The ground shattered beneath Zyren's feet as he launched forward, his entire body wreathed in a roaring storm of crackling scarlet energy. The Leviathan's hollow, abyssal eyes locked onto him, recognizing the surge in power...then it reacted. With a guttural snarl, the beast reared back, crimson light pulsing in its maw. Zyren's eyes narrowed. Here it comes! The Leviathan's head snapped forward, and a beam of pure red temporal energy tore through the battlefield, searing across the air with obliterating force. The heat alone warped the space around it, turning the blackened ground white-hot as it vaporized everything in its path. Zyren didn't stop. Instead, he commanded his temporal energy to condense in front of him. He crossed his arms in front of him, and instantly, a barrier of crackling scarlet energy surged into existence. The Leviathan's beam collided with it head-on. The impact sent out a deafening boom, a shockwave splitting the battlefield apart as the raw energy fought against his shield.
Zyren gritted his teeth, his feet digging into the fractured ground. The shield cracked, his energy surging violently as he forced it to hold. The pressure was immense.....any weaker and it would've torn through him entirely. Then, with a sharp snarl, he flared his aura...and burst through the attack. The remaining energy whipped around him, searing the edges of his suit as he exploded forward, the ground beneath him erupting from the sheer force of his acceleration. His gaze locked onto the Leviathan as he raised his hand-
Scarlet energy gathered at his fingertip. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The air lit up with blazing streaks of crimson bullets, each one tearing through space at speeds faster than a machine gun. The Leviathan snarled, twisting its massive form to dodge....but Zyren was already anticipating it. He adjusted his aim, firing off bullets without mercy. Each bullet found its target. Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions rocked the Leviathan's armored hide, forcing it backward mid-motion. Its wings flared out, catching the updraft as it tried to soar above the assault. Zyren wasn't having it. He threw his hand back, gathering an ocean of temporal energy, before punching forward. The moment his fist snapped out, a devastating shockwave erupted from his outstretched hand, tearing through space itself. The Leviathan, mid-air, took the full brunt of the attack. Its massive form jerked, its wings struggling to keep balance as the impact sent cracks rippling across the air itself.
The Leviathan began to fall, and Zyren took full advantage of it. He gathered energy in his legs as he rushed in. His chain whipped behind him as he closed the distance, but just as he was about to strike...the Leviathan's tail snapped forward. A barrage of obsidian spikes launched from its tip, each one shimmering with volatile energy. They exploded on impact. Zyren twisted mid-air, flipping back just in time to avoid the initial blast. But the explosion sent out a storm of razor-sharp shrapnel, the debris tearing through the battlefield at deadly speeds. No choice! His arms crossed again, summoning a Temporal Shield. The barrier surged back to life, the shrapnel slamming against it with rapid, ear-splitting clangs. Sparks erupted around him as each fragment bounced off the energy field, his body still moving as he prepared for his next strike.
Then, The Leviathan landed with a resonant THUD. The force of its impact cracked the entire battlefield, its four massive claws tearing into the ground as it pivoted and lunged. Its monstrous talons sliced through the air, a blur of destruction aimed straight at Zyren. He only had seconds to react. Instead of dodging....he clapped his hands together, triggering a Temporal Collapse. A tremendous explosion of scarlet energy detonated outward from his position. The shockwave rippled in all directions, forcing everything away from him in an instant. The Leviathan's attack halted mid-swing, the sheer force of the blast sending it skidding backward, its claws digging deep trenches into the obsidian ground as it struggled to remain upright. Zyren didn't let up. The moment the dust settled, he charged in again, the ground shattering beneath each step. His scarlet aura flared like an untamed inferno, his ember-like eyes blazing with raw intensity. "Come on, then," Zyren muttered, a wild, deadly grin spreading across his face. "Let's finish this."
The battlefield was chaos incarnate. Zyren darted forward, weaving between the Leviathan's relentless strikes as if dancing on the edge of death itself. Its razor-sharp claws slashed through the air, missing him by mere inches, the shockwaves from each attack splintering the blackened earth. His Kusarigama whipped around him, the chain flashing in a storm of scarlet arcs as he tore into the beast's hide. Each cut left behind deep, searing wounds....but the Leviathan refused to go down easily. Its injuries pulsed, glowing a blinding red before knitting themselves back together in mere seconds. Zyren gritted his teeth, frustration flashing through his ember-like eyes. This damn thing was regenerating faster than he could tear it apart. And worse....it kept summoning more clones.
