They all spilled out of the massive cavern tunnel at the same time, the sunlight once more greeting them with its suffocating heat. Not that the cave had been any better. It was like a sauna from hell. Isaac definitely wouldn't recommend it.

Still, at least they were outside now, and going by the roars echoing from the tunnel, the dragon was still following. All they had to do was hit it right in the face the moment it appeared, and maybe, just maybe, the fight would end before it could even begin.

Elaine and Marie were already in their Legacy forms. A blinding white glow gathered at the silver fox's mouth while half a dozen water whips coiled in the air around the ocean-blue eel. James, though, didn't transform and just shifted his left hand into a large metallic shield while the other gripped his sword. Out of them all, he would probably have the hardest time here if the battle didn't end quickly.

Sacrificial Crimson Death, Isaac thought, and three massive blood-forged spears manifested above him. He held them back, waiting for the damned dragon to show its head.

Only it didn't.

Despite the last roar ringing in his ears louder than ever, no more noise came from the cave after that. He frowned and glanced at his teammates. The confusion on their faces mirrored his own. There was no way that the dragon just decided to give up, right? That only happened when a beast was terrified, outmatched.

And this one wasn't. Not even close. They had all Analyzed the dragon back in the cave. While for him, it showed up as a Moderate-High threat, his team had it displayed as a pure High threat.

Don't tell me we are gonna have to go back in th—

Isaac never finished his thought as a sharp, high-pitched whiz suddenly split the air. A second later, the cave entrance exploded outward in a storm of rock and dust, the shockwave shaking the ground beneath him. Chunks of stone rained down on his head while a dense wall of dust enveloped the area, cutting off his vision.

A heartbeat later, another sound—a sharp whistle of air—registered in his mind. It gave him a short second to yell out a warning. "Scatter! It's coming."

Following his own command, Isaac bolted away from the cave despite barely seeing anything with all the dust in his eyes. For now, he kept himself from transforming. He could do that once he and his team reorganized. Communication might be the key.

Here it comes.

An ear-shattering roar rattled his bones, the sound closer than ever before. The moment it faded, a wave of searing heat slammed into his back. He didn't even need to look back to see and feel the flames biting at his heels. His speed picked up, hoping to outpace what was obviously the dragon's fire breath.

Why is it always fire? I swear, one day, I will be doing the burning.

Isaac never had a chance to entertain this thought as, in the next second, a fresh wave of flames descended upon the ground to his left. He swerved hard to the right as the fire once more threatened to swallow him alive.

Forget about communication. This can't continue, he growled, trying to take in as much air as possible. "Guys!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Retreat to the rocks we passed earlier. I will buy you some time to prepare!"

At this point, Isaac didn't care if they heard him or not—he could worry about that later. He reached for the spark holding his Legacy and transformed, launching toward the sky with a few powerful beats of his wings.

Within seconds, he burst free of the dust cloud, finally getting a clear view of the battlefield. As expected, most of it was already covered in fading flames, while the rest was still smothered under a haze of smoke and dust.

And then there was the dragon—wyvern.

Its black-red scales glinted in the sunlight, with rivers of lava flowing between the cracks. It circled the area like a predator, its maw spewing a constant stream of crimson flames at anything that moved. Like, for example, his scattered teammates.

So far, Isaac only spotted James and Marie darting in and out of the smoke in their Legacy forms. No sign of Elaine, not yet. But there was no time to look for her. He had to act or risk his teammates getting cooked alive.

With naught but a thought, he resummoned the three Crimson Deaths and hurled them at the back of the flying beast. Somehow, it must have sensed their approach as it turned, twisting mid-air to lean out of their way. Its fiery golden eyes narrowed, and with an earth-shaking roar, it charged at him.

Guess that's my cue.

Symphony of Blood accelerated in his veins, its song booming louder and louder as Isaac pushed his wings to their limit. He flew toward the nearby canyon. If he could reach the rocky terrain, he would have a better shot at outmaneuvering the dragon. And wasn't that an interesting thought?

A week ago, he was just a normal guy, living a boring life. And now, he was playing cat and mouse with a goddamn dragon. This might be what people call a tiny escalation.

Yet, as his Symphony played even louder, the thought of complaining never even crossed his mind. This was what he wanted, after all.

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He cast a look behind him and cawed loudly.

Show me what you got, lizard.

Isaac dived, right into a valley with a wide lava river running through it. The swarms of exploding scarabs scattered before him—or more accurately, before the massive wyvern hot on his heel. A few tendrils of molten stone shot out of the river, trying to grab him, but he weaved between them, letting them slam into the beast following him.

The furious roar behind him was satisfying. The wave of searing fire that singed his tail feathers? Not so much.

Of course it's faster than I…

He flapped his wings even harder and swerved to the left, his eyes falling upon a small arch connecting two rocky cliffs. If he could fly underneath it and then pull up using his superior dexterity, he might be able to ambush the dragon when it tries to follow. Maybe even land on its back. That would be one way to end the battle.

