Dawn broke over the horizon, but the sky remained shrouded in ash-gray clouds, as though the world itself held its breath. Mirasaurus stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking Ashna San's mansion, her claws gripping the rocky outcrop so tightly that stone crumbled beneath them. Her body ached from days of preparation—scales chipped, muscles burning, and fresh scars crisscrossing her hide like battle trophies. But pain meant nothing now. Today, she would end this.
"For you, Raishid Senpai," she growled, her voice a resonant rumble that stirred the trees below.
With a roar that split the silence, she launched herself down the cliffside, her thunderous footsteps sending avalanches of rock tumbling into the sea.
Ashna San's lair was eerily still. The black roses in the garden had wilted overnight, their petals littering the ground like ash. The stone ravens perched on the mansion's spires had turned their heads to watch Mirasaurus's approach, their beaks open in silent screeches. At the center of the courtyard stood Ashna San, her crimson gown fluttering in the wind, and beside her—Raishid Senpai, his eyes vacant, his hands clasped behind his back like a puppet awaiting orders.
"You're persistent, beast," Ashna San sneered, her voice dripping with mock pity. "But persistence won't save you."
Mirasaurus ignored her, her gaze locked on Raishid Senpai. "Fight her, Raishid Senpai! Remember who you are!"
For a fleeting moment, his fingers twitched—a flicker of defiance.
Ashna San's smile twisted into a snarl.
The witch raised her hands, and the air crackled with dark energy. Bolts of black lightning erupted from the ground, forcing Mirasaurus to leap aside. The strikes left smoldering craters in their wake, filling the air with the stench of burnt earth.
"You think love makes you strong?" Ashna San taunted, teleporting in a burst of violet smoke to evade Mirasaurus's charging strike. "Love is a chain. A weakness."
Mirasaurus roared, swiping her tail at a stone pillar and sending it crashing toward the witch. Ashna San flicked her wrist, reducing the debris to dust. "Is this all you have?"
"No," Mirasaurus growled. "This is."
She lunged, her jaws snapping shut where Ashna San had stood moments before. The witch reappeared atop a spire, her laughter echoing like shattering glass.
Ashna San's magic took on new forms—a whirlwind of razor-sharp petals, a swarm of skeletal bats, a tidal wave of black flames. Mirasaurus fought through each assault, her scales blistering and cracking, but she refused to yield.
When the witch conjured a serpent of molten rock, Mirasaurus met it head-on, tearing its throat out with her teeth. When Ashna San summoned vines studded with thorns, Mirasaurus shredded them with her claws.
But the witch's power was relentless. A whip of pure shadow lashed across Mirasaurus's flank, slicing through scales and drawing blood. She staggered, her vision blurring, but Raishid Senpai's voice cut through the haze.
"Mira…?"
He stood at the edge of the courtyard, one hand pressed to his temple, his face contorted in confusion.
Ashna San froze. "Silence!" she shrieked, hurling a bolt of energy at him.
Mirasaurus intercepted it with her body, the magic searing her shoulder. "Don't touch him!"
Ashna San's control was slipping. Raishid Senpai stumbled forward, his voice trembling. "Mira… I remember… the stars… our promises…"
"Lies!" Ashna San screamed, her composure crumbling. She flung a barrage of fireballs at Mirasaurus, each exploding with enough force to shake the ground. "He's mine! Mine alone!"
Mirasaurus dodged, her movements growing sluggish from blood loss. "Raishid Senpai! Look at me!"
He met her gaze—and for the first time, saw her.
"Mira," he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "What… what did she do to you?"
Ashna San's scream pierced the air. "NO!"
The witch's form twisted—her limbs elongating, her eyes glowing violet, her skin peeling away to reveal a writhing mass of shadows beneath. "You will not take him from me!" she howled, her voice now a chorus of shrieks.
The ground split open, spewing geysers of acid. The mansion's spires collapsed, and the sky darkened to pitch black. Ashna San lunged at Mirasaurus, her clawed hands slashing furrows into the dinosaur's hide.
Mirasaurus fought back with primal fury, her claws raking through the witch's shadowy flesh. Each strike sent tendrils of darkness dissipating into the air, but Ashna San regenerated faster, her laughter growing more unhinged.
"You cannot win!" she screeched.
"Watch me," Mirasaurus snarled.
With a roar that shook the heavens, Mirasaurus seized Ashna San by the torso. The witch thrashed, her claws scrabbling against Mirasaurus's scales, but the dinosaur's grip was unrelenting.
CHOMP.
The first bite severed Ashna San's legs. The witch's screams turned guttural as ichor—thick and black—gushed from the wounds. Mirasaurus chewed slowly, savoring each grotesque crunch of bone and sinew, her golden eyes locked on Raishid Senpai's horrified face. Ashna San's remaining hand clawed at the air, her magic flickering weakly like a dying flame.
CHOMP.
The second bite crushed her ribs, the sound of snapping bones echoing like thunder. Ashna San's shadowy form flickered, her magic unraveling as Mirasaurus ground her torso between razor-sharp teeth. The dinosaur's face twisted into an almost devious grin, her satisfaction growing with every chew. Blood and ash dripped from her jaws, pooling on the cobblestones as she swallowed the remains with a loud, wet GULP.
CHOMP.
The third bite took her head. Mirasaurus held the witch's skull between her teeth for a moment, her eyes gleaming with primal triumph, before crushing it with a final, decisive SNAP. She tossed her head back, swallowing the last of Ashna San with a deep, rumbling moan of satisfaction—a roar of victory that shook the crumbling mansion.
The shadowy magic dissolved. The mansion's spires cracked and collapsed inward, sending plumes of dust into the air. The garden's thorns withered to brittle husks, and the stone ravens crumbled into gravel. Ashna San was gone.
Raishid Senpai fell to his knees, his face pale, his hands trembling. "Mira…?" he whispered, his voice raw with shock and dawning recognition.
Mirasaurus turned to face him, her chest heaving, blood and ash matting her scales. The fury in her eyes softened as she met his gaze. Tears streamed down Raishid Senpai's face as he stared at her seared hide—the burns from Ashna San's magic still smoldering.
"What… what did she do to you?" he choked out, crawling toward her.
Mirasaurus let out a low whine, nuzzling his hand weakly. Her massive body shuddered, and she collapsed to the ground, her strength spent.