The Flames of the Dragon

Plasma bullets were being ejected from A'grappa's fingertips with such a pace that my barrier was beginning to visibly wane. I could feel each impact. Each attack was stronger than the last. The grass burned under each deflected attack. I did my best to absorb what I could. I countered with Dust Forest and Ashura's Arrow for each volley he sent my way. Yet, A'grappa was faster than my attacks. It was almost as if he could anticipate where I would attack from.

Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in one minute and five seconds.

When I least expected A'grappa to switch up his attacks from ranged to melee, he was directly behind me. My barrier held. For now. Only for him to continue with the ranged onslaught. Each time he moved, I attacked. For every attack, I defended and he evaded. It was almost as if he knew what I was attempting. Almost.

I'm going to take that form again. I didn't wait for anyone to respond. This was the best chance I had at defeating him. I needed to find a way. A'grappa the Dragon had to die. I focused on the feeling of that transformation. My height tripled immediately. Mechanical arms emerged from my back, each taking a Buddhist seal. Large Markhor horns erupted from my head as my body took on both fur and scales. The earth beneath me sunk under the increased weight. I put my hands together. "Unending Gates of Yggdrasil."

Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in one minute.

The archlike gates came crashing down around me, preventing A'grappa from moving freely. No matter where he went, a gate found him and fell to his position. I wasn't going to let it up either. My other hands pressed together each controlling gates. At that point, I released my original hands and summoned Quetzalli to me. Once more I sent out volleys of Asura's Arrows and Dust Forest. I wasn't letting him get away. Not this time.

Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in fifty-five seconds.

I released various wind attacks using Quetzalli as a conduit to direct them. Nothing made their mark. However, the more I attacked the less space A'grappa had to move. For now. He could always just teleport away. That he wasn't meant that he was really trying to have this battle. Fighting was probably his favorite thing to do.

Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in fifty seconds.

A'grappa let out a fan of flames in a wide sweeping circle. I didn't know if he thought I would dodge or he was trying to destroy my gates. Instead, I strengthened my barrier. I strengthened the barriers around the gates too. He wasn't going to defeat me that easily. Not if I had something to say about it. I watched as my barriers deflected his flames back to him, knowing that they would have no effect on him. He was impervious to flame damage. His scales were too strong.

Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in forty-five seconds.

A'grappa took to the air, now superheated from his own flames. He gleamed like he had just come from a walk on the sun. The grass where he had stood was charred black. I fired everything I had at him, from every angle I could. But, I could feel his breath at the back of my neck. He was faster than I was. No matter how much power I controlled. No matter what I did to get stronger. I could feel the despair. Creeping ever closer. Ever more. It desired to devour me.

Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in forty seconds.

I could feel my barrier take each hit. It smashed through gate after gate. He was using me like a wrecking ball to clear himself some room to fight. My barrier fluctuated, struggling to withstand the impacts. I could feel him smile. I could hear his laugh in my head. Slowly I was becoming more and more numb to the destruction he caused. Nothing I did made any difference. He was going to destroy. There was no changing that.

Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in thirty-five seconds.

No! I alone stand against this tyrant. I alone shall overcome his onslaught! I rallied myself. I reached out quickly and with great ferocity and put my grip at his neck. I flung him from me with all the strength I could muster. Before he could even come to a landing, I was behind him. I punched him with everything I had, right in the middle of his back. He went flying once more. Again, I was behind him. I punched him with my other hand this time. Once more, he went flying. I was behind him without even thinking about it. I sent him flying with a third strike. Only to be behind him once more. I took both of my hands and slammed them into his back, forcing him into the ground. "Ten Ton Blitzkrieg!" I pounded the spot he hit the dirt with every hand I had, wrapped in my special barrier.

Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in twenty seconds.

Flames burst forward through my relentless attacks. I created one of my strongest barriers to protect myself and continued to attack through the heat and fire. I wasn't letting him get away. Not this time.

Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in fifteen seconds.

A'grappa's claws emerged from the flurry of punches. He grasped at my barrier, forcing his way through to my shirt. He struggled to bring me closer to him as I continued to pummel him. But, he found the strength. He tossed me back with as much strength as he could muster, lighting the path I took with flames at the same time. I took the chance to match his flames, canceling out their effect.

Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in ten seconds.

I finally realized all the despair and fear I had been feeling was not mine. All that hate and sadness. None of it belonged to me. It all belonged to A'grappa. I could feel his seething. It was getting stronger and stronger. And then, there was a flash of a moment within him. Suddenly, as my own resolve had returned to me, I could feel his emotions settle. There was calm like I had never felt before. It was like a pool of water with no ripples. Utter calm in nothingness.

A'grappa smiled. "You've gotten much stronger, Child of Rammel. In such a short time, you have learned to hone some of your abilities so well." His smile grew. "You really have become a nice challenge for these rusty old bones." He took a breath as he returned to his feet. "This technique wasn't meant for you. It was for someone a long time from now, at the end of everything. But, you have won my respect. I will take you down with all that I have." He began to craft a blade between his hands, inch by inch. The multipronged blade made its appearance from within, looking like a moving flame. Once it had been fully formed, he brought it down to his side. He took another breath, as I came to land on my feet. He pointed his sword at me. "Ryusen Bonten Hoken." The blade lit with blue-white flames.

I could feel the heat of it from here.

Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in five seconds.

I needed a blade that was stronger, sharper, more malleable. Then, I got an idea. I compressed all the wind I could muster between my hands. I could feel it begin to take shape. Slowly, I formed a sword from the wind itself, imbuing it with as many of my leeching properties as I could.

Four.

A'grappa raced towards me, his blade at the ready. He was aiming to impale me and burn me to a crisp. If I was touched by that blade alone, I knew that was the end of me.

Three.

I held my stance. This was it. All or nothing. A'grappa came closer and closer. I could feel his emotions once more begin to waver. Just a brief second. But, once again, it became as solid as stone. Not so much as a ripple of unsureness from within him. The closer and closer he came, the more and more I steeled myself to my fate. It all came down to this one attack. Whoever was left standing after would be the victor. And, the victor writes history.

Two.

In that last second, the entire world stood still. There was no such thing as time. A'grappa thrust his blade forward as I did mine. I could feel the impact. I waited. We both stood there, face to face, mere inches apart. Our eyes met. There was no more rage or despair in A'grappa's. No more fear in mine. Only the calmness of dedication and confidence in our cause. No matter what the outcome, we had both made our resolution to see it to the end.

One.

A'grappa smiled.