The deafening roar threatens to shatter my eardrums, but worse, I sense an EM wave component ripping into my mind, an unrelenting force trying to break through.

I clench my teeth, focusing my waves to push me down to the ground and defend simultaneously, but it's damn hard. Feels like a relentless, hellish chainsaw grinding into my skull.

I roar back, pushing Overdrive even further.

The pain dulls slightly.

The scorching heat grounds me, giving me focus.

I channel all my waves into shielding my mind.

Gravity starts pulling me down, but it's not fast enough.

The dragon's head thrashes in rage, its molten, shattered eyes spilling streams of magma, like blood tears streaking down its obsidian face.

Below, its stomps send shockwaves through the platform, and its wings whip around, pushing molten lava in waves.

Ayu!?

I send my senses to her.

She's fine. She's dodging.

And me?

The jaws are coming for me, wide open, black fangs glinting with heat.

I catch the scorching stench of its molten breath.

The bastard's trying to eat me alive.

The screeching roar fades.

I shift all my focus, my waves pushing me downward, trying to accelerate my descent.

But it's not enough.

The jaws get closer, the tongue visible—a grotesque mix of lava and obsidian, ready to incinerate me and crush me in its molten maw.

I ready my tendrils, poised to anchor them to its jaw and propel myself downward.

Boom!

Something slams into its jaw. Small. Fast.

A bullet?

The momentum shift is all I need. I twist, launching myself out of its crunching maw, the molten heat of its fangs grazing me as I drop.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Impact after impact lands on the dragon—head, wings, body. It jerks violently, reeling under the assault.

The others are shooting.

I hit the ground hard at the platform's edge. Cracks spider out beneath me, lava seeping through the fractures. The ground won't hold for long.

A claw swipe comes. I sidestep, shifting left, the hot wind from its swing brushing past me.

Its attacks are faster now. Unrestrained. But they lack precision. Rage is taking over.

I grin.

Even the mighty fall.

I roll under another swipe, tendrils lashing mid-roll into one of the magma veins on its claw. A small wound opens, molten blood dripping.

The pain in my head pounds like a hammer, my ears ringing, but I laugh.

I laugh as I slash and strike, carving into the thrashing beast.

It tries to crush me, but it's too late.

Every movement, every shift in balance, every attempt to dodge—I see it all. Its speed is meaningless when I can predict its every move.

A stomp shakes the ground beneath me, the platform collapsing. I thrust my sword into its leg, magma spraying as I push off, using the momentum to hurl myself to solid ground.

I land and rise, locking my gaze on the beast.

It's bleeding everywhere, magma pouring from its wounds.

The bullets keep coming. Relentless. Unforgiving.

The dragon falters, overwhelmed by the speed and coordination of the assault.

I grab one of my bullets, channeling my waves into it.

I grin wider, steadying my aim.

But before I can release the shot, another deafening roar bursts from its maw.

The sound shatters my focus, and the bullet flies off in a random direction.

Dammit!

Even from here, the roar feels like a physical blow, pounding in my skull.

The moment it subsides, I ready another bullet. But before I can act, the dragon swings its wings downward, sending waves of molten lava surging around it.

I step back, dodging the incoming wave, but more follow as the creature beats its wings again.

Wait…

It's taking off!

I sprint backward, avoiding the rising tide of lava, my senses locked on the dragon's every movement.

I don't hesitate and fire the bullet I had prepared.

The shot streaks through the air, striking a vein in its wing.

The dragon jerks slightly, magma dripping from the wound, but it continues its ascent.

Fuck!

I lower Overdrive back to full-state.

I give myself a breather, but the pain rebounds harder, pounding in my skull.

I stare as the dragon ascends, its massive wings beating steadily, carrying it higher into the sky.

What now?

While I can fly by pushing Overdrive to its limits, it takes time to accelerate, my ability to change direction is almost nonexistent, and I can only maintain that state briefly before my brain starts to fry.

