Gwen took a single step forward.

  And just then-Damon and Zephyr appeared at her side.

  "I hate to cut in on the fun" Zephyr said calmly, "But we need to end this...., Fast."

  Tharn immediately dropped from the sky next to Ivy.

  Zephyr popped his head up at Ladrel. "You sure you don't wanna join the party?"

  Ivy, however, stood unfazed by their numbers, letting out a tremendous amount of Essence. The earth beneath them cracked as her body surged with power.

  Stretching out the bow with one hand, she shot at them, leaping back. The arrow struck the ground, and suddenly the earth shimmered, burning like acid. It became a void, and from it, a brimming red giant snake sprung out. It wasn't fully formed yet-only half of its body whipped around in the air.

  "Seriously?" Gwen muttered. "First, you shot multi-arrows from a single shot. Then you shot a literal wind cyclone. Then an arrow became handcuffs. Now you're shooting some kind of spatial portal that summons dragons?"

  The snake lunged at them. They immediately leapt back, airborne. But the snake was right beneath them in an instant, shooting itself upward with alarming speed.

  "What the...?" Gwen muttered.

  Damon immediately grabbed Gwen's arm and flung her the other way. The snake grazed Damon's arm, then shot itself back into the portal. Damon landed next to Gwen and Zephyr, who had teleported away. He was holding his arm where the snake had bitten.

  Ivy smirked inwardly.

  CRIMSON FANG-VASHIRA

  The poisoned part of Damon's hand seemed to immediately burn away. "Yeah, poison doesn't work on me," he said bluntly. "Although the graze seems to be draining my stamina somehow," he thought inwardly. "It's able to move between portals, and we don't know the true size of the snake. If my instincts are right, we could be surrounded by portals instantly, with the snake slithering all around us."

  "This is gonna be a problem."

  Tharn charged forward with precise speed, Ivy right behind him.

  The strike came violently, his hand arcing from above. The trio jerked back just in time. The blow crushed the ground on impact. In motion, Vashira slithered from above Tharn, lunging at them from below. Damon bloomed a forcefield around them. The snake bit into the shield, pushing them upward. Its venomous acid, dripping from its fangs, slowly melted through the forcefield.

  "Like I suspected, it won't hold." Damon muttered.

  Zephyr immediately teleported to the snake's side, staying far enough to avoid the acid burn. He summoned a two-handed sword, instead of his usual twin daggers. The sword extended up to 65 inches, pulsating with an ethereal glow-as if the sword was the very essence of the wind spirit.

  Zephyr swung the sword through the snake, cutting from the mouth down to its end, dividing it in two.

  The snake's halves whipped violently around, then immediately closed its body together almost instantly and sprung at Zephyr.

  Zephyr's eyes widened as he teleported out of the way just in time.

  The snake shot itself back inside the portal, it's massive body slithering away.

  Zephyr's eyes narrowed. "The snake seems endless, coming out of the portal. We were over 20 feet in the air, and it still felt like that was not even half of it." He muttered silently to himself.

  Gwen's eyes widened as she witnessed the snake's regenerative abilities.

  Damon, however, seemed unfazed. "She really poured a lot of essence into the snake, huh? I don't think it can be killed. The only way to stop it is to take down its head." His gaze shot to Ivy, who seemed to be grinning widely, panting slightly from the effort.

  "We need to take her out," Damon and Zephyr exclaimed in unison.

  Gwen was already in motion, racing towards Ivy. "Already on it."

  Tharn slid in front of her, swinging his axe in a wide arc, aiming to cut down Gwen.

  Zephyr teleported to his side and kicked him, but just before impact, Tharn's instincts snapped into focus, blocking the blow with both axes. The force of the strike sent him sliding far back, mid-motion, he threw both his axes at Zephyr.

  The blades hovered in the air, Zephyr's eyes followed it's movement, letting out a grin, he teleported in front, his eyes locked into Tharn's.

  Tharn then let out a smile of his own, pulling his arms back. The axes swung back, as if being pulled by a thread. Zephyr turned around, teleporting out of the way just in time, but blood dripped from his waist-he had been cut.

  "I let my guard down." He muttered.

  Gwen closed the distance between her and Ivy, when suddenly from behind, Vashira popped up from underneath, shooting itself at Gwen. The snake aimed to swallow her whole, but Damon appeared in front of it, releasing a massive burst of psionic energy from his palm.

  The snake evaporated instantly. Gwen smiled and pressed forward.

