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Chapter 50: Roar of the Ancient Flame
The cavernous boss room shook violently, cracks webbing through the obsidian floor as the Ancient Mythril Dragon unfurled its wings. Its eyes glowed a deep blue, swirling with arcane power older than time itself. The air thickened with mana so dense that it distorted the very space around them.
Rio stepped forward, tightening his grip on his sword. Sweat rolled down his brow, but his gaze remained locked on the beast. "This is it," he muttered. "The real fight begins now."
Retina cast a quick barrier spell to protect them from the dragon's rising energy. "This pressure… it's not just strength. It's pure history. This dragon's existed since before kingdoms were even born."
Iris, her ears twitching, added in a low tone, "His heartbeats… they're slow, but each one pulses like a thunderstorm. We're standing in front of a being that's lived through extinction."
The dragon spoke again, its voice resonating through their bones. "You carry weapons forged in fire, magic stolen from the ancients… but you are still bound by the limits of your flesh. Impress me, hunters."
Without warning, the dragon lunged. The ground erupted as its claws tore forward like comets. Rio leapt to the side using Shadow Step, narrowly avoiding the strike, while Retina countered with a flurry of explosive fireballs. Iris transformed partially—her arms turning lupine, glowing with silver runes—as she dashed under the dragon's sweeping tail and slashed at its underbelly.
But even together, their combined attacks barely scratched the scales.
Rio skidded across the floor and growled, "He's built like a fortress. Retina, aim for the soft joints—behind the knees and neck!"
"I'm trying!" Retina shouted, casting a chain of freezing spells to slow the beast. "But he's resisting everything I throw!"
The dragon retaliated with a roar that shattered parts of the ceiling. A wave of abyssal fire shot toward them, black and blue flames twisting with chaotic energy. Rio crossed his sword and activated a defensive aura, but the impact still sent him flying into a jagged wall.
"Rio!" Iris cried out, dashing to him. She used a quick healing spell, her hands glowing as she pressed them to his chest. "You alright?"
He coughed, then grinned. "Still breathing. That flame? That was... different."
"It's called Netherfire," Retina said, her expression grim. "Even magic itself burns in it. We can't afford to get hit like that again."
The dragon hovered slightly above the ground now, its wings stirring up a hurricane-force wind. It began chanting in an ancient tongue, the runes on its body glowing brighter. Mana rippled outward in violent waves. The beast was preparing something colossal.
"Enough playing around," Rio said, standing tall. He pulled out the sword given to him by the King—Shadowbane. With one smooth breath, he activated his trump card.
"A THOUSAND SLASHES."
In an instant, Rio vanished and reappeared all over the battlefield—dozens of phantoms of himself striking simultaneously. His blade carved through the air, slicing at every joint, scale, and vulnerable spot he could reach.
Each slash was faster than the last, infused with both his mana and shadow essence. The room trembled with the fury of the assault. A roar of pain echoed from the dragon as, for the first time, it staggered backward, smoke rising from its wounded joints.
Iris and Retina immediately joined the offensive. Iris used her beast-form claws to rake across one of the wounded knees, and Retina launched a point-blank lightning bolt directly into the creature's exposed throat.
The dragon reeled, flapping its wings to blow them away and create distance. Blood, black and shimmering, dripped from its wounds.
And then—it laughed.
"Amazing…" it said in a deep, gravelly tone. "You actually… hurt me. It's been so long since I felt pain." Its body suddenly began to crackle and reshape, mana pouring from its core.
Retina's eyes widened. "He's transforming again!"
"No," Iris said, stepping back. "This is its final form."
The Mythril Dragon's scales began to glow a blazing silver-blue, its body becoming leaner yet far more terrifying. Enormous spikes jutted from its spine, and its wings now crackled with lightning. The aura it released was suffocating.
"You've earned the right," it growled. "Now, face me as I truly am—The Warden of the Abyss."
Rio stared up, jaw clenched, eyes burning with resolve. "Then we'll go beyond our limits… and take down a legend."
The room lit with raw magic, tension high as the true battle loomed.
To be continued...
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