Luis hung motionless in the air, his golden eyes darting rapidly as thousands of radiant spears streaked toward him. Escape was impossible, so the only choice he had was to endure the attack head-on. He drew in every glimmer of light surrounding him and pressed it together until it formed a thin luminous layer that coated his skin like the faintest protective film. It remained transparent, yet its power was immense. Immediately, the cracks across his fingers began to widen as he burned through an overwhelming amount of magic. Then the first spears crashed into him. They hammered against his body like a relentless storm of hail striking the earth. Luis was flung in every direction, struck from all sides at once.
Xersies witnessed everything, but he also realized that this barrage would never break through Luis's defense. Not in this form. He inhaled deeply and focused with unwavering intensity. The first cracks began to spread across his own skin as well, yet he dismissed them.
He extended one hand far in front of him, light shining from his palm until it swelled into a golden glow. With his other hand, he gripped that radiance and pulled. Like drawing back the string of a bow, he stretched the luminous shimmer and shaped it into a long, narrow arrow. This arrow of pure light burned so hot that it scorched Xersies's hand and turned the air surrounding him into blazing plasma.
He exhaled and released. The projectile shot toward Luis with breathtaking speed. Luis sensed it before he saw it, because everything around him turned unbearably hot in an instant. He felt the blood within his veins begin to boil.
He spun around and instinctively raised a hand. A golden shield formed in front of him, but it was far too fragile. The arrow pierced directly through it and struck him in the chest. Only the thin layer of condensed light wrapped around his body prevented it from killing him outright. It absorbed nearly all the force of the divine arrow before finally shattering. The projectile dug into Luis's chest, missing his heart by the smallest margin. Pain surged through every fiber of his being, pushing him to the edge of unconsciousness, yet he clung to awareness through sheer force of will.
Xersies saw that Luis was seriously injured. He finally saw an opportunity to end the war. If he managed to kill Luis now, the planet's last defenses would also crumble, like pulling the lowest brick in a wall that held every other brick. Again, he thrust his arm forward to unleash another arrow of light. The glow reformed in his hand as he pulled back. The cracks deepened, now spreading across most of his palm, but he paid no attention to them as he released the glowing weapon. It sliced through the air with a rising hiss and shot toward Luis. The king of mankind widened his eyes as it approached. For a brief moment, it truly appeared that this would be the end. How could he defend that?
Suddenly, Luis's body convulsed. It looked like he vomited, but instead of any physical substance, a torrent of pure light erupted from his mouth. It poured out in an unbroken cascade, thickening and intensifying with every heartbeat.
The second arrow was swallowed by the expanding golden flood. Xersies retreated rapidly as more and more radiance streamed out of Luis. Light burst from his eyes, ears, nose, and hands. It engulfed him, spreading farther and farther outward until it gradually began to assume shape.
Two enormous wings stretched outward in both directions. A massive muzzle filled with countless sharp teeth took form at the front. A lengthy tail extended behind the growing creature. Two colossal rear legs appeared, each ending in five gleaming claws.
The Dragon was a being of unbroken light, yet it appeared to be a living creature. It was gigantic, several dozen meters in length, and at its center stood Luis with closed eyes, arms and legs spread wide.
The colossal entity released a roar as it surged into motion. It charged toward Xersies, who immediately withdrew.
But the Dragon was far faster than Xersies, even in his radiant shape. Golden teeth snapped at the Polykenas general and sank into his leg. Xersies instantly severed his own limb with a blade of light and tore himself free. He plunged downward as fast as he could. The Dragon dove after him, releasing a furious roar during its pursuit. The Polykenas gathered below scattered in absolute panic as the glowing behemoth descended upon them. Xersies felt the burning heat of the Dragon behind him and hissed in frustration. Moments before he struck the ground, he veered sharply away. The air detonated as he broke the sound barrier. The Dragon also turned, but not before crashing into the ground. To Xersies's disappointment, this did nothing to slow the creature. It simply carved a deep trench through the earth before launching upward again.
