[TEAM ALPHA - THE LAIR]

The dragon's jaws opened wide.

Soul-fire burning brighter than ever.

Masha lay broken on the ground. Unable to move.

Jin and Erica stood before her. Shields raised.

Knowing it wouldn't matter.

"It's been an honor," Jin said quietly.

Erica nodded. Tears on her face. "Yeah. It has."

The dragon's throat glowed. Blue-green light building.

This was death.

This was the end.

They closed their eyes.

Waiting for the end.

[TEAM BETA - THE HEART CHAMBER]

Chaos.

Pure, absolute chaos.

Ouroboros was a storm of shadow. Seven heads attacking from every angle.

The two Bone Titans were forced to defend. Using all four arms each.

Creating a wall of weapons and bone.

But they couldn't attack. Couldn't advance.

The serpent was too big. Too aggressive.

Perfect distraction.

"Now!" Dante commanded. "Circle around! Find an opening!"

Lana went left. Moving fast.

Talia went right. Silent as death.

Kael stayed with Dante. Breathing hard.

He was exhausted. Barely able to stand.

But Dante needed him here. Close.

For what came next.

The titans were focused on Ouroboros. Completely.

Their programming demanded it.

Eliminate the biggest threat first.

Which meant the heart was exposed.

Vulnerable.

"There!" Talia shouted.

She'd found it. A gap in the titans' defense.

A path to the heart.

But it was narrow. Dangerous.

One titan's weapon was sweeping through the space every few seconds.

Perfect timing required.

"I'll take it," Lana said. Grinning. "I'm fastest."

"No," Dante said.

Everyone looked at him.

"The heart is protected by more than just the titans," he explained.

"Look at the threads connecting it to the ceiling."

They looked.

The glowing energy threads pulsed. Blue-green light flowing through them.

"Those are defensive wards," Dante said. "Touch them wrong and they'll trigger."

"We need someone who can adapt. Copy the energy signature."

"Slip through without triggering the defense."

He turned to Kael.

"We need you."

Kael's eyes widened. "Me?"

"Your Mimic ability. You can copy the heart's energy signature."

"Match its frequency. Disable the wards."

"Then we can destroy it safely."

It was partially true.

Kael's ability might work that way.

Might.

But Dante didn't actually know if it would.

He was gambling.

With Kael's life.

"I... I don't know if I can do that," Kael said. Voice shaking.

"You can," Dante said firmly. "You've copied everything else."

"This is just energy. Just magic."

"You've got this."

Kael looked at the gap. At the pulsing heart beyond.

At the titans still fighting Ouroboros.

Swallowed hard.

"When do I go?"

"Now," Dante said. "Before the titans adapt."

Kael took a breath.

Started running.

Toward the gap.

Toward the heart.

And Dante watched. Cold. Calculating.

This was the moment.

Everything depended on this.

Kael ran. Timing the titan's weapon sweep.

Dove through the gap.

Made it.

He was through. Between the titans and the heart.

The wards shimmered. Sensing him.

Reacting to the intrusion.

"Copy it!" Dante shouted. "Match the frequency!"

Kael raised his hands. Eyes glowing silver.

His Mimic ability activating.

Trying to copy the energy pattern.

The wards pulsed. Testing him.

For a moment, it looked like it might work.

Kael's energy started matching the pattern.

Blue-green light covering his hands.

He was doing it. Actually doing it.

But he was too weak. Too exhausted from the constant fighting.

His control wavered. Just for a second.

The pattern broke.

The wards reacted.

BZZT!

Energy lashed out. Striking him.

Kael screamed. Fell to his knees.

The pain was intense. Burning through him.

"Kael!" Talia shouted.

The titans noticed. One turned away from Ouroboros.

Saw the intruder near the heart.

Raised its massive sword.

About to strike Kael down.

"No!" Lana fired her crossbow. Kinetic bolt hitting the titan's head.

Distracting it. Buying seconds.

But the titan was already swinging.

The massive blade descending.

Kael looked up. Saw death coming.

His body was failing. The ward's energy had damaged him badly.

He couldn't dodge. Couldn't run.

And in that moment, Dante spoke.

Not shouting. Just loud enough.

"Kael. You know what you have to do."

Kael's eyes met Dante's.

Across the chamber. Through the chaos.

And he understood.

There was only one way now.

He couldn't disable the wards properly.

But he could overload them.

Become the attack himself.

"For the team," Kael whispered.

He turned to the heart. Gathered every last bit of his power.

Every skill he'd ever copied. Every ability.

All of it. Everything.

Mana Burst. The self-detonation skill.

He'd copied it weeks ago from some forgotten enemy.

Never thought he'd use it this way.

His body began glowing. Overloading.

"Kael, wait—" Talia started.

But it was too late.

The titan's sword came down.

And Kael released everything.

BOOM!

The explosion was massive. Blinding.

White light filling the entire chamber.

The titan was blown back. Its sword shattering.

The blast hit the heart directly.

CRACK!

The black crystal didn't shatter completely.

But massive fissures spread across its surface.

Blue-green energy bleeding out.

Pouring from the cracks like blood.

The chamber shook. Violently.

The titans froze. Their connection disrupted.

Ouroboros tore through them while they were stunned.

They crumbled to dust.

The glowing threads connecting the heart flickered.

Dimmed but didn't go out.

The heart was damaged. Critically.

But still intact.

Still functioning.

And in the center. Where Kael had been.

Nothing.

Just scorched bone. And fading light.

Silence.

"Kael..." Talia whispered. Tears streaming.

She fell to her knees. Sobbing.

Lana stood frozen. For once not smiling.

Even she looked shaken.

Dante walked forward. Through the settling dust.

His face carefully arranged. Grief. Shock.

