The air trembled as the Black Dragon circled overhead, its massive wings creating gusts strong enough to shake the trees miles away. Obsidian scales glinted with cursed runes, and every breath it took echoed with ancient malice.
It opened its mouth once more—
Black Flame.
A massive blast of cursed fire exploded downward.
BOOM!
Kai leaped sideways, narrowly dodging the inferno. The ground where he stood seconds ago melted into twisted glass. The cursed flames weren't just heat—they devoured energy and soul alike.
"Damn..." he muttered, raising his twin blades.
The dragon swooped again, and this time—
Double Flame Stream!
A blast from each mouth corner, crossing mid-air like a burning X.
Kai braced, slashing outward in a perfect arc with both swords.
CLANG!
The flames split, but shadows still clung to him. His coat scorched, his arm burned—but he stood tall, panting.
He leapt back, skidding across the battlefield, eyes scanning the sky.
Too fast. Too high.
"If I had my full power… I would've killed that damn lizard in one strike."
The Black Dragon roared again, circling high like a vulture of death.
Kai clenched his blades.
He couldn't reach it.
Not without wings.
Not without power.
But then—
William landed beside him, armor sparking with static. His presence cracked the tension like a storm breaking silence.
"You're getting cooked out here," William said, grinning.
Kai didn't reply. Just stared at the dragon.
William followed his gaze. "We can't hit it while it's flying."
Kai nodded. "No opening."
William slammed his sword into the ground, electricity arcing from the impact. "Then I'll make one."
Kai looked at him.
William's tone grew serious. "I'm going to summon the Thunder Lion—my divine beast."
Kai's eyes narrowed behind the silver mask.
"But I need time," William said. "About a minute. Once it appears, it'll pull that thing from the sky or burn it down."
Kai gave a slow nod. "You buy the sky. I'll buy you time."
The Black Dragon roared again, sensing a shift in the battlefield.
William stepped back, beginning the Thunder Call Ritual. Lightning coiled around his body, surging into the earth.
Kai turned toward the dragon, blades raised.
One minute.
That's all he needed.
The skies howled.
Clouds twisted into a storm of chaos, flashing with blinding light. Thunder cracked like war drums. In a blinding bolt from the heavens, the Thunder Lion descended—white and gold, its mane pulsing with raw energy, eyes burning like twin suns.
It landed beside William, the earth trembling beneath its divine presence.
The Black Dragon roared in rage, launching a wave of Black Flame and Dark Energy Spheres. The storm beast didn't flinch. Kai leapt into action beside the lion, his twin blades spinning through the air, cutting through flame and shadow alike.
The two warriors—man and beast—became one rhythm.
Strike. Block. Dash. Roar.
William, kneeling behind, growled through gritted teeth. "I don't have much time, Masked Man. My energy's running out."
Kai didn't look back. "Then let's end this before time runs out."
He turned to the Thunder Lion, eyes sharp behind the mask.
"Get that thing to the ground. Once you do—"
"I'll finish it."
The lion roared in answer, its voice shaking the clouds.
Lightning surged.
The sky turned white.
A Thunderstorm Ritual began—clouds opening as countless lightning strikes rained from above, spearing toward the Black Dragon.
The dragon fought back, burning the sky with black flames, hurling dark orbs of magic to scatter the storm. For a moment, it held.
Then—
One bolt broke through.
A lightning strike, pure and divine, smashed into the dragon's wing. A screech tore through the sky as it spiraled downward, crashing into the earth with a force that shattered mountains.
Dust exploded. The earth quaked.
The Thunder Lion, its energy fading, gave one final roar before vanishing—its job done, William's aura spent.
Kai didn't hesitate. He raced forward, the ground cracking beneath each step.
The Black Dragon struggled, wings broken, fire sputtering from its mouth.
Kai leapt high, blades crossed, aura flaring.
"Fall—"
He swung with divine force.
"—and vanish into silence!"
The twin blades struck as one. A blinding arc tore the air. The Black Dragon's head was severed clean, crashing to the earth.
Silence followed.
Then the wind carried away the smoke…
And the battlefield knew—the Black Dragon was dead.
Far from the thundering battlefield where Kai fought the Black Dragon, the clash of magic and steel echoed through the another side of battlefield . The air shimmered with dark energy.
Lufi, cloaked in shadows, stood on a mid air—smiling wickedly.
Around him, a swarm of shadow clones flickered into existence, each one radiating Dark Magic. They moved like phantoms, surrounding Emma and Lucious Fang from every direction.
Without hesitation, Emma closed her eyes, focusing her thoughts. Her bow floated beside her, glowing with a faint blue light.
She whispered, "Mind Arrow—Pierce the illusion."
An arrow formed, crafted from pure will. It shot like a comet, streaking through the air and blasting one of the clones into black mist.
Lucious Fang spun his spears, cutting down another as it lunged.
But the clones kept coming—dark balls of energy hurled from every angle, followed by bursts of Dark Blast that shattered stone and scorched the ground. The battlefield was chaos.
Lucious growled, back to back with Emma.
"These aren't normal shadow clones. They're feeding off Lufi's core magic. If we don't take him down, they won't stop multiplying."
Emma fired again, her arrow curving mid-air to strike another clone in the head.
Lufi watched from above, his eyes glowing red. "You're wasting energy," he taunted, his voice echoing unnaturally. "This is my realm. My shadow. My rules."
Lucious clenched his jaw, slashing through a pair of clones with a powerful sweep of his spears.
He thought to himself: "I need a way to bypass the clones… I need to reach the real Lufi."
The pressure increased. Shadows deepened.
And the real Lufi smiled, watching the hunters struggle—unaware that Lucious was already forming a plan.
Lucious Fang's mind raced as shadow clones circled and Lufi's dark laughter filled the air. Crushing every clone felt like draining his own life force. He cast a quick glance at Emma—her wind‑charged bow arm trembled, her aura flickering.
We need to pretend we're spent, he thought. Then she'll come close… and we strike everything at once.
He drew in a deep breath, letting his shoulders slump, voice low and breathy: "Emma… I—I can't keep this up."
Emma's brow furrowed, but she understood. She let her bow drop to her side, eyes half‑closed. "Me neither," she murmured. Together they staggered backward, letting their magical glow fade until their forms looked weak, exhausted.
With predatory grace, Lufi descended from her mid air. Her cloak billowed, crimson eyes alight with triumph. She leaned close, voice silky: "Now, my little heroes… your time is over."
Just as she raised her hand to unleash a final torrent of dark flame, Lucious sprang forward. He placed a firm hand on Emma's shoulder, channeling his crackling lightning aura into her coursed through Emma's veins, reigniting her depleting mana.
Emma's eyes snapped open—fierce and clear. Lucious whispered one final command in their secret signal: "Now!"
Emma lifted her bow, drawing a single, brilliant arrow of pure wind. She aimed low, at Lufi's heart, and released. The arrow sliced through the stagnant air in a silver gust—so fast that Lufi barely had time to register its path.
With a startled gasp, Lufi's smirk froze as the arrow struck true—piercing her forehead and exiting through her chest. Her crimson eyes widened in disbelief, the shadowy aura around her sputtering out in a swirl of black mist.
Lufi's body crumpled at the of the time, the last echo of her magic dissipating into stillness. Emma lowered her bow, chest heaving, as Lucious caught her arm to steady her.
For a heartbeat, the battlefield fell silent—then the distant roar of war resumed, as two warriors reclaimed their strength and pressed on into the night.