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Fernando's dark aura flared violently, black and crimson flames swirling around his body as he advanced toward Zeldaris. Each step scorched the cracked ground beneath him. His eyes burned with unyielding determination, yet the strain of Son of Darkness pulled at his very soul.
Zeldaris snarled, claws digging into the rocky earth, the two dog-headed flames on his back growling and snapping. His aura roared, wild and devouring, as the heat from his hybrid form distorted the air itself. "Come, Dark King! Show me the true depths of your darkness!"
They collided in an explosion of energy. The impact sent shockwaves across the battlefield, tearing up rocks, splintering lava flows, and sending Kur and Yaman staggering backward from the force.
Fernando swung his sword, infused with the Son of Darkness, and a wave of black energy surged toward Zeldaris, twisting gravity around him like a living shadow. Zeldaris countered with his claws, sending out a torrent of flaming magic that erupted like a volcanic eruption. The two forces clashed, igniting the air with black and red flames, magma, and feral energy.
Zeldaris bared his fangs and laughed savagely. "So this is the Dark King's hidden power… magnificent! But it will cost you dearly!"
Fernando gritted his teeth, the magic in his body screaming with pain as he pushed further. He focused, gathering the darkness and his own life force into a concentrated sphere. "I don't care about the cost! I fight for my son, for Vulcanus, for everyone!"
With a roar, Fernando unleashed a massive gravitational strike, pulling molten rocks, debris, and even parts of the ground toward Zeldaris with crushing force. Lava cascaded like a river toward the hybrid Cerberus, but Zeldaris met it head-on, swinging both fiery claws and his two hellish dog-heads, scattering the lava in every direction. The force of the collision sent a column of earth and magma hundreds of feet into the air.
Kur, still recovering from Yaman's earlier clash, watched in awe. Even Yaman, his aura blazing faintly from the residual magma, whispered to himself, "Father… he's… unstoppable…"
Zeldaris' laughter cut through the chaos, wild and predatory. "Dark King, this is exhilarating! Every bit of your power… it burns, it consumes! But is this enough to stand against me?"
Fernando's eyes glinted, pain and fury mingling. He could feel the 20-minute limit of Son of Darkness counting down, the price of the spell gnawing at him, yet he pressed on. Every movement, every strike, every gravitational pull was fueled by a burning desire to survive—and to protect his son.
With a primal roar, Fernando lunged, combining his gravity-warping darkness with sheer physical power. Zeldaris leapt back, claws raking the ground, molten fire erupting beneath him, yet Fernando's attack landed, shattering the rock beneath his feet and sending cracks radiating across the battlefield. The sheer force of the impact scorched the air, making Kur shield his eyes.
Zeldaris growled, tipping his hybrid head back in fury. "You dare defy me, Dark King? You dare strike me?!"
Fernando's voice was hoarse but unwavering. "I will defy you, Zeldaris! I will fight until my last breath if it means protecting my son and my home!"
The battlefield became a storm of black darkness and molten fire. Lava cascaded, debris flew, and the very earth trembled. The shouts of the few survivors and echoes of the past battles were drowned by the catastrophic clash of father and son's enemies meeting in a storm of raw, apocalyptic power.
The Son of Darkness spell pulsed violently through Fernando's veins. The gravitational field around him intensified, warping reality, pulling everything toward his core. Zeldaris, eyes burning like molten metal, countered with the full power of Cerberus hybrid form, claws shredding the air, flames exploding like miniature volcanoes with every swipe.
The ground cracked and buckled beneath them, and for a moment, it seemed as if the entire island of Vulcanus would be torn apart by their sheer force.
Fernando gritted his teeth, knowing the cost, yet smiled with defiance through the pain. "I don't care if I lose ten years, my body, my life… I will not let you win!"
Zeldaris snarled in response, both exhilarated and enraged. "Then let the real battle begin, Dark King! Let us see whose power dominates the island!"
The battlefield was set. The stage of death, darkness, and molten fury had been drawn. Both warriors, father and rival, burned with unmatched fury, ready to collide in a legendary clash that would shake the heavens and lava alike.
--
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Fernando's eyes glowed crimson, his body radiating a darkness so dense that the very air seemed to quiver under its weight. The Son of Darkness spell consumed him, black and red energy spiraling around his form, gravity bending violently to his will. Every nerve, every muscle, screamed with unbearable pain, yet he smiled with unwavering resolve.
Yaman watched from the edge of the battlefield, his magma aura flickering faintly, unable to intervene yet feeling the weight of his father's courage. "Father…" he whispered, awe and fear mingling in his voice.
Fernando lifted his hands toward the sky, channeling all of his life force, all his rage, and all his love for his son and Vulcanus into a single, horrifying point of power. "This… ends now!" he roared, voice echoing across the volcanoes.
The ground beneath Zeldaris trembled violently. The Cerberus hybrid growled, claws digging into the cracked earth as it struggled to resist the gravitational pull emanating from Fernando. Lava streams were yanked upward like water in a whirlpool, rocks and debris spinning into the sky, forming a spiraling vortex of destruction.
