So it speaks, Leo commented internally, still hovering a fair distance away from the wounded dragon. Landing now pretty much meant death from the continuous magma explosions all over the battlefield.

  "Ages of waiting… Hoping for the end to come…" The red dragon's voice resonated across the realm, yet its massive jaws never moved. "Shall you be the one to finish what the white one began? Tell me, child of the Abyss, what's your name?"

  Leo arched an eyebrow. That was not what he had expected after Naz'Tor's warning. Sure, what the beast said didn't make much sense but aside from that, it seemed quite sane—normal? At least he didn't mind giving it his name.

  "Leo Hale!" he shouted, making sure his voice traveled far enough.

  "Hale…" the dragon muttered, testing the word. "You don't belong to these lands, I can feel it… Very well. Allow me, Y Ddraig Goch, to test your resolve. May the strongest survive."

  Resolve? Ddraig? What in the he—

  Leo's thoughts were cut short as the dragon surged into the sky with a single, powerful leap. Each beat of its wings sent a shockwave through the area, tearing apart the misty walls hiding the sea of magma from the rest of the divine realm.

  Leo fought to stay afloat, pushing every bit of Essence into Bloodmail while keeping Limit Break active at half power. High up in the sky, the dragon looked even larger, and he felt like an ant that just challenged a giant.

  Nyx?! You all right?

  'Peachy,' the feline groaned. 'Don't worry about me, I just had a bit of a rough landing.'

  Leo winced as he flew away, trying to create as much distance as possible between him and the dragon. What happened?

  'I was too close when it jumped. Got caught up in the blast. I crashed close to the massive skeleton.'

  Any injuries?

  'Nothing life-threatening. Don't worry, Leo,' Nyx reassured. 'Focus on the task at hand. I will join you as soon as I can.'

  He nodded. So be it. Like always, I will be the front line. You target his injuries—work as a distraction, and let me know when you notice anything important.

  'As you wish. Good luck.'

  You too.

  With that said, Leo made a sharp turn and stopped, locking his gaze with the dragon, who hadn't moved since it took to the skies. It simply hovered there, rivers of blood dripping from its body onto the molten wasteland below.

  "Done running, youngling?" Ddraig boomed, its voice alone sending tremors through the realm.

  Leo didn't answer. He only reinforced Manifestation and activated Spectral Fury while his eyes scanned the dragon's body. Targeting its injuries seemed obvious, yet the multiple silver spots in his vision convinced him otherwise.

  Death Touch… Excellent.

  He disappeared in a burst of Essence, abusing Blink to get close once more. Each time he came out of his skill, an illusionary clone slipped out of his body and rushed in a different direction. He had no idea if the massive beast would fall for the decoys, but it couldn't hurt to try.

  There! He shouted internally as the first weak spot appeared in his reach. His enhanced blades cut right through the silver mark, and before the dragon could even react, he escaped with another Blink, flashing right next to his next target.

  One mark down. Many more to go.

  His sight darkened as he pressed on, red slowly creeping into the edges of his sight as Relentless Hunger ramped up. Yet, with every weak point destroyed, every new cut added to its body, the dragon still didn't move or try to retaliate.

  This might be an issue…

  Nonetheless, Leo sliced through another dozen or so weak points before finally retreating. That was when the dragon's deep voice rumbled once more.

  "Is that it, child? A pitiful soul attack? Where is the power that obliterated my scales? That still eats at my flesh?" It shook its head. "No…this won't do. I shall force the Abyss out of you if I have to!"

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Shit.

  The thought barely registered before the entire realm erupted in flames. The fire consumed everything—the ground, the sky, even Leo himself. The inferno tore into his armor of shadows, grinding it into dust as he sacrificed more and more Essence to sustain it.

  Among the chaos, his wings of lightning fought a battle of their own, struggling to keep him afloat. How they managed to survive the constant onslaught, Leo had no idea but suspected bloodlust's involvement.

  Slowly, the heat retreated, and he breathed a sigh of relief as the world came back into focus. However, it was far from the world he had expected to see.

  The entire realm, even the lands beyond the destroyed walls, became a sea of boiling lava, with geysers of fire that reached the skies. The once-proud skeleton of the ancient dragon was no more, reduced to ash by the inferno. Above, the blue sky had also vanished, replaced by a mirroring ocean of flames that rained down upon the entire realm.

  'Leo!?' Nyx's voice filled his mind.

  I'm fine. A bit spent, but fine. You? He answered, working on dodging the raining flames.

