The crystalline dust of Oagnostos Kosmos swirled around the heroes' feet like frozen ghosts. Before them, the mountain did not just move—it uncoiled. Zynigami, the space dragon known in the ancient tongue as the Septua Giant, rose into the thin atmosphere. Its wings were vast enough to blot out the distant stars, and its eyes held the cold, hungry vacuum of deep space.
"It is the Septua Giant," Micheal whispered, his voice trembling with the wind.
"What did you say?" Donald shouted over the low hum of the dragon's breathing.
"SEPTUA GIANT!" Micheal roared back. "It was the soul collector of animals for Duel Mortis. It has two chambers in its stomach—one for collecting souls, and one for eating. It grew addicted to the taste of life. It started eating the very souls it was meant to guard. Duel Mortis had to imprison it here, on this dead world, before it consumed the afterlife itself!"
"How do you know all this?" Donald asked, shielding his eyes from the dragon's shimmering scales.
"I overheard Iqtadar and the Evil Supreme God whispering of it in the palace," Micheal replied. "They wanted to catch it. They wanted its hunger for themselves."
Suddenly, the air grew thin. Donald felt a tugging sensation in his chest—his very essence was being pulled toward the dragon's open maw. Zynigami was beginning to feed.
"The bow!" Donald yelled, remembering the weapon Duel Mortis had pressed into his hands before the teleportation.
They fired, but the spectral arrows bounced off the dragon's scales like pebbles against a mountain. They turned and ran, diving under the ruins of a shattered temple. Zynigami's shadow loomed over them, its power sensing their life force through the stone.
"We need help," Micheal prayed, closing his eyes. "Supreme God, if you can hear us... don't let the fire die."
As if in answer, the sky tore open. A powerful sword, wreathed in white light, plummeted from the heavens. It didn't just fall; it carved through the wind, landing with a thunderous crack in the center of the village ruins.
The dragon shrieked, recoiling from the divine radiance of the blade.
"The sword!" Donald realized. "It's the key!"
While Micheal created a blinding flash of wind and light to distract the beast, Donald sprinted across the crystalline plains. He grabbed the hilt—it felt like a living thing in his hand—and swung with the strength of the earth itself. He sliced through the dragon's midsection, but the creature's flesh flowed like liquid mercury, regenerating instantly.
"The forehead!" Micheal screamed. "Cut the forehead!"
Micheal channeled every ounce of his Ventus power into a final, blinding flash. For a heartbeat, the dragon was sightless. Donald leaped, driving the heavenly sword into the center of the dragon's brow.
A shockwave of energy erupted. The dragon didn't just die; it vanished into a cloud of sparkling embers. As it faded, thousands of souls—the villagers who had been consumed long ago—poured out of the creature's stomach, finally free to ascend.
Where the sword had struck the ground, a secret door groaned open. A gem, swirling with the same violet energy as Duel Mortis's eyes, spun into the air and clicked into place on the door's lock.
An old, wise man emerged from the shadows of the ruins. He looked at the two heroes with eyes that had seen the beginning of time. "You have ended the hunger," he said, handing Donald a second, smaller blade. "Take this sword of the mythology. It is the only thing that can kill a true demon. You will need it where you are going."
Donald and Micheal thanked him and stepped through the portal. They found themselves back in the court of Duel Mortis.
The God of Death sat with a cloth over one side of his face, looking like a cosmic pirate. Donald walked up and handed him the spinning violet gem. Duel Mortis turned away for a moment, clicking the gem into his empty eye socket. When he turned back, his gaze was whole and terrifyingly powerful.
"You have done well," Duel Mortis said, his voice echoing with newfound strength. "I am a god of my word. The portal to P247 is open. You have three days. Use them wisely, for the Second Great Elemental War has already reached its boiling point."
Donald and Micheal stepped into the shimmering gateway. They had a sword, they had their lives, and they had a brotherhood to mend.