The wind whispered through the shattered expanse of the Mountain Astro Station, carrying with it the scent of scorched earth and ruin. The tension in the air thickened, wrapping around everything like an unseen shackle. Lightning crackled and danced across the surrounding streaking the ground with silver veins, as though the air had finally consented to become a conductor for the storm's fury.

Seraphina, masking her frustration behind clenched fists, stood scattered alongside Kola and Theodric, each of them positioned cautiously around the primordial Rihno. Their breaths came ragged, the anticipation gnawing at their resolve, as all eyes shifted to Dunstan, awaiting the plan he had devised.

"Since it needs to see its target before it can launch a devastating strike," Dunstan began, his voice steady but edged with urgency. "We just need an existence beyond its sight."

Kola's brow furrowed, his voice carrying the weight of curiosity and doubt. "Who could that be?"

"Seraphina," Dunstan answered without hesitation. "She's the most suitable candidate. With the gauntlets encasing her fists, her punches carry the force we need. The rest of us will distract the beast, pulling its attention toward us, paving the way for her to strike when the opening appears. But remember..." he turned to Seraphina, his gaze hard, unwavering, "...do not act out of turn. Be patient."

Sweat glistened on Seraphina's face as she realized the gravity of her role. The air seemed to hold its breath along with her. "Yes," she whispered, nodding slowly, determination flickering in her eyes.

Kola turned, his heavy steps echoing faintly as he retrieved his iron shield from where it lay obediently on the cracked ground. With practiced ease, he hoisted it back into his grasp, its surface gleaming faintly under the flickering lightning. Returning to his position, he exchanged a silent nod with the others, an unspoken pact forged in the face of peril.

"Let's explore the plan," Dunstan commanded.

Kola surged forward, immortal energy crackling from his body like a storm barely contained. The energy imbued into his shield shimmered with a radiant aura, with a roar of determination, hurled it toward the primordial Rihno's horn. The shield, once mighty in Kola's grip, seemed shrink against the vastness of the beast's towering frame. Yet, when it struck, the faintest flash ignited upon contact, a whisper of defiance.

Though insignificant to any onlooker, the beast reacted with fury. For the Rihno, whose horn was its most sensitive pride, the faint sting became an unforgivable insult. Its horns glowed ominously, summoning lightning with a roar that reverberated through the air. The sky itself seemed to scream in response.

Before the lightning could strike, Dunstan moved, an arrow of light against gravity's pull. "Graviton Ascendant Strike: Anti-Gravitational Surge!" he roared. His suit shimmered with celestial brilliance, defying the very forces that anchored them. In a blur, he reached Kola, pulling him free from the path of the descending lightning. The bolt struck where Kola had stood just seconds before, the ground erupting in a fractured explosion, sending shards of earth into the air.

But the beast was relentless. Roaring with primal fury, it locked its gleaming eyes onto the pair's new position. Another bolt began to form, crackling with lethal intent. Yet Dunstan, like a comet streaking through the sky, surged away with Kola in tow, leaving only the faint echoes of displaced air and the shattered remnants of the earth behind them.

The battlefield echoed with the sounds of power and survival, the dance of lightning and willpower continuing. Theodric and Kola exchanged glances.

Theodric, seizing the fleeting moment while the beast's focus wavered, imbued all ten of his knives with a surge of his energy. Like arrows released from a divine bow, the blades whistled through the air, slicing the wind with precision. Seven of them embedded themselves into the thick, armored neck of the primordial Rihno, causing it to flinch, a reaction as subtle as a ripple across a still lake, yet significant.

The beast's attention snapped toward Theodric, its gaze burning with primal fury, just then, the remaining three knives pierced deep into its cavernous nostrils. The beast staggered backward, snorting in agony, each breath like a violent storm exhaling from the depths of a mountain cavern.

Dunstan, swift as a comet streaking across the night sky, capitalized on the beast's disorientation. "Graviton Ascendant Strike: Starfall Blitz!" he roared, his voice echoing like distant thunder. Propelling himself forward at a speed that blurred the lines between reality and illusion, he channeled all the gravitational force he had defied, along with the energy drawn from the Celestial Convergence formation, into his right fist. With a leap that defied the heavens, he hovered momentarily mid-air, a silhouette against the crackling sky, before plummeting with unstoppable force.

