The chains fell. The Titan moved.
And Raven ran.
The platform jolted as the Emberforged Titan stepped forward, its massive foot slamming onto the steel with a sound like a war drum echoing through a dying world. Lava veins flared brighter, reacting to the boss's awakening. The oppressive heat thickened. The temperature wasn't just rising—it was collapsing inward, as if the entire room had become the core of a newborn sun.
Raven dove behind the first pillar just as a wave of molten air swept across the platform, searing the stone where he had stood a moment before.
[The Emberforged Titan has entered Phase One. Weakness: Exposed Joints.]
"Phantom Seer, hit it with Mind Shatter! Keep it reeling!"
The ghostly entity pulsed with shadowlight before unleashing a psychic wave at the Titan's face. Its movement slowed as its senses overloaded, hesitating just long enough for Duskrunner's strike to land cleanly. But the momentum wasn't enough.
The Titan retaliated, hammer slamming downward with terrifying force. Raven and the team were driven back, forced to take cover as magma burst from fractured tiles. The ground buckled. A section of the platform gave way entirely, nearly dropping Duskrunner into the lava below.
Raven cursed, pulling back behind a broken column. "We keep the pressure. Phantom Seer, loop the illusions again. Duskrunner, reset and dive when it stumbles."
Together, they surged again—battered, breathless, but unrelenting.
The Titan tried to rise, but it was already reacting slower.
And the team was not.
The comeback began.
"Target the joints," Raven growled. "Break its stance before going for the core."
From the shadows behind a broken forge wheel, Duskrunner Alpha exploded into motion. Shadow Shift blinked the beast across the platform, slashing through the Titan's right ankle with precision. Molten sparks burst from the joint, but the construct didn't flinch. It turned—slow, deliberate.
Then it brought its hammer down.
The impact shattered the floor.
Raven activated Phantom Bind and warped across the platform mid-fall, reappearing behind the Titan's shoulder. His chain lashed out, wrapping around the exposed elbow joint. With a snarl, he pulled.
The Titan staggered, one leg buckling.
"Now!" Raven barked.
Phantom Seer drifted in, distortion rippling around it. Haunting Mirage erupted, sending a flood of illusory embers and ghostly figures across the platform. The Titan paused, confused. It swung at nothing, buying precious seconds.
Duskrunner pounced, using the distraction to shred into the left leg.
[Weak Point Hit!]
The construct stumbled forward. Its chest plates began to open wider, revealing the glowing core at its center. Steam hissed. Pressure screamed. The forge was reacting.
Then came the first Flame Surge.
A warning pulse from the floor.
"Pillars!" Raven shouted, leaping behind one just before the entire arena erupted.
A storm of fire burst outward from the core. Every inch of exposed ground turned into a swirling inferno. The outer edges of the platform caught fire. Flames began eating inward, shrinking the battlefield.
[The Emberforged Titan has entered Phase Two. Environmental Hazard Active: Collapsing Arena. Movement Zone Decreasing.]
Raven exhaled through clenched teeth.
Collapsing arena means movement zone decreasing. As a team that use speed and agility, that could lead to disaster. "We're on a timer. It wants to burn the entire floor down."
The Titan raised its hammer again. This time, the arc was wide—deliberately aimed to crush two pillars in one strike.
He dove. Phantom Step blinked the Seer out of harm's way.
"Seer, distract it!" Raven ordered.
Phantom Seer responded instantly, casting Haunting Mirage mid-air. A barrage of spectral embers and shifting figures erupted across the Titan's peripheral vision. It turned its head to track the illusions—just long enough.
Duskrunner howled as he leapt onto the hammer mid-swing, using it as a springboard to launch himself toward the Titan's chest.
"Too risky," Raven hissed—but it worked.
The wolf-beast dug its claws into the chest plating, hanging just above the core. The Titan bellowed, finally reacting with pain. Magma jetted from its back vents. Its helmeted face tilted upward.
Raven used Dominion Chain, latching onto the Titan's knee as it lifted a foot to crush Duskrunner.
"You're not squashing anyone."
With a pull and twist, Raven redirected the leg mid-motion. The Titan stumbled again, momentum thrown off. Duskrunner dropped to the ground, unharmed.
Then came the roar.
A new voice from the core. One not mechanical, but ancient. Half-language, half-wail. A furnace's scream given speech.
"FORGE... REMAINS. BLOOD... REQUIRED."
The construct's eyes flared to life, brighter than ever. One pillar melted instantly from the heat.
"It's entering rage. We need to bring it down now."
Phantom Seer floated above the battle, activating Abyssal Nightmare.
The entire room darkened.
A mist of shadow and false echoes flooded the space. The Titan swayed, its targeting system overwhelmed by sensory chaos. Illusions of enemies flickered in and out. Sounds of phantom strikes rang from every side.
In the darkness, Raven moved.
Undetectable.
He lashed his chain to the Titan's spine, warping in. He struck the exposed plate with a burst of Abyssal Corruption, spreading weakening energy across its surface.
Duskrunner activated Nightfall Frenzy.
Blades of shadow danced around the beast as it tore across the battlefield. Every slash left burning claw marks in the Titan's armor. Every strike blinded. Every movement disrupted its balance.
"It's breaking," Raven said.
Then he saw it—the knees cracked, the arms juddering, the back vents spewing smoke.
The core pulsed wildly.
15%.
The Emberforged Titan threw its head back.
And screamed.
Molten blood sprayed from its joints as the last of its armor exploded off.
The final phase had begun.