The cave roared to life as the first strike landed.
Eratz and the Terrakrus moved at each other with a force that shook the ground beneath their feet.
The black dragon's claws scraped the stone, leaving deep gashes in the rock as it lunged.
Its glowing amber eyes locked onto Eratz with deadly intent, but Eratz was already moving, lightning crackling at his fingertips.
He met the dragon's attack head-on.
With a savage roar, Eratz slammed his fist into the Terrakrus's claw, his punch crackling with electricity.
The force of the impact sent a shockwave through the cave, rocks crumbling from the ceiling as the two collided.
The ground beneath them trembled, and a crater formed where their powers met.
Eratz was pushed back a few steps, his muscles tense, but he refused to yield. A grin spread across his face as the excitement surged through him.
The primal part of him, the beast within his blood, bursted in full force.
His red eyes glowed brighter, and the thrill of the fight sent adrenaline flooding through his veins.
"Come on!" he roared, summoning his beasts.
All materialized from the shadows, covering the cavern, their eyes glowing with the same fierce energy that pulsed through their master.
They charged at the Terrakrus, a whirlwind of claws, fangs, and fury.
But the dragon was relentless. With a swing of its tail, it obliterated the weakest beasts, sending them crashing into the cavern walls.
The Vulpans leapt at its face, biting at its scales, but the Terrakrus let out a pulse of aura that knocked them back like ragdolls.
The flying monsters, though fast, were no match for the dragon's powerful claws, which crushed them with ease.
Each time Eratz's beasts fell, they dissolved into shadows, retreating back into Eratz's shadow, only to be summoned again.
He felt their energy surging through him, fueling his every move, his attack.
He was becoming more animal by the second, his movements sharp and predatory, his senses heightened to an almost painful degree.
The Terrakrus responded in kind, its eyes flaring as it released a deep, growl.
It raised its massive tail and brought it down with a thunderous crash, causing a tremor that rippled through the cave floor.
The ground beneath Eratz's feet cracked and split, sending shards of rock flying through the air.
But Eratz wasn't fazed. He dashed forward, dodging the falling debris with lightning speed, his body a blur of movement.
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a fire ball and hurled it at the Terrakrus, the flames igniting the dark cavern in a bright light.
The dragon roared as the flames collided with its scales, scorching the stone-like armor.
It staggered back but retaliated immediately, stomping the ground and creating a localized earthquakes.
The cavern shook violently, and jagged spikes of rock shot up from the floor, aiming to impale Eratz.
Eratz leaped into the air, flipping over the rock spires, his body moving with an animalistic grace.
The Terrakrus charged again, its maw opening wide as it unleashed a molten rock breath, the air around them boiling from the heat.
Eratz crossed his arms, summoning a shield of lightning, fire and light to block the oncoming onslaught.
The molten rock splashed against the barrier, sizzling and hissing as the two forces clashed violently.
Eratz dropped the shield and charged forward, his fist sparking with electricity.
As he closed the distance between them, he slammed his lightning-charged fist into the Terrakrus's chest, the impact sending another shockwave through the cavern.
The dragon let out a bellow of rage as the lightning coursed through its body, causing its scales to crack and fracture.
The ground beneath them quaked, the cave beginning to crumble under the weight of their battle.
Massive boulders fell from above, but Eratz and the Terrakrus paid them no mind. They were locked in a dance of destruction, each blow they exchanged shaking the very earth around them.
Eratz's beasts re-emerged from the shadows, attacking in unison. The Thunder lycaon moved with blinding speed, weaving between the Terrakrus's legs.
The Vulpans lunged at its neck, their jaws snapping with deadly precision. The insectoids swarmed its wings, trying to tear at the membranes.
But the Terrakrus fought back with equal ferocity. It slammed its tail into the ground, sending a shockwave that threw Eratz's beasts into the air.
It stomped the earth, causing fissures to open beneath their feet, swallowing them whole.
Yet each time they fell, they returned, undeterred, their loyalty to Eratz unwavering.
Blood and sweat dripped from Eratz's body, his chest heaving with exertion, but his eyes burned with the same fiery determination.
He was relentless, every muscle in his body tensing as he prepared for another attack.
He could feel the primal energy building within him, a power that made him feel invincible.
The Terrakrus reared back, raising both claws high above its head, and slammed them down toward Eratz with a thunderous crash.
Eratz crossed his arms, his aura flaring with a mix of lightning and fire, catching the blow with everything he had.
The force of the attack sent shockwaves rippling through the cavern, cracks spider-webbing across the walls as rocks fell from above like rain.
The beast roared, a deep, earthen growl that shook the air. Eratz felt the ground tremble beneath his feet, the sheer might of the dragon pressing down on him.
But he refused to back down.
With a guttural roar, he pushed back with all his strength, forcing the Terrakrus off balance.
