Kevin's fists crashed against the dense rock, the impact sending a sharp tremor through his bones as he pushed forward. "GRAVITATIONAL PUSHING HAMMER!" A violent gravitational force erupted from his fists, shattering the rock ahead of him into countless, falling pieces. All that remained was a whirring sphere of concentrated flame, capturing Kevin's attention with its threatening presence. His fists reformed into dual spears, the glowing weapons shining above the burning forest as he charged onward. Kevin thrust both spears forward, penetrating the flames with a roaring whoosh. "GRAVITATIONAL SPEAR!"
A swirling vortex of flame raced up Kevin's arms, attempting to lure him into the sphere with a fierce pull. The sound of his grunts was drowned out by the excessive whirrs, growing stronger with every second of Kevin's resistance. Consolidating his remaining strength into one desperate pull, his entire body strained as he tore himself free, dispersing the building flames into small, sizzling particles. Before the calming waves of relief could entreat Kevin, a fierce explosion pushed outward, engulfing him in its mighty force.
Gerald's head shot upward at the roaring blast. "The Cataclysmic Fireball… it still was able to detonate?"
Behind him, the remainder of Team Pyron stood frozen in a tight formation, observing Pyron's movements with absolute caution. "Itama and Stephanie are down," Forrest summarized, "leaving only five of us."
Gerald's eyes narrowed towards Pyron, the lingering flare of Kevin's hope within the blast easing the tension in his chest. "We're bound to lose our consciousness if we go down there. Not only are we going to have to defeat Pyron in time to protect Rufala, but also to clear the flames and rescue our friends."
Pyron interrupted the conversation with a deafening roar, dragging his claws through the bone-dry dirt. Kaelan's pupils flickered at his unexpected masterpiece. "A line? He's drawing a line through the forest?" From the dirt-carved border rose a wall of bloody-red flames, surprising Team Pyron with its monumental radiance. "What the-" Forrest stammered. "He used the forest as his canvas to create a wall!?"
"Either way, we're going to have to break past it," Xavier declared, throwing his arm back in a determined motion. "Once we penetrate the barrier, we'll shift into a four-person fighting formation to overwhelm him!"
The four units approached the wall like shooting stars, their powers uniting into one as they collided with Pyron's barrier. In what seemed like flawless unison, the souls shattered through the crackling barrier, merging into a multicolored comet that shone a light of hope within Pyron's despair. The four auras scattered, each one locked onto a different part of Pyron's body. "We'll break through Pyron's endurance together!" Gerald shouted, the seeds of determination planted by Kevin blooming in his mind. The flames trembled at their unwavering spirits, their points swaying in sharp, unexpected ruptures. Pyron's feet dragged at the building force, each attempt of resistance shot down by a sudden collision. The quartet danced through the air like shining stars, alternating positions with every blow - left, right, up down. Each impact drove Pyron back further - it was as if Team Pyron were fighting to contain the very epitome of despair. Slowly but steadily, the fragments reunited, locking onto Pyron's chest as they surged forward. "We'll faze him with this attack!" Gerald declared, his voice confident. "This is the end of the line, Py-"
The one-eyed creature faded into a mountain of flames, reappearing behind the glowing comets with a massive, flaming spear. Pyron's arm snapped downward in a ruthless strike, driving the blade into Xavier's flesh with heart-throbbing precision. Deep wheezes erupted from his throat as his vision blurred, blood escaping his mouth with each ragged breath. "Wh…What th…Pyro…" His body plummeted into the scorching abyss as fatigue slowly flooded his mind, taking full control as he disappeared in the roaring inferno. Gerald's mind clouded with a growing sense of hopelessness - first Stephanie, second Itama, and now Xavier. With each attack, Pyron grew stronger instead of falling weaker, wiping his opponents out as if they were mere insects. Xavier's final mutter replayed through his mind, bonding with his negativity like sugar dissolving in water. I… can't give up. If I want to save everyone, I have to keep pushing! The persistent hope encouraged his flames, standing strong against Pyron's. No matter who may fall, no matter what may oppose us… I'll CONTINUE FIGHTING, EVEN IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE!
