The world had turned to fire.
Wind screamed through the cliffs, carrying trails of poison and cinders. Every breath burned, every movement stirred ash that clung to their armor like snow from another world. Above them, Ravina Seraph circled — wings stretching wide, gleaming with veins of molten green. Each beat of those wings sent shockwaves that rippled through the molten plains, flattening grass and splitting stone.
"She's marking her territory again," Kael shouted over the roar, his cloak whipping violently behind him. "The poison field's spreading — we can't fight her out here!"
"Then we take her where she started!" Hunnt called back, his arm raised to block the heat. "Push her to the cliffs!"
Alder slammed his sword into the ground, molten sparks bursting from the impact. "That's uphill!" he growled, sweat rolling down his temple.
Hunnt smirked, eyes gleaming. "Then climb!"
He blurred forward — Soru cracking the air beneath him — leaving a ripple of ash in his wake. The wyvern's head turned sharply, tracking the motion. Ravina shrieked, releasing a volley of flaming scales that sliced through the air like meteors.
Hunnt ducked low, the projectiles whistling past him, and slammed his fist into the ground — Pulse Drive detonating beneath his boots. The shockwave shot upward in a burst of dirt and embers, destabilizing her flight path.
Kael fired two explosive rounds, one after another. "Go! Go! Go!"
Seren ran forward, shield high. Her armor glowed faintly red under the searing wind, each step deliberate. She raised her lance and Tekkai together, bracing as Ravina dived. The wyvern's talons struck her shield full-force, the impact sending cracks through the ground.
Seren held her ground, boots carving trenches into the rock. "Now, Alder!"
Alder roared, his Armament Haki flaring as he leapt with all his strength. The Heartflare Great Sword descended in a blazing arc, cutting into Ravina's shoulder joint. The wyvern shrieked, thrashing violently, her wing lashing outward and throwing Alder across the field.
He hit the ground hard, rolling until he caught himself. "Still alive," he muttered, coughing blood.
Kael used Kami-e, weaving between falling debris with inhuman grace. He fired again, every shot aimed for the exposed seam of the wyvern's throat. His Observation Haki pulsed, sensing the subtle changes in her movements — every twitch, every shift of balance. "She's guarding her chest! There's a weakness there — center sternum, vented seam!"
Hunnt looked up at the beast hovering overhead. "Got it."
He shot upward with Geppo, propelling himself through the rising heat. Each burst of air cracked like a whip, propelling him higher until he reached her chest level. The Veilrend Gauntlets glowed bright red, molten veins pulsing with internal energy.
"Pulse Drive: Double Flow!"
He struck once — then redirected the impact mid-blow, slamming his second fist directly into the same spot. The air detonated in a flash of light, blood and fire bursting from the wound.
Ravina screamed, staggering midair. Her flight faltered; she crashed back down, landing with a quake that sent waves of heat through the field.
Seren saw her chance. "I'll hold her!" she shouted, planting her shield and charging forward. The wyvern's tail whipped toward her — too fast to block — but she twisted with Kami-e, letting the force slide past her body as the wind ripped her cloak apart.
She slammed her lance into the weakened joint near the neck seam, molten blood spraying across her armor. "Hunnt!"
Hunnt landed beside her, gauntlets still glowing. "Alder — finish it!"
Alder rose again, blood on his lips, firelight burning in his eyes. His great sword ignited from base to tip — Armament Haki fusing with the weapon's inner flame. He dashed with Soru, vanished, and reappeared behind the wyvern in a single motion.
"Heartflare Slash!"
The swing cleaved through her fractured shoulder and into her spine. The sound was deafening — like thunder trapped inside stone.
Ravina roared one last time, the sky shaking as she reared back, wings flaring outward. The color of her scales shifted — from green to molten gold — and the ground trembled violently beneath her.
Kael's voice was sharp. "She's not dead — she's transforming!"
Hunnt's eyes widened. "Molten Rebirth."
The wyvern's outer shell began to peel away in molten layers, exposing burning muscle and glowing fissures across her chest. Her eyes burned hotter, brighter — but her movements slowed, heavy under her own weight.
"Now's the chance!" Kael yelled. "That chest seam — it's completely exposed!"
Alder and Hunnt nodded at once, moving without another word. Seren pushed forward, deflecting another tail swipe with her shield as the shockwave blasted her back.
"Go!" she screamed.
Kael fired again, rounds bursting against Ravina's chest. The wyvern staggered. Hunnt launched forward, gauntlets blackened with Armament Haki, punching directly into the glowing fissure. The force reverberated through the valley, cracking the earth.
Alder followed, his sword carving through the same wound.
Ravina's body convulsed, her tail flailing wildly before collapsing into stillness. The air filled with the scent of ash and scorched iron.
Then — silence.
The wyvern fell. Her wings folded inward, smoke rising from the cracks in her hide. The heat slowly began to fade, the poison mist dissolving into the breeze.
Seren dropped to one knee, her breath trembling. "It's… over."
Hunnt exhaled slowly, pulling back his gauntlets. "No," he said softly. "It's done."
Kael approached the fallen wyvern and placed his hand on her still-warm scales. "You fought well," he murmured. "Rest."
The group stood in silence for a moment, the sound of crackling embers surrounding them.
Hunnt broke it first. "Let's report back to Maerin. Korvan will be safe again."
As they began the long walk back through the fields, the rising sun broke through the clouds — light cutting through the smoke and painting their armor in gold.
Behind them, the Ashen Matriarch lay still, the last ember of her storm fading with the dawn.