Lightning tore across the heavens in jagged streaks that defied all semblance of logic, each violent arc illuminating the suffocating darkness for the briefest of instants. Night had already claimed the world, draping it in an oppressive shroud where shadows did not merely exist—they lingered, writhed, and stretched like sentient beings waiting to devour the unwary. The storm raged without restraint; torrential rain lashed against the earth while howling winds tore through the forest, uprooting branches and bending trees as though nature itself had descended into madness.
It was, without question, the worst possible environment for Zephyr.
His vision was nearly useless, reduced to fleeting glimpses of reality that appeared only when lightning split the sky. In those moments, the world existed...clear, vivid, and terrifying, only to be swallowed again by impenetrable darkness. It felt as though he were a blind man forced to walk upon a razor-thin rope, suspended above an endless abyss where a single misstep would mean certain death.
So he waited.
He steadied his breathing, ignoring the chaos around him, focusing instead on the rhythm of the storm. The lightning would come again—it always did. And when it did, everything would be decided in a single, irreversible instant.
The sky fractured.Lightning fell.
"Now!!!"
Like a cannonball unleashed from its chamber, Zephyr vanished from his original position. The ground beneath him cracked under the sheer force of his acceleration, his body propelled forward with such overwhelming speed that it bordered on teleportation. In less than a heartbeat, he closed the distance between himself and the Thrall.
There was no hesitation,no second thought.
With every ounce of strength he possessed, he swung his katana its blade engulfed in writhing, obsidian flames toward the Thrall's grotesque tail, precisely at the point where the dragon boy had been impaled.
"Slashhh!!!"
The sound cut through the storm like a declaration of defiance.
The Thrall did not react, it could not.
Everything happened within a fraction of a second—too fast for even a monstrous entity such as it to comprehend, let alone counter. The blade cleaved through flesh and sinew with brutal precision, severing the massive tail from the creature's towering body in one decisive strike.
The dragon boy's body slid free, slipping from the impalement as gravity reclaimed him. As he fell, the grotesque wound became visible—a gaping hole that revealed the horrifying extent of the damage inflicted.
Zephyr, however, paid no attention to the result of his strike.
The recoil of his own momentum was merciless.
He was hurled violently through the air, his body crashing into a nearby tree with bone-rattling force.
"Argh… fuck!..that hurts…" he groaned, his voice strained and uneven. He slumped against the shattered trunk, his body screaming in protest, yet he made no attempt to assess the extent of his injuries. Blood, bruises, torn flesh none of it mattered he was alive.
And more importantly the dragon boy was saved or at least… he hoped so.
A flicker of uncertainty passed through his mind, quickly followed by a reluctant optimism.That guy… he had to have some kind of trump card, right?
"Yeah… he definitely has one…" Zephyr muttered to himself, almost as if convincing his own doubts into submission. Perhaps it was logic. Perhaps it was instinct. Or perhaps… it was nothing more than desperate, wishful thinking.
It happened.A radiant glow erupted from the fallen boy's position.
A golden book materialized into existence, hovering in the air like a sacred relic—like a holy grail bestowed upon the chosen. Its brilliance expanded outward, swallowing the darkness, forcing back the storm's oppressive gloom as the entire surroundings were bathed in pure, blinding white.
Zephyr squinted, a crooked grin forming despite his battered state.
"Fuck… that's some real main character vibes…" he muttered, letting out a faint, incredulous chuckle. "Was saving him a bad decision…?"the question lingered, though he didn't truly expect an answer.
For a brief moment, everything seemed to align with his gamble. His actions had paid off. The impossible had been challenged—and, at least partially, overcome.
But...the same could not be said for the Thrall.
Its scream tore through the storm, a grotesque symphony of rage and agony. The place where Zephyr's blade had struck burned violently, the black flames of Hellfire spreading with insidious hunger. The fire did not behave like ordinary flames—it clung, it consumed, it devoured.
No matter how the creature struggled, no matter how it thrashed in an attempt to extinguish the infernal blaze, nothing worked.
The fire only grew. Larger, hungrier and more relentless.
The severed tail fared even worse. It lay upon the ground like a withered vine, yet the flames continued to ravage it—not just from the outside, but from within, as though the very essence of the creature was being incinerated.
And yet…reality was never so simple.
Things rarely went according to plan,the Thrall moved.
In a single, fluid motion, its massive form vanished from its original position, reappearing with terrifying speed. Its enormous scythe carved through the air, aimed directly at Zephyr with murderous intent!
Even in death...It refused to fall alone.
"Hell!!!"Zephyr reacted on instinct, his body moving before his mind could fully process the danger. He ducked just in time, the colossal scythe sweeping over him by mere inches.
Behind him the world split.
Trees were cleaved cleanly in half, their massive trunks offering no resistance as the force of the strike continued forward, slicing through everything in its path for nearly 50 meters.
"Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!"
The forest collapsed in a chain reaction, trees crashing down one after another, the ground trembling beneath the destruction.
But Zephyr didn't look back.
He couldn't.
His entire focus,his entire existence in that moment was fixated on the being now standing directly before him.
The Thrall raised its scythe once more.
And brought it down.
Zephyr's eyes widened as he threw himself to the side, barely avoiding the crushing blow.
"Damn it!!! Why me?!!!" he shouted, desperation bleeding into his voice.
"There's a blinding light over there—go for him!!!" a desperate attempt
But the Thrall did not waver, it had chosen its target and it would see it through to the end.
The Hellfire continued its relentless assault, spreading across the creature's lower body, consuming it piece by piece. The damage was catastrophic—yet it was not enough to stop it.
Not yet.
Zephyr rolled across the ground, his movements frantic, unrefined. Survival had become his only objective. There was no strategy left—only instinct and sheer will.
But reality was cruel, there was no plot armor here.No miracle waiting to save him.
The tail squirmed, desperate to kill the one who burned it. Vines shot out grabbing Zephyr arm...
Zephyr face change drastically, he tried cutting the cluster of vines in a desperate attempt to pull himself away
But they did not budge, not even an inch.No matter how much strength he poured into it, it was futile.A pointless struggle.
And above him...the Thrall's scythe descended.
A final, merciless strike meant to cleave him in two....