Xavier immediately dashed at Percival, accelerating his body with vectors. But the burst failed after only a few seconds—his body already fatigued and suffering the early effects of core corruption.
Percival smiled at Xavier's surprise as his power collapsed. Without a moment's hesitation, he closed the gap and slammed a brutal punch into Xavier's gut, making him spit saliva.
"Say," Percival murmured into his ear. "I heard you took a liking to my daughter. I was surprised you'd risk your life to save your dear little friend. I only saw her as a failed experiment. A project I started in my younger, more naive days, trying to see if my genes, when paired with someone of comparable intellect, could produce a being smarter and more powerful than myself."
"But it failed," he said casually. "And I had to kill her mother for ruining my plans by letting you escape as an infant. But for that... I should thank her. If not for her foolish act, I wouldn't be standing here breaking you apart."
"I have no need for Teslaine, nor do I care what hidden power she might possess. If killing her hurts you, then she's served her purpose."
Blood dripped down Xavier's mouth as he whispered, "Y-you d-devil..."
Xavier collapsed, gasping for air.
Alcmena, still trapped in a cage nearby, roared in desperation. "XAVIER!"
A sudden surge of ethereal energy erupted from his small feline form. His body trembled and began to expand rapidly. Though still restrained, he pushed against the bindings with growing size and strength, forcing his dragon form to return.
With a thunderous crack, Alcmena shattered the bindings and burst from the cage, releasing a mighty draconic roar that shook the entire area. His aura raged like a storm unleashed.
"Took you long enough," Percival taunted, shielding himself against the wind.
Alcmena didn't respond with words. He lunged forward and struck Percival with a massive claw, sending him flying across the battlefield.
"Are you alright, Xavier?!" Alcmena called, his voice filled with concern.
"I'm..." Xavier coughed. "I'm f-fine, master... Please... help me defeat that monster... I can't do it alone."
That plea was all Alcmena needed.
He launched himself at Percival, who was still trying to regain his footing. Opening his jaws wide, Alcmena fired a barrage of densely packed fireballs.
Onslaught: Falling Stars.
Explosions rang out on impact, tearing the ground apart. Alcmena charged in closer.
His mouth ignited again.
Starfire Breath.
Percival raised his aura to defend himself, but the breath overpowered him, engulfing him in flames.
Alcmena narrowed his eyes at the charred figure. Something felt off.
"Did you get hi--"
Before the voice could finish, Alcmena's tail whipped around and struck the speaker hard, launching him into the distance.
"You noticed, huh?" Percival chuckled, brushing himself off.
"Oh, I knew," Alcmena said calmly. "The one I fought was an illusion. Like this entire world."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. The moment you snapped your fingers, I sensed it. Something was tampering with my mind. But your tricks won't work on me, Percival. I've lived for millions of years. I'm not so easily deceived."
Percival's smile widened. "Then you won't mind entertaining me for a while."
Ancient runes of Eldoria spiraled around him. His eyes glowed, and his aura shimmered like a rippling sea. He began to chant.
DRAGON. DESTRUCTION. WAVE.
He traced the words into the air like calligraphy. Power radiated from him.
"Sorcery?" Alcmena thought. "He thinks I'll stand still for that?"
Eldrun Sorcery I: Dragon Surge of Dread.
The ground split open. Fiery, serpentine dragon heads surged forth, screaming toward Alcmena at incredible speed.
Above, the sky darkened to a cosmic black. Instead of lightning, golden cosmic fire shaped like bolts streaked across it.
Alcmena leapt up, catching one of the flaming bolts between his fangs.
"Starfire Breath: Cosmic Fury!" he roared.
He exhaled the devastating fusion of fire and celestial lightning, colliding with Percival's spell. The shockwave was blinding.
Ash scattered through the realm.
And then, silence.
Suddenly, the sky cracked open. Massive iron nails forged from pure ethereal energy shot down, piercing Alcmena's limbs and wings. They nailed him into the ground, forming a massive array of gate-shaped constructs.
