As soon as Aqua released her from the embrace, Sheira plunged downward foot first.
Zm'Aj's necks uncoiled, his seven heads lunging at her. Sheira grinned, and hundreds of white fireballs crashed into the dragon lord. His heads were forced to retreat. The explosion spread, and the mountain was reduced to nothing, yet the Dragon Lord stood there, with nothing more than a minor scorch mark.
What remained was a vast basin of molten stone rapidly cooling into black glass, enclosed on every side by Aqua's [Temporal Barrier].
"A strong one," his voice reverberated through the air.
In the next moment, Sheira connected to his head, crashing down and cracking the skull of a powerful dragon.
Her foot broke his scales, piercing into one of his brains, yet Zm'Aj did not merely sit idly by.
His head regenerated, and he slashed at Sheira with his claw, sending her tumbling across the glassed arena.
Her fingers dug into the floor, sliding through the stone as if it were water. She tumbled like a rag doll until she crashed into the [Temporal Barrier].
She pushed herself up, peering at the dragon. He stared at her, his eyes scanning her every movement.
Alright! Finally someone who can take a hit from my glorious self! She grinned, her eyes falling on the bracelet.
The dragon flapped his wings, rising into the air. She grabbed the bracelet. Her eyes peered at it for a single moment. She squeezed it, then shook her head.
The dragon launched itself toward her.
Instead of being a wasteful brat, she removed the bracelet and threw it toward Aqua, who was watching from high in the sky.
In an instant, a beacon of divine energy erupted from within her, stunning the fourteen eyes of the dragon lord and forcing him to land.
She exhaled, stretching her back as the sudden influx of power filled the arena.
Sheira took the opportunity presented to her and dashed toward the Dragon Lord. His seven heads blindly bit down at the stone. She dodged, running toward him at speeds surpassing sight.
"Where are you, Vermin!" His eyes regenerated, and his vision returned. He sniffed, not noticing the elven goddess jumping above him.
Sheira stretched her palm toward his neck and launched a barrage of a hundred white fireballs. The fireballs expanded, obscuring her from Zm'aj's vision.
"Lizard, take this!" she shouted and landed on his back. She hammered down with her fist, sending shockwaves through his massive body. The dragon lord roared, splitting the glassed basin apart. Massive ravines tore through the battlefield, their depths disappearing into darkness.
Sheira stumbled and was sent flying into one of the massive ravines. Shit! She didn't know what to do. Despite her power, she didn't know how to fly.
Think, Sheira, think! She plunged deeper.
Then she had a bright idea.
She focused on conjuring a blast of power.
The white fire erupted from her palms, and she launched herself upward like a missile, flying right into Zm'Aj's mouth. He tried to clamp down and split her in half, yet she launched a punch from inside, breaking his teeth and falling out of his jaws.
Another head bit into her, its teeth powerful enough to pierce even her divine flesh. Sheira screamed, and her blood fell upon the ground. "You bastard!"
She wrenched open the jaws, her muscles strained, and the magic formed around her. She pushed even more, and with the help of a blast of power, the head was splattered, freeing the elven princess.
Sheira rolled on the ground, a breath of flame as hot as her own hit her. "Oh, that is too hot!" she exclaimed and ran. Despite being immune to normal flame, the Dragon Lord was able to singe her hair.
The heads struck at her, but she jumped over, landing a powerful strike against the side of his head.
"To think, an elf could give me such a fight," the dragon said, his head reeling back. "Someone to challenge the Dragon God, Zm'Aj! Show me what you got!"
Before she could even blink, the seven heads coiled around her, striking from every angle, giving her little chance to dodge. However, she failed to notice one head from above, the teeth clamped around her.
She yelped as the teeth pierced her divine flesh, sending pain shooting through her body.
She screamed.
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! She gritted her teeth. The dragon lord's teeth dug into her flesh, breaking her spine.
The echo of time resounded around them, and her growth accelerated once more. A beacon of divinity flared, erasing the seven heads of Zm'aj.
The headless body stumbled back, and Sheira's eyes glowed with a faint crimson shine. She breathed heavily, her wounds already healing themselves.
