The dome sank back into the earth, revealing the scorched battlefield. Knights remained locked in fierce combat with monstrous foes.
Richard fumed, torrents of lightning arcing from his body and ripping into the surroundings. The bolts surged outward, reducing nearby trees to ash. And amidst the drifting gray stood a creature unlike any the knights had faced so far.
It was a humanoid monster—reminiscent of a minotaur—with thick, curling horns jutting from either side of its skull. Standing over three meters tall, its body was carved from raw muscle, corded and gleaming like forged steel. In one massive hand, it wielded a battle axe nearly half its size. Its blood-red eyes burned with fury, and fire snorted from its nostrils.
Behind it stood a stick-thin being, its face eerily smooth—no eyes, no nose, no mouth. Just a sickening, featureless canvas. Yet it cackled in a high-pitched, otherworldly sound, the source of which defied understanding.
William emerged from the inferno he had conjured, his bare skin streaked with molten iron cooling around his waist. He slung his massive axe onto his shoulder, flames flickering around his silhouette before dying out.
The purple fog cleared, revealing a pit of bubbling, dissolving goo with Jasmine standing at its center. No Bloodmanes remained.
"That's the mind flayer," William growled, his body steaming as the fire faded, revealing solid bands of dark metal fused across his waist.
"Stop stating the obvious," Jasmine snapped, eyes narrowing. "The mind flayer's easy. The real threat is the Steelframe Titan Minotaur."
"I'll handle the titan. You two chase the flayer," Richard commanded. Lightning crackled across his armor. His greatsword hummed with energy as bolts surged along its blade.
In perfect sync, they launched forward.
The minotaur mirrored them, charging with thunderous steps as the faceless mind flayer turned and vanished into the trees.
Jasmine exploded into motion, outpacing them all in a blur of movement. William followed behind her, boots striking the charred earth.
The titan lunged to intercept her, but Richard intercepted the beast. He raised his greatsword and brought it crashing down.
The minotaur didn't bother to block. It swung its axe in a brutal arc toward Richard's ribs.
CLANG!
Sparks screamed as the greatsword struck the beast's iron-hard hide—leaving not even a scratch.
As the axe hurtled toward him, a wall of earth surged up just in time, absorbing the impact. The barrier cracked and shattered, but gave Richard the split-second he needed to roll aside and dodge the fatal blow.
Narrowing his eyes, Richard slammed his sword into the ground just as the minotaur attacked again. The axe struck the blade's side, unleashing a shockwave that sent both of them staggering back.
Lightning surged across Richard's body as he abandoned the sword and charged. His fists, glowing with crackling energy, slammed into the minotaur's chest.
CRACK.
The monster's chest caved inward from the force, lightning exploding through its body. Yet, instead of weakening, the creature only grew stronger—fire erupting from its body in response. With a feral roar, it swung its axe.
Sensing the danger, Richard raised another earthen wall—but the minotaur ignored the barrier and struck him directly with its massive fist. Richard was launched backward, tumbling across the ground.
He barely rolled aside before the axe cleaved into the spot where his skull had been moments before.
Eyes blazing with electric fury, Richard rose as storm clouds gathered above.
The minotaur hurled another punch. Earth clumped around its fist, magnifying its mass, and the blow collided with Richard's chest.
The ground cratered beneath him. Richard's vision blurred. His armor shattered, revealing a bruised and bleeding body.
Gasping, he summoned a pillar of earth that erupted beneath the beast, launching it backward and giving him a brief window to breathe.
Coughing up mouthfuls of blood, he pushed himself upright.
The minotaur came again, raising its axe for a killing blow.
But before it could strike—
BOOM.
A distant explosion shattered the air. The titan faltered. Its bloodshot eyes glazed over. The momentum of its attack vanished like smoke.
How many words