Kairos didn't need to be told twice. With the last of his strength, he charged forward, his celestial blade blazing with the light of the stars. He leaped into the air, bringing the sword down in a mighty arc, cleaving through the Molten Behemoth's molten skin.
The creature howled, its final, agonized cry echoing through the cavern as its immense form began to crumble. The oppressive heat that had stifled them faded, replaced by a strange chill. The molten skin dissolved into ash, scattering across the rocky ground. Kairos staggered back, barely able to stand as his breath came in ragged gasps.
"It's over," Kairos muttered to himself, trying to calm the hammering in his chest.
Lucius, Caelum, and Aella gathered around him, each of them battered and bruised but alive.
"That... was close," Lucius said, wiping the sweat from his brow, his hand trembling. His eyes darted around the cavern, as if expecting another enemy to leap out of the shadows.
Kairos nodded, but even as the adrenaline faded, an unsettling feeling gnawed at the back of his mind. Something was off.
The ash that had scattered from the Behemoth's body didn't settle. Instead, it shimmered faintly, as if refusing to fully dissipate. Suddenly, the scattered pieces began to twitch and move, like embers reigniting.
Kairos' eyes widened in horror as the ash began to converge. It pooled together, swirling rapidly into molten globules. These newly formed masses of molten rock pulsated and then split apart, shaping into smaller versions of the Behemoth—smaller, but no less deadly.
"Is this some kind of trick?!" Aella shouted, backing up as one of the molten creatures hissed and formed at her feet, its glowing red eyes locked on her.
Lucius stepped forward, sword in hand, but his exhaustion showed. "This can't be happening. We cut it down! How is it still... alive?"
The swarm of miniature Behemoths, no larger than a wolf, growled in unison, their molten skin bubbling with the same intensity as the original. Though smaller, their numbers were overwhelming, and their molten bodies shimmered with lethal heat.
Kairos tightened his grip on his sword. "This isn't over. Spread out, and don't let them surround us!"
Caelum raised his dragon-kin arm, the heat from his last spell still lingering. "There's too many of them!"
The first of the miniature Behemoths charged forward, launching itself at Lucius with terrifying speed. Lucius barely had time to react, raising his sword to block, but the creature's molten claws melted the tip of his blade on contact. He cursed and stumbled back as the creature lashed out again, the heat singeing his armor.
Kairos rushed forward, slicing through one of the creatures before it could get too close to Lucius. His celestial blade flickered with light, but as it cut through the creature, molten blood splattered across his arm, burning through his sleeve.
"They're made of pure molten rock," Aella called out, swiping at another that leaped toward her. "Hitting them head-on will only get us burned!"
Kairos gritted his teeth, dodging another swipe from the creature. His celestial magic surged, but the heat made it difficult to concentrate. He couldn't risk another direct hit—these things were too dangerous to handle like the original.
"We need a new plan," he shouted, his eyes scanning the cavern for any advantage they could use.
Caelum slammed his dragon-kin fist into the ground, sending a burst of fire toward the approaching swarm. "Keep moving! If we stand still, they'll overwhelm us!"
But for every creature they struck down, two more seemed to take its place, rising from the ash like a relentless tide.
Kairos felt the pressure mounting. His vision blurred with sweat and exhaustion, but giving in wasn't an option. Not here. Not now.
One of the smaller Behemoths charged at him, its molten jaws snapping dangerously close. Kairos swung his sword, cutting it down, but its molten blood splattered onto his armor, searing through the metal. The pain was sharp, but he pushed through it, his body moving on instinct.
"We can't keep fighting them like this!" Aella shouted, her sword deflecting another Behemoth, but the heat was wearing her down. "They're regenerating from the ash—there's no end to them!"
Kairos' mind raced. The figure who had summoned the Behemoth had said something about leaving them a 'gift'—a glimpse of what awaited them. This swarm, these creatures, weren't the real threat. They were distractions—designed to break them down, sap their strength.
"Stop focusing on the swarm!" Kairos yelled. "We need to take out the source!"
Lucius staggered back from another attack, his face pale. "The source? Where the hell is it?"
Kairos turned, his gaze locking onto the faint glow of the portal still lingering at the far end of the cavern. It was where the Behemoth had emerged, and where the ash continued to gather.
"There! The portal's still active!" Kairos shouted, pointing his blade toward it. "We need to destroy it—if we don't, they'll keep coming!"
Without hesitation, Kairos dashed toward the portal, his celestial blade flaring with light. Lucius and Aella fought to keep the swarm at bay, but even their strength was fading.
"Go, Kairos!" Aella called, her voice strained as she slashed through another Behemoth.
Kairos reached the portal, the dark energy radiating from it. He raised his sword high, channeling every last bit of celestial magic he had left. His blade glowed brighter, the light of the stars filling the cavern.
With a single, powerful strike, Kairos brought the sword down on the portal. The cavern shook, and the dark energy surrounding the portal pulsed violently before shattering like glass. The molten Behemoths howled as the portal's destruction sent a shockwave through the cavern, and one by one, the creatures crumbled into ash, their molten bodies cooling and dissipating.
Kairos fell to one knee, his chest heaving as the last of the creatures faded away. The heat in the cavern vanished, replaced by a chilling stillness.
It was over—for real this time.
Lucius, Caelum, and Aella regrouped around him, all of them exhausted but alive. The threat had passed, but the figure's ominous words lingered in Kairos' mind.
This battle had only been a prelude. Something darker was coming.