Boom!
Tectonic roars echoed as two behemoth beasts collided head-on, a shower of tears and fur painting the sky with a macabre dance of crimson dandelion fluff, fluttering westwards, creating a strangely beautiful blood-stained spectacle.
Although colossal in stature, Caesar, the Red Dragon, was armed with agile wings that granted him blistering speed in the skies, effectively rendering the Blazebull a mere ground-bound target without means to menace him from above.
After several bouts of conflict, the Blazebull was decisively outmatched. In one exchange, Caesar's sharp talons pierced right through the beast's skull, baring the grisly sight of its red and white brain matter. But the Blazebull's vitality was formidable, and its wounds, fed by a relentless surge of fiery elemental power, closed before the eyes with a miraculous swiftness.
Such is the life force of a magical creature.
The immense bulk signified more than mere physical dominance. For a human, such a brutal talon swipe from Caesar would have penetrated even the most skilled close-quarter combatant, leaving nothing but a lifeless husk. But to the Blazebull, it appeared as little more than a scratch.
However, with its animosity fully awakened, the beast's eyes, big as basins, overflowed with a brutal rage, fixing upon Caesar aloft with a deathly glare, wishing it could gore him a million times over.
With a realization of his adversary's aerial advantage, the infuriated Blazebull issued a raw, primal bellow, invoking an unrestrained display of its elemental fire mastery.
With a mighty stomp, a series of fiery pillars erupted around the beast.
Ten, a hundred, a thousand…
Brilliant flames flared, flooding Caesar's vision with a multitude of pillars, each one barrelling toward him with a perilous grace.
Observing the Blazebull's struggle, Caesar couldn't help but chuckle.
To assail a Red Dragon with elementary fire magics? If humans had witnessed this, they'd scoff at the creature's foolishness – for Red Dragons can bathe unscathed in pools of magma.
Though creatures of wisdom were not uncommon among magic-inspired species, the Blazebull did not belong to this learned echelon. Otherwise, such a potent being would have achieved the vaunted status of an upper-echelon magical entity.
Wisdom is an attribute of vital significance.
A human adventuring party, equipped with intelligence on the Blazebull and armed with the proper gear and strategy, could gradually carve away at the behemoth's heft, exemplifying wisdom's undeniable power.
As the infernal fire pillars assailed him, Caesar chose not to evade. With his newly awakened affinity for fire, his immunity was unparalleled.
In his perception, this mid-tier spellcraft was unremarkable.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Upon witnessing a direct hit on that detestable Red Dragon, the Blazebull trumpeted with delirious joy, for never before had its victims survived to witness the aftermath – usually reduced to mere char and ash.
But as the smoky veil lifted, the scene unveiled was one of incredulity for the Blazebull. The mighty Red Dragon above, unscathed by the direct onslaught, bore not a single scratch on its lustrous scales. Instead, they shimmered with an enhanced gleam, causing Caesar to narrow his eyes contentedly.
This was no mere magic.
Had a practitioner of human Arcane Arts borne witness, they would have exclaimed precisely this. While the Red Dragon's resistance to flame was renowned, the power of such a spell lay not in the fire alone but in its formidable concussive force. A direct hit to an adult Red Dragon would still result in a staggering blow – but not so for Caesar, who now stood utterly unfazed.
The beast found itself in the grip of terror.
Its greatest strength proving futile against the predator above, it recognized an apex creature far exceeding its own might.
So, it fled.
Bounding away with its massive sixteen-meter frame, the Blazebull resembled a small hillock on the move, crashing through the forest, felling towering trees, and shattering stones – a testament to the panic driving its escape, for nothing stood in its path, not even hills buckled under its horns.
"Playtime is over, time to end this game," Caesar spoke in a dispassionate tone.
Through the battle, his understanding of his own power was nearly complete. In the physical domain, he dominated the sixth-order magical creatures, and in terms of magical defense, he could barely feel harm from fire, even as his size increased along with resistances to other elements.
Watching the fleeing Blazebull, Caesar decided it was time for a savory meal of barbeque steak.
He inhaled deeply, drawing in the abundant fire elements of the atmosphere. A curious alchemy transpired within, brewing a torrential flame breath that would soon be unleashed.
As it left his mouth, the fiery exhalation was speckled with countless golden flecks, marking a transformation. The breath grew more intense and devastating, each flame a harbinger of ruin.
With a single powerful flap, Caesar's form shot ahead of the Blazebull, descending from the heavens to block its panicked charge.
Boom!
The hapless Blazebull, overtaken by dread, had no chance to retaliate and received the full brunt of the enhanced dragon's breath, point-blank.
The once mighty creature was stilled in its tracks, devoid of life as the dragon's breath subsided, leaving only a charred husk behind, its scorched pelt emitting an enticing aroma – a feast of roasted beef cooked to perfection, utterly inconceivable to Caesar himself.
He had not anticipated the sheer potency of his own breath, which, according to his predictions, would incapacitate at best.
Yet the unforeseen potency of his inherent power, now augmented by the Eternal Blazesun without conscious invocation, had wrought this instant annihilation.
The Red Dragon is a pinnacle amid the chromatic brood.
Its preeminence does not suggest absolute superiority, for each breed has its strengths. But Caesar was evolving, a variant Red Dragon whose prowess, from physique to breath, was now unrivaled by his kin.