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pat.treon:/Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START---
"That should do it," Yang says, setting down the last crate atop their plateau in the floor 101 safe zone. Turning around he sees Welf and Thalie in full armor, just as he is. Weapons ready and helmets already on, fully prepared to hunt one more dragon. "You two gonna be able to get back without me?" he asks jokingly.
Thalie chuckles, "we may not be the 'Dungeon Emperor' but we can handle ourselves."
Yang groans at the use of his title.
"And if we need anything all the supply caches will be more than enough," Welf gestures to the latest set of crates. Similar to the caches placed in each safe zone leading to here.
"Alright," he nods to each of them, taking one last look at the coral safe-zone. "Let's go..."
Hours later the trio find themselves walking down the hallway toward the boss room, for the second time.
The powerful streams of constantly flowing dungeon energy still move behind the indestructible crystal walls, guiding them toward The Angel.
Seeing the room entrance far in the distance Thalie shakes her head, "can't believe that this is your favorite monster, you must be a really big fan if your magic was inspired by it."
Yang shrugs, "Alatreon has always been my favorite, ever since I was a kid. You saying you don't have a favorite monster?"
"The dead ones," she says.
"Safi'Jiva," Welf interrupts abruptly, earning a strange look from both his allies. "What? He's my favorite, I like dragons, and he's red," he casually admits.
"Makes sense," Yang says. "But the good thing about Alatreon being my favorite is that I'm sure this plan is gonna work, he and I have the same fighting style and magic, it'll work. Last time he smacked us around because I was...unfocused, and we were already hurting from the other bosses. This time I'm focused and those bosses didn't spawn."
Approaching the entrance to the room the eerie silence is almost overwhelming. A dull red flicker bounces off the walls and toward them, a low guttural hum gets louder and louder with each step.
At the front Yang raises his right hand and withdraws his weapon from his inventory. The Greataxe appears and is held at his side, as if it were completely weightless.
Thalie stops walking, tilting her head slightly and gripping her spear, "something's coming!" she warns.
FWOOM!
A massive flood of orange flames, crackling with blue lightning and a storm of red Dragon Energy flood the tunnel.
"Behind me!" Yang commands, his weapon immediately shifts and transforms, glowing a dull blue, water element.
Holding it so the broadside shields them he immediately summons his Elemental Wheel, a ring of phantom water at this back.
Fire and lightning become steam as it makes contact with the dome of water around the trio.
A bolt of red lightning -Dragon Energy- pierces Yang's barrier and hits his axe.
"Mmm!" He groans, feeling his magic being overpowered for a moment before the bolt dispersed.
Seeing Yang slowly skidding backward Welf steps up beside him, aiming Mosoka forward and holding it with both hands, "stay close to me!" Black flames manifest, and in the same moment, Welf rushes forward.
Rapidly draining his magic for the few seconds it takes to charge out of the tunnel. Using his flames to cancel Alatreon's magic just enough for them to escape.
Leaping out of the tunnel they're greeted by a massive black claw. Sharp black scales glowing red with Dragon Energy, large enough to splat all three of them easily with one swipe.
"Shit!" Welf immediately uses flames to fly off to the side, instinctively dodging larger attacks since he is by far the least physical member of their team. Likely physically fourth in the world, but Yang and Thalie were in a class of their own.
When the claw struck they both held their weapons up, taking the hit, blades against scales ringing out like nails on a chalkboard.
Their feet find purchase on the solid crystal floor as Alatreon bears down on them, pressing forward and pushing more and more weight onto their weapons.
They feel their muscles tense, joints aching against the absurd strength, like an entire city block of Orario was dropped onto them. Thalie's golden magic already shining brighter than ever before.
Looking up their visors meet two glowing orange eyes, as if he could see past the armor and into their very souls.
The mythical Blazing Black Dragon, Alatreon, a god amongst Elder Dragons, the final Monster-Rex of their adventure.
Standing at twenty meters tall and thirty meters long from nose to tail. Covered in sharp black scales, glimmering constantly as if it has a myriad of lights constantly moving around it to illuminate the monster.
Two massive horns atop his head, curving very slightly and forming a prong shape much like Mosoka when fully intact. Crackling, brimming, overflowing with red lightning, Dragon Energy. Pouring out of the horns and across the monster's entire body. Ice and fire constantly fall off its body as it moves, Dragon Energy flowing to its limbs and claws more than anywhere else.
Seeing the large breastplate of scales Yang notices the Dragon Energy building on all the contact points of the monster. Spreading through the large wings and meaty tail.
And this intimidating figure suddenly swung its head to the right.
Releasing a blood-curdling roar, both horns crackled with red lightning while glowing brightly, meeting Mosoka, the sword in its Buster-Sword form made of solid black flames.
