At the western end of the continent, near the shoreline of the Black Sea, Vigil and the others had finally regrouped.
But the Dehedra was once again on the hunt, and they had already been waiting for a week. Kargaren positioned himself on the far southern shoreline, while Severeno guarded the far north. Lanfer and Leonor had erected a massive aegis to mask their presence, cloaking them in invisibility in preparation for the ambush. The rest of the group lay hidden in the nearby forest, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Yalzar, the colossal behemoth, had been chosen as bait. With his enormous body visible from all directions, he sat casually in the open, eating and resting for three days straight while strengthening his core.
Yalzar: "When will that serpent show up? I've already stuffed myself full these past few days."
He yawned, though inwardly he was ready.
Misery: "Hmm. Something is approaching."
At her words, everyone stiffened, alert.
Sedestro: "Here comes our prey. Heh… we meet again, big guy. This time I'll have my revenge and land a proper blow."
Suddenly, Zakhar shot skyward, becoming a blazing ball of light as he prepared his devastating meteor attack.
Xukhar: "Another one of those… this'll be huge again."
He glanced upward, remembering Zakhar's previous strike that had gouged a massive crater from the land—now a great lake.
Then, at last, the Dehedra surfaced from the sea. Its enormous, mountain-sized body rose higher and higher until its full, colossal form slithered toward the shore.
Vigil: "This… this serpent has turned into a dragon. How has it become something this massive?"
The first time they fought it, the Dehedra had already been mountain-sized. But now… it was larger still, its twelve draconic heads, each of a different hue, bellowing as one.
Dehedra: "ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!"
Twelve thunderous voices shook the air.
Feigning surprise, Yalzar let out his own roar, drawing its attention.
Yalzar: "ROOOAR!"
The Dehedra turned its hungry gaze on him.
(What a stupid beast, it thought. I've struck it rich this time. I've grown tired of these tasteless legendary-ranked fish. At last—a juicy bear to devour.)
With a guttural roar, it charged out of the sea, waves crashing violently behind it as it lunged toward the massive behemoth.
Vigil: "Good. Lead him to land."
Yalzar smirked, dashing toward the forest, the Dehedra slithering after him at terrifying speed.
Suddenly, a colossal mountain-like figure erupted from the southern shoreline—Kargaren. From the north, Severeno emerged, blocking the Dehedra's retreat back into the sea.
As Lanfer and Leonor lifted the aegis, both guardians were revealed at last. The Dehedra hesitated, intimidated by their sudden appearance.
Dehedra: "ROAR!"
Kargaren: "ROOOOAAAAR!"
The ground quaked beneath his voice as earthen spikes the size of towers surged upward toward the beast. Severeno gathered power at his flank.
The Dehedra's red and yellow heads unleashed torrents of energy, shattering the incoming spikes and leaving behind rivers of molten lava. At the same time, Severeno loosed a black-and-red dragon cannon—but the Dehedra's silver and black heads countered with cannons of their own.
BOOOOM!
The clash left a massive crater in the shoreline.
Yalzar, meanwhile, invoked his Gigantify ability, swelling to an even greater size.
Yalzar: "ROAR!"
In his hands materialized a colossal iron club, forged by Agarez at his request. Leaping high, he swung down at the Dehedra, smashing through the brown head's defenses.
Dehedra (Gold Head): "ROAR!"
The other heads snapped toward him.
Yalzar: "Tch. What a tough hide."
A colossal tail whipped around, striking Yalzar like a battering ram.
BOOM!
He was sent flying like a bullet, crashing through the forest before slamming into a mountain, carving a massive crater in its side.
Yalzar: "Ack—!"
Teros materialized beside him.
Teros: "Are you alright?"
Yalzar dragged himself from the rubble, grinning despite his wounds.
Yalzar: "I'm fine. That strike was strong. Heh."
He launched himself skyward, blasting free from the crater, the sheer force doubling its size.
Yalzar: "I'm not done yet, damned serpent!"
But before he could strike again, another of the Dehedra's heads slammed into him like a cannonball, sending him crashing into yet another mountain.
Agarez: "ROAR!"
The sky suddenly ignited with silver brilliance. Agarez unleashed a massive Silver Dragon Nova, forcing all twelve heads to turn toward the blinding attack.
