Chapter 149:
A sharp gust of wind howled through the ruined throne room, along with it was the rising heat of molten lava and flames. Dust and debris which were remnants of the previous battle were flying in the air, swirling flames around Kouki and pulsing winds around meiyo around the two magic knight and siblings stood side by side, their bodies battered, their breathing harmonised but tired—however their will remained unbroken.
Meiyo who still had blood dripping from the deep wound in her leg, struggled to stand she can hear Hakashi Tanaka's creams for her to stop and rest but ignored it and forced herself upright, her Sky Hawk-enhanced eyes burning with determination. She knew only together can she correct her mistake. To correct the plan that landed her family, friends and hakashi in this.
Kouki lwas in a similar state instead of bleeding leg he blood smeared across his lips it wasn't as bad the fire aura was cauterising his wounds, stood rigid beside her, his lava slit wolf-like eyes locked onto the Hydra with something beyond rage—something raw, something primal.
The Hydra's heads tilted slightly, its golden gaze studying them with something that almost resembled amusement. "So, you're finally going to fight together?" It chuckled, the sound vibrating through the broken stone beneath their feet. "How precious. But it won't save you. However maybe you can entertain me a bit before i send you to mommy and daddy broken"
Kouki spat blood onto the ground, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "We'll see about that, you overgrown snake." His voice was a low growl, rough with fury, but there was something steadier about him now—something colder.
Meiyo glanced at him from the corner of her eye. This was the first time in the battle that he had actually stopped to think. His anger, for once, wasn't clouding his judgment.
Good.
It was about time.
Because if they wanted to win against this Hydra, he needed to trust her.
And she needed him too.
He might not be as clever as her after all they mirrored thier parents.
Kouki was like Hiroshi thier dad strong but lacked intelligence.
Meiyo herself was like Amaya her mother cunning intelligent and beautiful.
and she knew it she always used her beauty to her benefits manipulating all around her to bad this creature was a monster and a humanlike being she could have had him running circles to impress like mum taught her to. Controlling men was easy you just needed to bat a eyelash and act weak appeal to ego of men to act strong was what mother taught her cause men want to feel powerful its a genetic flaw that females can exploit well beautiful females like herself and mum not ugly ones.
However now was not the time she was getting to caught up.
She flexed her fingers, the air around her shifting as mana surged through her body, swirling around her in a golden cyclone. The Sky Hawk's wind, sharp and untamed, rippled in waves around her, wrapping her in its invisible embrace. At her feet, magic circles flickered to life, golden runes twisting and reforming as they channeled her power.
Kouki, meanwhile, rolled his shoulders, the heat around him intensifying. Lava bubbled beneath his feet, the ground cracking as molten flames coiled around his body like living serpents. His breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling in slow, steady inhales.
Two opposite forces.
Wind and Fire.
Meiyo, sharp and calculating, lacked the sheer brute force to bring the Hydra down.
Kouki, reckless and destructive, lacked the precision to make his attacks count.
But together?
Together, they could break this monster.
Meiyo spoke first, her voice calm, authoritative. "I'll keep him off balance. You look for an opening."
Kouki scoffed. "I don't need you to tell me how to fight."
Meiyo's expression didn't change. "Then prove it."
The Hydra let out a low, amused rumble. "Cute. But do you really think you can—"
Meiyo moved.
A burst of wind exploded beneath her feet, launching her forward faster than the eye could track. In a flash, she was above the Hydra, her blade forming in an instant—thin, sharp, pure wind compressed into a deadly edge.
She struck.
The Hydra dodged, its massive form shifting with eerie fluidity, but Meiyo was faster than before. Her blade didn't need to cut deep—it just needed to weaken.
A single strike along the Hydra's already-cracked scale.
The moment her blade connected, she twisted mid-air, summoning a second burst of wind to propel her backward before the Hydra could retaliate.
And right as she retreated—
Kouki launched forward.
Using Meiyo's attack as a distraction, he surged straight for the same scale, his entire body coated in molten flames. His fist, wreathed in lava, collided directly with the weakened spot.
A sickening crack.
The Hydra's golden eyes flickered.
For the first time in the fight ever it staggered.
interesting was all it thought.
A ripple of silence filled the throne room.
Then—
A low, dangerous growl rumbled from the Hydra's heads decided to voice it's thoughts as it throats. "Interesting."
Kouki smirked, stepping back beside Meiyo, his knuckles still steaming from the impact. "Looks like we can hurt you after all."
Meiyo exhaled sharply, already analyzing their next move. They had found a rhythm—her precision, his power. But it wouldn't be enough. They had to push further.
She tightened her grip on her blade. "We need to break more of his defenses."
Kouki cracked his neck, flames swirling in his palms. "Then let's make him bleed."
They moved as one.
Meiyo's wind sharpened. She flickered across the battlefield, never staying still, carving thin, precise lines across the Hydra's scales—weakening them, creating openings.
Kouki's flames exploded. He followed each of her attacks, striking every weak spot she created, his lava burning through the cracks she left behind.
The Hydra snarled, its tails whipping violently, the throne room crumbling around them as the battle intensified.
A near miss—one of the Hydra's tails shot toward Meiyo, aiming to crush her completely.
She had no time to dodge.
But before it could land—
Kouki was there.
With a feral roar, he grabbed the tail mid-swing, lava and flames surging through his body as he held it back through sheer brute force. The Hydra's golden eyes flickered in surprise.
"Go!" Kouki barked, straining under the pressure.
Meiyo didn't hesitate.
She vanished.
Reappearing above the Hydra's heads, she spread her arms, magic circles forming beneath her feet.
She felt something—something instinctual, something deep in her blood.
A skill.
A shield
A barrier made of wind that can protect her and anyone with in the barrier from almost everything.
She didn't question it.
With a single thought, a massive barrier of wind erupted around her, forming an impenetrable dome of air. A perfect defense.
The moment it took form, her body trembled—her stamina draining rapidly. But it didn't matter.
Because she knew what Kouki was about to do.
Kouki felt it too.
A memory that wasn't a memory.
An instinct buried deep in his bones.
A skill.
A final attack.
His flames burned hotter than ever, his mana surging to its absolute peak.
Then—it collapsed inward.
All of his power—his flames, his lava, his energy—compressed into a single, unstable core at his center.
An explosion waiting to be unleashed.
He knew what this was.
He knew what to do.
His lips curled into a slow, deadly grin.
"I know what to do."