  She came flying in with a kick from above, but Ivy moved to the side, dodging the attack. Relentless, Gwen shot another kick from the side, but Ivy jerked back immediately, countering with a jab to Gwen's gut. She shot another, two from both sides, Gwen blocked them both, landing a punch square on Ivy's face.

  Ivy bounced back, almost immediately, arcing a punch from the side, Gwen dodged, her face pushing back, as the punch flew by.

  Relentless, Ivy swung her leg, kicking from the side. Gwen went low, dodging the attack effortlessly, leaving no room for anything else. Gwen landed a punch to Ivy's face from the side, swinging the second punch, Ivy blocked it and countered with a jab.

  Gwen's eyes widened with a grin as she caught Ivy's fist, her legs gliding smoothly on the ground. She leaped into the air, spinning violently above Ivy while still gripping her hand. She landed on the side, using the momentum to slam Ivy violently into the ground.

  "She's fast," Ivy thought, her body slamming into the floor with tremendous force.

  Vashira moved from the side, trying to aid Ivy, but even with its portal teleportation, Damon kept up with it, reading it's massive essence, Damon was able to predict where it would pop up next.

  The snake slithered side to side, looking for an opening, but Damon gave it none, launching multiple blasts of psionic energy, forcing it off course.

  Zephyr and Tharn clashed blades, sparks flying with each strike. Zephyr was pushed back, slamming into a massive boulder, his body hit hard against the rock.

  In the blink of an eye, Tharn was already in front of him, arcing an attack from the side. Zephyr blocked the force, pushing him straight through the boulder, slamming into the next.

  Zephyr's eyes widened as Tharn was already in front, his weapon pressing against his.

  Tharn stretched out one hand, muscles tightening as he was about to strike again, but Zephyr lifted a leg, holding back Tharn's arm. He pushed him back for a split second and immediately teleported to his side, spinning his blades around. He slashed Tharn's flank, blood splashing out as the blade went by.

  Tharn retaliated with a heavy swing from the side. Zephyr blocked it, his arms trembling to hold the impact. Persistent, Tharn thrust forward, but Zephyr sidestepped, his legs gliding smoothly to the side. He grabbed Tharn's arm, using it as a pole, he spun underneath it, delivering a powerful kick square to Tharn's face. Regaining his footing, in one fluid motion, he kicked Tharn's wrist, pressing it against the ground. The axe clattered to the floor.

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  Using the momentum, Zephyr spun around, already on top of Tharn's neck. His hand swung downward in a wide arc, his dagger crafting along the way, it aimed at Tharn's head with precision.

  Tharn reacted swiftly, grabbing Zephyr's cloth just in time, he pulled him down slamming him into the ground with force, about to step on him, Zephyr teleported out, Tharn's feet cracking the floor.

  Turning around slowly, Tharn faced Zephyr, he picked up his other axe, spinning both violently. He charged forward, already in Zephyr's face, and swung his axe with immense force, aiming at Zephyr's neck.

  Almost on impact, Zephyr teleported back, and the sheer shockwave cleaved into the ground.

  "Was he always this strong?" Zephyr muttered under his breath.

  Crafting his twin daggers, They both lunged at each other, the ground cratering beneath their feet.

  Inside Vashira, Damon surged forward, his body wrapped in a weakening forcefield.

  "Why did I ever think this was a good idea?" he muttered, as the snake's acidic insides began tearing into the barrier.

  Midway through, the forcefield faltered. Damon thrust his arms outward, palms wide, and the energy erupted in a violent shockwave-obliterating the snake's body from within. He leaped back as chunks scattered, but Vashira's form pulsed-and instantly began regenerating.

  Gwen launched Ivy into the air with a devastating uppercut, then leaped after her, cratering the ground as she took off. Ivy twisted mid-air, planting her feet on the cave's ceiling. She compressed her body and shot downward. Her eyes locked with Gwen's-too late. Gwen's fist met Ivy's gut.

  Crack.

  Shockwaves rippled outward as Ivy's body slammed into the ceiling hard enough to fracture the stone. Massive boulders fell around them. Gwen used them as footholds, leaping from one to another, gaining speed. She reached Ivy and landed a punch as Ivy was still plastered to the ceiling, triggering a thunderous dust cloud but Ivy dodged last second, landing atop a descending rock.

  Gwen's gaze snapped left.

  Ivy stood on the massive stone, breathing heavily.

  "I can't win in close combat," she thought, leaping away.

  But Gwen was faster.