Xersies spun and slammed his open palm into the empty air. A wave of light crashed into the Dragon and hurled it sideways, but the creature barely seemed bothered as it instantly resumed the chase. Xersies attacked again, but this time the Dragon flicked its entire body in a subtle motion, releasing an expanding sphere of radiant force.
Xersies cursed. He fled while continuously striking back, yet none of his attacks seemed to truly affect the Dragon, who absorbed them without concern. Then the creature suddenly started slowing down, inhaling deeply, but instead of drawing in air, it pulled in pure light. Incredible amounts of magical energy burst forth from the monster as it charged up a powerful attack.
Xersies immediately accelerated and even ceased attacking, focusing solely on creating as much distance from Luis as possible. He pierced through the cloud layer, leaving the Dragon far below as the creature's speed dropped during the inhalation.
Then the radiant behemoth exhaled.
A beam of blinding golden flame erupted upward. It expanded farther and farther until it seemed to set the entire sky ablaze. Xersies flew as fast as his power allowed, yet he could not escape the approaching inferno that threatened to engulf him. He had no other choice. He would not outrun it. He spun around and closed his fist. The cracks on his fingers spread across his entire palm as he released immense magic. A small sphere of light formed in his hand, and when he opened his claw, it launched toward the advancing flames.
When the sphere collided with the inferno, it began absorbing the fire around it, growing larger as it drank in more and more energy. Xersies pushed against nothing, but by doing so, he accelerated the once slow sphere, which now gained tremendous speed. It expanded and rushed upward until it burned through the cloud layer.
The Dragon, who had been about to ascend through the same point, was forced to veer aside, coming dangerously close to being struck. Even then, the sphere grazed the creature's right wing. It yanked violently at the luminous form, attempting to devour the light that formed the Dragon entirely.
The creature roared in fury as more and more of his being was absorbed. But before the miniature sun could consume the radiant shape completely, Xersies lost his control over it, and the sphere collapsed inward, shrinking until it vanished into a single infinitely small point.
Xersies breathed heavily as he watched the Dragon's form gradually regenerate. However, the creature remained motionless, simply staring at him.
"Impressive," it said suddenly with Luis's voice. "You witnessed my attack only once and managed not only to imitate it perfectly but even to modify and improve it. That is remarkable."
Xersies, who had not expected praise from Luis, bowed deeply. "Thank you. I must also commend you. This dragon form is magnificent and incredibly powerful."
The Dragon remained quiet for a moment. "You possess extraordinary strength. Why not join me? Follow the church. Follow the god of the sun who granted you this power, and you will witness might beyond anything you could imagine."
Xersies smiled weakly. "As flattering as this offer is, I have no interest in surrendering myself to a nonexistent god. My purpose is already clear. I exist to destroy everything. To cast it into chaos until order no longer exists anywhere in this and every other realm."
The Dragon stared at him. "Why?"
Xersies shrugged. "Why do you need to eat? It is my nature. It is the nature of every one of us. But shall we continue philosophizing, or do you want to resume this battle now that things are finally getting exciting?"
The Dragon growled. "But do not beg me for mercy later, demon. I already offered you your only chance. Now you will die."
With a thunderous roar, the Dragon lunged at Xersies once more. Xersies was prepared to meet him head-on when suddenly an explosion shook the world. Three bright green lights ignited beyond the colossal walls of the city of Gloris. Luis turned in shock.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he roared as he spotted a green comet streaking toward the wall. Even with his dragon form, he was not fast enough to stop what followed. The massive emerald fireball struck the wall with a deafening crash.
The symbols etched into the stone flickered one final time before the comet detonated. Dust and debris erupted in all directions, clouding the battlefield. When the haze slowly settled, a vast breach in the wall appeared. A massive crater had devoured an entire section of the glorious city beyond. Every person who had been standing atop that part of the wall was erased out of existence instantly. The power of the explosion was to strong.
Luis, who had been so absorbed in his battle with Xersies that he had forgotten his duty to defend the wall, roared in a storm of self-hatred and fury. He had failed. But Xersies granted him no time to drown in regret. Another devastating volley of golden light crashed into the Dragon. Luis redirected all his rage toward Xersies. Their terrifying battle continued as they charged at each other once more.