The mist thickened, pressing in around him like a cocoon, obscuring the jagged rocks and scorched earth. He felt the weight of her presence, a predator lurking just out of sight, stalking him with a patience that set his teeth on edge.
But he would not be played with.
Arthur’s body coiled, muscles tensing as he readied his Destruction Pulse. The silence around him was absolute, broken only by the faint echo of Elyra’s voice in his mind, a final taunt that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"This time, Drake," she whispered, "it is you who are the prey."
Arthur’s growl echoed through the canyon, but Elyra’s only response was to spread her wings even wider, basking in her aerial dominance. The ground beneath Arthur crackled underfoot as his immense frame tensed, and the destructive beams orbiting his horns began to hum, eager to be unleashed. Elyra met his gaze unflinchingly, her face set in a look that taunted him from her elevated vantage point, daring him to reach her.
With a single, thunderous beat of her wings, Elyra took flight, her form blurring as she swept across the sky. She released a hailstorm of molten feathers that rained down upon him like volcanic arrows, each feather piercing the ground with a hiss that sent up clouds of searing ash. The impact scattered stones and fragments, the ash rising in thick, choking plumes that obscured his vision. Blinded momentarily, Arthur let out a roar, his frustration simmering into rage.
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He fired his Destructo Beams in a sweeping arc, each one slicing through the thick ash and tearing into the cliff face above him. The blasts sent shards of rock tumbling down, but Elyra was already out of reach, evading his strikes with a speed that defied her size. She soared in circles above him, keeping just beyond his range, her aerial agility turning his immense size into a hindrance. From her height, she was untouchable, an apparition flitting through the air while Arthur remained anchored to the earth below.
Arthur’s roar grew louder, a rumbling sound that shook loose rocks from the cliffs and echoed across the desolate landscape. His tail lashed out in frustration, carving trenches in the ground as his gaze tracked her movements. She was fast, her wings beating with a graceful rhythm that allowed her to weave effortlessly between his attacks. The more he tried to pin her down, the more she slipped from his grasp, a shadow of molten feathers mocking him from the sky.
"Is this the power of a Drake of Destruction?" Her voice cut into his mind, smooth and taunting. "How... predictable."
The words burned more than her attacks, igniting a fury that spread through his core. Arthur fired his beams in rapid succession, each one aiming for her shadow, but she evaded with an almost casual ease, her movements fluid as molten metal. She dipped low, a flicker of movement that sent another wave of molten feathers cascading down on him. The feathers pierced the ground in rapid succession, bursting into plumes of ash and fire that scattered around him, casting long shadows across the cracked earth.
Through the clouds of ash, Arthur’s gaze remained fixed on her, his mind churning with frustration as he watched her dance through the sky. Elyra’s taunts grew sharper, each word dripping with scorn as she wove between his attacks.
"Is that it, beast? Is this the extent of your power?" Her laughter echoed, filling his mind with a derisive mirth. "For all your strength, you are still bound to the ground. Pathetic."
Arthur’s claws dug into the ground, his muscles coiling with a determination that surpassed his rage. The realization gnawed at him: she was using her speed and height to toy with him, wearing down his patience and testing the limits of his endurance. Every attack he launched was met with a calculated retreat, every step forward was countered by her agile evasion.
He took a steadying breath, his molten eyes never leaving her form. The fury within him burned hot, a relentless pressure that threatened to spill over, but he forced himself to focus. He would not give her the satisfaction of being led into her game. This fight was his, and he would end it on his own terms.
He paused, holding his ground, his gaze cold and unyielding as he waited, assessing her patterns and movements. Elyra’s mocking tone softened into something more sinister, a predatory whisper that curled around his mind. "What’s the matter, Drake? Tiring already? Or are you finally realizing your limits?"
Arthur’s response was a growl that rumbled low and deep, an acknowledgment of her words that held none of the surrender she expected. Elyra circled him once more, her feathers blazing brighter, embers dripping from her wings in a trail of smoldering light. She angled upward, climbing higher, her form silhouetted against the storm-gray sky as she prepared to strike.
Arthur’s gaze tracked her, his mind sharp and calculating. This time, he would not react blindly. He allowed her to rise, his claws digging into the ground as he readied himself for her descent. Her wings beat powerfully, each movement building momentum as she prepared her dive. The air thickened, charged with the energy of her intent, and Arthur felt the pressure around him spike as she folded her wings and dropped, a spear of molten shadow hurtling toward him.
This was her mistake. She had allowed him to see the rhythm of her attack, the timing of her movements. He knew where she would be. In the split second before impact, Arthur unleashed his Destruction Pulse, the shockwave erupting from his core with the force of an earthquake. The ground fractured beneath him, a web of cracks spreading out as the air around him vibrated with destructive energy.
Elyra’s dive was met with the full brunt of the pulse, the force of it hitting her mid-flight and sending her hurtling back with a snarl of rage. She twisted, wings snapping open as she fought to regain control, but the impact was fierce, sending her crashing into a nearby outcropping. Rocks splintered and cracked under her weight, her form momentarily obscured by a cloud of dust and debris.
Arthur’s gaze remained fixed, his eyes narrowed as he watched her form emerge from the rubble. Elyra shook herself, molten feathers scattering from her wings as she rose, her glare fixed on him with an intensity that matched his own. Her arrogance was gone, replaced by a calculating fury that simmered beneath the surface.
"Impressive," she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "This will nottt happeeeen again."
He didn’t respond; words were wasted in the face of combat. Instead, he let his power surge, the destructive energy within him pulsing in rhythm with the Cursed Crown, which thrummed in his grasp, feeding off the tension between them.
Elyra’s wings flared once more, her form cloaked in a fiery glow as she took to the sky, this time with a purpose that was devoid of taunting. She launched another barrage of molten feathers, each one blazing with the intensity of volcanic fire. Arthur countered with his Destructo Beams, his aim more precise as he cut through her attacks, his energy searing through the air in arcs that left trails of scorched earth.
The sky above them darkened as they clashed, the air thick with the scent of burning rock and ash. Elyra moved faster, her strikes more calculated, each one probing for a weakness in his defenses. But Arthur stood his ground, each roar a defiant answer to her relentless assault.
"You will fall, Drake," Elyra’s voice resonated in his mind.
Arthur circled the primal energy inside him, refining it, compressing it. "I’m going to love ripping those wings of yours, fucking bat."