It did not take even a second before Zm'Aj's heads regenerated. His eyes glowed. "Impressive, you are no mere blessed child. Are you a divine perhaps?" he asked, observing her suspiciously.
Sheira smiled wryly. "Yes, I am the new goddess of the elves. The one who will stop your attack on my home!"
The seven heads blinked. "A goddess, in the mortal world?"
The world went silent.
Then laughter.
The earth split open again. "I truly did gain the respect of the pantheon, if they had to send a goddess after me! Now those are wonderful news!" he exclaimed, and then he flapped his wings, the powerful wings crashing into Sheira.
Sheira stepped back, crossing her arms and shielding herself from the powerful hurricane winds.
Instead of fear of losing his heads, he was emboldened even further.
"If I kill one of their gods, then nobody will dispute my claim of godhood! I am not a mere Dragon Lord, I am the Dragon God!"
The self-proclaimed god charged at her, but instead of striking with claws, he launched her into the sky and at the ceiling of [Temporal Barrier].
Sheira braced for impact and conjured a massive fireball of white fire. Zm'Aj flew at her, aiming to swallow her whole.
She launched the fireball, the explosion sending both of them flying at the [Temporal Barrier]. The Dragon God's heads tilted and bit at the barrier, yet it did not shatter.
"Impressive," he said, his gaze turning to Sheira on the other side of the former mountain.
Sheira launched herself at him again, her foot burying itself in Zm'Aj's neck.
The so-called Dragon God toppled to the side, his body falling into the ravines created by the battle with the goddess.
Sheira jumped after him. For a moment, she deliberated on a spell to use, and then decided on practicing something more advanced.
They plunged through one of the ravines that had split the battlefield, descending beneath the remains of the mountain. Far above, the pale bronze shimmer of the [Temporal Barrier] was still visible through the fractured earth.
She took a deep breath. As the duo fell deep underground, a line of white flame appeared in Sheira's hand, then curved into the shape of a bow.
The memories of her archery practices played in her head. She was not good with a bow, as it was far too heavy, yet it did not stop her from trying.
I always liked bows. She smiled. She rarely had the chance to practice with a bow, but that didn't stop those lessons from inspiring a new spell.
She opened her eyes, and the new white flame bow formed in her hand. It was not solid, of course, yet in her mind, it was just a weightless solid bow. She drew the strand of flame forming its string and pulled.
Her magic coalesced and coiled, the powerful white flame forming a drill of immense solar heat.
She pulled back the imaginary string and then released.
The magic projectile formed a helix; it dug into Zm'aj's body, piercing his scales and drawing blood, which quickly sizzled out. Then, the helix expanded, and in a flash of blinding radiance, it consumed half of the dragon's body.
The Dragon God roared, atomizing the ground around the duo, leaving a massive crater within the barrier's perimeter.
The ravine had become a cavernous subterranean basin, its walls glowing from the heat of their magic. Broken stone rained from far above as the two combatants separated across the crater.
The Dragon God regenerated, and the seven heads coiled around each other.
A large magic circle formed above him.
Sheira's eyes widened, and she quickly took a defensive stance as the heat rose exponentially.
Her mind raced; she needed to think quickly.
Barrier? Barrier! Subconsciously, she wove the mana in such a way to form a thick, glassy surface between herself and the dragon. Before she could blink, Zm'aj's spell was unleashed.
"[Cataclysm]!" Zm'aj roared, and then the destruction of everything that dared stand against the mighty spell.
The [Temporal Barrier] shimmered, yet it held strong, making Zm'aj's eyes widen, yet he knew that the goddess would fall before him.
The cataclysmic world-shattering flames raged within the barrier.
Sheira gritted her teeth, her sweat rolling down her forehead, her hands trembling.
The glassy barrier endured for a moment.
However, it could not last forever.
She needed to win. She needed to destroy the enemy that threatened her home.
What do I do?! The flames crashed against her barrier, the pressure and heat making it crack. Her eyes desperately darted around the crater surrounding them.
They were deep underground, with only light produced by their own magic.
She took a deep breath and forced even more mana into the barrier. How long does this spell last?!