Eldrun Sorcery VII: Binding Gates.
"The hell is this?" Alcmena growled to himself, struggling to rise. Once again, he found himself caged—this time by ethereal constructs.
A chilling chuckle echoed through the shattered realm. Percival approached slowly, hands folded behind his back.
"I'm quite thankful you're in such a weakened state... thanks to your vessel."
He stopped just short of the cage. "I've heard tales—you and your brother, facing Emperor Julius in the dark age of war, millions of years ago. Fighting evil incarnate to protect each other, and leaving the king at death's door."
Pulling his hair back with a grin, he added, "And yet, how fortunate am I to face only a fading fragment of the Dragon King of old? I expected, someday, to confront the remaining Grand Herrschers of this era. But you? Even at your weakest... you were never the one I looked forward to facing."
Not far away, Xavier leaned on the hilt of Excalibur, the blade plunged into the ground, barely keeping him upright.
"W-what d-did you just say...?"
Percival turned, genuinely confused at first. Then realization dawned—and he grinned wickedly.
"Wait..." he said, mock surprise dripping from his voice. "Don't tell me... he never told you?"
"T-told me what?"
Alcmena suddenly roared, "Xavier, don't listen to him! He'll only twist your mind with more lies!"
But Percival cut in, his voice cruel and sharp. "Lie to him? About what? About the fact that the master he's sworn loyalty to... is nothing more than a walking puppet? That the original soul has long since passed on?"
The words struck like thunder. Xavier's heart nearly stopped. His eyes widened, breath caught in his throat.
"What are you saying...? I don't understand..."
Percival leaned in, voice soft and sinister. "Let me share a little story."
"Back when you fought the Varmint—when it dragged you into that portal of despair—I watched the whole thing unfold. I was fascinated... and frustrated. My favorite test subject, gone."
"I waited. Grew impatient. And eventually... I turned to the Super E-Computer to calculate the odds of your survival. 97% chance you were still alive."
He held up a finger. "But I didn't know where you'd gone. The Varmit's dimension? Unlikely. You'd be dead."
"Months passed, until one day, a ridiculous question crossed my mind: what are the odds the boy ended up in the realm of the destined sword?"
He chuckled darkly. "I ran the input. 99%."
Percival's aura dimmed slightly as he continued. "So I prepared. My army and I entered the Realm of the Legendary—a realm where death awaited any who dared challenge the sword's guardian. But I didn't need to fight. I wasn't after the sword. Not directly."
"And then I saw it. A shocking sight. The slumbering corpse of the dragon who once guarded Excalibur."
Xavier froze, a chill creeping into his bones.
"The Dragon King lay motionless. Lifeless. He had long taken his final breath. I searched for you and the sword—but you were both gone."
"Then the dragon's body... began to vanish. So did the realm itself. Without its creator, it could no longer exist. We barely escaped the collapse."
Percival grinned, taking another step toward Xavier. "Soon after, I received news. Your body had washed up near the Empire of America's sea docks. I knew. The sword had chosen you."
"Then, months later, I watched you fight lowly bandits. And I saw him. A dragon. A familiar one. The very same guardian of Excalibur—the Dragon King."
His laughter rang out like madness.
"But how? How could he be alive when I saw his corpse vanish before my eyes?"
He leaned closer to Xavier now.
"The truth is... he isn't."
"The dragon you call 'Master' has been dead for a long time. What stands before you now... is just a fragment. A shard of his consciousness left behind to guide and protect you. Nothing more."
The silence that followed was deafening.
And Xavier, staring at the one being he trusted most, felt something deep within him break.
"So in simple terms," Percival continued, his voice low and cruel. "This 'Alcmena' is just a clone—a walking corpse without a soul. The original has long since passed."
"You've been speaking to, trusting, bonding with... a corpse. A shell. Nothing but a machine playing out the last echoes of its creator's will."