Chapter 18: The Ancient One’s Wrath

But our victory was short-lived. As the portal collapsed, a massive shadowy figure emerged from the remnants of the darkness. It was the Ancient One, its form towering over us, its glowing eyes filled with rage.

"You dare defy me?" the Ancient One roared, its voice echoing through the courtyard. "You think you can break my hold so easily?"

I stepped back, my heart pounding. "Skully, what do we do?"

Skully's rune glowed brighter, his eye sockets narrowing. *"We fight, Master. Together."*

The Ancient One lunged at us, its massive claws slashing through the air. Skully intercepted it, his golden energy clashing with the Ancient One's dark power. The force of the impact sent shockwaves through the courtyard, the ground cracking beneath our feet.

"Skully, we need a plan!" I shouted, casting a barrier spell to protect us from the Ancient One's attacks.

*"Working on it!"* Skully replied, his voice strained. *"But this guy's tough!"*

The Ancient One let out a deafening roar, its dark energy surging forward. Skully dodged, his agility saving him from certain doom, but the Ancient One was relentless.

I focused my energy, casting spells to enhance Skully's abilities and weaken the Ancient One. But it wasn't enough. The Ancient One was too powerful, its dark energy overwhelming.

"Skully, we need to combine our power again!" I shouted. "Like we did with the portal!"

Skully nodded, his rune glowing brighter. *"Let's do it!"*

We unleashed our combined energy, the golden and fiery light colliding with the Ancient One's dark power. The force of the impact shook the courtyard, the ground trembling beneath our feet.

But the Ancient One wasn't going down without a fight. It let out a deafening roar, its form shifting and twisting as it absorbed our energy.

"It's not working!" I shouted, my voice trembling. "What do we do now?"

Skully's eye sockets narrowed, his rune glowing brighter than ever. *"We hit it with everything we've got. One last time."*

I nodded, my resolve hardening. "On my mark. Three… two… one… now!"

We unleashed our combined energy once more, the golden and fiery light colliding with the Ancient One's dark power. This time, the Ancient One couldn't withstand the force. It let out a deafening roar, its form collapsing in on itself.

The Ancient One was defeated.