Lyra's heart tightened as if an icy hand had clenched around it. For a brief moment, everything inside her felt cold… heavy… suffocating. Her eyes slowly drifted downward, drawn back to the figure standing below.
Lucian.
But… was that really him?
What stood there didn't feel like her brother anymore. It was something else—something hollow and wrong. That monstrous presence had taken over his body completely, turning him into nothing more than a lifeless puppet. The familiar warmth she once felt from him was gone, replaced by a suffocating darkness that made her chest ache.
"I… how am I supposed to do this?" her voice trembled, barely steady enough to form words. The freezing winds tore past her, scattering her voice into the chaos around them as if even the air refused to carry her doubt forward.
For a moment, there was no answer—only the sound of battle echoing around them.
Then—
"I will connect your soul and consciousness directly to Lucian's."
The dragon's voice resonated inside her mind, deep and ancient, like an echo from something far older than the world itself.
Lyra's breath hitched.
Her grip tightened instinctively as panic surged through her.
"But… the evil sprite is inside him too!" she said quickly, her voice rising with fear. "How do we reach my brother without running into it? It will destroy us before we even get close!"
Before she could even steady herself, the dragon suddenly tilted its body and dove sharply through the sky.
The world around them twisted.
Wind screamed past them as they plunged downward at terrifying speed. Behind them, the Hell Chains tore through the air in pursuit, their jagged forms slicing through space as if they refused to let their prey escape.
"They haven't fully merged yet, Lyra," the dragon's voice cut through the chaos, steady despite the intensity of their descent. "That thing can see Lucian's soul… but it cannot touch it. Not yet."
Another violent shift.
The dragon twisted midair, narrowly avoiding a cluster of incoming chains that pierced through the space they had just occupied.
"His Divine Energy is still protecting him from within," it continued. "The evil spirit will need time to completely suppress him."
The dragon's aura flickered as it adjusted its trajectory again, keeping just ahead of the pursuing chains.
"And that time… is what we will use."
Lyra's heartbeat thundered in her chest.
Her fear didn't disappear—but something else began to rise alongside it.
Focus.
"We don't need to defeat it right now," the dragon said firmly. "We just need to distract it."
Another sharp movement—
another near miss.
"Connect with me," it commanded. "Link your soul to mine… and I will send you inside him."
Its voice dropped, heavier now.
"Hurry."
For a fraction of a second, Lyra hesitated.
Then—
She closed her eyes tightly.
Everything around her faded—the wind, the battle, the noise.
She pushed her fear aside, forcing herself to focus on one thing alone.
Her brother.
Slowly, she began to reach out… not physically, but from within. Her consciousness stretched forward, trembling at first, before it touched something vast.
Something overwhelming.
The dragon.
The moment their souls began to merge, Lyra felt it—
An immense, blazing presence.
It was like standing before a burning sun.
Warm… powerful… endless.
Its energy flowed through her, surrounding her, guiding her, as if she had stepped into something far greater than herself.
At the same time—
The dragon moved.
Its massive wings spread wide before snapping downward with immense force.
The air exploded.
A violent storm burst outward from its body, spiraling into a massive vortex. The wind itself sharpened, turning into countless invisible blades that tore through the space behind them.
The pursuing Hell Chains were caught in it.
And in the next instant—
They were shredded.
Thousands of fragments scattered into the air, breaking apart like dust under an unstoppable force.
High above in the sky, Lucian hovered like a dark omen, watching the dragon struggle against his relentless assault. A deep, ancient smile slowly spread across his face—one filled with cruel amusement. There was something disturbingly calm about him, as if this entire battle, this clash of life and death, was nothing more than entertainment. His eyes gleamed with a twisted satisfaction, the kind that only belonged to someone who enjoyed watching others suffer.
But then—
That smile vanished.
In an instant, the amusement in his expression was replaced by something far more intense.
His gaze locked onto a single point—
The center of the dragon's chest.
There, something unusual was happening.
A strange, multicolored light had begun to emerge, faint at first… but growing steadily brighter with each passing second. It pulsed with an unnatural rhythm, like a heartbeat, radiating a power that didn't belong to the battlefield outside—but to something much deeper.
Lucian's eyes widened.
Not in fear—
But in anger… and realization.
"Damn sprite…" he muttered under his breath, his voice tightening as his teeth clenched.
Without wasting another moment, he brought both of his arms forward, his fingers curling as if he were gripping the very air itself. At his command, every Hell Chain scattered across the battlefield—both the ones already formed and the ones still emerging—suddenly responded.
They stopped.
Then—
They began to move.
All at once, the chains twisted, coiled, and pulled toward a single point, merging into one another in a violent, unnatural motion. Their jagged forms intertwined, compressing and reshaping until they formed something massive… something far more dangerous.
A gigantic drill.