Dragon Energy clashes with Void Flames in a deadlock.
Welf uses Ikari in one hand to keep himself airborne and push forward to match the height of the monster.
Thalie and Yang immediately leap back into action, his Elemental wheel shifting to boost Lightning, Fire, Ice, and Water, instead of just Water.
They both swing out at the monster's wings, sticking to the plan, horns and wings first.
Dragon Energy floods into the wings, the scales they make contact with glow red to defend against their strikes.
"Dragon Energy cancels Void Flames!" Welf calls out.
"That changes the plan!" Yang yells as he redoubes his efforts. Cracking a small collection of scales on the wing before a burst of magic emanates from the monster, knocking everyone back in an explosion of elements.
Picking himself up off the floor Yang sees destruction given form. Alatreon was releasing uncontrolled lightning bolts in every direction. A thick gel-like substance occasionally dropped from his scales, his Water Element, closer to being an oil than actual water. Flames constantly moving about his body causing the water to become pools of fire. The room suddenly had tornado-class winds, without their helmets Yang was sure he wouldn't even be able to hear himself speak over the howling winds. Chunks of ice were constantly dropping from the ceiling, threatening to crush them, or at least annoy them.
Yang grins below his visor as Alatreon begins flying toward him, 'so this is how people see me?' he muses to himself.
His mage armor flickers to life once more, blue flames so hot that they would make entire districts of Orario uninhabitable if activated in the city.
His Elemental Wheel now shows all his elements, fighting for dominance at his back.
His grip on his weapon tightens as he launches forward, rocketing through the air to meet Alatreon once more.
As they're about to clash Yang bolts away, swatting away a dozen lightning bolts that were directed toward him by using his weapon.
Electing not to test his physical might against the monster he uses his weapon in his right to defend himself, and lifts his left to attack at range.
Like a machine gun, a barrage of projectiles fires outward.
Ice spikes.
Fireballs.
Super compressed earth.
Lightning bolts.
Wind blades.
Water cutters, and so many more.
Every projectile he had, he used, and all were met with equal or superior attacks by the monster.
From the sidelines, while Welf and Thalie were trying to get the ringing out of their ears they could only look on in amazement.
They'd often taken for granted just how much of a monster their leader was, but now, near blinded by all the flickering lights of elements clashing, magic against magic, Elementalist against Elementalist.
It nearly took their breath away.
Welf grits his teeth, and Thalie narrows her eyes. Golden armor and magic shining brightly. Void Flames bursting to life like a barely contained inferno.
They both rose to their feet, 'no more watching from the sidelines...'
The battle was gruesome, and for nearly an hour it was constant war.
Every chink they made in Alatreon's armor, it cost them.
When Welf finally managed to slash its front right claw in half, it immediately dropped its head and pinned him between indestructible crystals and the massive horns, glowing red with more Dragon Energy than before.
The sound of Welf's pained, desperate shrieks would never leave their memory, a moment before his chest plate shattered and he was crushed.
Yang moved quickly to get him into the exit tunnel and bathe him in Elixirs, leaving him to catch his breath while he returned to the fight.
All the armor on Welf's torso and left leg was gone, a mangled mess left in its place until the Elixirs took effect.
'What I wouldn't give to have a dedicated healer right now,' Yang thought to himself while returning to the fight.
Almost ten minutes later, another break in the fight happened.
The combined power of Yang and Thalie was enough to finally lop off the monsters' tail.
A pained roar shook the dungeon for at alteast a dozen floors, the sound powerful enough to stagger the adventurers. Caught off guard and dazed by the sound Yang is snatched up in Alatreon's jaws.
He sees a maw of orange and blue, fire and lightning. He hears teeth scraping against his armor as he desperately tries to slide out of its grasp.
"C'MON!" he desperately yells out, Chaos Mark having long been influencing his mind since the start of this battle, making him more aggressive and excited to fight.
But the bright red glow of dragon energy filling the teeth that held him was like a dash of cold water -if he could somehow even feel the cold- it instantly sobered him up.
"Shit!"
CRACK!
"Arghhhhhhh!" pain floods his body.
His legs snap a moment after his armor shatters, the only thing keeping the teeth from piercing his heart and neck is his weapon, lodged between the upper and lower jaw to barely keep it open.
Not a second later he's flung toward the far wall, caught by Welf before he slams into the crystal surface.
A glance toward Alatreon shows Thalie with her spear deep in the monster's left eye. Blood leaves the body like red mist as it hits the air.
As Welf is helping Yang hastily pour Elixirs over himself, rapidly setting the bones in place for his friend before the healing begins, Yang bites his lip and silently bears the pain.
As he's healing he sees Thalie's weapon get stuck when she tries to remove it, the entire eyeball is torn out on the spear.