Might as well.

Isaac reached his target in seconds, and just as he was about to pull up, another sharp whiz filled his ears, followed by the explosion of the bridge above his head. He never got a chance to dodge before a small chunk of stone slammed into his body.

He let out a sharp squeak, fighting to steady himself mid-fall. That something inside him just broke wasn't helping. Neither was the next bullet of compressed lava that slammed into the cliff next to him.

Move! he snarled at himself, spotting fresh lava gathering at the dragon's jaw. It was charging another shot, and by the look of it, this one was aimed straight at his falling form.

And so, even as another rock clipped his wing, Isaac forced them wide, somehow managing to wrench himself clear of the falling debris. He dived hard, just in time for the dragon's projectile to fly past him and erupt in a burst of flames and lava.

Two types of attacks, then. Noted, he thought, his mind working overtime to come up with a new plan.

He could attempt the dive trick he had used on the vultures, but based on what he had seen until now, he doubted the dragon would fall for it. The beast was too careful and smart for that. As such, facing it head-on was the only real option left.

Well, not yet. The others should be ready by now.

That was the whole reason why he had transformed and turned the fight into a chase. The plan was never to beat the wyvern alone, but to buy his team time to regroup and come up with something better than pure improvisation. That could wait for when everything else failed.

Let's go then.

With the dragon still hot on his tail, Isaac focused only on flying and pushing his body as fast as it could move. There were still a few close calls where either the beast's fire breath reached him or its lava bullet almost nicked his feathers. Still, before long, the spot he told his team to use to regroup appeared in his view again.

It was just a simple area with multiple massive rocks jutting out of the ground. And there, standing atop them, he spotted three familiar figures waiting.

You better have something ready…

Thankfully, they did.

Just before he crossed over the airspace above his team, a muffled shout reached his eyes.

"Isaac! Eyes!"

Considering who had yelled that—Elaine—Isaac didn't question the order. He slammed his eyes shut, catching a glimpse of a blinding sphere of light streaking toward the sky just before he closed them. A moment later, light filled his world, reaching him even behind his sealed eyelids. The ringing in his ears also wasn't helpful.

Shit!

He blinked repeatedly, trying to clear the glare from his vision. To some degree, it helped, but just then, another flash of light erupted somewhere behind him, followed by a pained roar of what could only be the dragon.

Now, he should have been happy. His team obviously scored a hit. However, he was now free-falling toward the ground. More than half-blind again.

Shit, shit, shit! Not this again!

Isaac fought to steady himself, but with his sight almost gone, his sense of direction kind of went to hell. As such, he just flapped his wings as fast as he could and hoped for the best.

Then, before he could slam into the ground, something soft wrapped around his body, stopping his fall. A surge of healing energy washed over him next, easing the ache behind his eyes and clearing his senses.

He blinked again, hearing a soft chirp above him. Blue and water. Marie. Somehow, she, in her Legacy form, managed to catch him with her whips. Still, before he could squeak out a thank you, she dropped him atop a boulder and continued onward.

Isaac grimaced at the rough handling but didn't complain. Instead, he hopped to his two small feet and glanced around, searching for the dragon.

Oh…

The second flash of light must have been Elaine's ultimate, as somehow, the beast was now on the ground, half of one wing obliterated. Aside from that, however, it appeared unharmed, with flames already gathering around its maw as Elaine and James slowly approached in their human and Legacy forms, respectively.

He saw them share a nod before they both rushed forward. James' bull-like body erupted in gray energy, shrouding it in a thick, phantom silver armor. Elaine, meanwhile, veered right, letting the older man take the charge.

And what a charge it was.

Even as the fire breath washed over his form, James continued onward and slammed right into the dragon's chest. The flames died as the creature staggered back. A moment later, it let out a pained roar when Elaine's glowing rapier plunged into its side.

Still, that was far from enough to kill it.

With another thunderous roar, the wyvern twisted, using its tail and remaining wing to bat both fighters aside like ragdolls. When that wasn't enough, the lava threading between its scales flared bright and exploded outward, sending a ring of fire in every direction. The blast forced James and Elaine to retreat, giving the beast a chance to recoup.

In the meantime, Marie finally reached them, circling the area. In her wake, she left hundreds of tiny blue motes suspended in the air, like droplets of rain caught mid-fall. Soon, the entire battlefield was covered in them.

Her ultimate? Isaac mused as he returned to the sky. Three crimson spears materialized at his side as he shot toward the fight. Must be. That's three for four. Only mine remains.

Yet that didn't make him activate freedom mode and use the Crimson Flock. In a battle like this, his ravens might do more harm than good. No, they already had numbers on their side. Now, they just had to finish the beast. Not that it would be an easy task.

Even now, wounded and grounded, the dragon held its ground, flame and lava gathering around its maw. To anyone else, it would have looked like it was trapped here with them. Yet, judging by the look in its eyes, it thought they were the ones cornered.

Isaac cawed loudly.

Let's see who is right then. Shall we?

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