Fernando's body glowed brighter, black and red lightning crackling across his skin. "Son of Darkness… METEOR OF OBLIVION!"
A gigantic meteor, forged entirely of condensed darkness, gravity, and molten energy, erupted from the vortex around Fernando. It shot toward Zeldaris with unstoppable force, the sheer mass of it warping the very air, tearing the clouds above, and sending shockwaves that shattered nearby mountains.
Kur and Zeldaris were forced to brace themselves. "Impossible… this power…" Zeldaris growled, his canine flames flaring violently as he tried to counter the meteor with his Cerberus energy. Lava and darkness collided in a blinding explosion that illuminated the battlefield like the sun itself had descended into hell.
Zeldaris' roar of fury clashed with Fernando's, the sound vibrating through the ashes of Vulcanus, as the meteor's gravity crushed everything in its path. Buildings collapsed, rocks vaporized, and the heat melted the ground. The force of the strike was so immense that even Fernando's own body quaked under the strain of channeling the forbidden Son of Darkness.
The Cerberus hybrid staggered as the meteor struck, flames and molten energy exploding outward. Zeldaris roared in pain, his left eye burning from the residual magma burns Yaman had inflicted earlier. The massive force of the attack sent shockwaves across the battlefield, flattening everything in its radius.
Fernando fell to his knees, exhausted, blood streaming from his body, yet he gazed at the aftermath with unwavering determination. His voice, though strained, rang out over the chaos. "This… is the power of a Dark King who fights for his son… for his home… for his people!"
Yaman, watching in awe, felt his own aura flare, inspired by his father's sacrifice and courage. Even Kur staggered back, and Zeldaris, half-dazed from the strike, realized the full terrifying potential of the Dark King.
The battlefield was silent, save for the crackling of molten lava and the distant eruptions of the volcanoes. Dust and smoke filled the air. All who remained knew that Fernando's strike had changed the course of the battle… and that the wrath of the Son of Darkness was far from over
---
Yaman's magma aura flared violently, the red light licking across his skin like molten rage. His chest heaved as he clenched his fists, looking at the two titans—his father and Zeldaris—locked in an earth-shattering clash.
For a moment, his heart twisted. The energy radiating from Fernando was monstrous, suffocating. Yaman could feel the darkness and pain consuming his father. His instincts screamed to stop him, to pull him away before the forbidden power destroyed him.
It felt as though he was standing against two enemies—the Cerberus and the darkness eating away at his own blood.
But he steadied himself. "Father… I trust you," he whispered.
Then his attention shifted sharply toward the masked man standing a few paces away. Kur's mask gleamed faintly in the flickering light of the lava. Beneath it, a smirk stretched across his unseen face.
"You look proud, boy," Kur said, voice low and mocking.
Yaman smirked back, his crimson eyes narrowing. "Yeah… that's my nature. My head will not bow until I die."
Kur chuckled quietly, the sound muffled behind the mask. "Heh… bold words. You've got spirit."
Before either could move, a massive shockwave thundered across the battlefield. The explosion of magical power from Fernando and Zeldaris's clash sent ripples through the air, making even the molten rivers tremble.
Kur's eyes gleamed behind the mask. "Your father is stupid if he thinks he can defeat Zeldaris. But…" He tilted his head slightly. "I'll admit—during my time with him, no one has ever pushed him to this degree."
Yaman smiled fiercely, magma sparking from his fists. "Don't underestimate my father. He'll crush your leader… and I'll take care of you."
Kur's grin widened. "Words of courage, huh? Then show me what you have… Yaman Ignis."
In a burst of molten energy, Yaman vanished. The ground beneath him cracked and burned. In the next instant, he reappeared right in front of Kur, his hand shaped like a dragon's claw—veins glowing red-hot, magma bursting from his fingertips.
"Dragon's Claw!"
The impact sent Kur flying backward, crashing into a massive rock formation that shattered into rubble. The ground beneath them scorched black from the heat.
Kur stood slowly, brushing off the debris. "What a powerful force… You don't have full control yet, but still…" His aura flared violently, flames swirling around him like a storm. "…that's not enough to defeat me."
Then the air began to twist with unbearable heat. The red glow around Kur deepened, his flames turning from crimson to a deeper, blood-like hue.
"This is my magic," he said darkly, raising his hand. "Lost Magic: The Fire of Annihilation."
A wave of unnatural heat filled the battlefield—not burning, but erasing—the kind of fire that destroyed the very essence of matter. Lava hardened instantly in its presence. The air screamed.
Kur's voice deepened, almost reverent. "A fire that doesn't burn… but destroys. Its only purpose is annihilation. Now…" He stepped forward, flames roaring like a demon's howl. "Let's see which is stronger—my Fire of Annihilation… or your Magma, Yaman Ignis."
Yaman's eyes blazed with determination. His magma aura erupted again, the volcano around them shaking.
He grinned savagely. "Now let's see."
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