But above, Zakhar's meteor began its fiery descent.
Dehedra: "ROAR!"
Seven heads rose, spitting power to counter Agarez's blast.
Kargaren: "ROOOAR!"
The ground beneath the Dehedra collapsed into a colossal sinkhole, breaking its stance. Agarez's attack slammed home, burning two of its heads to ash.
Dehedra: "ROOOAR!"
It writhed in agony—just as Zakhar's meteor struck.
The heavens blazed like a second sun. The earth melted into a sea of lava as the Black Sea itself boiled and evaporated.
BOOOOOOM!
A mushroom cloud of fire and smoke rose into the sky. The shockwave ripped fissures through the earth, leaving behind a ten-mile-wide crater of molten ruin.
The Dehedra roared, its body buried deep in the crater. Ten heads destroyed, only two remained.
Yet in a flash, its body regenerated. All twelve heads reformed, roaring in unison.
Vigil: "He sacrificed ten heads just to counter Zakhar's meteor…"
Kargaren: "ROAR!"
His Earth Nova surged forth, hundreds of times stronger than Agarez's. The Dehedra countered with dragon novas of its own. Severeno and Agarez joined in, their combined power shaking the land.
A radiant barrier flared into being—Lanfer and Leonor shielding Kargaren.
Then the sky turned black and green. Desmir descended, conjuring a kilometer-wide energy bomb of corrosive flame.
Desmir: "Let's see if you can survive this. RAAAAGH!"
He hurled it down at the Dehedra.
Desmir: "Don't you dare die—if you do, you're unworthy to be our brother."
Dehedra: "ROAR!"
Zakhar, drained and wounded, struggled to rise, only to be struck again and thrown into the crater.
Zakhar: "Damn it…"
Suddenly, Xukhar materialized in a surge of purple light.
Zakhar: "Thank the heavens."
Xukhar shielded him.
Xukhar: "Desmir's power… it rivals yours now."
Zakhar: "Brace yourself. That energy is more than destructive—it's corrosive and poisonous. If it touches us, we'll die."
The Dehedra's heads ignored the others, focusing all power to intercept the bomb.
Severeno: "I'm immune to poison and corrosion. This won't stop me. ROAR!"
His body began to transform, scales turning from black to crimson gold as he condensed a devastating blast.
BOOOOM!
Desmir's energy bomb struck, engulfing the crater in green fire and molten earth. The impact widened the crater to twelve miles, filling it with lava and corrosive liquid. The land itself became a hellscape of flame and poison.
The Dehedra staggered, its body melting away until only one head remained. Yet even as its flesh dissolved, regeneration began. The purple and green heads reformed first, absorbing the poisonous gases and fire.
Desmir: "Hahaha… it's too strong."
Xukhar: "That monster… even in this state it feeds on destruction itself. A true nightmare."
Zakhar: "It's lived for thousands of years. This isn't just a beast—it's a survivor of endless battles, honed by time into the apex predator of these Wildlands."
Severeno: "ROOOAR!"
A crimson-black laser cannon ripped through the Dehedra, decapitating three heads and slicing its body into thousands of pieces.
Vigil: "What power… Severeno's attack is terrifying."
Leonor, perched on Severeno's head, smacked him sharply.
Leonor: "Why did you kill it?!"
Severeno: "Ouch! Relax. That thing won't die so easily. It's been torn apart like this countless times, even a thousand years ago, and still survived."
And just as he said, the scattered chunks of flesh began to writhe. The body reassembled, regenerating into a flawless twelve-headed form once more.
Leonor: "This is insane…"
Severeno: "See? That thing's basically immortal. Capturing it is impossible unless we reduce its body into countless fragments and seal them away. That's the only option."
Sedestro: "What a monster…"
Then, suddenly, millions of black horns materialized from the void, impaling the Dehedra and pinning it in place.
Dehedra: "ROOOOOAR!"
It tried to break out, but it couldn't. The black horns were not solid — instead, they were gooey and slimy, yet possessed their own unnatural hardness. The horns converged on the Dehedra's body, invading it from within.
Suddenly, Ishvel appeared and decapitated all of its heads.
