As Nickolas and bucrok soared higher, ascending a couple hundred feet, an unexpected and crushing weight descended upon them once again. The sensations were starkly different; if the previous assault felt like a waterfall, this felt akin to an entire avalanche crashing down on them.

  Bucrok fought to draw breath, his eyes bulging wide in agony, his muscles rigid, groups of veins resembling angry serpents trying to escape the confines of his skin. Nickolas struggled alongside him; he could hardly lift his head, drowning in a mix of visceral dread and the oppressive force threatening to smother him. His gaze fell downward, and through the dim agony, he caught sight of Nita cradling their frightened daughter on the ground, her expression marred with worry, mirrored by countless others around them who had either collapsed or were kneeling in despair.

  With a surge of determination, Nickolas pointed his staff toward the beleaguered city, bellowing, “Aduima!” A shimmering, translucent barrier of yellow blossomed around the city, a guardian’s embrace against the encroaching darkness. Without hesitation, he crafted another spell, raising his staff high above his head. “Sa. re. To. si!” he gasped, each syllable a struggle, pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion. The magical strain on his body surged, fatiguing his mind as the two spells intertwined with fierce energy. He could sense Bucrok's breathing starting to stabilize, a subtle reminder of the power that still flowed between them. A brief window of relief washed over him as he glanced down to see Nita on the move, picking up her daughter.

  Hope was short-lived, a thunderous bang echoed from above, drawing both Nickolas and Bucrok’s attention skyward with dread.From that dreadful rift emerged a massive, black, scaly egg—an otherworldly monstrosity, oblong and intimidating.The egg hovered ominously, a harbinger of doom that seemed to drag the atmosphere into an abyss of despair before it began its slow descent, accelerating like a meteor destined for destruction.

  Without missing a beat, he thrust his staff downward, yelling, “Aduimadre!” As he conjured three additional barriers, each pulsating with different hues, a deep, malevolent voice echoed all around them, sending chills down their spines. “Oh! A challenge, this might be fun!” The sound resonated ominously across the expanse, akin to thunder rumbling through the clouds. Nickolas felt his heart race.

  “This isn’t nearly enough,” he muttered desperately. With a surge of energy, he raised his staff once more, calling out another spell, “Aduimekrie!” Another five barriers erupted into being, making a total of nine layers, shimmering with varying hues of light and energy. The barriers were thick—some two, others four feet in depth—each layer a testament to Nickolas's determination and the mana he expended. He had tested these barriers before against wyverns and monstrous beasts, and he knew how the strength of his magical constructs could shield against overwhelming odds.

  The maniacal laughter from the egg sent tremors of unease through him, echoing deep within his bones. The laughter reverberated through the air like an insidious wind. “That’s better! Make this as fun as possible! Crushing you and your hope makes this all the more delightful!” The malevolent voice sneered as the egg continued to descend, gaining speed with a momentum that felt unstoppable.

  With a sickening crack, the egg crashed against the first barrier, breaking through as easily as a stone would pierce a delicate spider’s web. It shattered the next two barriers effortlessly, and with every barrier that succumbed to its power, Nickolas felt a debilitating headache blossom across his mind, an excruciating echo of his waning strength. Bucrok, watching the impending doom unfold, felt the cold grip of anxiety tightening around his heart. He turned to Nickolas, worry etched across his features.

  Summoning all his strength, he grasped the double-headed hammer strapped to his back, his hands tightening around it in a fierce grip. “Throw me!” Bucrok roared, lowering himself into a battle-ready stance, fire igniting beneath his skin.

  “Why do you want me to hurl you like a cannonball?”“Why not just fly over there?” Nickolas questioned, incredulous.

  "I might not have a clue how to soar like a pixie over there, but I certainly know what it's like to be thrown around," Bucrok remarked, the word 'pixie' escaping his lips with a hint of a groan.

  His resolve was unwavering as he prepared for the confrontation that could mean the difference between their survival and annihilation in the face of cosmic terror.

  "“Once we get through this ordeal, I’ll be more than happy to give you some lessons,” Nickolas chuckled, his warm laughter echoing in the open air.

  “Save your delusions for someone who cares, old man,” Bucrok shot back, a note of playful defiance lacing his voice. “I prefer keeping my feet firmly planted on solid ground.” He maintained his stance, grounded in determination.

  With an elegant flourish, Nickolas waved his staff in a rhythmic swaying motion, conjuring an arcane incantation. “Wensigalle!” he called out, the syllables practically crackling with energy. Suddenly, a surge of force propelled Bucrok towards the colossal egg with jaw-dropping speed. The abrupt velocity jolted him, leaving him barely able to prepare for the whirlwind that ensued.

  “Arrrrgh!” Bucrok shouted, the violent momentum threatening to churn his stomach and unleash his last meal all over himself. Bucrok felt his body start to spin uncontrollably, whipped around like a leaf caught in a tempest. Nickolas, with precise control, ensured that Bucrok would pass through the barriers without harm.

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  At last, Bucrok found himself positioned right in front of the egg, just as it had obliterated the fourth barrier. The staggering momentum of his flight was beginning to wane, and he readied himself for the impending collision. Bracing for impact, he tried to channel the last remnants of his rotation into a strategic rolling strike, hoping to convert his dizzying speed into a powerful blow. The instant his hammer connected with the hard shell, a deafening crack resonated, swiftly morphing into a chaotic symphony of cracks and snaps ringing in the air. Bucrok hung motionless for a moment, suspended before the now fractured egg, clutching his aching hands, which throbbed as if he had just leapt off the rooftop of a towering building and landed awkwardly.

