The worm shifted, its body looming over him. Ash rolled his shoulders once, legs bracing against the earth.
Now, he just had to keep it occupied. Kael would handle the rest.
Ash's eyes flicked up.
High above, Kael hovered. His arms were out, hands cupped around empty air. Sparks spun between his palms, thin at first, then twisting tighter.
Heat rolled off him in waves. The air shimmered.
The flame spun faster, a spiral pulling itself into a single point. It didn't grow—it shrank, tighter and tighter until it was no bigger than a coin.
The cavern shook under the pressure. Cracks split the stone.
Ash didn't have time to stare.
The worm shrieked—a deep, grating sound—and lunged.
Ash vanished again, a blur of motion.
The worm's strike crushed the stone floor where he had stood. Dust blasted outward, choking the air. The ground split, chunks of rock flying.
The worm didn't slow. It twisted, wild and furious, searching for him.
Ash was already moving.
He slid along the creature's side, boots skimming rough scales. Another slam. Another dodge. He kept moving, never staying in one place long enough to be caught.
One moment, he was sprinting across its back. The next, he ran along the cavern wall, kicking off into open air.
The worm swung, a crushing sweep of its body.
Ash didn't flinch. He raced straight into it.
At the last second, he planted a foot against its hide and launched upward. The force hurled him higher, flipping him mid-air.
As he twisted through the air, he caught a glimpse of Kael—and the burning heart between his hands.
It was almost ready.
The fire between Kael's hands flared, a searing core pulsing like a star on the verge of collapse.
Across the cavern, the worm stiffened.
A tremor ran through its massive body.
It felt it.
The worm lifted its head, twisting toward the growing heat, its eyeless face tilting as if searching the air.
And it found him.
Kael floated steady above the battlefield, the burning sphere cradled between his palms. Light spilled across the stone walls, casting wild, broken shadows.
The worm lunged.
Its body slammed into the cavern wall with a deafening crack. Stone split and rained down as it vanished into the rock, tunneling deep.
Silence clamped down, heavy and thick.
The heat around Kael twisted, warping the air. Dust floated like ash in the stillness.
One heartbeat passed.
Then—
BOOM.
The wall behind Kael exploded outward. Splinters of stone ripped through the air as the worm burst free, its maw split wide, aiming to crush him.
A perfect strike.
Kael didn't move.
The sphere of fire between his hands stayed firm, pulsing brighter.
He trusted Ash.
And Ash never let him fall.
Time fractured.
Debris hung suspended. Dust froze midair. The world stretched thin.
Ash was already there.
Boots skimming broken stones, he darted upward, weaving between shards of floating rubble. His path cut clean and fast, a streak through the frozen chaos.
The worm's jaws snapped forward—
Ash reached him.
One arm wrapped around Kael, pulling him out of the worm's path without a tremble to the flame still burning between Kael's hands.
Then—
The world snapped back.
The worm's teeth clamped down on nothing but stone and dust.
A shriek split the cavern. The creature recoiled, twisting in fury, its body folding and smashing the ground before it dove back into the earth.
Ash landed, boots skidding across the cracked floor, Kael steady against him.
The cavern shuddered.
Cracks ripped across the stone as the worm tunneled below.
Then—
eruption.
The ground split open. The monster surged upward, rocks flying, its massive body breaking through the surface in a violent roar.
It lunged to devour them whole.
But Ash was already gone.
He stood a distance away, Kael still in his grasp, both untouched by the destruction.
Kael's eyes snapped open. His gaze locked with Ash's, steady and sharp.
"I'm ready."
Between Kael's palms, the fire twisted and churned. It wasn't a simple sphere anymore. It thrashed like a living thing, a molten star barely held together. Heat rippled around him, the air bending under its weight.
Ash caught the sight, a grin pulling at the corner of his mouth. His eyes shifted back to the worm.
"Wait for my signal. When it opens its mouth—"
A flicker.
Ash vanished.
The worm lunged—
But Ash was already behind it.
Steel flashed. His blade tore across the beast's hide, sparks leaping from the stone-hard surface. The strikes landed shallow, scratches against a mountain.
'Not enough.'
The cavern shook.
The worm reared up and slammed its full weight into the walls. Cracks split the rock. Boulders rained from above, smashing into the ground with bone-snapping force.
Ash slipped through the storm.
Each step flowed into the next, his body weaving through falling stones like smoke through broken glass. His figure blurred, never pausing, never slowing.
Kael moved too.
The fire between his hands burned brighter, the air around him swirling and pulling at the ground. His steps were clean, cutting through the chaos, every motion carved with purpose. He never lost the shape of the fire.
The worm lashed out.
Its tail swept through the cavern like a hammer, ripping apart stone in a single breath.
Ash pivoted.
Boots kicked off the ground, his body twisting over the rushing tail. The force split the floor open, veins of cracks tearing out in every direction.
