"BASTARD!"
Rage, raw and uncontained, surged through his veins like wildfire. It was the first time he had ever felt this way, utterly consumed by fury. The axe in his grip, once a simple tool for felling trees, now felt like an extension of his wrath, a weapon of vengeance.
His vision tunneled, the world narrowing to a singular point, his target the dragon. His legs moved faster and stronger than they had ever moved. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he launched forward, an explosion of force sending shockwaves, leaving a crater through the earth.
Power coursed through his arms, through his bones, undeniable, immeasurable.
The first strike came like a thunderclap.
Boom!
The axe howled through the air, a deadly arc aimed at the dragon's impenetrable hide. The impact was instant.
The handle...
Shattered...
Wood splintered into the wind, the force of his grip too much for it to bear. It exploded.
The strength he's showing, only he could ask where was it coming from. He had never experienced anything close to it. But despite that, the enemy he's facing is nothing short of a monster that it is.
The axe's blade, despite the massive force, barely left a scratch upon the dragon's scales, a mere whisper against an immovable force.
He fell, his body unlike anything it was earlier, he could feel everything, his rugged breathing, the pulsing of his veins, he could feel as it happens.
His senses sharpen, it's as if the world has slowed down for him. He's become hyper-aware of his surroundings.
"What is going on?"
The dragon turned to him, massive eyes narrowing. The insignificant creature had done something it did not expect, it had made it look.
A deep, guttural growl rumbled from the beast's throat.
Then...
ROAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
The force of its roar tore through the air, a declaration of absolute dominance. The ground trembled. The sky itself seemed to recoil. The pressure sent cracks splitting through the earth, and the sheer volume rattled in his skull, making his ears ring. His body staggered under the overwhelming force, and his breath caught in his throat.
Fear...
The only way to describe what his feeling is.
His hyper-awareness was put to stop. Everything has gone back to the way it usually was. The strength that suddenly materializes, disappeared in an instant.
Facing against a dragon, no man had ever dreamt of trying. A catastrophe whose nature is destruction, what can he possibly do to oppose it?
Nothing...
At that moment, a shadow fell over him. It was quick and accurate, did not give him enough time to react.
A massive, unforgiving tail sweep.
The world spun.
A shockwave of pain. His body hurled backward like a lifeless doll, crashing through jagged rocks, and shattering trees as if they were brittle twigs. He did not even have time to scream, his breath was stolen the moment the blow connected. His ribs groaned under the force, bones fracturing from the sheer brutality.
Darkness clawed at the edges of his vision. Was it a miracle or a curse, his consciousness remains. Coughing up blood, dripping from his lips. His arms barely respond. His legs trembling, struggling to take hold of his battered frame.
Hi did not have a chance, against such a catastrophe.
The dragon approached, slow and deliberate.
Not out of caution. But indifference.
A deep, resonant sound rumbled in the dragon's throat, mocking him.
He clenched his fists. But there was no strength left to fight.
The battle had been over before it even began.
And yet, he still stood.
Broken.
The dragon spread its wings, the gust of wind whipping dust and ash around him. At first, he thought it was leaving. A moment of relief threatened to creep into his mind.
But it did not.
A low growl reverberated from its chest. The glow of molten red pulsed from within, illuminating the embedded crystal in its chest.
Dawn knew what was coming.
A dragon, one of the strongest spawns. A creature whose body was harder than steel, whose claws could cleave through mountains, whose power could level a city. One standing atop the hierarchy of monsters.
And most of all, a being whose breath could reduce the toughest metals to molten slag.
And now, that very breath was aimed at him.
The air grew blistering hot, thick with the scent of burning earth.
Dawn willed his body to move. To run.
But his body had nothing left to give. He could only watch as the dragon charged its breath.
He closed his eyes.
There was no escape. No last-minute victory.
This was the end.
A deep inhale from the beast. The world turned red as the inferno erupted from its maw.
"So this is how I die…"