The Dreadmaw screamed. Not the animalistic roar of a mindless beast, but something sharper. Angrier.

The Dreadmaw spun, its massive tail whipping around like a siege weapon. It slammed into the offending Boulderbacks, shattering the stone giant into gravel.

"Re-summon!" Reidar said. "Don't let the pressure drop!" His summons worked non-stop as more and more of them were getting destroyed.

The battle between the giants had already decreased the lesser summons to less than half.

"Reidar, it's going to—"

The beast's tail whipped around before she could finish. It caught a cluster of Boulderback Behemoths across the chest, killing them without trouble.

"Shit!"

Reidar didn't wait. He raised his wand, channeling mana into Mark of Frailty. A dark sigil burned itself into the air above the Dreadmaw, then slammed down onto the beast.

The monster shrieked as its resistance plummeted. Its armor softened, losing that impenetrable sheen.

He continued using Aura of the Alpha, which increased his summons attribute by quite a wide margin.

The creatures roared in response, those who could, at least, and their attacks intensified.

The Bark Behemoths slammed their enormous fists into the Dreadmaw's legs, splintering its chitin. The Terran Bulwarks instead did their best to pin the monster in place and prevent it from moving.

"Burn it!" Reidar said.

The Cinderheart Efreetis raised their hands. Beams of concentrated, white-hot fire lanced down, converging on the monster.

The Dreadmaw screamed, and the pain gave it enough strength to free itself from the Terran Bulwarks' vise and then lunged forward, ignoring the Boulderbacks, aiming straight for the summons protecting the ridge.

"It's going to jump!" Lena shouted. "It's loading tension in its hind legs. It's aiming for the back line!"

Reidar didn't ask questions.

"Intercept it! Don't let it come close!"

The Terran Bulwarks set in defense slammed their massive shields into the ground, basically rooting themselves to it while the Bark Behemoths chased the monster, producing a rumbling that was akin to that of an earthquake and a tsunami put together, and stepping into the path the monster would take.

A split second later, the Dreadmaw launched itself into the air. It was a terrifying sight to behold since tons of muscle and armor were flying through the sky, and they were aiming at Reidar. But because of Lena's warning, the interception worked as it was intended.

The beast crashed into the Bark Behemoths mid-air. Wood shattered, bark flew, and half the Behemoths were torn in half, but at least they stopped the monster's momentum. It fell short of the ridge, crashing into the ground in a tangle of limbs and roots.

Then, the Tidal Saints started healing the others.

The Boulderback and the Bark behemoths that had been half destroyed, but that were still alive began to mend, and as soon as they did, they joined the fray.

The Dreadmaw thrashed, trying to break free from the tide of titans crushing it from all sides. The Cinderheart Efreetis poured more fire onto it. The Bark Behemoths hammered at its skull.

"We can do this!" Jake said. His summons were holding, but they weren't as effective as Jake, or Reidar, for all it mattered, wanted. Besides, his creatures were dying in droves, and re-summoning this many creatures every time was draining him fast.

"It's working because of her," Reidar said, glancing at Lena.

Fighting with Lena was much easier. She saw the mechanics of the fight before they happened. She read the muscle tension, the shifts in weight, and the subtle tells of a creature that operated on instinct.

She was focused, her eyes tracking the Dreadmaw's every movement. "Stop talking! That thing is going to hit on the right flank! It's going to try to break through!"

Then it moved.

"It's rolling!" Lena yelled again.

"Boulderbacks, clear left! Efreetis, suppressive fire!"

The other summons were doing their best to keep the monster as occupied as possible, pelting it with attacks and summoning more of the titans that inevitably got destroyed by the monster.

The Dreadmaw tried to roll to crush the summons flanking it, but the Boulderbacks stepped back in unison, avoiding the crushing weight. With its softer, paler underbelly exposed, the Efreetis unleashed another torrent of fire.

The Dreadmaw let out another screech, this time weaker. Its movements were sluggish compared to before since the combination of fire, ice, and the various elements was finally wearing it down. One of the Boulderbacks grabbed its head, slamming it into the ground. The Bark Behemoths closed in, their fists rising and falling like hammers.

"Jake, keep the pressure on with the Zephyr Muses!" Reidar shouted. "Speed up the Titans!"

"On it!"

They were so close to doing it.

"One more push," he said.

The Zephyr Muses cast Guiding Wind and Uplift on the summons. The others hammered the prone monster. Each hit shook the earth. The Dreadmaw's natural armor was failing. Chunks of chitin were flying off, revealing the red muscles beneath.

The Dreadmaw's carapace cracked and then shattered completely.

"Kill it!"

The remaining Boulderbacks charged through the acid mist the monster was releasing to kill them all. Another 50% of Reidar's army got decimated, which meant that less than 25% of it remained. The giants, instead, ignored the damage melting their outer layers and tackled the Dreadmaw.

The Bark Behemoths lashed out with their roots, binding the monster's mouth shut, stifling its next roar.

"Finish it!"

The Cinderheart Efreetis hovered over the pinned beast. They didn't fire beams this time. They descended, wreathed in Immolation, and turned into living bombs.

They crashed into the exposed wound on the Dreadmaw's body. The heat was blinding. Reidar had to shield his eyes as a pillar of fire erupted from the site. The sound of boiling blood and cracking bone was sickeningly loud.

The Dreadmaw thrashed one last time, a spasm that threw many Boulderbacks off of it, making them shatter against the ground. But it was too late. The fire was inside it now.

It convulsed, arched its back, and then collapsed. The ground shook one last time, and then... silence.

Reidar felt as if someone had scooped his insides with a spoon.

"Is it... dead?" Jake asked.

Reidar forced his eyes to focus on the notifications scrolling past.

[Level 320 Hexapod Dreadmaw defeated.]

[You have gained 12,108,800.00 C.L.A.S.P. Points.]

[You have earned 7,144,192.00 Survival Points.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

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