  Nickolas observed Bucrok's intense power and undeniable performance with a mix of admiration and astonishment. To the colossal egg, Bucrok was little more than a pest, an insignificant ant in comparison to the magnitude of the challenge before him. Yet, against the odds, not only had Bucrok managed to crack the surface of the shell, but he had also halted its descent, leaving the egg precariously balanced on the fifth barrier. A self-satisfied grin spread across Bucrok's face, visible from hundreds of feet away. Nickolas couldn’t help but wager that, had he been closer, Bucrok would have been bragging about his brilliant strategy.

  Bucrok's battle hammer lay embedded at the site of the impact, half wedged into the scaly shell of the egg. He winced as he reached for it, a sharp flare of pain shooting through his hands but pushing through the discomfort with a grim determination.

  “Impressive, little mortal,” a voice reverberated ominously from within the egg, an echo that seemed to crawl into their very souls. “It has been several millennia since anyone has dared to successfully get in my way. Congratulations, you have annoyed me.” The words tumbled into their minds not as sounds, but rather as a telekinetic roar, pulsating through their thoughts and leaving a lingering sense of dread. Bucrok steeled himself, adopting a combat crouch as uncertainty fluttered in his gut—he was preparing for a threat he couldn’t yet comprehend.

  In the blink of an eye, a colossal, scaly arm erupted violently from the remnants of the shell, swinging down towards Bucrok with terrifying speed. Though he anticipated the attack, he found it nearly impossible to evade it. The dark blur of the appendage engulfed him, sending him crashing downward toward the city like a falling star. Nickolas, now painfully aware of the urgency of the situation, managed to react just in time to manipulate the last four barriers, allowing Bucrok to break through them unscathed. But the moment Bucrok was thrown past the fifth barrier, it shattered under his force, creating a spectacular explosion. When his body made contact with the city a mountain of dust and debris was kicked up obscuring his body from view and left a sizable crater in its wake.

  From the depths of the egg shell, a pair of gleaming amber eyes glared out, radiating an unsettling presence. A crackle of telepathic energy pierced through Nickolas’ very being, igniting horror that coursed through his veins.

  Reacting quickly, Nickolas delved into the depths of his robe, fingers brushing past enchanted trinkets until they clutched a small glass vial filled with a shimmering blue liquid. The golden eyes of the monstrous entity zeroed in on him but made no move as the mage raised the vial in a toast to fate, gulping down the contents as if it were the elixir of life itself.

  With the egg once again halting atop the sixth barrier, the creature's menacing words sliced through the tension like a blade.

  “I grow weary of waiting for you to amuse me, mortal. Do something entertaining, or I assure you, death is on the horizon.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got something truly fascinating in store for you,” Nickolas replied, taking a deep breath to center himself. His mana replenished and a new surge of energy coursed through him.

  With both hands firmly gripping the intricately carved staff, Nickolas stood resolute before him, his focus locked on the ominous, dark crevice in the shell of the mysterious egg. The gaping hole was a void of incomprehensible blackness, so deep and consuming that it seemed to absorb all light around it. The only thing that pierced the shroud of darkness were the piercing, malevolent eyes that glinted back at him, filled with an unsettling intelligence that sent a chill racing down his spine. Nickolas couldn’t quite articulate the sensation washing over him, but he was convinced that this otherworldly presence within the egg was mocking him, a sinister smirk tugging at the edges of its consciousness as it regarded him from its shadowy confines.

  Swallowing down a gulp of trepidation, Nickolas squeezed his eyes shut, shutting out the unsettling sight of that accursed gaze. Instead, he turned his focus inward, where magic swirled like a tempest waiting to be unleashed. As he concentrated, a blanket of shimmering silver fog began to envelop him, weaving around him like a protective shroud. Within that fog, intricate clusters of ice crystals dancing in frenzied symmetry, swirling around him with a mesmerizing intensity.

  The sounds of crunching ice filled the air, a symphony of hard, crystalline notes as the frost began to bloom and compress like a divine orchestration of nature’s cold fury. Each sharp crack of ice resonated like applause for the grand performance about to unfold. With each pulse, the ice coalesced into a sharp lance, an icy spear growing larger and more formidable with every second, until it reached an imposing size akin to that of a quaint cottage.

  Nickolas inhaled deeply, the frigid air filling his lungs, bracing himself against the biting cold that sent shivers down his spine. He could feel the weight of the moment bearing down upon him, and with a roar that echoed through the chamber, he bellowed, “Frolizium!” The word reverberated loudly, laced with power, as the immense ice lance broke free from his grasp, spiraling away from him with breathtaking speed and lethal intent.

  The frosty projectile whirled through the air like a comet, gathering momentum as it zeroed in on the target. It crashed into the dark hole of the egg with a resounding thud that resonated like thunder, shattering the stillness of the moment and sending shards of icy debris scattering into the air like a dazzling show.The resounding thump of impact reverberated through the air, followed by an explosive burst of frost that enveloped the surrounding area, creating a storm of glistening ice particles that twinkled like stars in the aftermath of the magical onslaught. Nickolas floated there in silence, hoping to have made some type of progress against this world ending creature.