Paul, breathless from the battle, descended onto the colossal dragon. "That's what you get for destroying my life!" he exclaimed, releasing the pent-up anger that had long haunted him.
However, although he felt a faint sense of satisfaction washing over him, softening his hardened expression ever so slightly, Paul knew that the loved ones he lost could never be brought back. The life he once had was just a distant memory.
For a moment, he stood there, his chest heaving as he gazed at the lifeless beast beneath him. Now that his vengeance was complete, he felt empty, not knowing what to do next.
As he was about to contemplate, he heard voices calling out his name. "Brother Paul, come!" the brothers all said in unison. That woke up his spirit, and immediately he knew who they were.
Paul then looked downward, grinning, and responded to his brothers, who, together with the fairies, were celebrating their hard-fought victory.
Their joy was infectious, and finally, Paul felt all the weight of his burdens lift. He couldn't help but smile, knowing they had triumphed together, their struggles finally over. With that, his rage ability deactivated, the fiery intensity he had harnessed dissipating like smoke.
But as Paul landed on the ground to join them, he was greeted not by cheers but by his brothers' sudden, panicked expressions. Their faces, once filled with triumph, turned to terror, their mouths seemingly screaming at him to run.\
Before he could make sense of it, the world spun violently around him. All Paul saw was the dragon's tail lashing out, striking him and sending him hurtling through the air. His consciousness slipped away into darkness.
"Noooooo! Paul!" his brothers shouted, their voices laced with desperation.
"We let our guard down!" Rhyz declared, urgency lacing his tone as he clenched his fists tightly around his guns, frustration boiling beneath the surface.
The brothers wanted nothing more than to find Paul, yet before them stood the fearsome Crocodile Dragon, its massive form restored to full strength, with intact eyes, wings, and limbs, as if the fierce battle had been nothing more than a simple injury.
Eijay's brow furrowed in confusion. "What is going on? How is it healed? Does it have some kind of regeneration ability?"
For a brief, tense moment, they stood on edge, torn between rage and fear. Likewise, the Crocodile Dragon felt the same, terrified by what it had just experienced and angry at those who had defeated him.
Without warning and with a deafening growl, it opened its jaws wide, a sinister glow building deep within its throat, ready to unleash its devastating blast of flame, known for its annihilating power.
"EVERYONE, TAKE COVER NOW!" Rhyz shouted, his voice sharp and urgent, each word carrying the weight of impending danger. His eyes flicked to the looming threat, his instincts screaming that there was no time to hesitate. His command cut through the chaos with terrifying clarity, snapping everyone into action—though all knew it was already impossible to escape.
While the nimble fairies took flight, the brothers resolved to stand their ground, determined to buy enough time for the fairies to escape. With unwavering focus, Eijay concentrated deeply, his grimoire glowing with radiant energy as he unleashed a shimmering force field that enveloped the area around them. Beside him, Jeyel swiftly summoned a series of towering ice walls, gleaming like slick, wet stone, each layer adding strength to their growing defense. Meanwhile, Zaell called upon his dual shields, channeling his power to expand them to their original size, ready to create an unyielding barrier to protect them all.
Then it happened: a searing blast erupted, a wave of incredible heat radiating outward, obliterating anything in its path. Within moments, the landscape was consumed by flames so intense that Eijay and Jeyel's combined ice force field was on the verge of being shattered by the immense heat.
Not long after, when Rhyz saw that all the fairies had flown off, he shouted, signaling his brothers for their next move.
Eijay then said, "Brother, you should go as well, with your tele—"
Yet before he could finish his words, Rhyz had already teleported beside them, smiling to indicate his intention to stay with them. "I'm afraid it's too late. Let us all survive together," he said.
The three brothers nodded and immediately focused on the problem at hand. Seeing that they no longer had to protect anyone, Zaell flicked his magic ring, merging his dual shields into a colossal metal dome that encapsulated their group.
Darkness loomed over them, yet the sound and heat of the flame, trying its best to seep into their safeguard, vibrated around them. Immediately, Eijay and Jeyel did not waste time idling. They repaired their combined ability and directed it toward the dome, providing additional protection from the blast.
They all hoped that their combined efforts would be enough to withstand the onslaught of flames threatening to consume them. As they stood waiting for their fate, the brothers all felt the need to survive—not just for themselves, but for Paul, who they knew would be saddened if they all passed away.
"Not this time. We will not leave him alone!" they all shouted.
.
.
.
After what seemed like minutes of continuous blasts, half of the once-thriving Timul Forest was reduced to mere ashes. The brutal storm of fire left behind an empty, charred expanse where no life remained—the devastation was almost too overwhelming to comprehend.
As the thick smoke began to clear, the fate of the brothers became immediately apparent. The force field that had surrounded them was nowhere to be seen, shattered under the immense pressure. Similarly, the ice wall, once a formidable defense, had melted away, and the shields—once shining symbols of their protection—had succumbed to the overwhelming heat, turning into a river of molten lava that flowed like a burning stream.
In the midst of that shattered protection, the brothers—who all wore specially designed armor crafted with advanced fire-resistant properties—failed to withstand the unrelenting flames. Despite its capabilities, the heat had penetrated every layer, leaving them unrecognizable. Their skin had darkened to an ashen black, a haunting reminder of the inferno they had endured.