Fighting in the air is pure suicide.

A faint sound behind me pulls my focus. A Screecher.

Without even turning my head, I sidestep its lunge and slice clean through its neck in one fluid motion.

The creature crumples to the ground beside me, its lava-like blood pooling in a slow, viscous puddle from its severed neck.

"Everyone, report your state and be mindful of the Screechers," Lukas's voice sounds in my head.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I'm okay, just… headache," Ayu's voice comes through, slightly strained.

"Fine," Imani follows, echoed by Wang.

"I'm alright," I send back.

A couple of seconds pass, and I notice one voice missing. Arjun?

I scan with my waves and locate him nearby. He's crouched on the ground, blood dripping from his ears.

He's alive, but…

A Screecher moves toward him.

I ready myself to intervene, but Ayu is already there, taking it out with swift precision.

Still, I make my way to him.

When I reach him, I notice his eyes are open but bloodshot, streaked with crimson veins. He's unconscious, blood pooling from his ears. But his heart is beating, and he's breathing. He'll survive.

But something doesn't add up.

Ayu was at a similar range from the roar, and she shouldn't be much better than Arjun at defending against mental waves.

Could this be tied to his innate ability? Is he more sensitive to these waves? Or did he push himself too far and is now suffering the consequences?

These thoughts flash through my mind in an instant as I crouch down to lift him. With Ayu's help, I hoist him onto my back, securing his position.

"Lukas, Arjun is out of combat. I'll take him to your position."

"No need. Let's meet here," Lukas responds, sending a location. It's closer to me, away from magma pools and nestled between two cliffs—a defensible spot.

I confirm and begin moving toward the rendezvous point.

As we make our way, I glance at the sky. The dragon is now barely visible, a speck against the clear, blue sky.

It doesn't seem to have any intention of coming down.

Is it buying time to recover?

Ayu clears the way of the incoming Screechers, and we soon reach the spot. I set Arjun down and spot Lukas, Imani, and Wang approaching.

Lukas stops and crouches next to Arjun without a word. He gently pulls down the lower eyelid, inspects it, checks his pupils, and palpates the skull in several places.

He releases a breath he'd been holding and looks up. "He'll be alright. Just needs some rest and his natural recovery will take care of the rest."

I notice Imani and Wang staying to the side, killing the Screechers converging on our spot.

The magma lizards seem more frenzied than usual. Looks like the boss wants to keep us harassed.

But there's only so much the Screechers can do to us now. Even their buzzing has faded into background noise at this stage.

"So, what's the plan?" I ask Lukas, my eyes fixed on the dragon far above.

"It will eventually come down. I suppose it's regenerating its wounds first. I was expecting a quick, easy victory with the bullets, but…" He sighs and follows my gaze upward. "We have to prepare for the worst: it coming back at full force, fully recovered, more focused, its eyes fine. On top of that, it can fly away anytime to heal, which will be a pain in the ass, especially with our ammo running out. Anyway, those are the issues. As for solutions…" He grins. "I have a plan."

A plan?

"Well, several plans, for that matter. But anyway, I have one in particular I like—it just depends on one critical factor," he says, looking at me. "Do you think you can handle the big lizard alone for a while?"

Fight it alone?

"Lukas!" Ayu suddenly cuts in.

I place a hand on Ayu's shoulder and meet her gaze. "It's okay," I send, smiling softly.

Then I turn back to Lukas. "I suppose you mean keeping it distracted for a short while?"

"Exactly. Can you do it?"

I calmly look up. The dragon is coming.

My mask and gauntlets are on.

I'm ready.

I take a deep breath and unsheath my sword.

Let's hope it remembers me.

I start rushing toward a high point, raising my sword high and shouting at it.

At this distance, maybe it doesn't hear me—or maybe it does. I don't care and keep yelling.

Seconds pass, and it gets closer.

