Smiles broke across the faces of Vlad and the warriors of the Xaos Kingdom as they beheld the magnitude of their combined assault. The sky was ablaze with radiant destruction like a supernova, a storm of power that could have shattered continents.
For a fleeting moment, it felt as if victory was theirs. Their combined attack, fired with all the willpower in their hearts, had allowed them to overcome the nightmare.
Or so they thought until the flames and light dissipated, showing the sky once more and letting their hope die in their hearts.
The colossal mantle of mutated flesh, eyes, and twisted body parts still loomed above them. It was wounded—great rents and burns marked its surface—but the injuries healed before their eyes. Muscle fibers knitted back together. Ruptured eyes blinked once more. Bones reformed with wet cracks.
And in mere seconds… all the damage for which they had poured out the last of their strength was undone.
