Merlin knew he had to act. And act fast.
By now, he had gathered enough power for a Miracle, one strong enough to make a difference without crippling himself in the process.
Rumble was dead. Meaty, the serpent Saint, and Anora were still locked in a battle against the hind part of Elfenlied, its tail thrashing around while its two hind limbs smashed at everything, ignoring the lifeless front.
Meanwhile, Masker had finally torn the lizard's throat open. He stood amidst the massacre, drenched in the dark blood that sizzled and evaporated the moment it touched his burning body.
This was the hidden card the Great Tyrant had kept tucked away until the very last moment; just before they finally won.
Elfenlied, the monstrous lizard that had crawled out of the Fissure with its horde of imps, wasn't just one Nightmare Creature.
Elfenlied was two beings fused into one disgusting abomination, each controlling half of the body. One commanded the front, the other ruled the hind, while still moving in perfect sync.
Soaring higher, Merlin dismissed his seven shining stars, each one a fragment of his seven cores. They dissolved into shimmering light, fading back into his chest or back.
He raised his arms, spreading them wide as if to embrace the sun. A sun that had no business to cast its light so deep underground. Yet, Merlin could still feel it. A distant but firm connection, like something etched into a distant corner of his soul. He felt its flames, its relentless and divine power.
His lips moved, and the words that escaped his throat resonated through everything around him.
"I wish to defeat my enemies."
Merlin's voice was both distant and near, echoing through the very fabric of existence. It didn't just ring out, it burned itself into the world, searing through space like a fact. This wasn't a mere Wish or a Miracle.
It was a command.
And if he pushed with enough force -if his Will was strong enough- then the world had no choice but to obey.
The moment his words echoed, the world itself around them seemed to pause, and the tides of the battle shifted.
Flesh on Elfenlied's back twisted and bulged grotesquely, as if something monstrous was writhing and thrashing beneath it, desperate to break free. A deep, guttural rumble that shook the very ground echoed from the inside, followed by an ear-piercing screech.
Suddenly, with a violent explosion, something erupted from the grey, pulsing skin, tearing it apart like wet paper. Chunks of boiling blood, flesh, and jagged scales blasted outward in all directions, splattering the battlefield.
Masker hurled the dead creature's neck aside with a furious snarl before his massive form dashed forward. Each of his thunderous steps shook the ground beneath him, causing the earth to crack and split, while flames shot up around him like fiery pillars. His fury was only intensifying and by the way his flames only got stronger, Anora was fairly fed up as well.
'Good, they should finish this now,' Merlin sighed.
Merlin had known Masker for so long, and he understood the old Saint better than anyone in the waking world. If they didn't find his nephew after this, Merlin knew there would be no stopping him. Masker would drag his fury across all of the Undercity before venturing to the Himalayas and tearing the mountains down until he destroyed the Guild, doesn't matter if it was them who took his nephew or not.
At this point, the Saints knew victory was all but assured. But that didn't mean they could afford to let their guard down.
Understanding what was happening, everyone moved. Everyone except for Merlin, who slowly glided down, gathering Essence and strength. Even after accumulating so many wishes, performing a Miracle still took a horrendous toll on his body and soul.
Just like Gale, Merlin did all he could.
'Speaking of Gale,' he thought, his gaze flicking back to where he had last seen his friend. Merlin's eyes focused on Gale's unconscious form with a pinch of regret.
"You won't die," Merlin said as if it was a fact, before turning his attention back to the fight. Now, he simply had to wait.
By now, the second Elfenlied had fully emerged, rising onto its hind reptilian legs as rivers of dark blood cascaded down its grey body, flowing like waterfalls you would witness in hell. The front Tyrant was laying on the ground lifelessly, its stomach ripped open halfway.
The second Elfenlied opened its massive mouth and let out a devastating shriek, a raw blast of sound and air that had no mystical power behind it, only a wave of force that shook the very ground beneath it. The force of the noise stirred the dust and sent magma splashing, adding even more to the already chaotic battlefield.
Masker bent down, his thighs bulging with raw power and muscles coiling like a spring. Then, with a burst of brutal force, he launched himself upward, creating a shockwave that fractured the ground beneath his feet, shooting shrapnel out in all directions. The speed of his flight was so fast Merlin's eyes could barely keep up.
Yet Merlin knew it was practically over.
As Masker's red form blazed through the air like a comet, the remaining Saints moved without hesitation, not wasting a moment.
Serpent and Meaty moved as one being, their movements fully synchronized. Both Saints were controlled by the same Person after all.
The snake Saint's massive form twisted, spiralling its way up Elfenlied's thick hind leg like a serpent wrapping around its prey. Its scaled body tightened, muscles straining with power as it reached the creature's belly. With a venomous hiss, the Saint's fangs -each one the size of a tree- sank deep into the grey flesh.
The serpent's jaws clenched as it pumped gallons of venom into the Nightmare Creature's body. The poison was coursing through its veins and blackening the tissues on the Tyrants stomach.
Before Elfenlied could simply fall onto its stomach and crush the Snake Saint beneath its massive weight, Meaty -still in the grotesque form of a decaying wyvern- came crashing into the Great Tyrant's chest with a titanic roar. The force of the impact was like a thunderclap, reverberating through the crater. Meaty's decayed wings flared out while his talons tore into the grey scales.
Simultaneously, Masker also crashed down onto Elfenlied's lizard-like head. His four fists, glowing with blazing pinkish flames were extended forward. The flames ignited the very air around him, creating an explosive burst of heat as his fists made contact with the Tyrant's skull.
The impact sent a shockwave through Elfenlied's body and the surrounding area. The sound of cracking bones and tearing flesh was so loud that even Merlin heard it from so far away.
The Nightmare Creature staggered, its head snapping back as Masker's flames scorched its scales and flesh.
Elfenlied couldn't fight against the devastating force that slammed into it from the front. Its short, thick hind limbs buckled under the pressure, the ground beneath its feet cracking as it struggled to stay upright.
Its body twisted, and it screeched. Whenever Elfenlied tried to move one of its front limbs up and tear Masker away, Meaty would make it impossible by attacking with his sharp talons or fangs.
Unable to fully counter the assault from all three Saints and the weight of its own body, it couldn't do anything but fall.
Crash
Its gigantic body crashed down awkwardly with the three Saints clinging to it.
Masker's fists pounded into the Tyrant's skull, each hit creating violent shockwaves that ignited the air and dented the space itself.
Meaty clawed and tore through the thick flesh and scales with his sharp talons, each slash opening deep wounds that gushed dark blood. Meanwhile, the snake Saint continued to pump gallons of venom into Elfenlied's body, weakening its tough skin and scales.
The Great Tyrant's endurance was immaculate, but that was when the two halves were one being, combining one's mystical powers and the other's immense strength.
But now? It could hardly resist the three Saints. Especially Masker, who was yet to calm down. Merlin knew that once the old Saint transformed into his Oni Ogre, nothing would stop him. Not until his enemies were reduced to nothing but a crimson stain on the ground. A trait Merlin shared with the old man, which was why he never used his transformation.
Unlike the old Saint, who would activate it even if a fly buzzed too loudly near his ear.