Round 2

The swirling mana bolt shot through the fog, a blazing sphere of energy that crackled with raw power. It tore through the air, illuminating the Bone Pit as it hurtled toward the dragon. 

Kaden's fingers tingled from the energy he had just released, his entire body trembling from the sheer force of the spell. This was his chance. He had only one shot and he had given it his all.

The dragon's golden eyes widened as the bolt appeared before it, its body already in mid-lunge toward the skeletal tiger. It tried to twist away, but the momentum was too great, its wings unfurling too late to redirect its path. 

The mana bolt slammed into its chest, right where the shadows had cracked its scales, and exploded in a burst of blinding light.

The impact was deafening. A shockwave rippled through the Bone Pit, shaking the very ground as the dragon was thrown back, its massive body colliding with the rock wall. 

Cracks spiderwebbed across the stone, dust, and debris raining down as the dragon's roar of agony echoed through the Pit. Its crimson scales shattered where the bolt had struck, revealing raw, bleeding flesh underneath.

Kaden's legs buckled beneath him, the aftershock of the spell leaving him drained, his mana reserves nearly empty. But his eyes never left the dragon. He watched as its massive form writhed, wings flailing as it tried to regain its footing. It was weakened, vulnerable, and exposed.

But the skeletal tiger was already moving. It glided forward, shadows curling around its form as it pounced, jaws unhinging wide. It didn't go for the dragon's throat or wings. No, it went straight for the wound, its fangs plunging into the broken scales, right into the flesh.

The dragon's roar turned to a scream, a haunting, guttural sound that shook the very air. Black veins of decay spread across its body.

Kaden watched, his body trembling as the dragon's roar turned into a broken, mournful wail. Its wings flapped weakly, golden eyes dimming as the darkness spread, consuming it. The mighty creature's scales dulled, their glow fading as the shadows corroded its life force. 

Its claws scraped against the ground, carving deep gashes into the stone as its body convulsed, the black veins tightening like chains. It was losing. The dragon was losing, its power being siphoned away by the skeletal tiger, its strength crumbling beneath the onslaught of decay.

But even as the dragon's body faltered, its spirit did not. A flicker of golden light ignited within its chest, faint but fierce, defying the darkness that sought to extinguish it. The dragon's golden eyes blazed one last time, its body trembling as it summoned the last remnants of its strength.

The ground beneath it shattered as it roared, the sound echoing through the Bone Pit with a raw, primal fury. Flames erupted from its maw, blazing golden and pure, cutting through the shadows as it unleashed another attack.

The skeletal tiger reeled back, the golden flames searing its bony form, burning through the shadows that shrouded its body. Its ribcage cracked, violet flames flickering wildly as the light tore through the void within its chest. 

The shadows shrieked, recoiling from the dragon's essence as the golden light surged forward, blasting the skeletal beast away. The impact sent the tiger crashing into the rock wall, its bones splintering as shadows bled from its body, dissipating into the mist.

The golden flames continued to blaze, burning through the black veins that had corrupted the dragon's flesh, searing away the decay. 

The darkness crumbled, retreating as the dragon stood tall, its eyes blazing with defiance. But its body was failing. The damage was too great, its life force too depleted. The golden light flickered, growing faint as the flames dimmed.

It was at this point that Kaden prepared to jump in and face the dragon. The tiger was down for the count though not fully dead and the dragon was as weak as it was going to be. If let this chance slip by, then there wasn't going to be another one.

But just as he was about to lunge forward, the dragon unexpectedly swung around to face him. A pair of furious eyes glared at him as it opened its maw wide and came for him.

Kaden's blood ran cold as the dragon's golden eyes locked onto him, blazing with fury and pain. Its body was battered, its scales cracked and bleeding, but its spirit burned fiercer than ever. 

The dragon's maw opened wide, rows of gleaming fangs shimmering with golden fire as it lunged toward him, jaws unhinging with a roar that shook the air. The ground beneath Kaden's feet trembled as the sheer force of its rage bore down on him.