Volume 13, Chapter 84 - Five Alive
Yesterday, Common Realms, Grand Province
"Kevin," Gerald muttered, his voice calm. "This may seem like a silly question, but what are you planning to do after you defeat Pyron?" Kevin went silent at Gerald's question, rummaging through a variety of ideas stocking his mind like a book-flooded library. "We're going to have a party. One so big, it'll last days!"
Surprise flickered within Gerald as a smile bloomed across his face. A party - one so big, it'll last days. "It's crazy how much has happened these past few months. Feels like just yesterday we became hunters."
Kevin rose from the breezing grass with a hopeful smile. "Our adventure is just getting started, Gerald! Becoming professional hunters is just a milestone in something much bigger, a checkpoint in our story. No matter who or where, Team ENTITY will keep pushing. After all, the adventure never ends."
—
The ground trembled under Pyron's roar, its ferocity pulling Gerald back into reality with a sharp gasp. Behind him, Kaelan and Forrest stood tall, embracing Gerald's hopeful speech with open arms. "You zoned out for a second, Gerald." Kaelan's voice was formal as he examined Pyron's movements. "We've been driven into a corner - Itama, Stephanie, and Xavier are down, and Pyron's attacks keep getting stronger." The moment Pyron's name escaped Kaelan's mouth, Kevin's words rang through Gerald's mind. "All we have to do for now is defend ourselves. Once the time is right, we'll launch our final attack on him." A sharp scent of determination filled Gerald's nostrils, luring his gaze towards an expanding cloud of pitch-black smoke. "That scent is highly familiar… Kevin, what are you doing in there!?"
"Gravitational…" The smoke muffled Kevin's building shout, growing louder and clearer as he approached its end. He broke through the cloud with a sharp lash of wind. Less than a second later, his cheerful smile dissolved into a fatigued groan. "Gravitational… Gravitational Blehhh…"
"He was so full of energy just a second ago," Forrest muttered, holding back a low chuckle.
"KEVIN!" Gerald's scream sliced through his fatigue like a striking blade. "What the hell happened!?"
"Instead of containing the fireball, it ended up detonating in my face…" His spiraling eyes examined Team Pyron. "Say, why are there only three of you guys left?" Gerald jolted his head, signaling Kevin's eyes to the approaching entity. "Itama and Stephanie fell at about the same time, while Xavier just took a hit…" The urgency in Gerald's speech shattered through Kevin's fatigue. In a heartbeat, his expression snapped back into shape, and his plummeting body swung upward. "Those three are out!? Gerald, what the he-"
"I'll tell you everything later," he replied, clenching his fists. "Once we defeat Pyron, the life-threatening flames will vanish, and our friends will survive." Pyron's roar seemed to halt their conversation as he advanced forward, partially cloaked by the flames scattered throughout the forest.
"Pyron's durability in Pristine One was off the charts," Forrest recapped, fragments of sparkling, diamond flakes circling his fists. "To defeat him, we'll have to break through it with everything we've got!" Kaelan's gaze flickered at Forrest's determination. "That's right. Even when stuff may look grim, fighting against it is essential to success! We're going to save everyone, not wait for Pyron to take us down aswell!"
Without warning, Pyron's head shot upward with a bone-cracking snap. The same moment Team Pyron's attention shifted back onto their enemy was their moment of realization. Above Pyron's head developed a swirling sphere of glowing orange, casting a shadow over his prey as the orb grew. "That isn't even fire," Kaelan trembled, a ring forming around his lifting pupils. "A mighty compression of energy, stronger than anything we've experienced up until this point!" His words conveyed a growing sense of worry, butchered down by Kevin and Gerald's observant expressions. "We're going in for another assault," Gerald declared. "That compression of energy is enough to set the entire sky on fire - whatever we do, we have to counter!"
A pulsing, orange ray erected from the accumulating sphere, painting the skies a crimson orange as it split through the stacked walls of bloodstained clouds. Kevin's eyes tracked the sky-climbing ray, freezing at the sound of a young, tender voice ringing through his mind. "It's becoming too overstimulating," it complained, growing louder and deeper with each word. "I want out. I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE!" His body lunged forward, breaking a cold sweat as a persistent ring filled his eardrums. It's happening. Why the hell can't I talk? His eyes sank from the skies as his hands shook violently. There's no mistaking it. That innocent scent within Pyron is emerging once again - the child's power is emerging!
