"Eternal Darkness, First Form!"
After those words were spoken, a tremendous change occurred in Leon. Glowing purple-dark symbols began appearing on his hands, arms, torso, and neck. His black hair instantly turned white as if touched by snow. His eyes glowed bright red, and a dense purple aura enveloped his body. Every one of his attacks felt twice as powerful, causing the air around him to vibrate intensely.
Everyone who witnessed Leon's transformation was stunned, feeling the incredible surge of power.
However, the battle wasn't over. Nix approached the fox-woman and offered her something. A powerful-looking rope dart. The fox-woman was shocked upon seeing it, her eyes wide.
"I never thought... I would wield this weapon again," she murmured, her voice trembling with emotion.
Kazan, seeing it, was also astonished, sensing the terrifying aura emanating from the weapon. "That weapon..."
"What kind of weapon is that?" asked Leon, who was seeing such a weapon for the first time.
The fox-woman gripped the weapon tightly. "This is a Rope Dart. Its name is Xiān Suǒ. The rope is made of unbreakable red and golden thread of fate, capable of lengthening or shortening according to the user's will."
She held the dart, shaped like a sharp plum blossom petal. "The dart is made of white Jade and rare red crystal, containing pure power."
Amid their conversation, Zephyr tapped Leon on the shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt, but can we attack now? Because the enemy in front of us is starting to gather its attack energy."
Everyone immediately snapped back to attention. It was true; the Hydra's main mouth was wide open, a terrifying spiral of energy gathering within it.
"CHAOS ANNIHILATION BREATH!"
A spiral blast of energy combining Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Acid surged forth, destroying everything in its path. Leon, being the closest, reacted instantly. He raised a single hand.
"Singularity Grasp!"
The space in front of his palm cracked, creating a mini black hole that instantly sucked in the terrifying energy breath until it was completely gone.
Seizing the opportunity, Zephyr and Kazan shot forward. Zephyr leaped onto the Hydra's back on the right side, his sword spinning.
"Dance of a Thousand Gales!"
Thousands of sharp wind blades rained down on one of the Hydra's heads, making it scream in pain. On the other side, Kazan was already atop the left Hydra head. His katana gleamed white.
"Tenshi no Ichigeki!"
With one swift, precise slash, one Hydra head was cleanly severed. Kazan smiled, but his smile immediately faded as the head quickly regenerated and immediately lunged at him, intending to eat him alive.
However, before that could happen, the fox-woman emerged from the shadow of that head. Her Xiān Suǒ tightly wrapped around the Hydra head's neck.
"Don't get cocky, monster!" she scolded, pulling hard and saving Kazan.
A fierce battle ensued. The fox-woman nimbly danced between the nine Hydra heads, her Xiān Suǒ spinning, forming deadly circles. "Yòu Dú Huā!" she said, creating illusions of fiery flowers that distracted the heads before her dart struck their vital points.
Leon also moved at high speed, "Riftrend Barrage!" leaving trails of spatial cracks around the Hydra's body. Zephyr continuously launched "Razor Gale" and "Dragon of the Storm", while Kazan agilely used "Shiroi Ryūsen" and "Sakura Fubuki".
Nix was not idle either. "Sunforge Chains!" Chains of blazing metal erupted from the ground, entangling several Hydra heads and its body, restricting its movement.
"Brand of Submission!" A large fiery seal attached itself to the Hydra's body, slowing and hampering its movements.
But the Hydra was not playing around. "Elemental Orbit!" Four orbs of energy rotated around it, attacking anyone who came near.
"Carnivorous Bloom!" Dozens of mouths and giant serpent heads emerged from the ground, turning the battlefield into a nightmare. "Nine-Headed Onslaught!" The nine heads attacked in a coordinated manner with different patterns, forcing the five of them to desperately defend and evade.
Those trying to avoid the attacks from the ground while continuously slashing the Hydra's heads began to feel frustrated. Every time a head was cut off, it regenerated effortlessly, leaving them confused about how to defeat this monster.
Until a moment came when Leon, Zephyr, Kazan, and the fox-woman managed to sever four Hydra heads simultaneously!
SSSTTARRGG!
Nix, observing carefully, noticed something. "Wait! Its regeneration is slowing down! Perhaps the more heads severed simultaneously, the longer it takes for them to grow back!"
An idea sparked in his mind. As the four heads finished regenerating, he shouted, "Now! Cut off four heads again, at the same time!"
The four of them immediately unleashed their attacks simultaneously. Four heads were decapitated once more.
"Sunflare Orb!" Nix threw four fire orbs, not at the Hydra's body, but at the four severed heads. The flames intensely burned the heads before they could regenerate.
"My guess was right! The heads aren't growing back!"
"Finally, we found the way!" Zephyr exclaimed.
The Hydra, realizing its weakness had been exposed, let out a terrifying roar. "PRIMAL ROAR!" The sonic wave forced all of them to their knees and disrupted their magical energy for a moment.
"We have to end this, before he uses his ultimate attack!" Kazan shouted.
The five of them immediately stood ready.
Zephyr concentrated all his remaining energy.His sword glowed extremely brightly. "Final Thunderclap!"
Kazan gathered white aura into his katana, making it vibrate intensely. "Zettaizetsumei!"
Leon raised his sword, his dark energy reaching its peak. "Ragnarok!"
The fox-woman spun her Xiān Suǒ, creating an energy vortex."Dīyǔ Hēidòng!"
Nix flew high, transforming into a giant Phoenix. "Skyfall Incineration!"
The Hydra did the same. All its remaining heads pointed towards the sky, gathering energy for its final attack. "APOCALYPSE DRIVE!"
The world seemed to fall silent.
"NOW!" Nix roared.
Five devastating attacks launched simultaneously, merging into a single wave of destructive energy that swept across everything, colliding head-on with the Hydra's apocalyptic energy.
=== CHAPTER 45 END ===