He jumped into the air, summoning a whirlwind of flames around him as he dove toward the dragon. His fist ignited with a powerful flame, and he brought it crashing down on like a hammer on the Terrakrus's head.
The explosion of fire rocked the cavern, sending molten rock spraying in every direction. The dragon roared in pain, staggering back as flames licked at its scales.
But the Terrakrus was far from finished. It unleashed its full power, slamming its claws into the ground and releasing a devastating earthquake that shook the entire cavern.
Massive pillars of rock erupted from the ground, crashing into the walls and ceiling.
The cavern shook violently, stones crashing from the ceiling as the earth groaned under the pressure of the battle.
Eratz barely had time to brace himself before the Terrakrus lunged forward with a guttural roar, its massive claws slashing through the air.
He ducked, just in time, as the claws scraped the rocks, sending shards flying.
Without missing a beat, Eratz surged forward, his fist crackling with raw lightning. He slammed it into the Terrakrus's chest with a sickening thud.
The force of the blow sent shockwaves through the cave, the lightning searing the beast's scales. The dragon flinched, but its amber eyes blazed with fury.
Before Eratz could react, the Terrakrus struck back, its powerful claws raking across his chest.
The impact was brutal, like a hammer against steel. Eratz staggered but didn't fall. Instead, he roared in defiance and leaped at the beast, fists blazing with energy.
They collided in a chaotic frenzy of fists and claws, the raw power of their strikes causing the very ground beneath them to tremble.
Eratz's punches crackled with lightning, shattering the rocks around them with every blow, while the Terrakrus retaliated with devastating swipes that shook the earth, miniature earthquakes radiating from each strike.
The cavern echoed with the sounds of their battle, the violent clash of flesh against scale, the roar of energy and force as they tore into each other.
Blood splattered the ground as Eratz landed a vicious kicks to the side of the Terrakrus's jaw, the lightning in his fist exploding with force, causing the beast to stagger.
But the dragon responded in kind, whipping its massive tail into Eratz's side, sending him crashing into a wall with chilling noise.
Rocks crumbled around him, but he pushed himself out of the rubble, eyes blazing.
His body felt like it was on fire, his instincts were at their peak.
He wasn't done yet. He launched himself back at the Terrakrus, his fists and feet a blur as he attacked with a savagery that matched the dragon's own.
They were no longer man and beast, they were two forces of nature locked in a brutal, unrelenting struggle for dominance.
Each punch, each slash tore through the air with the force of a hurricane. The Terrakrus's claws dug into Eratz's flesh, but each time it did, Eratz returned the blow tenfold, his lightning punches sending waves of destruction across the cavern.
The two of them became a whirlwind of destruction, neither willing to back down, neither willing to give an inch.
The Terrakrus roared and charged, its massive body barreling into Eratz, slamming him to the ground with crushing force.
The impact left a crater beneath him, but Eratz roared in return, grabbing the dragon by its horns and smashing his forehead into its skull, sending a burst of lightning crackling through its body, again and again, each headbutt with a more violent intensity.
They were locked in a savage melee, neither gaining the upper hand. It was chaos, a primal dance of power and destruction.
Each blow they traded shook the cavern, the ground splitting and crumbling beneath them as they fought with everything they had.
But then, something inside Eratz shifted.
As he crashed once again, he could feel a change, a deep, calm energy awakening within him.
It wasn't just his connection to his beasts or the power of his spirit. It was something deeper, something more radiant.
The aetheri.
He could feel its energy coursing through him, intertwining with his own. His senses sharpened, his mind clearing as the world around him seemed to slow.
He could feel the flow of energy in the cavern, the pulse of the earth, the rhythm of the Terrakrus's movements.
And then, the energy surged.
The aetheri's power exploded out of him in a white and pink storm, the calm center of a storm that swept through the entire cavern.
It washed over the Terrakrus, over the rocks, over the earth. The air around him grew still, the sound of the battle fading into the background.
Eratz felt no pain, no exhaustion, only a deep sense of calm. His connection to the aetheri had reached a new level. He understood everything now.
Every breath, every movement, every pulse of energy around him was clear.
He reached out with his hand, and a brilliant light began to form at his fingertips.
It was pure, concentrated energy, swirling with the power of the aetheri and his own spiritual force.
The light grew brighter, more intense, until it became a white and pink aura covering his hand.
Eratz's eyes burned with resolve as he pointed his fingers at the Terrakrus.
The dragon roared, sensing the incoming attack, but it was too late.
With a roar of his own, Eratz released the energy. The beam shot forward, a brilliant column of light that tore through the air, crashing into the Terrakrus with the force of a thousand storm.
The cave shook violently, the walls crumbling under the sheer power of the attack.
The Terrakrus let out one final roar before the energy consumed it, its massive body glowing with the light of the beam.
And then, silence.
The cave was still, the air thick with the scent of smoke and earth. Eratz stood in the center of the destruction, his body trembling from the exertion, but his heart steady.