Aamir stood in the battlefield looking straight into the dragon. "This thing is the worst here... we have to finish it first."
His body was full of bruises and cuts, constantly regenerating. His chimera form was still active, with wings twitching behind his back from the impact of the last punch he received from the beast. He looked at Haider Ali and said, "Sir, let’s do one thing—first we kill this thing. I know a single person can’t kill it, but if we fight together, we can."
His mind raced. His heart twitched from the pain of all the pointless deaths that occurred just now—deaths he couldn’t stop. He clenched his fists. "No. This time I won’t fail. I can’t afford to fail."
Memories of fallen young soldiers flashed before his eyes. That boy with the bow from his squad... gone. The healer girl who tried to shield her team... burned by dragonfire.
"I promised them we’d all go back alive," Aamir whispered to himself, his voice trembling with guilt and anger.
His fists clenched tighter. "I don’t need to be a hero. I just need to protect what’s left."
Behind Aamir stood his friends—Haider Ali, Shinroku, Riya, Raj, Kunal, Seenu, and Meera. Their faces were worn, but their eyes burned with resolve.
Suddenly, his system notification popped up:
[LEVEL UP: Level 28 Achieved]
[Reward: Body and Spirit Strengthening Pill]
He quickly accessed the system panel and checked the pill’s info:
Raises strength by one full tier regardless of class or level. No side effects. Universal compatibility. Caution: May cause brief fatigue.
Aamir’s eyes widened. "What if someone already powerful, like the king, takes it?"
System:Yes. Anyone can take it. The effect is the same.
Aamir smirked. "Then I have a very good idea."
Meanwhile, on top of a rock a little far from the main battlefield, Kaveri Mahadevan stood with her hand glowing with flames. Wind swirled around her. The rock cracked beneath her feet, water hovered in the air, and her eyes stared at the battle.
She muttered, "So... Riya accomplished something I wasn’t able to do. But now... she needs my help."
She turned behind. Nalanda’s best mages stood ready. "We cannot defeat the enemy with swords alone. You’re all ready?"
"Yes, Leader!" the students responded.
Back on the battlefield, Aamir gathered everyone.
"I have a plan," he announced. "That thing is massive. Its size limits its movement. That’s our advantage. We’ll immobilize it by targeting its legs."
He pointed, assigning roles:
He turned to Kunal. "Your eyes can catch flaws faster than anyone. You lead with Raj. I need your instincts."
Raj gave a confident nod. "I’ll break it down once Kunal marks the spot."
"Shinroku-sir," Aamir turned next. "You’ve handled titans before. We need your technique on the right front leg."
Shinroku cracked his knuckles. "About time I got serious."
"Haider Ali-sir, you’ll lead on the left. Your strikes shake the ground."
Haider smirked. "Let’s see how dragon bone feels under my blade."
He looked at the girls. "Riya, Meera, Shirou, Kiyoto—stay mobile. Don’t get cornered."
Riya said, "We’ll make sure it roars in pain."
Lastly, he turned to Seenu and Sinki. "We’re going to break its balance. Trust me."
Seenu raised a fist. "We’re with you till the end, brother."
He continued, "Once we immobilize it, it will try to fly. That’s when Lord Veerendra strikes. He’ll destroy its wings and go for the kill."
Shinroku frowned. "But... I’m not certain Lord Veerendra is strong enough to kill it. Not yet."
Aamir stepped forward, holding up the pill. "I have something that can make him just as strong—if not stronger—than the dragon."
From a little far, Zorwath watched them standing.
"So... you’re planning to play with my toy?" he sneered. "Let’s see how long you can resist."
Then he summoned A throne of obsidian, and leaned back, resting his chin on his knuckles. "Mortals... always finding hope where there should be none."
The obsidian throne pulsed under him. Beside him, shadowy lieutenants shifted restlessly.
"Let me Release the corrupted wyverns," he said calmly. "Let’s see how well their formations hold... when their sky turns against them."
A deep growl echoed behind his throne—a horde of wyverns Waiting for his command.
Just then, a horde of mages flew toward Aamir’s squad. Leading them, Kaveri Mahadevan descended in a blaze of wind and water.
"Hey Haider," she called out. "Looks like you need some help."
Haider turned and grinned. "You’re right on time. Can you turn the ground into mud and solidify it again under that beast’s legs?"
Kaveri glanced up at the dragon. "Damn... it’s huge. I’ll need a lot of mana."
She signaled her students. "Ready to attack on my command."
With fluid hand gestures, she summoned water magic. Kaveri whispered ancient Vedic chants, her voice steady despite the strain. "Agni, Jal, Vayu, Prithvi... bend to my will."
Streams of water spiraled down from above, soaking the ground. Her fingers traced sigils in the air as fire superheated the mud, making it pliable. Then she raised both arms.