  Her eyes burned with intensity as she launched from rock to rock, the sheer force of her steps shattering the stone beneath her with every leap.

  Ivy's eyes snapped to the side-Gwen had already closed in, her movements resembling that of a Ngandong tiger, her leap echoing with a roar of raw power.

  Ivy's eyes widened. "That's no mortal... that's a beast."

  Gwen leaped at her, her eyes burning with intensity. Ivy twisted mid-air, swinging to strike-but Gwen caught Ivy's arm with one hand, halting the attack cold. In the same breath, her other hand clamped over Ivy's face, and together they crashed down hard. Gwen skidded forward, palm still pressed to Ivy's face, her heel grinding into the earth to slow the momentum. With a spin, she hurled Ivy into a distant wall-shattering three boulders in the process.

  Ivy slammed into the wall with brutal force, blood spilling from her mouth.

  Suddenly, Vashira vanished. Ladrel's eyes widened. In a flash, he was beside Ivy, catching her broken form.

  "Hey! I'm not done with her!" Gwen barked.

  "I apologize for the interruption," Ladrel said. "She'll be back soon enough-"

  He stopped. A massive aura erupted from deep within the cave.

  Ladrel smirked. "Ah... looks like we've woken him up."

  And then he vanished with Ivy.

  Tharn immediately leaped back, his head bowed slightly, his stance, a show of respect and recognition. He knew exactly who was coming.

  A figure descended from above, wings extended wide. Their jagged, spiked edges shimmered in silver-gray, the cracks along them looking like ancient stone worn by time, reminiscent of the weathered ruins of forgotten temples. The wings were massive, stretching far from his back, sharp enough to slice through stone. His presence was as imposing as a mountain, yet his descent was slow, controlled, and deliberate.

  He landed gracefully, his feet touching the ground without a sound, his hand resting casually on the back of his neck, a nonchalant gesture as if the world around was beneath him.

  He stood like a living monument-his body sculpted in a way that balanced strength and agility, 190 cm tall, with a physique that was lithe yet muscular, refined but not excessive.

  His obsidian-dark skin seemed forged from the very stone, smooth but with an edge, as if he were a statue brought to life. Subtle cracks, like ancient rock, marred his body, resembling that of his wings, glowed faint amber where molten magma seemed to pulse beneath his surface. The veins of light ran across his body, soft and constant, like a lifeblood of fire within the stone.

  His face was sharp, almost regal, with high cheekbones and a chiseled jawline that spoke of battle-hardened experience. His eyes, deep-set and intense, glowed a soft golden hue, almost as if they were the reflection of a dying sun, set under a strong brow that hinted at his battle-readiness. His lips, slightly curved with a stoic expression, added to his imposing yet controlled demeanor. His head was crowned with two horn-like protrusions, each one rising back from his temples in smooth, graceful arcs that resembled the tips of ancient cliffside.

  He wore no shirt or robe to cover his upper body, revealing the strength and power in every line and contour of his form. His only attire was a pair of dark trousers, fitting his powerful legs as he stood firmly grounded, exuding an air of both danger and elegance. His presence was overwhelming, yet there was an undeniable dignity to him-a warrior who had seen years of strife yet still held onto his sense of purpose.

  As he landed, his wings folded smoothly into his back.

  "What a pain."

  "Would you like my assistance, Master Kieran?" Tharn asked, his head still bowed.

  "You're hurt, Tharn," the man replied, voice edged with concern.

  "Only a graze, Master," Tharn smiled.

  "You sure you can still fight?" Kieran asked.

  Tharn nodded slowly.

  Kieran smiled.

  "I'm really glad you said yes-because I don't think I can take them all on my own," he added, gesturing casually at the trio. His tone held both relief and amusement.

  "Who's this flying fish?" Gwen asked, eyes locked on Kieran.

  "Apologies," Kieran said, crossing one leg, hand resting on his chest while the other extended outward in a graceful bow.

  "My name is Kieran."

  "No one cares about your name, ya moron!" Gwen snapped.

  Kieran continued, ignoring her entirely.

  "Apparently, this was meant to be a friendly raid. Didn't know it'd stir this much trouble."

  Zephyr's expression darkened, words ready to fire-

  "You call that a friendly raid?"

  Damon's voice struck first, sharp and angry.

  "Where is a raid ever friendly? Lives were taken. People left to starve."

  Kieran remained unfazed.

  "You seem like a smart one," he said, eyes locking with Damon.

  "Take a look around" His tone dropped.

