Chapter 34: Sovereign Spear
Cassian chuckled softly from his distant perch.
"I didn't recognize you," he said, his voice carrying a genuine warmth. "It's so great to see you again, Calhoun." He watched the swirling, fiery vortex with a devilish grin.
He knew that stance, that harmonious use of spear and flame. He could not mistake it for anyone else.
"You've grown strong," Cassian continued, admiring the way the Blazing Hurricane reached the sky.
"It's beautiful. But will it be enough?"
Calhoun (Dagarak) stood before the subsiding fiery tornado he had conjured. He knew the strength of the beast far surpassed his earlier, casual expectations, but he had hoped the intensity of the flames would at least force it to take significant damage.
RROOOAAAAAARRRRRR!
An ear-splitting roar tore through the forest, shaking the earth to its core. The sound instantly dispersed the remaining flames. The monster's gaze, though slightly singed, fixed on Calhoun, and the predatory grin on its face seemed to widen, almost mocking the attempt. Cassian, using his Shadow Sight from the carriage, confirmed the creature's excitement.
"Something's wrong," Cassian noted, his grin fading slightly.
Calhoun met the monster's gaze, utterly unmoved. The creature launched itself forward, moving with the speed of a bullet. Those watching missed the movement entirely by blinking.
BOOM!
A thunderous sound erupted, followed by a shockwave that violently shattered the ground directly beneath Calhoun's feet. The Commander, who was weakly sitting up, raised his head. His eyes widened in shock, his jaw dropping to see the monster's large hand stopped dead, inches from Calhoun's face. The Adventurer remained unmoving and completely unfazed.
Cassian's lips curved into a wicked smile; he could sense the familiar frustration and confusion washing over the monster as, once again, its hand was stopped as if by an invisible, impenetrable wall.
"Ho... How?" the Commander stammered, unable to comprehend the defense.
The monster raised its other hand, readying a hammer blow. Just then, an adventurer—the one named Dextereo—ran in, his greatsword raised high. Seeing an opportunity, the attacker leaped, his sword emitting a dim yellow glow.
"Get a load of this!"
"Dextereox!" he yelled, swinging his sword down at the monster's exposed wrist.
CLANG!
His sword struck the monster's wrist, but failed to pierce the tough hide. Instead, the sheer force of his skill managed to drive the creature's massive hand straight to the ground, pinning it.
GROWL!
The monster gave a low, furious growl, slowly breaking its gaze from Calhoun and turning its head toward Dextereo, whose sword was still pinning its wrist to the ground. Their eyes met.
Unlike the unflappable Calhoun, the adventurer instantly shivered, the monster's red eyes seeming to bore into his soul. His legs grew weak, shaking violently as the monster refused to break eye contact. Dextereo's grip on his greatsword began to loosen as the creature started to slowly raise its pinned hand, effortlessly overpowering him.
"No, no, no!" he panicked, struggling to hold the brute down.
Just as the monster's hand was about to break free, something came flying in like a beam of light and struck the monster's face, turning its arrogant grin into a furious frown.
RRROOOOAAAARRRR!
It roared in pain, momentarily struggling to raise its hand.
"Dextereo!" Calhoun yelled, urging the Knight to hold.
The adventurer, startled by the external aid, managed to pin the hand once again. The creature spun its head, and its gaze met Calhoun's. Calhoun's lips curved into a devilish grin, pointing to the bottom of an arrow lodged in the creature's left eye socket.
Calhoun gripped his spear tightly, spinning it between both hands, and then pointed it directly at the beast.
"Sovereign Spear!"
"Drill Strike!"
Calhoun thrusted his spear forward at the monster. The impact, though purely kinetic, created a concentrated shockwave that forcefully pushed the monster backward, away from both himself and Dextereo.
The monster took the attack head-on with no visible damage, landing firmly on its feet. Just as it prepared to retaliate, the Mages, gathered further back, took action. A large blue incantation circle immediately materialized beneath the monster's feet.
"What's... What's going on?" the Commander stuttered, shifting his gaze from the monster to the Mages gathered on the right, their staffs raised high into the air as the spell began to activate.