  'Managed to turn into my smoke form before it hit.'

  Good… Proceed as planned. I… I will figure something out. It bleeds so it can be killed.

  'Ruination?'

  Leo nodded to himself. If it comes to that. I should still have one or two uses at full power.

  'Very well. I have your back. Always.'

  He allowed himself the faintest of smiles before setting his sights on Ddraig in the distance. This time, the dragon didn't wait for his arrival and answered in kind, flapping its massive wings to meet him head-on.

  Of course, considering their size differences, Leo had no chance of winning a confrontation like that. As such, he slipped between the incoming claws and sliced the flesh available there. Ddraig roared and tried to swat him away with another limb, but at this point, he was long gone.

  Blink brought him atop the beast, yet before he could even think of striking at the nearest open wound, fire erupted from its back. Leo leaped away, watching as the flames spread across its body.

  Of course it can use fire like armor. There goes plan B, I guess…

  He flew up, weaving through Ddraig's swipes and the constant rain of fire. Until this moment, he never fought an enemy so massive, and if he couldn't bring it down with his blades, his choices were quite limited.

  Shadows, Ruination, and lightning—even if the last one wasn't his official affinity. Maybe if Ddraig couldn't fly, he could try other stuff, but as it was, he had to work with what he had.

  Thank the Void it's slow. We would be screwed otherwise…

  Lightning and shadows collided, mixing with each other. He had been working on combining those two for days, but maybe, just maybe, the heat of the battle was the final push they needed.

  Let's go.

  With all enhancing skills active at full power, Leo dove toward Ddraig, spears of combined elements forming around him. Nyx also joined his side out of nowhere, dragging a wave of shadows even bigger than before.

  The dragon met their onslaught head-on, barely wincing as the elements sliced into its wounded chest. Still, some damage was done, so Leo and Nyx continued flying around the massive beast like two annoying flies.

  Furious, or maybe just tired of their weak attacks, Ddraig opened its jaws, flames licking at its massive teeth.

  Nyx! Scatter!

  They darted in opposite directions as a torrent of fire engulfed the skies. Leo cursed when the heat washed over him, yet he wasn't the target of the dragon's breath. No, Nyx was.

  That's my chance.

  Lightning surged through his Manifestation, the darkness of the shadows shifting to a dark purple. Neon-blue sparks crackled, racing along his armor as it tightened against his body.

  The wings upon his back also erupted in power, a mist of midnight black mixing with sparks of violet. Thunder split the sky above, ringing in Leo's ears, yet a completely different sound registered in his mind.

  System notification.

  'Stormveil,' it read, but Leo ignored the rest and rushed at the fire-spewing dragon in a burst of speed he could have never achieved before without Blink.

  Within a heartbeat, his blades found their mark, sinking deep into the joint where the dragon's massive wing connected to its back. However, it didn't end there. With every ounce of strength, he drove his blades further, through sinew and armored flesh, until the wing severed entirely, falling away from its owner.

  Ddraig roared but could do nothing as gravity pulled it down. The other wing tried its best, but without its companion, there was no saving this situation.

  The dragon crashed into the ground like a meteor, parting the sea of magma. Lava replaced the rain of fire as the skies cleared.

  Leo maneuvered through the chaos, dodging the molten waves as he descended, his gaze fixed on the dragon. Ddraig struggled to rise from the crater it had created. But in the end, with a leg and a wing missing, it was a losing battle.

  Now, to end it.

  Ruination once more flooded his hands, growing into an orb of back and red. Stormveil—his new element he barely understood—joined in, forming sparkling veins of violet all around the technique.

  As if sensing the impending doom, the dragon looked up, locking eyes with Leo. He expected to see many things there—hate, anger, fear, or even desperation—yet he found only one emotion reflected in its gaze.

  Acceptance.

  Wha—

  "I see. It seems my time has finally come… I'm glad," Ddraig muttered, its voice still traveling for miles. "Come, finish me, child of the dark. Let me rest."

  Leo froze, only to be nudged by Nyx, who joined his side.

  'Do it,' she said. 'I know what Naz'Tor said, but I don't think this is a trap. Just be quick.'

  Slowly, Leo turned to face Ddraig again, a whisper leaving his mouth.

  "As you wish."

  In a Blink, he reappeared right in front of the dragon's wounded chest. Without hesitation, he drove the orb of Ruination and Stormveil forward, plunging it into the beast's flesh.

  The world went dark.

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