His fist crashed into the beast's massive head with the power of a falling star. The impact resonated through the battlefield as if communicating with gravity itself. The Rihno's head smashed into the earth twice, each strike birthing shockwaves that sent dust and debris surging like tidal waves. The ground fractured, opening jagged wounds in the earth as though the planet itself groaned from the blow.

Meanwhile, Seraphina, her frustration now tempered into unyielding resolve, remained hidden beneath the colossal beast. Rolling and somersaulting with fluid agility, she narrowly evaded its titanic limbs. The beast staggered in confusion, its sense of balance shattered. Yet, out of blind rage, it constricted the boundaries of its territory.

The once vast domain shrank, the air tightening with suffocating pressure as the Rihno prepared to unleash its most devastating strike, a thunderbolt so fierce that even the heavens seemed to tremble in anticipation. Lightning screeched across the battlefield, wrapping the arena in a web of electric fury. The very atmosphere wept sparks as the cry of the storm echoed like a mournful hymn.

Just before the thunderbolt struck, Dunstan, like a ghost riding the winds, swept in and grasped Kola, dragging him clear of the blast zone with a speed that defied mortal comprehension. At the same time, Theodric, pushing his body to the brink, dashed and slid beneath the primordial Rihno, the electric fury of the lightning grazing inches behind him. The air burned; the scent of ozone filled the battlefield.

Leaving the primordial Rhino to the wrath of its own summoned attack, a deafening "RROOOOORRRR!" echoed through the battlefield. Thunderbolts cascaded from above, striking every corner of the beast's massive frame. Each bolt carved craters into the ground, sending shockwaves that exploded the earth beneath, Shattered dust and scattered pebbles from the solid ground, hurled toward those seeking refuge beneath it.

The air trembled, and the atmosphere hummed with residual static. The beast's body, though healing, bore the toll of internal devastation, its regenerative powers faltering under the sheer magnitude of the damage.

Seraphina and the others emerged from beneath the giant creature, their silhouettes framed by the dissipating dust. They stood across from the struggling Rhino, watching as it labored to recover. The air was thick with tension, the wind carrying whispers of finality.

"What are you waiting for? Until it completely heals?" Theodric's voice cut through the silence, sharp with urgency.

"Humm..." Seraphina hummed thoughtfully, her eyes softening unexpectedly. "Looking at it now... it somehow looks cute."

Dunstan, Kola, and Theodric turned their gazes toward her in disbelief. Seraphina met their stares; beads of sweat trickled down her face. She waved her hands frantically, forcing a nervous laugh. "Ha...ha...ha. Don't get me wrong!"

With a quick breath to steady herself, Seraphina stepped forward, her posture radiating newfound resolve. Her fists rested confidently on her waist. Clearing her throat, she whispered with quiet determination, "Sorry... we can't let you live."

With that, she launched into the air, soaring like a comet blazing across a twilight sky. Energy surged from the remnants of her subordinates' formation, wrapping her in a faint, golden aura. Though the energy was weaker than before, since some of her team already collapsed, but still her spirit remained unshaken.

"Mountain God's Crushing Fist: Peak Breaker Strike!" she roared.

Her gauntlet gleamed with concentrated power, each knuckle shimmering like a star poised to fall. As she descended, the force behind her punch carried the weight of a collapsing mountain. The impact was cataclysmic, the beast's massive head crashed into the ground with a resounding boom. Dust spiraled upward, mingling with broken pebbles and debris as shockwaves rippled across the field. The very air seemed to hold its breath.

The primordial Rhino groaned, each sound weaker than the last, fading into a haunting silence. Finally, it stilled. The wind whispered again, as if nature itself had declared the battle's outcome.

All at once, Seraphina, Dunstan, Kola, and Theodric collapsed onto the ground, exhaustion stealing their strength. They sat in the dust, their chests heaving, each breath a testament to the brutal struggle they had endured. The silence that followed was not empty, but filled with relief, triumph, and the echo of a victory hard-won.

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