But inside, his mind was already working.

Kael's soul was still here. Fresh. Powerful.

Enhanced by all those copied skills.

The perfect summon.

He reached out with his necromancy.

Found the lingering essence.

And pulled.

FWOOSH!

Shadow gathered. Taking form.

Taller than Kael had been. Stronger.

The spectral form of the Mimic appeared.

Eyes burning with violet fire.

All those copied skills. Still encoded in his soul.

"Rest easy, Kael," Dante said aloud. For the others.

"Your sacrifice damaged it. We can finish this."

'Seven became six,' he thought coldly. 'Perfect.'

But then the heart pulsed.

THUMP-THUMP.

Still beating. Still alive.

The cracks were sealing. Slowly.

The dragon's magic was trying to repair the damage.

"It's healing itself!" Lana said. "We need to finish it!"

"No time," Dante said. "We need to—"

pTEAM ALPHA - THE LAIR]

The dragon froze.

Its attack stopped. Mid-breath.

The soul-fire sputtered. Flickered.

'What...'

Then pain.

Pure, agonizing pain.

The dragon's roar shook the entire island.

Not mental. Physical.

A sound of pure agony.

Its massive body convulsed. Bones cracking.

'MY HEART!'

The mental voice was no longer cold. No longer amused.

It was enraged.

'YOU... DARE...'

The dragon thrashed. Smashing into its own lair.

Bones falling from the ceiling.

The whole cavern shaking.

Jin pulled Masha to her feet. "We need to move!"

"It's going berserk!" Erica shouted.

They ran. Toward the exit.

But the dragon wasn't dying.

It was angry.

The cracks in the heart were sealing. The damage wasn't fatal.

But it had felt pain. Real pain.

For the first time in centuries.

And it was done playing.

[TEAM BETA - THE HEART CHAMBER]

The chamber shook violently.

"The dragon felt it!" Dante said. "It knows we're here!"

The damaged heart pulsed faster. Irregularly.

The threads connecting it to the ceiling burned brighter.

Feeding it more power.

Trying to heal.

"We can't let it recover!" Lana said. "We need to destroy it now!"

"The wards are still active!" Talia said. "We can't get close!"

Dante looked at the cracked heart. At the bleeding energy.

Kael had damaged it. Badly.

But not enough.

They needed to finish it. Completely destroy it.

But the wards were regenerating. Growing stronger.

And above them, they could hear it.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Heavy footsteps. Getting closer.

The dragon was coming.

Not staying in its lair. Not waiting.

It was hunting them.

"It's moving!" Talia said. Eyes wide. "The dragon is leaving the lair!"

"Impossible," Lana said. "It's bound to its lair!"

"Not anymore," Dante said grimly.

The heart damage had disrupted the binding.

The dragon was free.

And it was coming for them.

The island shook again. Harder this time.

CRACK!

The tunnel they'd used to enter started collapsing.

"We need to leave!" Dante commanded. "Now!"

"But the heart—" Lana started.

"Will have to wait! Move otherwise we will be stuck in a dead end!"

They ran. Back through the crumbling tunnel.

Behind them, the heart continued pulsing.

Damaged but not dead.

Healing slowly but surely.

[TEAM ALPHA - OUTSIDE THE LAIR]

They burst out of the collapsing entrance.

Gasping. Bleeding.

"What happened?" Masha asked. "Why did it stop?"

"I don't know," Jin said. "But we need to—"

BOOM!

The lair entrance exploded outward.

Bones scattering like shrapnel.

And through the dust.

The dragon emerged.

But it was different now.

Its movements were erratic. Violent.

The blue-green fire in its eyes burned brighter.

Hotter.

Angrier.

Its mental voice was no longer cold calculation.

It was pure rage.

'I WILL KILL YOU ALL!'

'TEAR YOU APART!'

'FEAST ON YOUR SOULS!'

The dragon that had toyed with them. Played with them.

Was gone.

This was a wounded, enraged god.

With nothing to lose.

[TEAM BETA - EMERGING]

They climbed out of the side entrance.

Saw Team Alpha across the open space.

Saw the dragon between them.

"Oh no," Talia whispered.

The dragon saw them both. Both teams.

Its head swiveled. Looking at each group.

Then it roared again.

And charged.

Not at one team.

At both.

Moving faster than before. More aggressive.

It swept its tail at Team Alpha.

Opened its jaws at Team Beta.

Attacking everything in range.

"SCATTER!" Dante screamed.

Both teams ran. Different directions.

The dragon's tail smashed into the ground where Team Alpha had been.

CRASH!

Its soul-fire breath scorched the air where Team Beta had stood.

But now they were separated. Scattered.

And the dragon was between them.

Wounded. Enraged. Unstoppable.

"We can't fight it like this!" Masha shouted. "It's too strong!"

"The heart!" Dante called across the distance. "We damaged it but it's healing!"

"We need to finish the job!"

"How?!" Jin yelled back. "We can't get past this thing!"

The dragon's head turned. Tracking Dante's voice.

'You...'

The mental voice focused on him specifically.

'You led them. You planned this.'

'You hurt me.'

The dragon took a step toward Dante.

Then another.

Its full attention on him now.

'I will make you suffer.'

Dante backed up. Mind racing.

This wasn't the plan.

The dragon wasn't supposed to be mobile. Wasn't supposed to be this aggressive.

Kael's sacrifice had damaged the heart.

But not enough.

And now they were facing a berserk god.

With no plan. No strategy.

Just desperation.

The dragon opened its jaws.

Gathering soul-fire for a full-power blast.

This one would kill him. Instantly.

"DANTE!" Multiple voices screamed.

The dragon's throat glowed.

Brighter.

Brighter.

This was it.

The fire released.

And everything went white.

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