The dust from the collapsed wall still hung in the air as Vritra rose to her full height, her yellow eyes fixed on Albion. Her form flickered, cracks running across her scales from the impact of Excalibur's devastating blow. But she was not broken. She was not defeated.
She smiled.
Albion's white eyes narrowed. His massive sword floated beside him, its blade gleaming with holy light. "What are you smiling about, traitor? Your city is broken. Your allies are scattered. Your precious Shadow Monarch is nowhere to be found."
Vritra's smile widened. "You have finally done it, Albion. You have given us exactly what we wanted."
Albion's expression shifted, confusion flickering across his features. "What nonsense are you..."
"Arise."
The word echoed across the battlefield, carried by the wind, by the shadows themselves. It was not a shout. It was not a command. It was a whisper that somehow reached every corner of the ruined city.
The shadows responded.
Damien's Shadow Army had arrived.
The soldiers of the Three Nation Alliance screamed as the shadows engulfed them. They had been prepared to face adventurers. They had been prepared to face mages, warriors, even the legendary heroes of Orario. But they had not been prepared for this.
The shadows were everywhere.
They rose from the shadows, their forms taking shape...monsters of every kind, creatures from the deepest floors of the dungeon. Fenrir Shards. Frost Wyrms. Rime Chargers. Cryo-Colossus. Nidhogg Broods. And more, so many more. The army Damien had built over months of fighting had been left behind intentionally, a hidden force waiting for this exact moment.
Loki's plan had worked perfectly.
The enemy had to have known Damien was not in the city. They had seen him leave with his strongest companions. And they had assumed that meant the city was vulnerable.
What they had not realized was that his army...the true strength of the Shadow Monarch...had never left.
Now, they would pay for that mistake.
...
Alcy's grin widened as Diana and Adonis materialized beside her. The two shadow soldiers moved with fluid grace, their weapons already drawn. Diana's great scimitar gleamed with dark light, and Adonis's fists crackled with shadow energy.
"About time you showed up," Alcy said, her voice bright with excitement.
Diana inclined her head. "The Shadow Monarch anticipated this moment. We were ordered to wait for the right opportunity."
Adonis cracked his neck, a rare smile crossing his features. "And this seems like the right opportunity."
Yinglong rose from the rubble, her golden form flickering. She had been battered by Alcy's relentless assault, her scales cracked, her movements slower than before.
"An army of shadows," she snarled. "This changes nothing."
Alcy laughed. "Oh, it changes everything."
She activated Cerberus.
Her body split into three copies, each one identical to the original. Each one wielded the same massive sword. Each one moved with the same reckless confidence.
"Now there are more of me to share the fun," Alcy said, her three voices speaking in unison.
The battle against Yinglong became a dance of chaos.
Diana and Adonis moved in perfect synchronization, their attacks flowing around Alcy's copies like water around stone. Diana's scimitar carved deep gashes into Yinglong's golden scales. Adonis's fists slammed into her joints, disrupting her movements.
The five of them took turns attacking, weaving in and out of Yinglong's defenses. Every time she tried to focus on one of them, another would strike from behind. Every time she tried to retreat, another would be waiting.
Golden light erupted from Yinglong's maw, a blast of energy aimed at Diana. The shadow soldier raised her scimitar, deflecting the attack. Adonis took advantage of the opening, his fist driving into Yinglong's exposed side.
"You insects!" Yinglong screamed. "You are nothing but insects!"
Alcy's three copies moved as one. They circled Yinglong, their swords raised. The golden dragon tried to track them all, but there were too many. Too fast. Too relentless.
She dropped her guard for a single moment.
It was all Alcy needed.
Her three copies merged into one, her form solidifying as she activated her most powerful ability. Golden light erupted from her body, surrounding her in a radiant aura.
"Golden Apples of the Hesperides!"
The power of Atlas surged through her. She had learned this labor young, meeting the titan who carried the world on his back. In that moment, she had understood the meaning of true strength.
Now, she wielded it.
She smashed into Yinglong's head with the force of a falling star. The impact incinerated the golden dragon's avatar form, and Yinglong herself disintegrated within it.
The golden dragon's last words echoed across the battlefield. "I will remember you, little goddess. I will come for you."
Alcy landed, breathing hard, but smiling. "I will be waiting."
....
Meanwhile, Vritra faced Albion.
His Excalibur floated beside him, its blade gleaming with holy light. He stood at the center of the destruction, his white aura pulsing with power.
"You think an army of shadows can save you?" Albion's voice was cold. "You think you can defeat me with tricks?"
Vritra smiled. "No. I think I can defeat you with power."
Igris appeared beside her, his greatsword raised. Baal followed, its massive form casting a shadow over the battlefield. The two shadow soldiers moved as one, their attacks forcing Albion to divide his attention.
Baal's magical eye blazed, unleashing a beam of crimson energy toward Albion. The white dragon raised Excalibur, the blade absorbing the attack. But the distraction was enough for Igris to close the distance.
His greatsword slammed into Albion's side, carving a deep gash through his armor. The white dragon stumbled, his focus broken.
Now.
Vritra activated Asura Shresta.
For a single second, she regained her original form. The avatar dragon she had been using was discarded, replaced by her true body....a dragon so massive that it covered half of Orario. Dark clouds coiled around her, lightning crackling between them. Her yellow eyes burned like twin suns.
She rammed into Albion.
Excalibur rose to meet her, but she devoured it. The holy sword was consumed by her dark flames, its light extinguished. Albion's avatar form shattered under the force of her assault, and he was thrown back, his body broken.
The one second ended. Vritra shrank back to her normal form, her true body receding. She fell to her knees, exhausted but alive.
Igris and Baal stood over Albion's broken avatar, their weapons ready.
Vritra looked at him, her voice barely a whisper. "You have lost."
The battlefield was silent.
The Shadow Army had decimated the Dragon Army's forces. Yinglong and Albion had been defeated. The war would tilt in Orario's favor. The defenders cheered, their voices rising in triumph.
.
.
Then the sky darkened.
A massive shape descended through the clouds, its wings blotting out the moon. It was a dragon....but not like the avatars they had faced. This one was real. Its scales were black as midnight, absorbing all light around them. Its single eye gleamed like a dying star.
The Black Dragon descended.
Albion looked up at the approaching beast, his broken avatar's eyes widening. "YOU DAMN FOOL! I told you to wait for the Monarch! What are you doing!"
The Black Dragon did not even glance at him. Its massive foot descended, crushing Albion's avatar body into the ground.
"Shut the fuck up," it said.
Its single eye turned to Vritra.
"Ah... my predecessor." Its voice was deep, ancient, almost reverent. "Long have I wanted to meet you."
It lowered its massive head, its eye fixed on her.
"My name is Azi Dahaka." It paused. "But I believe the people of this world only know me as... the One-Eyed Black Dragon."
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