Back in the shadowed halls of the palace, Kyo's body lay sprawled on the cracked stone, surrounded by the hulking forms of lesser demons. With Typhon nowhere to be seen, the demons exchanged glances, emboldened by their leader's absence.
One demon slithered forward, claws extended, a malicious glint in its eyes. It reached out to drag Kyo away, but the moment its hand touched his skin, a violent surge of energy erupted. The demon was hurled backwards into the wall with bone-shattering force, leaving the others frozen in shock.
Slowly, Kyo stirred. His face was half-shrouded in scales that shimmered with an electric iridescence. His pupils had narrowed to slits, and his eyes blazed with piercing, unnatural yellow. As he rose, electricity crackled across his skin and the air tingled with static.
The demons hesitated for a fraction of a second—then charged as one, shrieking. Kyo's answer was a guttural, monstrous screech that echoed through the palace, rattling the very walls. They swarmed him, claws slashing and fangs snapping, but Kyo fought back with a fury he'd never known. Lightning sparked from his fists as he pummeled every demon in reach, sending bodies flying in all directions.
He roared again, the sound reverberating throughout the palace, primal and raw. Suddenly, wings burst from his back—etched with veins of glowing blue and white. With a furious beat, Kyo launched himself down the corridor, a streak of living lightning tearing through the gloom.
He crashed down deeper within the palace. The ground shuddered under his landing, sparks flying from his claws. Waiting for him was Typhon, who turned slowly, a massive grin spreading across his scaled face.
"Well, well," Typhon rumbled, voice rumbling like distant thunder. "You look different, boy. Think you can make this fun for me?"
Kyo's only response was another bestial screech before he rocketed forward, wings flaring wide. Typhon met the charge head-on, catching Kyo's clawed arms. With a snarl, Typhon's serpent arm whipped around, coiling Kyo's midsection and smashing him into the ground with overwhelming force, the floor splintering under the impact.
But Kyo was up in a heartbeat, the scales across his body darkening, his pupils thin as blades. He lunged, biting and clawing at Typhon's serpent arm, electricity flaring at every point of contact. Typhon slammed him against pillars and cracked stone, but Kyo refused to let go, teeth and claws shredding the mutated limb.
At last, Typhon wrenched himself free, staggering back, his serpent arm hanging limp—mauled beyond use. Typhon glanced at the ruined limb and let out a wild, exultant laugh that echoed off the palace walls.
"YES! Finally, I get to fight someone worth the effort!" Typhon bellowed, his scales swelling and shifting as his serpent arm began to twist and morph. The end split and expanded, forming the snarling head of a dragon. His wings stretched wider, his body bulging with muscle as his scales deepened to a menacing, forest green.
He flexed, tail lashing, and spread his arms wide. "Come on, then!" Typhon roared, his voice shaking the hall. "Come at the strongest!"
Kyo's answer was a flash of lightning as he launched himself at Typhon once more, the clash of a demon and a storm erupting in a frenzy of claws, scales, and raw, elemental fury.
The battle between Kyo and Typhon exploded into a savage storm of raw power and feral instinct.
Typhon lunged, his dragon-arm snapping, massive wings casting the hallway into shadow. Kyo met him head-on, unleashing a screech that rattled the palace rafters. Electricity danced wild across his skin, scales glimmering as his body twisted, growing less human and more beast with every heartbeat.
Typhon laughed, the sound booming. "That's it! Let it loose, boy!" He swung his mutated dragon-head arm in a brutal arc. Kyo ducked low, lightning trailing his claws as he raked Typhon's chest. The scales split, dark blood spraying.
Kyo's jaw unhinged in a snarl, fangs bared. He leapt, wings snapping wide, and slammed Typhon into a pillar. The stone shattered, rubble raining down. Typhon caught Kyo by the throat, squeezing until cracks appeared in the scales. Kyo's tail lashed, wrapping Typhon's leg and yanking him off balance.
They crashed to the ground, rolling in a blur of claws and teeth. Typhon's dragon-arm clamped Kyo's torso, but Kyo sank his teeth into the flesh, electricity surging through both of them. Typhon roared, hurling Kyo across the hall—right into a wall. The impact cratered the stone, but Kyo shook it off, landing on all fours.
His body warped, larger now, scales spreading down his limbs, neck elongating, horns sprouting from his skull. His hands became talons; his face stretched into a draconic snout. Only the furious yellow eyes showed the boy still inside.
Typhon's grin only widened. "Now you're getting it!" He charged, the two titans colliding in the center of the hall. Fangs met fangs, claws raked scales. Lightning and dragonfire exploded, scorching the walls.
Kyo's movements grew wilder, more animal. He slashed and bit, ignoring pain, driven by pure instinct. Typhon battered him with wings and fists, but the more he struck, the more monstrous Kyo became. By the end, Kyo towered over Typhon, a bipedal dragon wreathed in electric fury, a nightmare of scale and storm.
With one final, thunderous roar, Kyo seized Typhon's dragon-arm and tore it free, hurling the stunned demon to the ground. Typhon struggled to rise, blood pouring from a dozen wounds.
He looked up at Kyo, pride and joy mixing in his wild eyes. "You... you're the strongest, boy. Stronger than me—stronger than any of us."
Typhon staggered upright, refusing to fall. He grinned, even as the light faded from his eyes. "That's... what I wanted..." And then, still smiling, he died standing tall, a warrior to the end.
But for Kyo, there was no victory. Instinct had swallowed him whole—he shrieked, lunging at Typhon's corpse, claws and teeth tearing the body to shreds. The rage, the power, the storm inside wouldn't let him stop. He mutilated Typhon's remains until nothing recognizable was left.
At last, through the red haze, something like awareness flickered in Kyo's eyes. He looked down at the ruin he'd made, chest heaving, talons dripping with blood. A strangled wail escaped him—a sound more beast than boy.
In a flash of lightning, Kyo bounded away, wings beating, feral and unstoppable. He tore through the palace halls, every demon he encountered shredded without pause, leaving a trail of carnage and sparks. The deeper he went, the more his monstrous form eclipsed the memory of the boy he once was—driven now only by the storm and the primal need to destroy anything in his path.