He landed hard on the worm's back.
Without stopping, he sprinted forward, each step pounding against the Creature's shifting hide. His blade dropped, digging into the thin seams between its armor.
Steel met flesh.
The worm shrieked, a raw, tearing sound that split the cavern. Its body coiled and bucked, the ground trembling under its weight.
Ash pushed off.
The world spun around him as he launched into the air. Below, the worm writhed, a mass of rage and pain.
Its head snapped up.
The mouth opened wide, a tunnel lined with jagged death.
Ash was falling straight toward it.
"Kael—now!"
Ash's voice ripped through the battlefield.
Above, Kael plunged downward, the sphere of fire clenched tight in his hands, a roiling sun of molten energy. Heat radiated off it, warping the air in every direction.
He shot toward the worm's open maw, eyes locked on the target, firelight reflecting off his narrowed gaze.
"Solar Strike Orb!"
Kael shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Then—impact.
The Creature's jaws snapped shut.
The cavern fell silent.
Then—
BOOM!.
A blinding eruption ripped through the worm from the inside. Its head bulged, the flesh splitting, the exoskeleton cracking apart in an explosion of flame and black ichor. Molten chunks of the beast flew in all directions. A shockwave slammed through the cavern, rocks tumbling from the ceiling like falling stars.
But Kael wasn't done.
Still buried deep within the Creature's massive body, he forced the fire deeper, driving it into the muscle and bone. The sphere blazed hotter, burning everything in its path.
The worm convulsed. Its tail slammed into the cavern walls in a final, violent spasm, carving deep scars into the stone.
Then—stillness.
The fire receded. The creature crumpled, its body half severed, the other half collapsing into itself.
Dust billowed through the cavern, thick and choking, as the remains of the worm settled heavily into the earth.
From the cloud of dust, Kael dropped, his body limp and covered in black blood, exhaustion draining him.
Before his feet could hit the ground, Ash was there.
His grip was firm, steady.
Kael groaned. A frown twisted his lips.
"Damn it. I told you—stop carrying me like a princess."
Ash's smirk stretched wider.
Then—he let go.
Kael hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Ash crossed his arms, still smirking.
"So, you're shouting your skill name now?"
Kael turned his head, avoiding his gaze. His fingers twitched, heat still buzzing under his skin.
"It just... felt right."
Kael pushed himself up, shaking off dust and debris. His breath came uneven, the fight still echoing in his muscles.
"My vein energy's running low… below twenty-five percent,"
He cast a glance toward the hole at the top of the cavern.
"I could try to get us out of here."
Ash's gaze followed, his grin fading.
"Let's hope Max is alright. He should be awake by n—"
WHAM!
The air split apart as something massive struck Kael.
A tail. Thick, armored, and fast—too fast.
Kael's body flew across the cavern like a ragdoll, smashing into the rock wall with a bone-jarring crack. Fractures raced through the stone.
Before Ash could react, the tail whipped around again, tearing through the air in a violent arc.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The cavern walls groaned, the ceiling trembled. An avalanche of boulders rained down, filling the air with dust and chaos.
Ash's chest tightened.
'Kael.'
He moved.
Stone and debris blurred as Ash weaved through the falling rubble, each step precise, each motion swift. He pushed forward, heart pounding, until—
There.
Kael lay motionless, half-buried under a heap of shattered rock. Blood seeped from fresh wounds, staining the torn fabric of his jacket.
Ash's fists clenched.
'All this speed, and I still didn't see that coming…'
The cavern groaned, cracks spiderwebbing along its walls. The whole place was seconds from collapsing.
Ash cursed under his breath.
"Damn it… we were so close."
Then—
A flicker.
The air shimmered around Kael. Embers sparked across his skin, growing into tiny tongues of fire that licked at his wounds. His breath slowed. His fingers twitched. The bleeding eased, burns sealing themselves shut.
Ash exhaled, his smirk returning.
'Good. He isn't out yet. Now—all i have to do is to hold the line and wait for him to recover.'
He pulled Kael's body close, his legs moving like streaks of lightning as he dashed through the falling rock. The cavern trembled with every strike from the worm's tail, its thrashing echoing in the chaos.
Dust choked the air, but Ash's focus remained sharp. His feet barely touched the ground before he pushed off again.
Then—Kael's body stiffened.
His fingers twitched. His breath hitched.
And his eyes snapped open.
Ash barely had time to react before Kael's hand shot forward, grabbing his arm.
WHOOSH!
A surge of heat blasted beneath them.
Flames erupted at Kael's feet, propelling them into the air. The world blurred as they shot upward, the collapsing cavern shrinking below them.
Boulders shattered on impact, scattered like kindling. The worm's tail struck again, but Kael twisted in midair, dodging with ease as they soared higher.
The exit was close.
And they weren't stopping now.