Adam's Abyssal Piercer and Ignis's Solar Nova converged on the gravity-locked core in a cataclysmic merger of void and starfire. The explosion of light and sound was immense, shaking the very foundations of the Crags.
But as the glare faded, a chilling sight met their eyes. The Wind Elemental Sovereign was not gone. Its form was shattered, translucent and flickering wildly, and the core was now a spiderweb of cracks leaking volatile energy. Yet, it held. A last-ditch, instinctual defense had manifested—a final, desperate shell of hyper-compressed air, reinforced with the very leyline energy it had been absorbing. It had sacrificed its stability to survive the blast.
"It's still standing?!" Ignis yelled, her flames guttering in surprise.
"Its core is critically damaged. It's clinging to existence by a thread," Lilith observed, her voice sharp. "But that thread is anchored to the land's mana. It will begin repairing itself unless the core is completely destroyed."