  "Hundreds of us, surviving in a cave. Didn't it occur to you that something was off. When was the last time you saw races of all kinds living side by side?"

  The trio fell silent.

  "We all, every one of us were once victims," Kieran continued.

  "We were once weak, helpless, afraid. But.... We found each other, helped one another. Grew. Became a family."

  He straightened slightly.

  "There are far too many people in this construct we call the world," he said, eyes burning.

  "And in this cycle, the weak get taken out-destroyed. KILLED."

  He panted lightly, shoulders rising.

  "You can't do shit in this world if you're weak."

  His voice softened.

  "So we became one. To cover each other's weaknesses. To become strong."

  Then, his voice flared again.

  "And the only way to survive, the only way WE survived was to take. We take and take and take, until we're satisfied!" his eyes popped.

  He stared directly at Damon.

  "Every single one of us here was a victim once." his voice softened.

  Damon's fists clenched.

  "Then how is taking from the weak any different from what was done to you?"

  Kieran shouted-

  "Exactly...., it's not!!!"

  Damon's jaw tightened as his foot shifted-

  "Let me ask you," Kieran's voice sank-calm, bitter, dangerous. It stopped Damon mid-step.

  "If the roles were reversed... if it were us-this many of us-still being oppressed by those we've risen against, what would you have done?

  O GREAT HERO?"

  Damon didn't look up. He slowly raised his fist, gaze still cast downward.

  "I would've found a way... to make it all work."

  Kieran gritted his teeth as his presence twisted. A leak of malice spilled into the air like a storm front.

  "Huh." Damon's head snapped up, his body vibrating-not with fear, but in resonance, as if he could feel Kieran's pain.

  "Don't give me that crap!" Kieran roared.

  In a blink, he launched forward-blazing speed-his fist slammed into Damon's face almost immediately.

  The impact echoed like thunder. Damon flew back, crashing into the wall with brutal force, stone and dust erupting around him.

  Zephyr and Gwen's eyes widened.

  "I didn't even see him move..." they both realized at once, leaping far back on instinct.

  Silence fell.

  Then-

  From the cracked wall, Damon stirred. Slowly, steadily, he rose to his feet. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, his head still lowered. The air grew dense, heavy with pressure.

  Kieran's wings shot wide-jagged and vast-he ascended slowly into the air, his mighty wings wings flapping slowly. In a flash, he darted toward Damon like a silver storm.

  Gwen and Zephyr reacted instantly-appearing at Kieran's sides mid-flight, ready to intercept.

  But-

  Clang!

  Zephyr's blade was caught mid-swing by Tharn, who met his strike without flinching while Gwen's fist slammed into a wall of gravel-armored stone warriors that erupted from the ground, each covered in jagged, shard-like plating.

  Kieran didn't falter. He surged forward, grabbing Damon by the face and slamming him around the cave walls. Stone shattered as Damon's skull scraped across jagged rock. Without pause, Kieran spun and smashed Damon again-once, twice, again-rattling the cave with each impact.

  Persistent, he followed through with a relentless barrage. Each punch deeper than the last, the wall collapsed around them as Kieran drove fist after fist into Damon's body.

  With one final strike to the gut-

  CRACK.

  The wall exploded into a crater.

  Kieran grabbed Damon by the hair, yanked him forward, and kneeed his face brutally. Blood splattered. Damon's face dripped red from every angle.

  Kieran rose higher, still gripping Damon's limp body-

  Then hurled him down like dead weight.

  As Damon hit the ground, Kieran extended his hand. A spear of stone formed in midair-sharp, primal.

  The spear surged through the air, tearing the wind apart. It pierced through Damon's torso, pinning him to the earth.

  Kieran descended slowly, panting. His chest heaved. His eyes blazed with unspoken rage. He stood over Damon like a hunter over his prey-until-

  He paused.

  Damon was smiling.

  Warmly.

  Despite the blood. Despite the pain. He chuckled softly.

  "Sorry," Damon rasped. "I thought you needed something to lash out on."

  Kieran's breath hitched.

  Damon raised his hand. With a single touch, the stone spear crumbled to dust.

  Kieran's rage returned tenfold. He raised his arm, summoning a massive stone sword from thin air. Its edges cracked like volcanic rock.

  "Die!!" he roared-

  But before the blade could fall-

  A colossal punch struck his face.

  Two fists-Gwen and Zephyr-together, their blows colliding squarely with Kieran's jaw.

  The force sent him flying, crashing through the far side of the cavern in a whirlwind of rubble.