The soaked terrain beneath the dragon’s feet crystallized into hardened clay, trapping its massive claws.
Students behind her chanted in unison, maintaining the elemental matrix. One collapsed, nose bleeding.
"Keep going!" Kaveri shouted. "Even one more second could save lives!"
The mud hardened, trapping the beast’s legs in stone.
"I don’t think this will hold it for long," she said, panting.
Haider smirked. "That’s just what we needed."
Meanwhile, Kunal and Raj darted under the beast’s shadow. Kunal activated his vision. "There! The knee joint—it’s weaker there!"
Raj nodded. "Let’s aim together!"
Their weapons glowed as they slashed together. Sparks flew.
"It’s working!" Kunal shouted. "Let’s go again!"
In the distance, Rudra Pratap Singh watched from atop his war tower. His magical map pulsed with red and blue markers.
"They’ve engaged," he muttered. "Time to support."
He adjusted formations through voice-linked magic.
"All support squads, shift to flanking. Healers form a rotating barrier. Sync with Kaveri’s elemental changes."
He looked at his students. "We move if the frontline breaks."
Elsewhere, Anirudh Malhotra, hidden within shadows, watched everything unfold. Purple mist curled around him.
"Our agents have sabotaged enemy reinforcements," he whispered. "If Aamir falls, we move."
His companion asked, "Should we prepare the seal?"
Anirudh nodded once. "Yes. But wait for my word."
Back in the sky, King Veerendra activated his mechanical wings and launched forward.
Aamir looked at the strengthening pill, clenched tightly in his palm.
He flew toward the king, dodging falling debris and flashes of fire. "Your Majesty!" he shouted. "Take this!"
The king caught the pill and looked at Aamir. "What is it?"
"A booster. From the system. No side effects. Just power."
King Veerendra crushed it in his hand and swallowed.
Golden veins spread across the king’s arms, his armor groaning under the sudden surge of power. Lightning burst from his shoulders, forming a temporary storm that danced across the sky.
The air bent around him. Magic crackled in his wake like thunder.
The dragon blinked. For the first time—it hesitated.
The king’s voice boomed, infused with godlike might: "Your reign ends today, beast."
And the dragon... paused.
Zorwath raised a hand.
From the depths of the black clouds above, a flock of monstrous wyverns tore through the smoke — their wings torn, their eyes glowing crimson, and their bodies pulsing with dark glyphs. Once noble creatures, now puppets of corruption. Their screeches pierced the heavens like shattered glass.
Dozens of them dived, aiming straight for the mages—Kaveri’s squad, who were still holding the earth spell in place beneath the dragon’s legs.
"Damn it!" Kaveri shouted, sensing the incoming wave. "Everyone, shields—NOW!"
The younger mages panicked, struggling to keep up the spell while dodging attacks. One girl raised her hands to form a wind barrier, but it shattered instantly as a wyvern’s claws slashed through it. She screamed, flung across the battlefield.
The wyverns were fast—too fast.
Just as a second beast descended, jaws open toward a young fire mage—
A blade of darkness ripped through its skull.
The wyvern screeched once and dropped mid-air, crumbling into black ash before it hit the ground.
From the shadows behind a charred boulder, Anirudh Malhotra stepped out. His face was calm, expression unreadable.
Haider Ali’s voice echoed through a mind-link spell.
"Anirudh—protect the mages. Don’t let even one of those flying demons touch them."
Anirudh didn’t flinch. He turned to the shadow beside him.
From the darkness rose a figure—a cloaked warrior, masked and silent, dressed in pitch-black armor that reflected no light. A sword shaped like a crescent moon rested on his back.
"Go," Anirudh commanded.
"Protect them. You have my permission to use Phase Two."
The shadow warrior nodded and vanished—not ran, not teleported—vanished into mist.
Seconds later, wyverns began falling from the sky one by one. They didn’t see what hit them.
Blades of pure shadow appeared mid-air, slicing through wings and necks with supernatural precision. The corrupted beasts crashed down like meteors, shaking the battlefield.
A mage boy gasped. "W-What was that?!"
"Don’t break formation!" Kaveri yelled. "It’s our ally. Keep the spell going!"
Above them, the shadow warrior now hovered mid-air, supported by floating dark platforms that formed beneath his feet. He raised his sword, chanting in a language not spoken for centuries. Behind his mask, his eyes glowed violet.
"Vel Zhak’thar. Corrupters of the sky—your time ends."
With a swipe, ten more wyverns were cut through instantly, turning to dust before they touched the ground.
Anirudh watched from below, arms crossed, unmoving. "Let them try," he murmured.
"The shadows are ours to command."
Even Haider Ali smirked as he watched the aerial carnage.
"Remind me never to fight that guy," Shirou whispered.