It's fast. Very… fast.

I gulp and steady my focus.

A strike at that speed and I'm dead.

I have no choice.

I push beyond full-state.

The world slows down.

The strong smell of burning earth and metal fills the air, sharp and acrid, clawing at my senses.

The heat surrounds me like a suffocating blanket, scorching against my skin.

The sound of its wings tears through the air, a rhythmic beat that reverberates in my chest.

Everything is clear.

I keep roaring, my voice raw.

Finally, I catch sight of its eyes.

The fucking eyes are intact.

I notice how it stares at me.

I stop roaring and smile. The bastard remembers.

I prepare my stance and begin channeling two bullets at my side.

They start rotating, faster and faster.

It comes closer. And closer.

I can see every detail of its body—the way it leans to reduce air friction, maximizing speed.

I close my eyes. My waves already detect it. The image is sharp in my mind.

I visualize it. The way it dives, the way the air flows around its body. I see it—the way it plans to kill me.

I chuckle.

Do your best.

It's upon me.

I release the first bullet and strike hard at a vein in its wing. Then I stomp down, pushing myself to the side, using my waves to propel me further and keep me close to the ground.

The shot destabilizes it slightly, but not enough. Its claws rush toward me at blinding speed. I rotate my body and release the second bullet, striking another point on its wing.

It shifts faintly, the small adjustment in its wing just enough to alter its trajectory. My body narrowly avoids its claws.

The wind from its passing feels like sharp blades slicing against my skin, sending me rolling across the ground.

I grit my teeth, digging into the dirt, and get back to my stance.

The dragon slows and finally stops, its claws gouging deep into the ground, sending ripples of molten magma across the scorched earth.

I rush toward it.

I feel the scorching heat and the trembling ground from its movements. It turns toward me.

I calm my thoughts.

The world slows around me.

I dash to the right.

It follows, much faster than me, propelling itself with its four limbs and gaining momentum rapidly.

I study its pace, every step it takes, every shift it makes.

I sidestep, anchoring myself to the ground with the tendrils just enough to immediately change direction and avoid its fangs snapping shut, trying to crush me beneath its maw.

I then dodge its incoming claw, rolling across the ground.

Droplets of magma from its claws splash onto me—some land on my gauntlets, but one sears into the less-protected flesh of my thigh.

I curse but keep my focus.

It passes over me, but I know I'm not safe yet.

I spot a dip in the terrain and press my body flat against the ground, using my waves to sense the movement. A fraction of a second later, its tail whips past, the wind nearly tearing my mask off.

I immediately scramble out of the pit and keep running.

The dragon screeches to halt its momentum, its claws tearing into the ground. Using its wings for a burst of acceleration, it pivots and comes back at me again.

I keep running with all the speed I can muster, but It's closing in once more.

I grit my teeth and fire another bullet I've been charging at its front legs, piercing a magma vein and buying myself just enough time to evade.

This time, its wing follows up—not to blow me away, but to bash me directly.

I use the force of my waves to drive myself down to the ground, gaining traction as I propel myself to the side with everything I have, keeping my body straight. The wing still clips me, and the wind sends me spinning through the air before I crash and roll to the ground.

My head is spinning, but I manage to recover my stance and push forward.

Then, as I take another step, I hear it again.

A roar.

Dammit!

I shield my mind as the headache surges back, but I keep moving.

The vibrations behind me grow stronger. It's already closing in on me again.

I ready two more bullets, but just as I'm about to release them, the creature roars again, breaking my focus.

The bullets go awry—one of them veers back, grazing my face and tearing through the edge of my mask.

I curse and roar in defiance, forcing myself deeper into Overdrive.

I can feel it right behind me.

I see the burning light in its amber eyes.

Fuck it.

I tighten my grip on the sword, pivot, and dash back straight at it.

The heat scorches my skin, and my mind feels like it's splitting apart.

But I don't stop.

I can't stop.

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