(Cyrus POV)
Drifting through the portal, I felt a sense of unease as my new and final environment within this rift came into focus. The first thing I noticed was a swirling nexus of light and shadow with an enormous orb at its center. This phenomenon resembled some type of solar eclipse, with each element seemingly fighting for control over the other.
When I landed on the surface, I found nothing particularly special—just a vast expanse of grassy plains with a few large mountain ranges and valleys. As I scanned my surroundings, trying to absorb as much information as possible, a deep rumble intruded upon my sense of hearing. I knew exactly where it came from. The massive floating orb trembled, and slowly, one claw at a time, a colossal figure began to emerge.
When the creature's full body finally stepped out of the orb, I knew I had my work cut out for me. The being had three enormous heads, each moving independently as if each possessed its own will. Its massive frame was supported by four powerful limbs, covered in scales that shifted colors depending on which force—the light or the shadow—held dominance over the orb. Whenever light prevailed, its scales turned an ivory white; when the shadow took control, they darkened into a deep charcoal gray.
"Well, Cy, looks like you got your wish—no puzzles, just another good old-fashioned fight to the death," I muttered to myself as the Hydra roared, acknowledging my presence.
The beast stood poised for battle, exuding the presence of a seasoned warrior. Sensing for its core, I knew I had to be more careful than I was in any previous battle with an astral behemoth. It was a stage ahead of me, and I could feel the sheer potency of its cosmic energy radiating outward, like an unstable bomb ready to explode.
Examining the creature, I came to several conclusions. In terms of raw destructive power, the hydra was superior. But I had the advantage of maneuverability within the wide expanse of the grassy plains, giving me potential opportunities to evade lethal blows. With my core at near full capacity, I had eight chances to use my ability to land decisive strikes—I just needed to find its weak points.
As I formulated a strategy, the Hydra began to trot toward me, as if irritated by the fact that I didn't initially come to challenge it right off the bat.
"Impatient little lizard, aren't you?" I said aloud.
The ten-meter-tall astral behemoth suddenly charged, barreling toward me with unrestrained fury.
"I accept your challenge," I shouted, dragging the weapon Rava had forged for me. Channeling cosmic energy into my legs, I took an explosive step forward, launching into a full-speed sprint toward the Hydra.
It wasn't long before we were face to face. As soon as I saw its three heads preparing to bite down on me, I activated my ability.
The beast's body trembled within my field of influence, its movements drastically slowing. Taking advantage of the opening, I slid beneath its overextended heads and leaped toward its underbelly, slashing with all my might. My attack did more damage than expected—it pierced through its cosmic defenses, leaving a deep gash that immediately began to bleed.
As my five-second window came to an end my gravity field weakened, the Hydra regained movement, forcing me to dodge its massive tail and create some distance.
"This might not be as difficult as I thought," I murmured, glancing at the weapon made from the horns of the Void Serpent. The effectiveness of my strike made sense—after all, that basilisk was also of the Voidborn stage.
But as I looked back at the Hydra, I saw something that instantly changed my mind regarding the difficulty of the battle. This sight truly caused my confidence to waver. Steam began to rise from beneath its body, right at the spot where I had slashed it. It was healing, and its narrowed eyes glowed signifying its intensifying rage that was starting to boil over.
"Maybe I spoke too soon," I muttered as the Hydra's cosmic energy signature started to surge.
Its three mouths all opened wide, dark energy coalescing within them as the shadow element took dominance over the orb. The sky darkened, mimicking the event of when a solar eclipse would take place. A second later, three massive beams of shadow energy erupted toward me, their destructive force meant to erase me in an instant.
Channeling cosmic energy into my legs, I dashed to my right, barely escaping the blast.
"Damn, now it has the advantage of keeping me at bay with ranged attacks. My attack must have hurt it more than I thought if it's already changing its approach."
As the dust settled, I noticed something—the orb at the center of the sky had shrunk slightly.
"Oh, so you have limits too, huh?" I thought to myself as I was coming to an understanding that the rift's core could potentially be giving the hydra a supply of cosmic energy.
Realizing this, I immediately launched another assault on the Hydra. As I closed the distance at breakneck speed, I noticed the behemoth took a few steps back.
"Is the little lizard scared of me?" I taunted, the rush of battle overtaking me.
But as I got closer, the astral behemoth fired another shadow blast at point-blank range. I raised my weapon to deflect it, but the sheer force sent me flying backward.
Crashing into the grassy plains, I immediately rolled to my feet. However, before I could fully raise my head, the hydra was directly hovering over me. I felt the potency of the beast's cosmic energy and its dominating intent as it loomed over me like I was its little prey.
Looking up, I found myself staring into the three open maws of the Hydra, each one charged with the dark shadow energy, ready to unleash devastation upon me. This terrifying sight truly gave me proper perspective as to why this was astral behemoth was the guardian of the rifts core.