It spun rapidly, its surface made entirely of writhing Hell Chains grinding against each other, producing a deafening metallic roar that shook the air. The space around it distorted as it rotated faster and faster, tearing through the atmosphere itself.
And then—
It launched.
The massive drill surged forward, ripping through the sky with terrifying speed, heading straight toward the dragon's chest—the very point where that light was intensifying.
At the same time, the glow within the dragon's chest had changed completely.
What was once a flicker of energy had now become something far greater.
It looked like a miniature sun.
Brilliant.
Blinding.
Uncontainable.
The divine light expanded outward, pushing back the darkness with overwhelming force. The thick shadows surrounding Lucian were torn apart as if they had no right to exist in its presence. The radiance pierced through everything, flooding the battlefield in a glow that felt both sacred and destructive.
And then—
It reached Lucian.
The light struck his eyes directly.
For the first time—
He reacted.
Lucian flinched.
A sharp, burning sensation surged through him as he instinctively raised his arm to shield his vision. The light was too intense, too pure—it scorched his sight, forcing him to look away.
"Damn you…!" he roared, his voice laced with fury as his composure cracked.
"Who do you think you are?!"
Rage exploded within him.
In response, the Hell Chains obeyed instantly.
The massive drill accelerated.
Its rotation intensified, the sound growing louder, harsher—like metal grinding against the fabric of reality itself. Dark energy surged through it, feeding its power, amplifying its destructive force.
Now—
It wasn't just an attack.
It was annihilation.
The drill tore through the sky with unstoppable momentum, screaming toward the dragon with doubled speed and force, carrying Lucian's rage within it as it closed the distance between them.
On the other side, the dragon slowly opened its massive jaws. For a brief moment, everything around it seemed to grow still—as if even the raging winds and collapsing sky were waiting for what was about to come.
Deep within its mouth, a sphere of multicolored Divine Energy began to form. At first it was small, unstable… but with every passing second, it condensed further, compressing into something far more powerful. The energy vibrated violently, releasing a deep, resonating hum that echoed across the sky like the sound of something ancient awakening.
That sound wasn't just heard—it was felt.
It shook the air, the clouds… even the space around it.
And at that exact moment—
A voice pierced through the dragon's mind.
Clear.
Firm.
Unshaken.
"I'm ready."
Lyra's voice.
The dragon's eyes softened for the briefest second, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared along its expression.
"Hmm… so am I," it replied within its mind, calm yet resolute. "Then don't hesitate… wake him up."
The moment those words faded—
The dragon released the attack.
The condensed sphere of Divine Energy erupted forward, transforming into a blinding beam of pure, radiant power. It tore through the sky like a streak of light, heading straight toward Lucian's incoming Hell Chains.
And then—
Impact.
'KRAAAACK!'
The collision between the two forces unleashed a sound so sharp, so violent, that it felt as if the sky itself had shattered. The moment they clashed, everything was swallowed by light.
Not bright—
Blinding.
The entire battlefield turned into a sea of pure white, so intense that it became impossible to see anything at all. It was as if the world had been erased for a single moment.
Then came the explosion.
A massive surge of energy erupted outward, releasing an overwhelming wave of smoke and debris that spread across the sky like a newly formed ocean of clouds. The air twisted and collapsed under the pressure, unable to contain the sheer force of the impact.
Below—
On the ground—
Every living being froze.
That light pierced into their eyes like needles, forcing them to look away, yet making it impossible to ignore. It wasn't just brightness—it was pressure, weight… something that crushed down on everything beneath it.
And then—
The shockwave arrived.
A violent wall of air slammed downward from the sky, hitting the ground with devastating force. The impact tore through everything in its path, sending dust, debris, and broken earth flying in all directions.
Finn and Elder Vyom were caught directly in it.
They didn't even have time to react.
Their bodies were thrown away like weightless fragments, lifted and hurled across the ground by the sheer force of the blast.
Elder Vyom crashed hard, rolling across the rough terrain before finally managing to stop himself. A low groan escaped his lips as he struggled to push himself back up, his body protesting with pain.
His vision blurred for a moment—
Then cleared.
And immediately, his eyes searched.
They landed on Finn.
He was lying a short distance away, completely motionless, his body sprawled across the ground as if all strength had been drained from him. The impact had been too much… he hadn't been able to withstand it.
"Finn…!" Elder muttered under his breath, forcing himself forward.
He moved toward him, step by step, ignoring the pain in his body. Just as he was about to reach him—
It happened.
A voice.
Not from the outside—
But directly inside his mind.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Commanding.
"Hurry, Elder… prepare the seal."
The voice carried an authority so overwhelming that it froze him in place for a split second. It wasn't something that could be ignored… nor questioned.
Elder Vyom's eyes widened slightly.
He understood.
There was no time.