The ring faded, leaving the sound of crackling flames mixed with Pyron's vicious roar. In a quick motion, Kevin squinted his eyes and captured Gerald's attention with a sharp exhale. "I'm starting to feel it again!"
Kaelan's crimson-red hair blew above the roaring flames. His gaze narrowed, refocusing on Pyron almost immediately. Alongside Kaelan's hair blew Forrest's, a light shade of blonde shining above the cataclysmic sea of fire. It was as if their thoughts intertwined, both of their gazes revealing the same thought: The very epitome of despair, standing right before us. Kevin's voice seemed to untangle the two as he charged forward, a weak glow pulsing within his clenched fists. "This fight isn't over yet, you three! We can't stop now, victory is finally in our reach!" Forrest's reluctance shattered like a sheet of glass. Emerging from the hesitation that nearly consumed him, he took one final look at the battlefield. "All this despair… It's overwhelming. That's why we'll put an end to it together, no matter what the cost!"
Together, their auras merged, forming an unwavering scent of hope clashing directly against Pyron's destruction. The four-person formation moved like soaring jets, releasing a burst of air as they collided with Pyron's chest.
"Super Duper Muscle Man!"
"Courage of Gold!"
"Emberatalia!"
"Gravitational… PUNCH!"
The four attacks united, colliding with Pyron's rock-hard flesh like a sharp, metal spear. Their target staggered at the overwhelming force, creating an expanding trail of dust as his feet dragged through the forest. Right beside Forrest watched Kaelan, observing Kevin and Gerald with his iron-tight eyes. "No matter what, we're going to win this! We've been all across Nahata in search of our target, and this is where our search ends!" The golden light within Kaelan's veins grew alongside his courage, growing stronger as he clenched his fists. "We'll finish him off with a coordinated impale! Then, we'll-" A wall of crackling flames shot upward between the two groups, drowning one another's presence into Pyron's gut-wrenching scent. "All those attacks," Forrest hissed, "and he was still able to divide us!?"
"He's eliminating us one-by-one on purpose without a doubt!" Kaelan met Pyron's hellish eyes with an exasperated glare, clashing against one another like the Realm God and Sky Splitter. "What'll we do?"
"We'll do what we've been doing," Forrest let out a small chuckle, bulging his fists. At his building power bloomed a transparent, dark-blue ember, emitting a strange radiance that made Kaelan's eyes wince in its presence. "Fighting until we reach victory, to break free of Pyron's despair and bring Nahata to peace!"
—
"Even for a wall of flames, this thing is unbreakable!" Kevin's fist thudded against the roaring, crimson walls, creating a strong tremor that rattled his bones. "What'll we do, Gerald? There's no way we can possibly get over this wall, that's for sure…" Gerald's fists clenched with a sharp exhale, drowned out by the wall's hisses as his leg rested against the wall. "Not even your gravity works against it?" A small, blue flare erupted from Gerald's leg, rupturing violently as it pressed onto the wall. "You're right; trying to get over this wall will take way too long. However, as a flame user, there may be another method to get through." The blue flare trembled violently as Gerald's leg pushed deeper, constantly rejected by the force of Pyron's flames. Each time his flames were expelled from the wall's depths, he pushed harder, reaching through the concentrated inferno with ragged grunts. "I know it's possible, I've done it multiple times before…" The wall clawed away at his waning ember - with every attempt followed a moment of loss, then a wave of determination that influenced him to try again. A droplet of sweat raced down Gerald's forehead as he let out an exhausted wheeze, recoiling his leg from within the parasitic flames. "Kevin… I… can't…"
"Never say never," Kevin's hopeful voice replied instantly. "How about I help you using my linking?"
"It won't work," Gerald replied, shaking his head. "Linking isn't intended to be used against powers as great as Pyron's, making it nearly impossible to use for proper resonation."
"I got it," Kevin blurted. "How about you use Emberatalia for resonation?"
