The basin was gone.
What remained was hell.
The ground itself bled molten light, magma bursting from fractured seams, rivers of flame swallowing every shadow. The air shimmered with unbearable heat; even the ash burned as it fell.
And at the heart of it all — Vulcarion Basal.
The monster no longer roared in fury.
It moved with cold, deliberate precision, each motion fluid and purposeful. Its eyes glowed white-gold — steady, almost intelligent. The molten veins across its armor pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat that ruled the mountain itself.
Every breath it took warped the world around it.
Kael crouched behind a ridge of half-melted rock, his bowgun trembling from the heat. The metal burned against his palms. His Observation Haki was screaming — flashes of future movement, glowing pathways of death streaking through his mind.
He was barely keeping up.
"It's adapting again," he rasped. "Its precision's unreal… it's cutting off every escape path before we make it!"
"Then make a new one," Hunnt's voice answered through the smoke.
A shadow blurred across the battlefield — Soru.
Hunnt shot forward, his figure little more than a streak of light against the inferno. He ducked under a sweeping claw, sliding between geysers of magma as his Observation Haki painted the monster's next movement in glowing silhouettes.
The wyvern's tail swung like a burning tower.
Hunnt jumped — Geppo detonating the air beneath him — and soared upward through the firestorm. He twisted midair, bringing both gauntlets down in a cross strike.
Pulse Drive: Double Impact.
The hit connected.
For the first time, the monster stumbled.
The shockwave sent tremors rippling through the basin. Molten shards scattered like shrapnel, each one a miniature sun. Hunnt landed hard, sliding across the molten floor, smoke rising from his armor.
Alder saw the opening. He sprinted through the chaos, Soru-stepping past molten craters until he reached Hunnt's flank.
"Don't die before I hit something!" he shouted, leaping into the air.
Hunnt's lips curved faintly. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Alder rose high — Geppo launching him skyward — and his Great Sword pulsed with Armament Haki, turning the metal jet-black. The weapon hummed with energy, flames bending away from its presence.
He came down in a vertical arc, aiming for the wyvern's neck seam.
The impact cracked the armor — but only barely.
Vulcarion's counterattack came instantly.
It slammed both claws into the ground — Ash Pulse.
The explosion of soot and molten pressure ripped outward like a cannon blast. Alder was thrown back, tumbling through the air, armor cracking under the shockwave.
He hit the ground hard, rolling through a trail of fire.
Kael moved before he thought. Kami-e.
He twisted aside as another shockwave tore past, rolling into cover. He raised his bowgun and fired suppression rounds toward the monster's face — anything to buy Alder seconds to recover.
Each round burst against Vulcarion's hide, scattering flashes of white smoke and sparks — distractions, not damage.
Seren ran through the haze, shield raised high, her armor scorched nearly black. "Get up!" she roared at Alder. "We're not done yet!"
Alder groaned, forcing himself to stand. His body screamed in pain, but he still smiled. "You sound like my old instructor."
Seren gave a grim laugh. "Then take her advice and swing again!"
Vulcarion turned toward them, the glow from its chest intensifying — its molten heart flashing brighter with every beat. The heat spiked. Steam rose off their armor.
Kael's Observation Haki screamed run, but none of them did.
Hunnt landed beside them, his gauntlets cracked and smoking. "It's going to blow again. Spread and move on my mark."
The wyvern inhaled, chest expanding — magma collecting in its throat. The ground trembled. Then — Scalding Breath.
The white inferno erupted forward, a beam of pure molten death.
"Now!" Hunnt shouted.
They moved.
Hunnt dashed left — Soru splitting the air. Alder dove to the opposite side, sliding behind melted stone. Kael leapt upward with Geppo, bounding across collapsing ledges. Seren charged forward.
"Seren!" Kael yelled — but she didn't stop.
She raised her shield, glowing red-hot, and slammed it into the ground. The flames struck her like a storm. Her armor sizzled, metal screaming in protest, but she held her ground.
The blast parted around her, like water breaking against stone.
For several eternal seconds, she stood alone in that inferno — the last barrier between Vulcarion and her allies.
When the flames faded, her shield was glowing white, edges molten. Her knees buckled.
Hunnt appeared beside her in a flash, catching her before she fell.
"You're insane," he said quietly.
Seren coughed, her lips curling into a faint grin. "You say that… like it's new."
Hunnt smiled back — then turned, eyes burning red in the reflection of lava. "All right, Wanderers. Enough running."
He pressed his heel into the molten ground — Anchor Step. The rock beneath him cracked like glass. Power surged upward through his stance.
"Kael, take its eyes!"
"On it!"
Kael blurred forward, Soru streaking across the battlefield. He skidded into a firing stance, Observation Haki sharpening his perception to razor focus. He fired three precision shots — one into each eye seam, one into the open wound on its chest.
Each shot landed perfectly.
The wyvern screamed, reeling.
"Now!" Hunnt roared.
Alder launched into the air with Geppo, flames spiraling around him. Armament Haki flared along his blade, burning crimson.
He swung down as Hunnt rushed upward to meet the blow, gauntlets surging with Pulse Drive energy.
The impact from both sides was cataclysmic.
A detonation of light burst across Vulcarion's chest, fire and molten shards raining in every direction. The explosion echoed for miles. The wyvern stumbled, roaring in agony, molten blood spilling onto the ground.
For the first time, the creature hesitated.
Not because of pain — but confusion.
Hunnt could sense it. The rhythm in the air shifted, its fury wobbling. The wyvern's controlled rage flickered like a flame about to break.
Kael dropped beside him, panting. "Is it… over?"
Hunnt shook his head slowly. "No. It's trying to control the rage — hold it back."
The ground pulsed.
A low rumble rolled through the valley, deeper and heavier than before.
Alder looked up at the creature's glowing form. "Then what happens when it can't?"
The answer came with the sky itself igniting.
A wave of flame erupted outward from Vulcarion's core — a dome of light that swallowed everything in its radius.
Seren barely raised her shield in time.
Kael dove for cover.
Alder braced, sword buried in the ground.
Hunnt stood his ground, Tekkai and Armament Haki flaring to their limits.
The firestorm engulfed them.
The sound was beyond thunder — it was a scream of the earth.
When the light finally faded, the basin was unrecognizable. Everything glowed red — molten rivers, cracked cliffs, melted stone. The wyvern stood at the center, trembling, steam rising from its wounds.
Its body shuddered — still alive, still burning, still fighting.
Hunnt's knees hit the ground, his breath ragged. His armor was scorched black, his gauntlets cracked. Kael was bleeding from his temple; Alder's sword arm trembled; Seren's shield was half-melted.
And still — they stood.
They were at their limit. But none of them backed down.
Hunnt's gaze never left the beast. "Get ready… this is it."
Vulcarion raised its head, molten eyes glowing like the sun. The final roar came — pure fury and defiance.
The final rage had begun.