG!

Lana's staff appeared beside his ear. Blocking.

A Wyvern's claw, aimed at the back of his head, met her weapon.

The force of the collision threw Dante back. He tumbled. Rolled. Came up on his knees.

He looked at the scene.

Lana was fighting. Alone. Against one Wyvern.

Dodging its claws. Its snapping jaws. Its whipping tail.

But then ten more Wyverns landed. Then twenty. Then thirty.

The rest hovered above. No space to land.

Three Wyverns broke off from the horde. Joined the one fighting Lana.

She went from offense to pure defense. From defense to running. Barely dodging. Staff spinning. Blocking. Parrying.

"Lana!" Dante shouted.

But he couldn't help. Because he was surrounded too.

Everyone was.

Jin was fighting back-to-back with Talia. Swords flashing. But they were being pushed back. Overwhelmed.

Masha was creating ice walls. But they shattered as fast as she made them. Too many. Too fast.

Erica and Kael stood together. Erica firing plasma lances. But Kael—

Kael was panicking.

'I can teleport!' he was thinking frantically. 'I can run away— I just need—'

He tried to activate his ability. Stumbled. Appeared two feet away. Right in front of another Wyvern.

It swiped. Claws raking across his chest.

SCREEE!

He screamed. Fell. Rolled across the ground.

"Kael!" Erica shrieked. Trying to reach him. But two Wyverns blocked her path.

'This is a massacre. We're going to die. All of us. Unless—'

Two Wyverns charged Dante from opposite sides.

Not coordinated. Clumsy. Actually hitting each other in their rush.

As they reached him, claws extended—

"Guardian!"

FWOOSH!

The Wardcrafter appeared. Its Phantom Ward snapping into place.

CLANG! CLANG!

The claws scraped against dark energy. The ward cracked. But held.

"Derek!"

The Crimson Juggernaut materialized beside the stunned Wyverns. Its shadow greatsword swinging in a brutal arc.

SLASH! SLASH!

It cut deep into their sides. Leaving them bleeding. Staggering.

Dante didn't hesitate. He charged forward. Soul-Drinker in hand.

He drove the black blade into the first Wyvern's eye.

SQUELCH!

It shrieked. Collapsed.

The second tried to flee. He caught it. Blade through the throat.

HISSS... silence.

As it died, he felt Soul-Drinker feast. Absorbing its mana. Feeding him.

'Good. I'll need every drop. This is a long fight. A draining fight.'

He fought with cold efficiency. The Guardian blocking. Derek attacking. Himself finishing.

Three more Wyverns fell to their coordination.

Four more after that.

'Seven total. Out of a hundred. We're not even making a dent.'

Then the atmosphere changed.

One of the massive drakes above stopped circling.

It looked down. Directly at Dante.

And descended.

BOOM!

It landed on a Wyvern. Crushing the creature beneath its weight.

The body exploded. Blood and viscera spraying across the stone.

The other Wyverns immediately fled the area. Leaving a wide circle of empty space.

Respect. Horror. Submission.

The Magma Drake stood there. Massive. Three times the size of the Wyverns.

Its body was deep red. Molten lava leaking from cracks in its scales. Dripping onto the ground.

Sizzle. Sizzle.

Each drop burned holes in the stone.

It was a walking volcano. A living nightmare.

It looked at Dante. Its eyes burning coals.

'Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh—'

The drake charged.

Not flying. Running. Its massive legs pounding the stone.

THUD THUD THUD THUD!

The ground shook with each step.

"PROTECT ME!" Dante screamed.

The Guardian appeared in front of him. Its Phantom Ward expanding. A shield of dark energy.

The drake didn't slow. It crashed into the ward like a battering ram.

CRASH!

The shield shattered. Exploded into fragments of dark light.

A massive fist continued through. Aimed at Dante's head.

'I'm dead. I'm—'

BOOM!

Another fist intercepted it. Larger. Heavier. Wrapped in obsidian and molten veins.

The Magma Drake was thrown sideways. Slamming into the ground.

It looked up. Confused. Furious.

Hephaestus stood there. The Infernal Juggernaut. Its obsidian shell glowing. Magma core pulsing.

The two S-rank behemoths stared at each other.

'Good. Fire against fire. Hephaestus can match it. I just need to—'

The Magma Drake screamed. A sound that shook the air. That terrified every creature on the battlefield.

It got to its feet in an instant. And unleashed its power.

