Their battle was far from over. While the Shadowfang was significantly weakened, it was beginning to recover to gather its strength once more. Its shadowy mouth was once again filling with the dark energy that had nearly killed them. At the same time, it began coalescing around its claws and tail, looking like it was about to go all out.
However, Mira and her comrades were not deterred.
"Again!" Mira commanded, the determination evident in her voice. Her body was weary, and her Qi was over half depleted, but she was far from surrendering. She channeled her remaining strength into her Scythe, the spectrum of colors radiating once again.
Simultaneously, her companions prepared for another round. Despite their fatigue, their eyes glinted with steely resolve, ready to face the beast once again. Their bodies screamed in protest, yet their spirits remained unbroken.
Even though Seraphina was at her limit, she conjured her Hydrometallic Bastion once more, the radiant castle-like defense appearing around them. She gritted her teeth against the pain, her complexion deathly pale.
Asami, drawing upon the last vestiges of her shadow Qi, prepared another [Shadowstorm Serenade]. Shadows flickered around her, whispering promises of darkness and death.
Eden, with a determined gaze, reached deep within her Qi reserves to summon the [Hurricane Quiver] once more. Her arrows glowed with the power of the gale and the ancient trees.
Celaine and Nova combined their attacks once more, [Galeforce Saber Slash] and [Heavenly Sunfire Descension] dancing together, creating a cyclone of wind and fire.
Everly's hands sparked with the raw power of [Thunderfire Annihilation], ready to strike again. Rayna, her Double Daggers glinting ominously, prepared to unleash another [Venomfang Fury].
The battlefield fell silent. The tension was palpable as they prepared for the beast's next attack.
Suddenly, the Shadowfang roared, unleashing its Dark Annihilation Beam once again. The energy distorted the air around it, the cold aura of destruction chilling them to the bone.
"Defend!" Mira ordered. Seraphina's Hydrometallic Bastion absorbed the impact of the dark energy. The bastion glowed brightly as it resisted the power of the Shadowfang.
However, this time, accompanying the beam, the Shadowfang disappeared before reappearing behind Seraphina. It slammed its tail and claws against the Bastion, ripping it to shreds.
Now that her defenses were down, the Shadowfang charged forward and, with a full-powered strike, slammed its massive paw against her body, sending her flying.
Seraphina threw up blood and was immediately knocked unconscious as her body smashed through trees, boulders, and plants, sustaining more and more injuries.
"Seraphina!" Eden cried out, beginning to lose her cool. This battle took everything they had, yet it still seemed like it wasn't enough.
They had faced Mortal Shedding Realm elders before, but they weren't nearly as strong as this beast. Granted, they ambushed them using a Suppression Array, but she didn't think they'd necessarily lose if they all ganged up on one of them.
However, it seemed everyone's ignorance was about to get them all killed…
"Dammit! Just die! Die, you fucker!" Eden yelled as she consumed even more Qi to shoot more powerful arrows.
The Shadowfang didn't bother dodging them. Although they kept hitting the same spot, it knew that its opponents were running out of energy quickly. Its only goal now was to finish the job.
As the Shadowfang advanced, undeterred by their attacks, Mira realized they were in real danger. She shot a glance at Seraphina's lifeless form, her heart aching at the sight. But there was no time for despair. She swiftly turned her attention back to the Shadowfang, her gaze hardening.
'Should I use my black tail?' Mira thought but quickly rejected it. 'I don't know how much of my vitality it'll consume if I use it on a beast this strong.'
Not to mention that as she got stronger, it took more to replenish her vitality. Therefore, she'd need to almost solely focus on killing beasts of Rank 8 or higher. Any lower, and she'd have to cause mass genocide, which, while possible, would likely cause more trouble than it's worth.
So, unless they were all at death's door, she'd prefer not to use it. The near future was unknown, and she wanted to be ready for any obstacles that were thrown her way.
'It's not like we can't defeat it right now...'
She shot a glance at Seraphina's lifeless form, her heart aching at the sight. But there was no time for despair. She swiftly turned her attention back to the Shadowfang, her gaze hardening.
"Eden! Focus!" Mira shouted, snapping the archer out of her panic. "We need you to keep shooting. Seraphina is still alive, but we need to kill this thing! Now!"
With the battlefield descending into chaos, the companions rallied together, preparing for their last stand. Their combined resolve was palpable, filling the air with an energy so intense it made the very ground beneath them vibrate.
In response to Mira's command, Eden tightened her grip on her bow and released a volley of arrows, glowing with the raw power of the ancient gales, flying straight toward the beast's eyes. The resounding twang echoed in the battlefield, and the Shadowfang's next roar was cut short as several arrows found their mark.
