Keon narrowed his eyes as he observed the chaotic battlefield, his attention shifting between the raging Abyssalflame Serpent and the relentlessly mutating Bloodwick. The sheer intensity of the fight had reached unprecedented levels, yet Keon's focus was elsewhere. He needed to understand his enemy.
"Where is that thing's core?" Keon asked, his voice carrying a sharp edge of urgency.
Stella's voice crackled through the communicator. "Beast-type monsters usually have their cores at the heart, but…" she hesitated. "This thing has mutated too much. Even I'm not sure anymore."
Keon clenched his fists, eyes locked onto the grotesque form of Bloodwick. The creature's constantly shifting structure made it difficult to predict its weaknesses. If Stella, with her vast knowledge, couldn't determine the core's location, then he would have to find another way.
His mind raced through possible solutions. The Rift Barrier could help him isolate and test theories without interference, but if Bloodwick was regenerating at such an unnatural rate, then simply targeting the usual weak spots might not be enough.
Keon took a deep breath. "Then we force it to show itself."
He wasn't sure yet how, but one thing was clear—this battle was far from over.
Keon's gaze remained locked on Bloodwick, its ever-mutating form writhing with grotesque vitality. The battlefield burned with the Abyssalflame Serpent's fury, but he wasn't focused on that right now. He had an idea—one that might just work.
"Stella," he called, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade. "Charge your plasma rifle. Now."
There was a brief pause before her voice crackled through the communicator, filled with confusion but no hesitation. "Huh? Why? What are you planning?"
"Just do it," Keon replied, his tone firm.
Stella gritted her teeth but complied, fingers swiftly activating the emergency charge function. A deep hum resonated through her rifle as energy built up, the barrel glowing with an unstable blue light. "It's charging, but this thing's not meant to fire at full capacity often. What exactly—?"
Keon exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. "You'll see."
Stella narrowed her eyes. "You're absorbing it again, aren't you?"
A smirk played at Keon's lips. "Something like that."
"Keon, that's reckless! Emergency mode plasma is unstable—if you can't handle it—"
"I can handle it." His words were calm, absolute.
Stella huffed in frustration. "You're unbelievable."
The rifle's hum intensified, the plasma core inside reaching critical levels. Stella's grip tightened. "Alright, it's ready! But I still don't get what you're trying to—"
"Fire."
She froze. "Wait, fire at what? The Bloodwick? Or—"
"At me."
"What?!"
Keon didn't repeat himself. His Rift Barrier was already flaring to life, shimmering faintly around him as he positioned himself. His heart pounded—not from fear, but anticipation.
Stella hesitated, gripping the rifle so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Keon, if you're wrong about this—"
"I'm not."
There was silence. Then, a frustrated groan. "Damn it, fine! But if you die, I'm haunting your ghost forever!"
Keon chuckled. "Noted."
A split second later, a blinding streak of blue plasma erupted from Stella's rifle, roaring toward him at terrifying speed.
And Keon stood still, arms open, ready to take it head-on.
Keon barely had a moment to prepare before Bloodwick reacted violently. The grotesque mass of writhing flesh and bone convulsed, twisting unnaturally as jagged spikes erupted from its body. The air whistled as the bone projectiles shot forward, their speed almost too fast to track.
Keon's eyes widened. "Motherfu—"
Before he could finish cursing, the first spike tore through the air straight at him. But the instant it touched his Rift Barrier, it vanished into the shimmering distortion—swallowed whole by the dimensional space within.
Keon exhaled sharply, his heartbeat steadying. His barrier wasn't just for defense. It was a gateway. A weapon.
Bloodwick let out a guttural growl, its chaotic form writhing as if sensing something was off.
Keon's smirk returned. "Bad move, freak."
With a flicker of intent, his Rift Barrier trembled—then spat the bone spike back out. But this time, it wasn't just returning the attack. The spike tore through the air at nearly double its original speed, a blur of death aimed straight at the monstrous abomination.
Bloodwick screeched, barely shifting in time, but the projectile still gouged deep into its shifting flesh, sending a spray of black ichor into the air. The wound sizzled, as if the creature itself couldn't fully absorb the damage from its own attack.
Keon rolled his shoulders. "Guess I can send gifts back too."
Bloodwick's screech deepened, its body shuddering with rage. It had just learned a painful truth—its own attacks could be turned into deadly counters.
And Keon wasn't done yet.
Bloodwick let out a guttural shriek as the bone spike tore into its body, black ichor splattering across the battlefield. The grotesque creature twisted and convulsed, its constantly mutating form shifting to seal the wound—but the damage had already been done.
Keon narrowed his eyes, feeling the shift in the battlefield. He wasn't the only one who had noticed Bloodwick's moment of vulnerability.
From the side, a chilling rattle echoed through the chaos. Bones scraping against bones.
Then, without warning—
Abyssalflame Serpent struck.
The skeletal beast moved like a phantom, its enormous body coiling with terrifying speed. Hollow eye sockets glowed with an eerie blue flame as it launched itself at Bloodwick, its jaws wide open, fangs gleaming with cursed energy.
Bloodwick barely had time to react before the undead serpent crashed into it, coiling around its writhing form like an unbreakable noose. A monstrous hiss filled the air as Abyssalflame Serpent sank its jagged teeth into Bloodwick's flesh, the cursed fire erupting and searing into the abomination's very essence.
The undead didn't hesitate. It had chosen this moment to strike.
With each constriction of its skeletal body, more black ichor sprayed into the air, and Bloodwick's erratic mutations began to slow—its regeneration struggling against the relentless assault of undeath.
Keon smirked, watching as the battlefield shifted in his favor. So even the dead know how to take an opportunity.
But Bloodwick wasn't finished yet.
The grotesque abomination shrieked, its form contorting wildly—mutating in response to the undead serpent's relentless attack.
Keon tensed. This fight was far from over.