FWOOOOSH!

A beam of molten lava erupted from its mouth. A concentrated stream of liquid fire.

Hephaestus responded. Its chest core blazing. A stream of superheated magma.

The attacks met in the middle.

KA-BOOM!

The collision was cataclysmic. Lava exploded outward. Splashing. Spraying.

Some hit nearby Wyverns. They shrieked. Wings burning. Bodies igniting.

Some hit the ground. Melting stone. Creating pools of liquid rock.

And some hit Dante.

He ran. Dodging. Weaving. But he was too close.

A droplet hit his arm.

SIZZLE!

"AAAGH!"

Pain. Burning. His reinforced skin smoking.

'Too hot. Even with the pool's enhancement. Too close. I need to—'

The beams continued. A contest of power.

But Hephaestus's attack was fading. Its magma stream weakening.

The Magma Drake's beam continued. Stronger. Hotter.

'It's going to hit. It's going to destroy Hephaestus. Can't let that happen. Need that summon for rest of this battle.'

"Derek! Disengage! To me!"

The Crimson Juggernaut, fighting several Wyverns at the edge of the battlefield, immediately obeyed. It dissolved. Reappeared beside Dante.

But Dante wasn't looking at it.

"Ouroboros! Now!"

The Abyssal Shadow materialized. Seven heads writhing. Violet eyes burning.

The seven heads of his nightmare suddenly lunged forward. Not shooting darkness. Biting.

All seven jaws clamped onto the Magma Drake's body.

CRUNCH!

The drake shrieked. Its beam cutting off. Thrashing. Trying to throw off the serpent.

But Ouroboros held tight. Squeezing. Its void-touched fangs sinking deep.

The Magma Drake spun. Violently. Trying to dislodge the serpent.

Then a new attack came from above.

FWOOSH!

A beam of pure ice struck both titans from behind.

CRACK!

Frost spread across Ouroboros's shadowy form. It shrieked. Released its grip. Fell to the ground.

Hephaestus, also hit by the ice beam, staggered. Its molten core dimming. Steam rising from its cooling form.

The Magma Drake, struck by the same ice, stumbled. Steam rising from its scales.

Dante looked up.

One of the other drakes had descended. A Frost Drake. Its body covered in crystalline ice. Eyes glowing blue.

It was smiling. A cruel, intelligent expression.

'They're playing with us. They're not even serious yet. This is a game to them.'

The Magma Drake shook off the ice. Looked at Dante again.

And prepared another attack.

But this time it was different.

Not a beam. Not a stream.

Its mouth opened wider. Throat glowing.

And it vomited raw lava. Not liquid. Solid. Burning rocks. Like a volcano erupting.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Massive chunks of molten stone flew through the air. Each one the size of a boulder.

Dante ran. To the side. Away from the main barrage.

But one piece came straight at him.

He raised Soul-Drinker. Hoping to absorb—

The impact was too much.

CRASH!

The rock shattered against the blade. But the heat. The force.

He was thrown back. His arm screaming. The sword vibrating.

Soul-Drinker was drinking. Absorbing the energy. But too much. Too fast.

His body couldn't handle the influx. Pain. Burning. His muscles seizing.

He collapsed to one knee. Gasping.

The Magma Drake saw. Its prey was wounded. Vulnerable.

It prepared another attack. Throat glowing brighter. Hotter.

'I can't move. My body's... the pain is too much. I can't dodge. Can't block. I'm going to—'

"OUROBOROS! CHARGE!"

His voice raw. Desperate.

The Abyssal Shadow, still partially frozen from the ice attack, forced itself to move. All seven heads turning toward the drake.

It lunged. Not from above. From beneath.

Seven heads erupting from the stone itself. A surprise attack.

The Magma Drake's charge was interrupted. It roared. Tried to finish its attack.

But the seven mouths clamped onto its legs. Its neck. Its wings.

Pulling it down. Disrupting its concentration.

The glow in its throat faded. The attack failed.

For now.

Dante gasped for air. His body trembling. Soul-Drinker still burning in his hand.

'I'm at my limit. Mana draining. Body breaking. And this is just one drake. There are nine more up there.'

'We can't win this. We're all going to die.'

He looked at his team. Still fighting. Still struggling.

But losing. Slowly. Inevitably.

The Magma Drake roared. Breaking free from Ouroboros's grip.

It looked at Dante. Eyes burning with fury.

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