While Eden attacked from a distance, Everly launched her [Thunderfire Cataclysm], lighting up the battlefield with a storm of electricity and fire. The explosion shook the ground and filled the air with a thunderous roar, engulfing the Shadowfang in a destructive storm.
Rayna, with a grim determination, dashed in to inflict more poison. She expertly danced around the beast, her Double Daggers piercing its flesh. Every strike was calculated, aiming for the veins to ensure that the poison would spread faster. She used every bit of her Qi to try and slow it down just a little bit.
"Sunfire Starfall!" Nova shouted, her voice ringing clear over the cacophony. The sun in the sky seemed to respond to her call, a cascade of fiery meteors raining down on the Shadowfang. Each meteor was filled with her Qi, the heat and the force of each hit working to weaken the beast.
At the same time, Asami and Celaine looked at each other and nodded.
During their time together, they worked on developing a technique that they could use together. It was still a work in progress, but it was the best they could do with the limited Qi they had.
They focused their Qi into their combined technique, [Shadow Vortex]. Wind and shadow swirled together, a vortex of darkness and gale-force winds that swept across the battlefield, ensnaring the Shadowfang within its confinements.
All the while, Mira prepared for her final attack. With the sands in the hourglass on her scythe falling down, she called forth her [Paragon Blizzard Obliteration].
Her Scythe resonated with her Intent, its glow intensifying as she channeled her Qi. The temperature around her began to drop drastically as an icy wind began to blow, carrying with it a cascade of frigid energy that began to cover the battlefield in frost.
Mira's eyes glowed with resolve as illusions of herself appeared around her, each wielding a scythe made of solid ice. The illusions, spearheaded by herself, surged forward, their synchronized movements echoing the fury of the elements.
The battlefield was awash in a spectacular display of power as the illusions assailed the Shadowfang from all directions, their devastating attacks leaving the beast struggling against the combined onslaught.
"ROAAAR!" The beast's now bloodshot eyes focused on Mira as it brutally tried to rip her and her illusions apart.
Like trying to dig a hole in a sandbox, the beast dug out Mira's innards, only for them to heal not long after. It was like a never-ending cycle of blood and pain, but her mind wasn't focused on that. She just wanted to kill this damn beast as soon as possible.
Despite the wounds accumulating on her body, Mira continued to direct the onslaught, pushing the Shadowfang back with each successful hit. The illusions unleashed a barrage of elemental attacks, swift movements, and strategic misdirection, leaving the beast with no room to counterattack or escape.
As she racked up hits, the sand in her hourglass slowly fell, giving her hope.
Looking around, she saw that everyone was pretty much down and out. They had canceled the [Blood Burst] techniques, run out of Qi, and were succumbing to their injuries. At this point, they were only standing out of obligation to not leave Mira alone.
Mira didn't give the beast a chance to charge at her companions, keeping its focus solely on her.
'Since you guys gave me this chance, let me end this for everyone.' She thought, swinging her scythe rapidly at the beast, hitting it with a myriad of elements.
Finally, as the last grain of sand fell in the hourglass on Mira's Scythe, it was like she gained access to a part of her she didn't even know she had.
'I can see it.' In her vision, a skull had appeared on the Shadowfang's head. It wasn't like this with other opponents, as the beasts usually died as soon as or before she reached this point.
'I can kill it–No, I will kill it!'
Moving to her will, the black runes gathered around the edge of Mira's scythe.
The illusions, at the peak of their unleashed might, exploded in a blinding burst of icy devastation. The explosion echoed across the battlefield, a burst of brilliant light that drowned out everything else.
The resulting shockwave rippled through the battlefield, engulfing the Shadowfang and reducing nearby obstacles to fragments of shattered ice. In the aftermath of the explosion, the Shadowfang was left stunned and wounded, its once formidable presence now considerably diminished.
Yet, Mira knew it was not over. The final blow was hers to deliver. Ignoring the pain that spread through her body, she dove into the fray, her Scythe held high. Channeling her remaining Qi and the death-like energy from the black runes, she aimed for the beast's neck, the scythe's blade shimmering with deadly intent.
With all her might, she swung the scythe at the Shadowfang.
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Then, with a sound that echoed through the battlefield, the scythe struck home. It sliced through the Shadowfang's neck with ease that contrasted the intense struggle that had led to this moment.
Blood spurted from the wound, staining the earth beneath it. A strangled growl escaped from its mouth as its head fell, separated from the body, rolling a few feet away.
A hush fell upon the battlefield. The body of the Shadowfang twitched, then collapsed, and the mighty beast was finally defeated.
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