"Proceeding to the Final Round."
The floor beneath Jack shifted violently. Not crumbling or breaking. But reforming. Smoothly. Like liquid stone solidifying into a new pattern.
The vast, echoing arena walls seemed to melt. And reform as well. Taking on the appearance of jagged granite peaks. Under the now-twilight sky.
The oppressive silence was replaced. By a low, guttural growl of wind that vibrated in the air. A sound that spoke of raw, untamed power.
Jack pushed himself fully upright. Leaning heavily on the Judgement Warhammer. Its head was still marred with scorch marks from the Wraith's explosion.
His Naraka Armor was once a demonic, intimidating spectacle. Of shadow, bone, and fire. Now it was dull. Cracked in places. And only sputtering with weak, intermittent flames.
Jacl felt every joint in his body screamed in protest. Every muscle felt like strained rope. The lightning deep within his bones from the Wraith's final attack still pulsed sickeningly.
Then he saw it.
From a maw-like spatial-crack opening on the sky. High above the granite peaks. A creature descended. It was monstrously large. A mansion-size large.
Its scales were an uneven mix of steel black and burning, pulsing crimson. Its bat-like wings, sprawled widely, were quite tattered and ripped. Suggesting previous battles or perhaps self-inflicted damage.
Jagged, mismatched horns jutted from its skull. And its eyes... they were wild, predatory. Burning with a frantic, mindless rage. This was a force of pure, unadulterated chaos. A western dragon.
It landed heavily in the center of the arena. Impacting the reformed ground with a jarring thud that shook the ground.
It didn't roar a challenge. It merely thrashed its head back and forth. A continuous, low growl rumbling in its chest. Saliva, thick and steaming, dripped from its fangs. Sizzling on the ground.
Jack stared at the beast. His jaw was tight. He was a walking ruin. His arms were weak. The nerves were still hurt from the Storm Wraith's final lightning explosion.
His right leg felt unstable. Liable to give out at any moment. The armor was failing. The Warhammer felt impossibly heavy.
And this was the final challenge? A raging dragon that looked like it wanted to tear the world apart?
He let out another ragged, humorless sound. Somewhere between a sigh and a choke. "A dragon..." He muttered. The sound was harsh in his throat. "Of course. Why not? Go big or go home, right?"
The dragon's head snapped towards the sound. Its wild, crimson eyes, while lacking focus, registered movement. It lowered its stance.
A low, vibrating hiss escaping its jaws. This beast wasn't thinking. It was reacting purely on instinct and pain.
Jack noted immediately that this was not a dragon in perfect condition. It was an injured dragon just surviving from brutal battle. Against whoever or whatever it was that could harm it.
Even so, Jack knew he couldn't trade blows. He couldn't dodge effectively. He couldn't rely on his armor fully. He had one advantage. His mind. The Judgement Warhammer. And his [Mysterious Anomaly] ability.
They were his only hope. He had to use them get close. Land a decisive blow. And hope it was enough.
He straightened slowly. Ignoring the searing pain in his back and legs. He hefted the Warhammer in his still weak arms. Shifting his weight carefully onto his less injured leg.
The air grew thick with the smell of danger and wrath. As the dragon began to gather energy. Would it be a controlled breath attack? Or a volatile, unstable buildup of pysical charge?
"Here we go!" Jack muttered. Tightening his grips on the Warhammer.
He began to move. Not charging head-on like he had done against the Wraiths. But a slower, limping gait. Approaching the enraged creature. Looking for an opening. A weakness. Anything.
The dragon didn't wait for him to get closer. It let a guttural roar that shook the granite peaks. And then it unleashed a torrent of chaotic, uncontrolled fire.
It wasn't a focused stream. But an explosive wave of heat and flame that washed over the arena floor. Jack reacted on instinct. Using the Warhammer and his arms to shield his face. Tucking his head low.
The Naraka Armor was battered and damaged. But it still absorbed some of the heat. The sheer intensity of the flame was overwhelming though.
The flames licked at his exposed skin through the cracks. Searing his rough skin and tough flesh. The heat was unbearable. Causing the air around him to shimmer and distort.
Jack gritted his teeth. Forcing himself to keep moving. To push through the wall of fire. Towards the source.
The dragon shrieked again. Not in aggression. But in pain. As its uncontrolled fire seemed to scorch its own throat.
This momentary weakness was the opening Jack needed.
He lunged forward. Charging full speed. Ignoring the agony that shot up his legs and whole body with every step. Both damaged arms gripped his weapon tightly.
He raised the Warhammer. Channeling every ounce of remaining strength and focus into the swing. His target... the dragon's exposed neck. Or its vulnerable underbelly.
The dragon was still reeling from its own fiery outburst. It saw him coming too late. It whipped its head around. Attempting a savage bite.
Jack sidestepped clumsily. The beast's massive jaws snapping shut just inches from his shoulder. He needed to get closer. Beneath the reach of those fangs.
He stumbled forward. Ducking under the thrashing head and wings. The air here was even hotter. Thick with the dragon's internal furnace. He swung the Warhammer as powerful as he could. Aiming for a gap in the crimson-black scales of its underbelly.
