The island seemed to breathe with them.
The ground shook, but not as before. It was no longer the serpent forcing the earth to bend beneath its colossal body—it was the energy gushing from the three warriors, as if nature itself had decided to release what had been pent up.
The serpent's roar echoed through the heavens, deafening, but now it wasn't just the beast that dominated the atmosphere. The auras of Rogue, Kali, and Xyn exploded like wildfires, covering the forest in intermittent flashes.
Rogue was the first to react.
Her muscles tensed, every fiber vibrating with raw power. The feline body launched like lightning, crossing the distance of tens of meters in less than the blink of an eye. Its claws flashed blue, slicing through the air like blades forged by gods. She leaped at the serpent, striking its side with successive blows, and the once-resisting scales now shattered like cracked pottery.
"Well, well..." Rogue smiled, baring her feline teeth. "It's finally breaking."
