Verdant Cataclysm
The moment the acid rain splashed against their skin, a burning hiss tore through the cavern like a nest of serpents awakening. Luna screamed through clenched teeth as droplets ate into her arms. Liora stumbled back, vines erupting from instinct to shield her chest. Aria collapsed to one knee, breath trembling from the agony. Skyler bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, and Lyra's eyes widened as time momentarily stuttered around her.
The Rot-Scaled Monarch towered above them, bellowing triumphantly as beads of shimmering, toxic green dripped from the holes in its scales like venomous sweat.
We can't die here… Not when we're so close.
Luna sucked in a ragged breath.
"Girls—heal!"
They obeyed instantly.
Five colors flared.
Frost bloomed across Luna's arms, icy tendrils slithering over her wounds like gentle, frozen serpents.
[Skill Activated: Frostbite Healing]
[Wounds Restored]
Liora gasped as blooming flowers spiraled from her palms, petals pressing into her skin as they dissolved into warm, mending light.
[Skill Activated: Nature's Renewal]
[Vitality Replenished]
Aria shuddered as ripples of blue resonance hummed through her frame, tuning her bones and muscles back into synchronized harmony.
[Skill Activated: Resonant Harmony]
[System Response: Body Stabilized]
Skyler inhaled sharply as soothing winds wrapped around her like a cocoon, brushing away acid traces and knitting her skin back together.
[Skill Activated: Aero Mend]
[Agility Restored]
Lyra placed a hand over her heart.
"Rewind."
Time folded around her in a shimmering amber ripple.
Her wounds vanished—rewound into untouched skin.
[Skill Activated: Chrono Revive]
[Temporal State: Restored]
As their bodies healed, their breathing steadied.
Their eyes sharpened.
Their fear dissolved.
Only resolve remained.
The Rot-Scaled Monarch snarled, acidic steam spilling from its nostrils as it slithered across the cavern floor, claws gouging the stone like wet clay.
"Positions!" Luna commanded.
They moved like a single organism—pain-forged, battle-worn, unbreakable.
The Clash Reignites
Luna thrust her palms forward.
A vortex of ice erupted, shards spiraling like a storm of razors.
The frozen barrage hammered into the dragon's scales.
Some shards shattered uselessly.
Others pierced deep enough to make the monster flinch.
A small victory.
But not enough. Not yet.
Liora spread her hands, and the cavern floor trembled. Vines burst forth with a feral hiss, wrapping around the dragon's legs, tightening like serpents. Bark, thorns, and roots spiral-bound the creature, forcing its movements into jagged, pained jerks.
The Rot-Scaled Monarch roared, shaking stalactites loose.
Aria braced her stance, whipping her instrument forward.
A resonant pulse burst out—deep, booming, and disorienting.
BA-DOOM!
The soundwave struck the dragon's head, making its skull vibrate violently. One of its ears ruptured.
Skyler seized the opening.
Wind surged beneath her boots and launched her skyward.
She twisted midair, condensing air pressure around her hand until it vibrated like a blade.
"Try dodging this!"
The wind blade cut across the dragon's shoulder, spraying scales into the air like shattered glass.
But the monster hardly slowed.
Its head whipped upward.
Its jaws unhinged.
A blast of corrosive breath surged toward Skyler.
Lyra snapped her fingers.
"Slow."
Time warped like rippling water.
The acid blast turned sluggish—moving as though swimming through honey.
Skyler dodged with a sharp breath, barely clearing it.
Lyra's heart pounded violently.
I can't hold time distortions forever… Hurry. Someone—hurt it. Break it. Now.
Ultimate Skills Unleashed
Luna slammed her palms into the ground.
"I'm ending this—Glacial Cataclysm!"
A ring of frost erupted around her, expanding outward in a blinding burst.
Pillars of ice speared upward, stabbing into the dragon's body, freezing its joints, cracking through its scales.
The temperature plunged so violently the cavern walls frosted over.