Orbs of raw, pulsating energy ripped away from the Leviathan's body again, scattering like falling stars. The battlefield shifted, the air twisting as those orbs contorted and morphed. Then dozens of malformed copies burst into existence, their empty eyes brimming with the same primal hunger. Zyren cursed, but before he could react...a blur zipped through. Kai flashed past him, broadsword in hand, the jet-black blade of his weapon glowing fiercely. The moment he landed, he swung, his sword cutting through the first clone in a clean, lethal arc. The creature barely had time to react before it dissolved into a haze of crimson mist, which Kai absorbed into his sword. Lorith followed right behind, his massive frame a stark contrast to Kai's agility. The crystalline giant swung his greatsword, carving a devastating path through the horde. Each strike sent shards of broken Leviathans flying, his sheer strength annihilating everything in his path.
"Zyren, don't worry" Kai said, his voice calm yet strangely sharp at the same time. "We'll handle the clones, you take that bastard down!" Zyren didn't hesitate. They had his back, and Zyren Duskbane never let down his allies. He turned his full attention back to the main body of the Leviathan just in time to see it rear up, its wings flaring open. Then, a tail spike shot toward him. Zyren barely managed to twist away before it detonated on impact. The shockwave ripped through the air, sending him skidding backward as shrapnel tore through the side of his face leaving a sharp, searing pain flaring across. But he wasn't the only one taking damage. His last strike had left a deep wound on the Leviathan's chest, one that was still struggling to fully regenerate. A weak spot! Zyren's fingers tightened around his weapon.
"Alright, you rabid mutt," he muttered, his grin sharp despite the pain lancing through his body. "Let's end this." He pushed off the ground, charging towards the beast like a bolt of crimson lightning. The Leviathan roared, its maw pulsing with energy as it fired another searing beam of destruction. Zyren dodged, but the creature swung it's head towards him. The heat scorched his arm as he twisted mid-air, his Kusarigama's blade slicing downward. The chain wrapped around the beast's horn, and with a sharp yank, Zyren swung himself up. Then....pain. The Leviathan's claw slammed into him, sending him hurtling backward. Zyren hit the ground hard, skidding across the fractured landscape. His breath caught, he was about to charge back in but he suddenly realized something fatal... He was running low of energy!
His body was starting to feel sluggish, the power within him flickering unstable. He could still push himself, one last time....but before he could, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Zyren jerked his head up. Kai stood behind him, his expression calm, steady. But Zyren felt it. The moment Kai's palm touched his shoulder, his body thrummed with revitalizing energy. The exhaustion weighing down his limbs vanished, his injuries burned away, closing as if time itself had been reversed. Zyren's ember-like eyes widened. "What the hell are you-?" Kai gave a small, lopsided smirk. "Giving you my energy." A pause. Zyren snorted. "Tch. You're full of surprises, kid." Kai shrugged. "Questions later. Just finish the damn thing."
Zyren's grin returned, wilder and sharper. "Oh, you don't have to tell me twice." He stood, his renewed strength crackling around him like an inferno. His scarlet aura roared to life, the ground beneath him fracturing from the sheer force of his power. The Leviathan snarled, sensing the shift. Too late. Zyren moved. His Kusarigama's blade flashed, severing the Leviathan's arm as he rushed in. The beast howled, but Zyren was already on it, his chain wrapping around its neck as he yanked himself onto its back. Then he saw it....the core of the beast. A jagged, uneven crystal pulsed within its chest, a sickening glow radiating from its depths. The heart of the beast! Zyren grinned. "Found you."
The Leviathan thrashed, but Zyren was already moving. He ripped his weapon free....then, with all the power surging through him, he drove the blade straight into the core. CRACK! A deafening shatter rang through the battlefield. The Leviathan's roar cut off, its massive body seizing as the light in its hollow eyes faded. The remaining clones froze mid-motion, their forms unraveling, breaking apart as their existence ceased. Then, it was pure silence. The Leviathan's body collapsed, disintegrating into nothingness. Zyren landed hard, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts. He stood there for a moment, taking in the ruined battlefield, the absence of monstrous roars. Then-
He threw his head back and laughed. A wild, victorious, exhilarated laugh. "HELL YEAH! NOW THAT'S A FIGHT!" Kai and Lorith regrouped with him, the battlefield eerily still now that the Leviathan was gone. Lorith let out a low, satisfied grunt, resting his greatsword on his shoulder. "Took you long enough." Kai smirked, shaking his head, "Well that was one hell of an experience." Zyren wiped a streak of golden blood from his cheek, his grin still plastered across his face. "Damn right I am." Then, rolling his shoulders, he turned towards them. "Alright, boys. Let's head back."