Unity VI / Chaotic Harmony

The ground beneath us trembled once more as the colossal beast slammed back down. It had retreated several dozen yards during its flight, likely as a cautionary measure in response to our numbers tripling.

With no time to lose, I relayed my vague notion of a strategy to my comrades. “I think we should go for the wings. Even if we can’t stop it from flying altogether, any damage to its mobility will help Vandan.”

“I concur,” Kerne said, facing the group. “Akio and Everett have the greatest odds of delivering a critical blow, so it is up to the rest of us to support them.”

Our group exchanged a short series of nods and affirmatives, without any need for further clarification. We all understood each other’s strengths and weaknesses, the roles we needed to play, what we could contribute, and what everyone else could offer in return. We were a team, and we had been for a long time, so there was nothing left to do but trust in one another and ourselves.

“Let’s do this!” Akio shouted, spinning on his heel.

Before following suit, my gaze locked with Shina’s.

“Good luck.”

“You too.”

I sucked in a deep breath as we exchanged our silent words, before following Akio’s lead. And just as the frame of Ames Nori reentered my vision…

“Go!”

… Akio, Kerne, and I charged forward in a sprint, ready to confront the impossible, horrific monstrosity ahead of us.

Ames Nori slammed its arms into the stone, entering a quadrupedal stance as it stared us down. A single of its intense swipes would be enough to kill anyone instantly, if not all three of us at once; that being the case, our margin of error dropped to zero the millisecond we drifted into its attack range.

It let out a roar as it slashed at Akio, who darted to the left moments before being sliced to smithereens. Sliding across the stone, he kicked out of the way of a subsequent strike, just as quick and deadly as the first. But right before a third was about to crush him…

“Osnesor!”

… the talons were thrust off-course by Kerne, giving Akio an opportunity to retaliate.

Making a superhuman leap into the air, he twisted his massive halberd to slice into the vulnerable wing that was still reeling from Kerne’s repulsion spell.

“Ha, stupid dragon! Gotch—”

Suddenly, his entire body vanished, enclosed within the beast’s gargantuan jaw that appeared and snapped shut in the blink of an eye.

It went without saying that he’d been ripped to shreds in an instant, defenseless against the jagged incisors sharp enough to cut through steel like it was paper.

Except…

“Akio, now!” I called, sensing the perfect opportunity.

Someone shot past me and leapt into the sky, arcing just above the beast’s lowered head. Bravely slamming down onto its snout, he launched off once more, blasting toward the nearest wing.

“Why’d Fleur give me that as a one-liner? It’s not even a dragon!” Akio shouted something stupid as he twirled his polearm midair, digging it into the beast’s muscle and carving upward, the intensity of his own attack spinning his body in the same direction.

Ames Nori roared again, a sense of pain mixing into its furious call.

I didn’t even notice the exact moment she swapped the real one out for an illusion. I almost got worried there!

Breathing the quickest sigh of relief I could manage, I burst back into motion, my instincts screaming at me to back him up.

Seeking immediate retribution, the monster curved its uninjured arm at Akio from the opposite side, closing the distance in a split second. Airborne and without any way to move, he was completely helpless in the face of the claws converging inward.

But I was already bouncing into the air by that time.

“Anfunios!” The instant my fingers wrapped around his, I sent both of us blasting down into the wall’s surface and away from Ames Nori’s swipe.

“Thanks, bud!” he said as we sprang from our respective rolls to land back on our feet.

“Don’t—” I whipped to the side to avoid yet another incoming strike. “—mention it!”

A figure brushed past my flank and vaulted on the offensive, swinging their sword into the back of Ames Nori’s left wing. Such a naked attempt would never skate past the creature’s detection, but as it slapped that me away with excessive force, the simulacrum merely dispersed into a mist.

Ames Nori struggled to find its bearings before another set of illusory fighters rushed it down, baiting a new flurry of pointless strikes away from the three real fighters slipping through its attacks.

And by that point, it became clear we alone were dictating the pace of this battle.

Every few seconds, a powerful arrow or spell would fly in from our rear, impeccably aimed at any sliver of unprotected flesh Ames Nori foolishly exposed. Each flinch the projectiles incited gave us a golden opportunity to charge in, and, mixed with Fleur’s feints and Kerne’s magical deflections, we came out unscathed from every engagement.

Akio and I alternated going on the offensive, focusing on survival until a window of attack was opened by our allies. At best, our strikes amounted to small nicks against the tough skin of Ames Nori’s wings, but our progress was indisputable. Although we had yet to damage its true vitals, sealed under many layers of unbreakable scales, we were nonetheless holding steadfast against this monstrous force of nature.

All six of our minds had achieved synchronicity, our souls immersing deep into a telepathic flow that coordinated our actions with those of the others on pure instinct, the need for words far behind us. Amidst this ethereal state of mind, it felt like our battle would continue unchanging until the end of time.

If Ames Nori were a cooperating participant, at least.

My reverie finally burst apart as the beast shot backward, using its arms to push against the stone floor while jumping with its hind legs. At first, it appeared nothing would change as it smashed back into the ramparts, but as I kicked off the ground to pursue it, a voice rang out from behind me.

“Stop! It’s—”

My body reacting before my mind caught up, I leapt backward a fraction of a second before Ames Nori whipped its tail around and slammed it against the side of the wall, cleaving out a chunk of the structure and launching it clean off. Just one step further ahead, and I would’ve gone with it.

“C-crap…” I muttered. “This thing’s been pretty sturdy. I didn’t expect it to—”

Repeating its previous action, Ames Nori removed another portion of the crumbling wall, and, as it did, a massive fissure began forming across the center of the floor, widening an inch or so every couple of seconds.

Is it trying to bring the wall down!?

The third strike confirmed my theory, and my mind raced to think of a solution to our conundrum before…

“Everyone! Give me an opening! Use everything you have, if you must!” To my shock, it was Kerne, the guardian amongst our ranks, who charged first on the offensive.

“Sh-shit! Akio, let’s go!” I yelled, running after him.

Ames Nori had gone berserk, attacking wildly with each of its limbs at random to damage the wall as much as possible and bring the entire thing down. We had to stop it, but it was obvious that entering that chaotic storm of destruction would be suicide.

As another enormous slab was sent flying, the crack between the two halves had grown too significant, and it became immediately clear the next hit would send one half of our arena—or, perhaps, both—careening over the edge.

We don’t—

Suddenly, a blinding light emerged from the sky. It looked akin to a lightning bolt, barreling in from the heavens as if God were delivering divine judgement upon a great sinner. Bracing itself for an intense assault, Ames Nori halted its strike and reeled to the side as the blazing pillar of light blasted straight into it.

“Kerne, now!” For the first time ever, I heard Fleur scream.

Without a moment of hesitation, Kerne shot forward, slipping within feet of the Anomaly Beast as the brilliant radiance of that shooting star finally faded out to…

Nothing. There was no impact, nor a searing hot flame to boil the creature alive. But even if it was merely a magic trick, Fleur’s grand performance had rescued us from the jaws of death.

Its balance completely thrown off from reacting to a mirage, Ames Nori’s weight was tipped heavily to one side. In any other situation, it would simply restabilize in less than a second, but there was one person who would ensure it would never have the chance.

“Ablisves osnesortam!”

The beast, surely weighing several tons, tipped sideward from the sudden magical blast, its footing slipping as the stone beneath it crumbled under stress. Before it could even hope to recover, it collapsed over the edge, smashing down into the cliffside far below.