Chapter 1429: Broken
Erend exploded forward. A violent eruption of fire and lightning burst from the place where he had stood silently only a moment earlier.
The ground beneath him shattered instantly as molten cracks spread across the black earth. Thunder detonated across the world while waves of heat rolled in every direction.
Without wasting a single second, Erend launched himself toward Nyssara.
His body became a blazing comet streaking through the dead sky. Trails of crimson fire and blue lightning followed behind him while deafening thunder echoed. His movement carried overwhelming Dragonborn power that distorted the air around him.
Eccar and Aesa saw his transformation and reacted immediately. Golden and icy energy erupted from their bodies.
Their humanoid bodies expanded rapidly as scales covered their flesh. Massive wings unfolded behind them and Dragonborn power surged.
Eccar transformed into his Earth Dragon body. Black and golden scales covered his muscular frame while countless fragments of earth and stone floated around him. The beat of his wings sent tremors through the land below.
Aesa changed into her Ice Dragon body. Crystalline scales reflected pale blue light while freezing mist poured endlessly from her body. Frost formed in the air around her as temperatures plummeted wherever she passed.
Neither of them hesitated. Both Dragonborn accelerated toward Nyssara from opposite directions.
High above the battlefield, Nyssara observed their advance.
Her cosmic body floated across hundreds of meters of sky. Black starlight flowed through her serpentine form while countless stars seemed trapped beneath her surface.
The enormous golden-ringed eye at the front of her body stared down upon the approaching Dragonborn.
Although the oath still heavily restricted her true power, she could now access far more strength than before. In her mind, this should have been enough.
This much power should have been more than sufficient to annihilate three mortal Dragonborn.
No. It was not enough. She had to destroy them. There was no alternative.
The possibility of defeat had become unacceptable.
If word ever spread among the cosmic beings that she had foolishly accepted an oath proposed by lower beings and restricted her own power so severely that it resulted in her defeat, the humiliation would be unimaginable.
The thought filled her with rage. She would never allow such a story to exist!
These Dragonborn had to die. Now!
One of her enormous appendages moved.
The membrane-like limb stretched across the sky. Countless sparks resembling stars drifted within its dark surface as it swung toward Erend with devastating force.
The appendage descended like a collapsing piece of heaven. But by then Erend had already completed his transformation.
His Fire Dragon body emerged from the blazing aura surrounding him.
Black and crimson scales covered his towering frame. Massive wings unfolded behind him. Rivers of fire flowed across the gaps between his scales. His yellowish-red eyes burned with intensity. Rows of sharp teeth became visible as he opened his jaws.
Dragonborn power surged through his throat. A sphere of condensed fire formed inside his mouth.
The fireball rapidly expanded before shooting forward. The projectile blazed through the air.
This was not ordinary fire. It contained Erend’s own Dragonborn Magic. The fire burned hotter than any fire a normal mage could ever create. Even space itself distorted around the projectile as overwhelming heat radiated from it.
BOOM!
The fireball collided directly against Nyssara’s descending appendage.
The explosion illuminated the entire world. Shockwaves spread around that dead world.
Several hills of black earth collapsed instantly. Dead trees were uprooted and reduced to ash. Countless ghostly figures were blown away by the expanding force.
Fire and cosmic energy clashed violently as the explosion continued spreading.
When the light finally faded, the flames still remained. Nyssara’s appendage was burning now.
For a moment genuine surprise appeared within her thoughts, pain. She had not experienced physical pain like this since ascending beyond mortality countless ages ago.
Strangely enough, the sensation felt almost pleasant.
Interesting. Very interesting.
But her curiosity quickly gave way to analysis. The fire was wrong. It was unlike ordinary elemental flame. The power hidden within it carried qualities she had not anticipated.
"I underestimated them."
The realization irritated her.
She had never personally fought a Dragonborn before. Her understanding came entirely from stories and rumors exchanged among cosmic beings.
Dragonborn were supposedly powerful mortals. They were strong enough to dominate worlds and dangerous enough to attract attention from the cosmic beings.
However, they had never been considered threats to true cosmic entities unless they ascended.
Now she felt as though she had been tricked. By accepting the oath, she had reduced herself to a level where these Dragonborn could actually threaten her.
The thought infuriated her.
A roar erupted from her cosmic body.
The sound echoed across the dead world and caused entire mountains in the distance to crack apart.
Erend answered immediately with more fireballs erupted from his mouth.
One after another they streaked toward Nyssara like meteor showers.
At the same time, Eccar and Aesa joined the assault.
Eccar opened his jaws and unleashed colossal masses of earth reinforced by Dragonborn Magic. Massive stone projectiles flew through the sky while golden cracks spread across their surfaces.
Aesa followed with countless spears of crystalline ice.
The frozen projectiles pierced through the air and left trails of frost behind them.
Fire, earth and ice. The attacks converged upon Nyssara simultaneously.
Explosions erupted continuously around her cosmic body.
Sections of her appendages cracked. Parts of her form froze beneath Aesa’s attacks before shattering apart. Eccar’s earth projectiles smashed into her defenses and scattered fragments of her flesh across the battlefield.
Nyssara felt pressured now. Her cosmic body was being damaged in quick succession.
Within their telepathic link, the three Dragonborn communicated without slowing their assault.
"This form is dangerous," Erend said.
"I can feel it," Eccar replied while launching another barrage of earth projectiles.
"Same. If we give her time, she’ll recover." Aesa said.
Erend agreed immediately. "We can’t stop. Keep attacking!"
The three Dragonborn pressed forward relentlessly.
Their combined attacks transformed the battlefield into a storm of elemental destruction.
Nyssara retaliated continuously, but every moment spent defending was another moment the Dragonborn used to advance.
Eventually, one of her massive appendages finally gave way.
Aesa’s ice froze the damaged section. Eccar’s earth strike shattered the weakened structure, and Erend’s fire detonated through the fracture.
CRACK!
The enormous appendage broke apart completely. The severed limb tumbled from the sky and crashed into the black earth below.
The impact shook the entire battlefield.
Even after revealing her cosmic body, Nyssara had lost a piece of herself.
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