Liora followed.
"Nature's Fury!"
Roots twisted violently, sprouting thicker and wild—wrapping the dragon like a living cocoon, thorns plunging into its flesh.
The dragon shrieked, thrashing in rage.
Aria stomped her heel into the stone.
"Sonic Boom!"
A shockwave blasted from her, cracking the floor and slamming into the dragon's jaw.
Its head snapped sideways, smashing into a stone pillar hard enough to fracture it.
Skyler took the cue.
Wind spiraled around her arm until it formed a translucent blade longer than she was tall.
"Aerius Blade!"
She dashed in, slicing down the dragon's exposed underbelly.
Green blood sprayed.
The dragon convulsed, tail flailing wildly.
Lyra raised both hands.
"Time Reversal!"
Amber light descended like falling petals.
The girls' wounds knit shut.
The dragon's attack pattern rewound—giving them a precious second of safety.
But even with its motion reversed, its health was plummeting.
BEEP!
System windows flared across their vision.
[Rot-Scaled Monarch — HP: 19%]
[Threat Level: Extreme]
[Warning: The creature's vitality is unstable]
Luna froze momentarily.
We're close… It's weakening. This is our chance—
The Final Storm
The Rot-Scaled Monarch roared in pure, primal desperation.
Its scales shifted.
The holes in its hide sealed.
A green aura ignited around its body, surging upward like wildfire.
[Emergency Skill Activated: Verdant Rebirth]
[All Stats Temporarily Doubled]
[All Damage Reduced by 80%]
[Health Partially Restored]
"No—!" Lyra gasped.
The dragon's muscles bulged grotesquely as it smashed through vines, ice pillars, and the cavern wall.
It shook itself violently, shattering remaining restraints.
It inhaled.
The girls felt the air being pulled from their lungs.
It's going to use everything it has left—
"GET BACK!" Luna screamed.
The dragon unleashed a beam of virulent emerald fire, tearing across the cavern like a blazing tsunami.
Skyler reacted instantly.
"WIND COUNTER!"
She launched a wall of compressed air, but it faltered instantly under the burning pressure.
Lyra threw her hand forward.
"Temporal Halt!"
Time warped—
—but the beam pushed through it, cracking the timestop like glass.
The girls scattered, barely dodging the infernal wave.
The cavern shook.
Stone melted.
Smoke filled their lungs.
Luna staggered to her feet, coughing hard.
We're out of time… out of strength…
But then she looked up.
Liora stood trembling but defiant.
Aria wiped blood from her lips, eyes blazing.
Skyler panted, sweat dripping from her chin.
Lyra steadied herself, shaking from overusing time magic.
And Luna felt it—the same fire that kept them alive through every monster they'd faced.
We finish this. Together.
Luna gathered every last shard of mana inside her chest.
"Girls… final combination!"
Their eyes locked.
Five nods.
Five elements ignited.
Ice.
Wind.
Nature.
Resonance.
Time.
They struck as one.
A spiral of frozen wind surged.
Vines stabbed into open wounds.
Shockwaves cracked bone.
Time slowed the monster.
And Luna drove an enormous spear of ice through its heart.
KRRRRSHHHH!!
The Rot-Scaled Monarch convulsed, let out one final deafening roar—
—and collapsed.
Stone trembled as its massive body hit the ground.
Green blood seeped into the cavern floor.
Then—
⟢ SYSTEM LOG
Boss Defeated: Rot-Scaled Monarch
EXP Gained: +898,900
⟢ LEVEL UP!
Luna Frostborne — Lv. 59 → 65
Skyler Aeris — Lv. 59 → 65
Liora Greenhaven — Lv. 59 → 65
Aria Harmonix — Lv. 59 → 65
Lyra Timekeeper — Lv. 59 → 65
⟢ ELEMENTAL EVOLUTION PROGRESS:
High → Mega: 100%
The girls sank to their knees, exhausted… but victorious.
The ancient dragon finally lay dead.