Kael gripped his flaming sword tightly, his mind racing as he formulated a battle plan. “Rex, get those iron barriers up. Jin, find your position and take aim. Mira, use your speed to flank him. Kai, teleport around and look for openings.”
His voice was steady, but the intensity of the situation was getting to him.
Rex wasted no time. He slammed his hands into the ground, and with a rumbling groan, massive iron walls surged up around Alister. The dragon’s golden eyes glinted with a touch of annoyance.
“Do you think this can hold me?” he taunted, his voice vibrating through the air.
Alister raised his clawed hand and slashed through the air.
“Void Rend!”
A series of golden lightning claws shot out, slicing through the iron walls as if they were made of paper. The walls crumbled, and Rex barely had time to react before Alister charged at him with a burst of speed, his tail whipping around like a sword. It was as if he teleported, instantaneously appearing before him.
BOOM
A massive crater suddenly formed where he previously stood, the earth reacting moments later. He had already moved.
Rex brought up his iron armor just in time, but the force of the tail strike sent him flying backward, crashing into a distant boulder with a deafening boom.
Kael took advantage of the distraction. He charged at Alister, his flaming sword leaving a trail of fire in its wake.
“Take this, you monster!” he yelled, slashing at Alister’s exposed side. Alister’s scales shimmered in the sunlight, and the blade barely made a scratch.
Alister swung his massive clawed hand at Kael, who barely managed to dodge, the claw slicing through the air with a whistle and embedding itself in the ground, leaving a deep gouge, slicing a shin piece of Kael’s tech armor off.
Jin had found his position, his sniper rifle trained on Alister’s head. He took a deep breath and fired.
BANG
The bullet, enhanced with his talent, traveled with incredible speed and impact. But once it hit Alister’s scales, it dented then fell harmlessly to the desert sand.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Alister said, his voice rumbling.
Mira darted in from the side, her glaive a blur as she aimed for Alister’s legs, hoping to slow him down.
She moved with blinding speed, her glaive striking harmlessly against his scales, causing sparks to fly. Suddenly, Alister seemed to vanish before her, dust rising a moment later, causing Mira to look around frantically in search of him.
“Where is he, where did he-”
“You are a rather bold one.” Alister’s voice echoed from behind her, causing her to freeze as she slowly turned her head to look at him.
Suddenly, Alister swung his tail, and Mira had to use all her speed to avoid being sliced in half. The tail hit the ground, leaving a deep, smoking trench.
Kai appeared behind Alister, his twin daggers flashing as he aimed for the dragon’s back. He teleported around Alister, trying to find an opening, but Alister was always one step ahead. “Die, you monster!”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Kai.”
With a roar, Alister spun around, his claws slashing through the air. Kai barely managed to teleport away in time, the claws missing him by inches.
“So much for compensation. How are you going to avenge your sweet Yanzi if you keep teleporting like a coward?” Alister growled. He raised his hands, and bolts of golden lightning formed in his grasp. He grabbed hold of them, proceeding to throw them, targeting Kai.
Kai teleported frantically, but the lightning chased after him, each bolt striking the ground with explosive force and leaving craters in their wake. One grazed him at his side, destroying that side of his armor, tearing through his flesh and causing him to grunt in pain.
Rex had recovered and was back on his feet. He slammed his hands together, and massive iron spikes erupted from the ground, aiming to impale Alister. Alister dodged and weaved, his movements impossibly fast. He punched one of the spikes, shattering it into pieces that flew like shotgun bullets. Seeing this, Rex raised his arms to shield his head.
Some of the iron shards embedded in Rex’s iron armor, denting it severely.
Kael, at a distance, threw a condensed fireball at Alister, the explosive power aimed directly at his chest. Alister opened his maw and let out a blast of golden flames, meeting the fireball mid-air. The resulting explosion was blinding, and the shockwave sent Kael skidding backward, his armor scorched and smoking.
“Is this all you’ve got?” Alister roared, his voice filled with contempt. He slashed his claws through the air again, and more lightning claws shot out, targeting the team. They dodged and scrambled, but the claws left deep gashes in the ground, sending up clouds of dust and
debris.
Jin fired another shot, this time aiming for Alister’s eye. Alister’s head moved slightly, and the bullet hit his horn instead, exploding and leaving a tiny crack.
“Annoying insect,” Alister hissed. He raised his hand and commanded the earth, massive boulders lifting into the air and hurtling toward Jin. Jin rolled to the side, but one of the boulders clipped his leg, sending him tumbling and leaving him with a nasty gash.
Mira tried another flanking maneuver, her glaive glowing as she spun it around. She aimed for Alister’s tail, hoping to disable his most dangerous weapon.
But Alister’s tail moved with lightning speed, whipping around and striking her side. She flew through the air, landing hard and coughing up blood, her armor cracked and her glaive knocked from her hands.
Kai teleported directly above Alister, plunging his daggers down. Alister looked up, his eyes glowing with his golden mana. He shot a bolt of lightning from his hand, hitting Kai mid-air. Kai screamed as the lightning coursed through his body, and he fell to the ground, smoke rising from his charred skin.
Rex, with a roar of defiance, created a massive iron fist and launched it at Alister. Alister met it with his own punch, the collision sending shockwaves through the ground. The iron fist shattered, and Rex was thrown backward, hitting the ground hard and struggling to get back
up.
Kael, desperation in his eyes, charged again, his sword blazing with even more intensity. He aimed for Alister’s heart, but Alister caught the blade in his clawed hand, the flames extinguishing instantly. Alister squeezed, and the sword shattered, the pieces falling to the
ground.
“Pathetic,” Alister spat. He backhanded Kael, sending him flying with a boom, crashing into a massive rock formation in the distance, the impact cracking his armor. He coughed up blood, blood dripping from his nose, eyes red as he was dazed.
Alister then turned to the fallen team members, his golden eyes cold and merciless as his gaze
pierced through their souls.
“This is the end for you.”
Rex struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his wounds. “You think you will be able to get away with this… You monster?”
Alister chuckled, then he said, “You tell me. I mean, no one is watching right now, right? Or
am I wrong?”