—
Forrest accelerated through the air with a loud burst, stretching his fists outward as he met Pyron's eyes. "Even if we aren't entity hunters like Kevin and Gerald, we can still try to hold our own against Pyron!" A moment of building confusion overwhelmed Kaelan's mind, interrupted by the ear-piercing crunch of Forrest's fists colliding with Pyron's skin. "Super Duper Muscle Man: Charging Fists!" Pyron's body dragged backwards at the overwhelming impact, immediately responding by whipping his arm forward, carving a blazing crescent through the air with murderous precision. Kaelan's eyes trembled at the approaching crescent, shifting onto Forrest just moments later. "That's the same attack that wiped out Itama! Whatever you do, make sure that it's safe to counter!" Forrest's fists seemed to pass through the crescent like a moving hologram, embraced by a creeping wave of relief as he exhaled slowly. That same wave solidified into a powerful ripcurrent of shock and stress, hammering into his brain as a thunderous explosion swallowed him whole, trapping his body within an expanding cloud of pitch-black smoke.
The gut wrenching sight of Forrest's body plummeting from out the cloud caused Kaelan's heart to drop. "FORREST!" his raspy scream filled the air, rich with his overflowing emotions of grief and hopelessness.
Then, without warning, another sight plunged him deeper into despair. "WHAT THE HELL!?" An explosion of flame surrounded Pyron's body, closing the distance between him and his prey as Kaelan watched in horror. In a ruthless motion, Pyron's colossal, hardened skin met Forrest's skull with a bone-cracking punch. The fire's crackles seemed to deafen at the sudden collision, slowly spiraling back into sound as his body plummeted, streams of blood pulling upward towards the unsettling aroma of absolute despair.
That exact moment, a rope of caution snapped within Kaelan's mind. At what seemed like the speed of light, he charged forward, clenching his fists as he locked eyes with the ferocious beast. "YOU'VE TAKEN ENOUGH LIVES! I WON'T WATCH THIS SLAUGHTER ANYMORE - I'LL STRIKE BACK WITH EVERYTHING IN MY ARSENAL!" A large, gushing arc of Sunfire Stew erupted from Kaelan's mouth, soaring above the cataclysmic display as his gaze sharpened. "Courage of Gold - Superheated Spew!"
The ripping stream of Sunfire Stew splattered across Pyron's skin with a loud and persistent hiss as he staggered backward, responding with a radiating sphere of malicious energy that passed through the brown, glowing fluid like a whirring ghost. Kaelan's palms shot outward in a fierce motion, summoning two spheres of building energy from his trembling palms. "Courage of Gold - Twin Spheres of Determination!"
To his surprise, the compression of energy bypassed the sparkling twin orbs with absolute ease.
Before he could react, the evil radiance of Pyron's energy seemed to possess his body. "My Courage of Gold," he sputtered, trembling beneath Pyron's strength. "Not only that, but my blood is starting to boil…"
—
An expanding path of swirling, dark flames pierced through Pyron's wall as Gerald's voice strained. "There's something happening behind this wall for sure! Separating the hunters and non-hunters was a smart move on Pyron's side, but I won't let it hold us back any longer!" Gerald's scream ripped through the air as Emberatalia's flames reached the other side, spreading throughout the wall as it withered into the bloody skies above. That same moment, Gerald's eyes bulged. "Kaelan," his voice rose, "are you okay!?"
"KEVIN! GERALD!" His desperate scream seemed to pierce the air as his reluctant personality persisted. "We've come this far in the fight. Stephanie, Itama, Xavier, Forrest, and lastly, me."
Kevin clenched his fists, realization settling into his mind like an accumulating storm. "Kaelan, what the hell do you think you're doing!? You can't fall; we have to save everyone else toge-"
"THIS IS WHERE YOU GUYS SHOW EVERYTHING YOU'VE LEARNED OVER THE MONTHS!" His words grew hoarse, weakening beneath the pressure of Pyron's merging firepower. "THE NON-ENTITY HUNTERS HAVE DONE EVERYTHING WE CAN - NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO FINISH THE FIGHT!"
Before Kaelan's body disappeared into the crackling flames, a violent blast erupted from within his body, forming a trail of smoke that followed as he plummeted from sight. When Team Pyron was assembled, I was curious why Raja summoned such a rowdy pack. Now, I see the reason; teamwork, bravery, courage, and perseverance.