No room for hesitation.
He clenched his jaw, his expression hardening as he made a decision he didn't want to make. His gaze lingered on Finn for a brief moment—just a second—
Then he turned away.
With heavy steps, he began to run.
Faster.
Ignoring everything else.
He sprinted toward the massive crater ahead—the place where the ground had collapsed, revealing the hidden depths beneath.
Through the scattered debris, the entrance to the underground chamber was now clearly visible, like an open wound in the earth itself.
And without slowing down—
Elder Vyom ran straight toward it.
The violent shockwave from the collision didn't just tear through the sky—it dominated it. The two overwhelming forces that had clashed moments ago were thrown apart like mere fragments, as if even their immense power meant nothing against that explosion.
The air screamed, space trembled, and the sky itself seemed to ripple as both the dragon and Lucian were blasted backward.
In that instant, the dragon reacted on instinct.
Its massive body twisted midair, and without a moment of hesitation, its golden scales shifted—tightening, overlapping, and wrapping around Lyra's fragile form like a living shield. The radiant plates folded over her completely, enclosing her within a protective cocoon. Inside, Lyra's small body was pressed safely against the dragon's firm, cold surface, shielded from the chaos outside.
The deafening roar of the explosion dulled slightly within that enclosure, but the violent tremors still reached her, making her entire body shake uncontrollably.
Even then—
She didn't fall.
The dragon endured the force, holding its position just enough to keep her safe.
A deep, heavy breath escaped from its chest, almost like a growl mixed with exhaustion.
"That… was too close…" it muttered, its voice strained but steady.
But that brief moment of relief didn't last.
Not even for a second.
As the thick black smoke from the explosion slowly began to disperse, something moved within it.
A flicker.
A distortion.
And then—
It came back.
Like a strike of lightning tearing through darkness, a single Hell Chain burst out of the smoke at terrifying speed. It didn't hesitate. It didn't slow down. It moved with absolute precision, as if it had been waiting for this exact moment.
The dragon had barely regained its balance.
It didn't have time to react.
Before it could even shift its body—
The chain pierced forward.
'CRACK!'
A sharp, violent sound echoed across the sky.
The jagged black chain tore straight through the dragon's chest, ripping through its defenses as if they barely existed. The impact was devastating. The dragon's massive body jerked violently before being hurled backward, sent flying hundreds of meters through the air as the force of the strike carried it away.
Pain exploded.
Not just physical—
Existential.
A deep, tearing agony surged through its entire being, spreading from the point of impact like fire consuming everything in its path. For a brief moment, even its consciousness wavered under the sheer intensity of it.
But it didn't stop.
With a strained roar, the dragon forced its claws forward, gripping the chain that had impaled it. Its talons dug into the dark, writhing surface, resisting the pull of that unnatural force. With a burst of effort, it ripped the chain out of its own chest, dragging it free as black energy splattered into the air like burning fragments.
The chain snapped back, dissolving into darkness.
But the damage remained.
At the center of the dragon's chest, a deep, hollow wound had formed—an unnatural cavity that seemed to devour light itself. Black smoke poured out of it, twisting upward like something alive, refusing to fade. The edges of the wound pulsed with corrupted energy, as if trying to spread further into its body.
For the first time—
The dragon faltered.
A thought crossed its mind, sharp and heavy.
Impossible…
Even my Divine Energy couldn't stop that Hell Chain…?
The realization struck harder than the attack itself.
If that had been any ordinary sprite… their soul would have already been dragged straight into the gates of Hell.
A cold awareness settled in.
I need to be more careful…
That thing… has grown far stronger than before.
The pain began to show.
The dragon's massive form, once radiant with vibrant, shifting colors, now flickered unevenly. The edges of its body started to blur slightly, as if its very existence was struggling to remain anchored in this world. The brilliance of its aura dimmed in places, fading like a flame losing its strength.
For a moment—
It looked like it might break.
But then—
Something changed.
From within the protective layers of its scales…
A warmth emerged.
A soft, steady flow of Divine Energy rose from Lyra's small, trembling body. It wasn't explosive or overwhelming—but it was pure. Unwavering. Alive.
That energy reached the dragon.
And the effect was immediate.
The fading aura stabilized.
The darkness creeping along its form slowed… then stopped.
The wound in its chest began to react.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
Light returned.
Multicolored radiance spread from the edges of the injury, pushing back the black smoke as if reclaiming what had been lost. The hollow cavity began to close, strands of divine energy weaving together, repairing what had been torn apart.
The pain didn't vanish.
But it was no longer overwhelming.
The dragon opened its eyes.
This time—
There was no hesitation.
No fear.
Only resolve.
A deeper, sharper determination burned within its gaze as it steadied itself in the air once more, its massive wings spreading wide against the storm-filled sky.
The battle… was far from over.