The forest rumbled.
Not from thunder or quake, but from something primal, something heavy that dragged the very sky downward with each step it took.
Trees splintered. The ground cracked. Birds screamed in retreat as the Tyrant Tusker tore through the Spirit Woods, a monstrous beast crowned in darkness.
It was unlike any Heartless they had seen before—towering and tusked, its hide forged of obsidian-like armor pulsing with crimson veins of darkness. Four arms sprouted from its sides, each tipped with jagged black claws, and its back bore spikes like an armored mountain. Golden tribal patterns flickered beneath its skin—signs of corrupted magic.
Its glowing eyes swept across the village, hungry.
Helios stood at the edge of the battlefield, silver spear Bríon na Lú in hand. The wind whipped around him, brushing his cloak aside.
Helios stepped forward, his silver spear Bríon na Lú pulsing faintly. The light gleamed against the shadows cast by the approaching titan. He glanced over his shoulder at Aqua and Skuld, both bruised, both winded from their last encounter.
"You two need to rest and recover your magic," he said flatly. "Let your strength return. I'll hold it back with John and Pocahontas."
Aqua's brows furrowed. "You can't fight that thing alone."
"I'm not alone," he said, nodding toward the two behind him. Pocahontas had already stepped forward, wind swirling around her ankles. Her eyes held no fear.
Skuld moved to protest, but Aqua placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let him."
Helios turned, catching Pocahontas's gaze. "You and John—cover me from range. Dodge the attacks. Don't let it get close to you."
John nodded tightly. "I've got a few shots left."
Pocahontas notched an arrow, her hair flowing in the rising wind. "Let us go."
John loaded his musket with shaking hands. "You're all insane," he muttered.
Helios gave a small grin. "No. Just confident."
The Tyrant Tusker snarled and charged.
Helios met it head-on.
Bríon na Lú shimmered in his grip. The moment they clashed, he threw himself to the side, avoiding a sweeping claw as he teleported behind the creature and drove his spear into its hind leg.
The beast bellowed, kicking out with a back leg, but Helios vanished again, reappearing on its left flank.
He spun the spear and channeled Aerora into his feet, launching into the air.
"Blizzaga!" he shouted, hurling a massive shard of ice into the Tusker's shoulder, causing it to slow.
From the treetops, Pocahontas fired—one, two, three arrows in rapid succession. Each one curved with the wind and struck home, glowing faintly with her new wind-enhanced precision.
John followed up with his musket, aiming for the beast's legs, trying to cripple its balance.
But the Tusker wouldn't be damaged so easily.
With a furious stomp, it unleashed a Shockwave that shattered the ground. John was thrown off his feet. Pocahontas flipped back, rolling behind a tree.
Helios teleported just in time avoiding the impact, reappearing mid-air and hurling his spear with all his strength. It spun like a comet of light and struck the beast's jaw, staggering it.
He warped to the spear, grabbed it mid-spin, and followed up with a flurry of attacks.
Blazing Fang – Fire-Infused Thrusts.
The beast's tusks glowed, and then—
BOOM!
It fired a blast of dark energy from its mouth.
Helios summoned a Reflect shield, its luminous surface cracking but holding. Pocahontas and John were thrown backward by the shockwave but managed to recover behind cover.
Helios narrowed his eyes. "All right, big guy… Let's try something new."
He leapt high into the air, channeling Blizzaga and Aerora into a swirling mass of frost and wind.
"Freezing Gale!" he shouted, slamming the magic downward.
The whirlwind crashed around the Tyrant Tusker's leg, frost spreading in spiral patterns across its armor. Ice shards jutted outward and momentarily pinned it in place.
But with a roar and a stomp, it shattered the ice like glass.
Helios growled. "Tough hide."
From behind the trees, Pocahontas drew another arrow, this one crackling with wind. As Helios staggered back, she released—striking the same weakened joint in the beast's shoulder. The arrow hissed through the air, its impact more surgical than powerful—but enough.
"NOW!" Pocahontas yelled.
Helios spun and summoned Earth Breaker—a spike of stone sharpened like a lance and spun with Aero magic. He hurled it with force and magic, and the rock-drill smashed into the Tusker's damaged hide.
The Tusker howled, but didn't fall.
Instead, it transformed.
Its body darkened, and crimson spikes erupted from its back. Its four arms became six.
Helios clicked his tongue. "Now it gets serious."
The Tyrant Tusker glowed purple and released a massive shockwave that attacked the entire area.
Aqua dropped from above.
"Tidal Aegis!" she called out.
Water surged from beneath her, forming a massive vortex wall that collided with the shockwave and dispersed it. Aqua landed gracefully on the field, staff in hand. "You need to stop getting into fights before backup arrives," she chided.
From the opposite side, Skuld rode a gust of wind, descending with dagger-blades glowing in her hands.
She zipped past the beast, carving glowing blue crescents in the air. Her Phantom Wings shimmered as she delivered a spinning strike to the beast's underbelly.
From the sidelines, Skuld staggered upright. "We can't just watch anymore."
Aqua stood beside her, eyes locked on the Heartless. "Agreed."
They moved together.
Helios landed beside them, panting but grinning. "Took you long enough."
Skuld grinned. "What? Didn't you say that you had everything under control?"
The three of them stood side by side now—worn but ready.
"We end this together," Aqua said.
From the tree line, Pocahontas and John provided cover fire. John's aim improved, timing his shots between the beast's stomps, while Pocahontas whispered to the wind, guiding her arrows like dancing spirits.
Together, the five of them created a symphony of chaos—wind, light, water, steel, and fire.
Helios struck first.
He blurred forward, spear aglow, unleashing his Solar Drive combo. Ten consecutive strikes flared across the beast's legs and shoulders, radiant energy exploding from each impact.
Aqua followed, summoning three elemental orbs with Aetherial Flow, spinning them into fiery meteors with magic.
Skuld dashed through with her Stormfang Execution, slicing through the Tusker's armor in a whirlwind of cutting wind.
The beast shrieked, swaying—but still standing.
The Tyrant Tusker's eyes flared crimson. Its chest pulsed with a deep, vibrating hum. Blackened smoke poured from its mouth.
It reared back on two legs and let out a deafening war cry, shaking the entire battlefield. Darkness pooled beneath its hooves, spreading outward like tar.
Aqua narrowed her eyes. "It's about to transform again."
Skuld flipped her daggers. "Hopefully the last one."
Helios rotated his shoulders, spear spinning behind his back in a circular blur. "That's a flag if I've ever heard one. It probably will have another phase after this due to what Skuld said."