Sedestro: Hihi.
Then, more black thorns exploded from inside the Dehedra. One of its heads regenerated and roared in pain.
Sedestro: Ahh… such pain. Such agony. Haha! Now I have my revenge. But… where is your soul? Hmm…
He sought its soul — only to find it far more terrifying than he imagined.
Sedestro: What the hell is this?
Vigil: What is it?
Sedestro: Its soul form… it has thousands of heads. This guy is an absolute monster.
The Dehedra's flesh regenerated so fast it overwhelmed Sedestro's spikes. Worse, it began adapting and becoming immune to his attack.
Sedestro: This guy is absorbing my power…
In the next instant, all of Sedestro's spikes were absorbed into the Dehedra's body. It fully regenerated once again — but this time, a thirteenth head appeared.
Dehedra: ROOOOAR!
Then a fourteenth… fifteenth… sixteenth.
Vigil: Now this is not good.
The Dehedra surged forward, attacking everyone.
Yalzar: ROOOAR!
He transformed into a devilish behemoth bear and charged head-on at the monster.
Ishvel: If we drag this out any longer, the Dehedra will only gain more abilities. Let's strike together, like in the past! Attack until it wears down. Sedestro — capture its soul!
Sedestro: Leave it to me.
Ishvel and Yalzar lunged forward, decapitating head after head as it endlessly regenerated.
Severeno roared. He transformed into a Dragon Lord, standing tall on two legs like a colossal humanoid dragon, and tore into the beast.
Desmir also charged. Agarez, too, transformed into a Dragon Lord, joining the fray. Now, the Dehedra could no longer fire its explosive attacks, its every attempt interrupted by the head-on assault.
Kargaren: ROOOOAR!
He unleashed another Earthen Nova, reducing half the Dehedra's body to pieces — but again, it regenerated.
Ishvel: Freeze!
To halt its recovery, Ishvel encased half of its destroyed body in chilling ice.
Dehedra: ROOOAR!
But another head sprouted — an ice dragon head.
Ishvel: Fuck…
The Dehedra instantly regenerated again.
Magnus and Horus entered the battle.
Valor also stepped in.
Valor: Crash to the ground!
A crushing gravity fell upon the Dehedra, the effect targeting it alone while sparing the others.
Chrovix: Crystal Blade!
Crystalline blades materialized, piercing its body and slicing it apart.
Then, vines and roots erupted, impaling the scattered flesh.
Misery: Ohohoho… what a delectable taste…
Her lower body had become an endless tangle of vines and roots, feasting upon the Dehedra as it regenerated.
Suddenly, thirty-five severed heads regenerated — each one transforming into long dragons.
They roared and attacked everyone.
Lanfer: My legions — devour these serpents!
Thousands of Insectman White Gold Knights and Insectman Black Gold Knights swarmed the battlefield, hunting the long dragons. Though each severed head had become a Mythical Rank dragon, the sheer number of Legendary Rank insect knights overwhelmed them.
Chrovix: My legions — hunt this beast.
From hiding, Chrovix's army of metal golems — humanoid machines of war — surged forth to join the battle.
Then, parts of the Dehedra's body exploded.
BOOM! The blast hurled everyone back.
Dehedra: ROOOOOAR!
In an instant, it regenerated once more, restoring its original form — but now with twenty heads.
Dehedra: ROOOOAR!
Then, a massive, colossal web descended, enveloping the monster. The web tightened, cocooning it completely.
Vigil: Squeeze him dry.
The cocoon contracted, splattering Dehedra blood in all directions, reducing it to a dried husk within.
Sedestro: Good job, Vigil.
He entered the cocoon.
Meanwhile, Xukhar carried Zakhar to Lanfer, placing him on Kargaren's back.
Xukhar: I'll give Sedestro a hand.
He transformed into a bolt of purple light and followed Sedestro into the cocoon.
Inside, both entered in concept form. In this state of omnipotence, they could not be damaged or killed.
Xukhar: What a terrifying soul… even inside its body, it's colossal.
Sedestro: I can handle this. Help me extract its soul.
Xukhar: Sure.
But outside—
The cocoon exploded.
The Dehedra returned once more, its body fully restored, its form unbroken.