The monster reels in pain for a moment before the front left paw smacks the woman down.
Pinning her between the scales and the crystal floor. The force sends shards of her armor across the floor before Alatreon drags its sharp scales and claws over her, shredding the front of her armor and leaving two slices in it, exposing the woman beneath.
Ten minutes later and everyone is back in the fight, armor, and bodies in varying states of damage, but no one could look at them and not wince in horror and surprise.
"This is it!" Yang eventually calls out, finally seeing what they've been waiting for.
Both sides were hurt, and Alatreon was finally ready to perform his big attack, Escaton Judgement.
The monster hovers in the air, gathering more and more energy, magic and Dragon Energy alike. All of his scales shimmer and glow before the energy gathers into his core.
"Now!" Yang says.
As the pure white torrent of destruction energy, the perfectly combined power of all elements descends onto the battlefield in one breath attack, they spring into action.
Sensing the danger all their instincts demand they run away, but they have faith in the plan, faith in Yang.
Alatreon aims directly down, and Welf rushes under him. Staring up into the maw as Escaton Judgement descends, an impossible attack, yet he raises Mosoka and manifests Void Flames to counter it.
"Do it!" Welf desperately cries out. Feeling his entire body burning, not from the heat, but from his magic. More magic than before, no...too much magic. Too much magic was being pushed into Mosoka, but this was its purpose. 'This is what you were made for!' he chants to himself.
The pure white elemental magic clashes with void black flames and forms an absolute deadlock.
Alatreon nor Welf could move, adjust their position or even stop the attack, to do either would mean severe damage or in Welf's case, death.
Exactly as planned.
The moment the clash happened Yang and Thalie had moved into position, taking advantage of the dragon's massive size they positioned themselves between the pronghorns.
The basics of fighting Elder Dragons, break the horns to limit their power.
With their backs pressed against one horn and legs against another.
"PUSH!" they chant in unison.
Thalie's magic glows like a mid-day sun while Yang's Chaos Mark tries to compete with it.
Putting everything they have into this, all their muscles and bones ache and quake. Joints hurting, the backs of their armor and the bottom of their boots are crushed and sliced against the sharp and tough black scales.
They can feel their skin being pierced as they continue pushing, until...
CRACK!
The black horns at their feet and back begin cracking.
Yang and Thalie almost get knocked off by the crackling Dragon Energy spilling out directly onto them.
"ARghhHHH! C'MON!" Thalie cries out as they redouble their efforts.
With a resounding crack, the sound is heard above all the flapping wings and roaring flames.
An explosion of red lighting and black clouds fills the room, emanating from all the Dragon Energy in the horns.
The Dragon Energy knocks the adventurers across the room in different directions as the monster collapses to the floor, dazed and exhausted.
Yang slowly awakens, laying face down across the room.
'Oh gods...I'll be sore forever from that...' he whines while trying to sit up.
CLANG!
His arms give out from beneath him causing his visor to slam into the floor. 'Crap,' he tries once more to sip up, feeling his entire body screaming at him to stop.
Leaning against the wall he looks around, across the room from him Alatreon was stirring awake, both horns broken, head swaying and breathing heavily through his mouth. The elemental storm in the room had completely stopped, leaving it almost completely silent.
"Welf? Thalie?" Yang calls out through his helmet. No response. His heart drops for a moment as he looks around.
The wall to his far-right has Welf. Laying on his back with Mosoka in his grip, or at least what was left of it. His armor was completely destroyed leaving severe burns all across his body, the melted hilt of Mosoka still in his grip, the rest of it missing.
Opposite Welf, to Yang's far left, he sees Thalie laying on her side, back against the dim glowing crystal cage holding The Angel.
The seven-foot-tall glowing white being was kneeling with a hand against the wall, as if trying to reach out and help Thalie, but she couldn't do anything from in there.
A low growl snaps Yang's attention away from his friend and back to Alatreon.
The monster was trying to get to his feet, so Yang had to do the same.
Shaking his head to get the dizzy feeling out, he leans against the wall to stand up, withdrawing an Elixir and quickly downing the entire vial.
'Can't get to Welf and Thalie without dealing with you first,' he thinks while staring down the dragon. It's one eye meeting his visor.
With a bone-chilling roar Alatreon's magic and Dragon Energy activate once more, coursing through his scales, but noticeably weaker than before.
Yang takes a step forward, withdrawing his weapon and pointing it at the dragon.
"Alright, Elementalist versus Elementalist... let's go," he challenges, Mage armor blazing to life.
Unbeknownst to him, at his back the Elemental Wheel was now a pure solid white ring of magic, all elements perfectly balanced, as they were always meant to be.
Unleashing a power like he has never known...
END CHAPTER---
These final chapters are stressing me out so sorry for the delays :(