CLANG!
The blow landed. But the scales were tougher than they looked. The Warhammer struck deep. Scraping against bone. But didn't break the scale. Nor the bone.
The dragon roared in pain and fury. A sound that was both agony and mindless rage.
It thrashed violently. Its powerful tail whipped out. Jack saw it coming. But he was too slow. Too injured. The tail struck his right leg with the force of a battering ram.
A sickening crunch echoed in the arena. Pain. Unlike anything he had felt before, exploded from his leg.
He collapsed. Screaming in pain. The Warhammer was slipping from his grasp. He lay there. Panting. His right leg twisted at an unnatural angle. The bone was clearly shattered.
The dragon didn't follow up. It was still focused on the pain from the Warhammer's blow, tearing at the injured spot with its claws. This was his chance, fleeting as it was.
With a desperate surge of adrenaline. Born of sheer survival instinct. Jack clawed his way towards the fallen Warhammer. Dragging his broken body across the scorching floor.
He could hear the dragon's ragged breathing. The tearing of its own scales. He had to get the weapon back. It was his only way out.
He reached the Warhammer. Slick with his own blood. And steaming with the dragon's heat. He gripped the handle with both of his hands.
Sweat was stinging his eyes. He couldn't stand properly. He could barely crawl. But he still had his arms. And he still had the weapon. And he still had the [Mysterious Anomaly].
The dragon finally seemed to remember the source of its pain. It turned its massive head. Its wild eyes fixing on the crippled figure on the ground. It lowered its head. Its fangs were bared. Preparing to deliver a killing bite.
Jack knew this was it. No more maneuvering. No more strategy. Just one final, impossible act.
He planted the head of the Warhammer on the ground next to him. Using it to prop himself up. He was standing unsteadily on one leg. Supported by the long handled hammer as a makeshift crutch.
Blood dripped from his mouth. Mixing with the sweat and dust on the ground. His body screamed in pain. His right leg was broken. The armor was a cracked, smoldering mess.
He looked into the dragon's enraged eyes. A strange, defiant spark igniting within his own. He gathered every last shard of his will. He ignored the screaming, blinding pain from every part of his body. And focused on his final move.
"You want a fight?" He snarled. His voice a raw, broken whisper. "Let's end this."
He prepared his [Mysterious Anomaly] power. But this time, it wouldn't be controlled power. It would be a desperate, all-or-nothing surge.
The air around Jack seemed crackling. Distorting space. The Judgement Warhammer somehow hummed with terrifying, unstable energy. As if it was responding to Jack's desperation.
The dragon lunged. Its jaws opening wide above him.
Jack twisted his body. And swung the Warhammer upwards. Putting his arms, shoulders, back, whole remaining energy, and very soul into the blow.
The [Mysterious Anomaly] exploded with unrestrained power. Bringing illusion and reality into chaotic mix of crazy phenomenon.
The sky turned into sea of fire. The land turned into the desolate land of hell. Chorus of demonic screams and devilish whispers played a horrifying symphony. Smell of fragrant rose were mixed with sharp odor of sulfur.
The Judgement Warhammer's head glowed with an unnatural, chaotic light. Carrying a concentrated source of a miniature anomaly.
He aimed for the roof of the dragon's open mouth. The weakest, most vulnerable point he could reach from the ground.
KA-BOOM!
The Warhammer connected. Producing an explosive sound that was less like blunt impact. And more like the ripping thunder that took apart reality. The unknown power detonated inside the dragon's skull.
The beast had frozen mid-lunge. Its eyes were widening in sudden, terrifying clarity. Just before the strike connected. But then...
The dragon's head snapped back violently due to the impact. A loud wave of destructive energy spread through its head from the point of impact.
There was no explosive death this time. Not like the Wraiths. Sound and scene of explosion was only happened to the dragon's head. Followed by a collapsing, imploding stillness.
The dragon's head was destroyed. Its berserk fire dimmed in its throat. The frantic energy all over its body vanished.
The massive body went limp. Crashing down onto the arena floor. Very close from where Jack sprawled on the floor.
Silence returned to the arena. Even heavier than before. The overwhelming smell of victory and destruction filled the air.
Jack didn't move for a long time. He had collapsed. His exhausted body was resting on the floor. He had won. He had defeated the final challenge. The voice should be speaking. Declaring victory. Ending the trial.
But there was no sound. The arena remained silent. The twilight unchanging. The granite peaks looming.
Jack was alive. He had survived. But he was broken. His body. His strength... They were severely damaged.
He had a twisted, broken leg. The mangled armor slowly repairing itself. The painful, twitching muscles all over his body.
A bitter, painful laugh escaped him. Cut short by a cough that brought up blood.
"Well..." He wheezed. Looking up at the indifferent twilight sky. "Guess I won't be dancing anytime soon."
The sarcasm was weak. A dying ember of his former self's defiance. His victory felt hollow. Drenched in pain and the certainty of his physical ruin.
He had overcome the impossible. Survived the trial. Only to find himself a wreck. What awaited him now, after the final round? Freedom? Reward? Or more trials?