Instead of waning, its potency increased, forcing her to her knees.
Blood poured from her mouth and nose, and her bones crunched. The whites of her eyes reddened, and her skin burst open.
"I can't handle this!" she screamed, pushing even more of her power into defense.
No! What am I saying! I have to do this! This thing is too dangerous! Her confidence returned just as fast as it left. "Let me show you the power of a goddess!"
Her shard of time ticked, and her heart felt as if it was about to explode. The glassy barrier cracked, and she collapsed.
Shit, this is just like in the vision! The cataclysmic spell broke the barrier, and she was engulfed by immense power.
Her skin burned, her flesh melting, the divine blood within her unable to keep up.
Another tick echoed from the shard.
A thousand years of growth crashed through Sheira in an instant.
Another flare of divinity pierced the cataclysmic flames.
Her wounds disappeared, and her form crackled with crimson sparks. The white flames turned dark crimson.
The flames that hurt her before no longer damaged her skin.
Her body trembled.
It hurt. It felt as if her head would pop and her heart burst, yet she could not let herself fall.
She pushed herself to her feet and looked at her palm.
Sheira had awakened.
Despite her legs threatening to give up, she stood in the flames that brought ruin to civilizations. "Alright, you overgrown lizard! Come here!"
The princess jumped through the cataclysmic flames and curled her fists. Before the dragon could react, she threw a powerful punch at the base of his necks, instantly stopping the channeling of the cataclysm.
Her fist collided with his scales, and a crimson singularity formed between her fist and the scale.
Then it collapsed into itself.
The sound disappeared, and then a sphere of pure divinity expanded and engulfed the barrier.
Sheira was not done; she launched another punch, then another, each tearing reality itself and causing an explosion that would wipe out a country.
The young goddess spun and launched a nuclear kick at his body, sending him crashing into the barrier.
The dragon's scales were battered, and he was bleeding profusely, his regeneration unable to keep up.
Both crashed onto the bottom of the subterranean crater.
The Dragon God twitched, his body unable to move for a moment, giving Sheira a chance to dash forward.
Without thinking, the time around her sped up, and as soon as her punch connected, the force pierced through the dragon, disintegrating all but one head and most of his body.
She landed on the floor again, her breathing shallow, then she collapsed on her knees. "Did…I win?"
No, she had not. The dragon, while gravely injured, still held powerful regeneration that would restore him in seconds.
She needed one more punch. Sheira fought her lightheadedness, approaching the so-called Dragon God.
Zm'aj growled. "Goddess…"
Unlike previous speeches, his words carried no malice. They were lined with respect. She tilted her head.
"Thank… you. I see now that I truly am not worthy of being a true god. I was far from ready."
Sheira reeled back.
"Huh?!"
His regeneration sped up, allowing him to move his remaining head close to Sheira.
She raised her guard, ready to punch the lizard's snout.
"Thus is the law of the world. The weak shall make way for the strong. And I was not strong enough to be a true god. Do what you must, goddess," he stated and closed his eyes.
Why is he thanking me?!
She approached, ready to put the dragon lord out of his misery. "Why did you want to attack my homeland? Tell me."
He chuckled. "The Eight Eyes had promised me a throne in the City of Glass, for a price of the elven civilization."
"The Eight Eyes?"
"The Red Dawn, humans."
Of course, what did I expect? "Why would you even want to be a god? The legend seems to depict you as content just being in your territory and ruling over the dragons, only ever attacking when provoked."
He cackled. "Because… because I believed myself worthy of such a title."
"Stupid lizard," she grumbled.
He landed his head in front of the goddess. "These are my last words: Humans are dangerous, even more so than I ever was. They proved to me that they could enter the City of Glass. Warn the pantheon, goddess."
I know that already!
"Thank you," she smiled and approached his head.
Sheira placed her palm onto Zm'aj's snout.
The singularity formed, then expanded.
As the spark of crimson light died down, not even the ash of the Dragon God remained. He who claimed godhood fell to a true divine.
Sheira sighed in relief, and her vision spun. Then she collapsed onto the glassed floor of the crater, her consciousness finally fading to black.