Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV
37 Floor, Dungeon.
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The battle against the Juggernaut was reaching a critical point. Human and Xenos were facing the colossal beast amidst its continuous onslaught, but it was clear that the creature was becoming increasingly furious and unpredictable. Until now, Lucius had managed to skilfully intervene, using his time magic to manipulate the position of the Juggernaut's tusks, saving Xenos from fatal attacks several times.
The Juggernaut, with its primitive yet cunning intelligence, realized that Lucius was a greater threat than it had initially anticipated. It let out a deafening roar that echoed through the area, shaking the ground beneath their feet, and then, with surprising speed for its size, turned towards Lucius again leaving the xenos behind as they continued to wound its body and tried to reach it.
Lucius, whose eyes never left the beast, immediately noticed the monster's shift in focus. He knew he needed to act quickly. As the Juggernaut charged, Lucius concentrated and activated his teleport ability. With a flash, he disappeared from the spot he had been just a moment before, reappearing in a safer position several dozen meters away.
The Juggernaut, confused by the sudden disappearance of its target, paused for a moment, its burning eyes scanning the area in search of Lucius as before, but now it seemed to be starting to find Lucius faster. Even with little time, this pause gave the Xenos a precious opportunity to attack, and they did not waste this moment. With a series of quick and precise movements, Xenos delivered several powerful strikes to the creature, each hitting the Juggernaut with devastating force.
Lucius didn't fall behind; he began to cast bolts onto the juggernaut continuously to obscure its vision with the glare of the spell. The Juggernaut was increasingly wounded by the physical attacks of the xenos.
Irritated by this, it launched its claws and Ray, without being able to react, was the target this time, but a blue sphere enveloped him with strange symbols, and it disappeared before the juggernaut's claws could hit him.
Ray looked at Lucius for a moment as she emerged from the sphere, he couldn't help but thank him for being saved by the human wizard's spell.
A moment later, Juggernaut's bony head received massive damage from Asterius's sword.
*ROAAARRR!* The monster groaned in pain, throwing punches in all directions while spheres continued to cover the xenos to keep them away from the blows.
"Damn magic-resistant creature..." Lucius murmured as the only thing he could do was help with support magic.
The juggernaut tried once more to launch an attack on him and he teleported once again, appearing in a safe place.
'You are persistent...' he thought, as he watched the creature find him and growl at him. 'Is he getting used to my magic teleport and even predicting where I will appear?' Lucius couldn't help but worry about this a bit, the juggernaut was adapting to Lucius's fighting style.
As the battle unfolded again, the Xenos surrounded it and held their position, attacking with coordination, injuring the creature more and more. Meanwhile, the Juggernaut, despite being wounded and enraged, continued to be a formidable threat. Lucius continued to provide crucial support, saving them from deadly attacks and confusing the Juggernaut with his spells.
At that moment, Gros was saved once again by Lucius.
"Lucius, your magic... is what keeps us alive. Thankful," said Gros, his deep voice resonating with sincerity.
Lucius, surprised by the unexpected gratitude, just nodded in acknowledgment. "Let's continue. It's not over yet."
At that moment, Asterius, the strongest among the Xenos, with his great sword, delivered a powerful blow to the Juggernaut's ribs, while Erebus punched its belly, making the creature roar in agony. "This monster may be tough, but it's not invincible!" Asterius shouted.
"Come on, brothers, let's bring him down!" exclaimed Lyd, as he continued to attack with renewed vigor. The Xenos increased their attack.
The battle unfolded with wild fury, each Xenos throwing themselves against the Juggernaut with a combination of primal ferocity and meticulously planned tactics. Lucius, in turn, wove his magic with precision, each spell a crucial line of support in the web of the fight.
The Juggernaut, even amidst its screams of pain, continued the fight, trying to hit the xenos the whole time. Lucius felt the weight of reality: the monster's resistance was nearly insurmountable.
'This way, we'll be here for hours...' Lucius thought, looking at the resistant creature. It was being defeated, but it wasn't close; they were just depending on luck, and it was only a matter of time until a xenos was killed by its claws.
"Folks, we need a new approach," Lucius called out, his voice an anchor of calm in the chaos. "I have a spell, but it's a risk. I need time to cast it, and during that, I'll be vulnerable. I need you to keep the Juggernaut busy and away from me."
Asterius, whose stature was only eclipsed by his bravery, looked at Lucius with a firm nod. "We are ready to follow your strategy." Asterius's determination was a reflection of the resolve of all the Xenos present.
Lucius, seeing this, nodded and teleported to a more distant location, his lips beginning to move in a chant. The energy around him pulsed, a prelude to what was to come.
Meanwhile, the Xenos redoubled their efforts. The Juggernaut, the target of the Xenos' wrath and desperation, found itself increasingly cornered by the storm of fury.
Lucius chanted the ancient incantation, his voice rising and falling with the rhythm of the spell, each word vibrating with power and purpose. "By the power of the sun that burns in the sky, by the eternal flame that never dies," he continued, the intensity of his magic growing with each verse.
The Xenos focused on facing the Juggernaut with renewed ferocity. They knew the importance of distracting the creature while Lucius prepared his attack.
The energy around Lucius began to swirl, the magical particles with the mana zone ability reacting to his summoning along with the spell, strengthening it with each passing moment. The atmosphere around him pulsed, as if the very air were alive with anticipation of what was to come. Lucius could feel the magic flowing through him, a powerful current seeking release in an act of pure destruction.
"Let this sphere of light, born of my will, be the herald of my enemies' defeat," Lucius proclaimed, his words echoing like a divine decree. "Let it shine more brightly than the noonday sun, let its light be the ruin of the evil we face."
As the spell neared its completion, Lucius could feel the energy reaching its apex, a power so immense it seemed almost unbearable. He knew he was about to unleash a force like never before, a magic that could change the course of the battle in a single decisive moment.
And then, with the last word of the chant uttered, Lucius raised his hands to the sky, the accumulated energy beginning to grow at that point.
As the Xenos distracted the Juggernaut with a relentless offensive, the creature, driven by a wild instinct, realized the growing threat that Lucius posed. With a thunderous roar, it abruptly turned and charged towards Lucius, determined to interrupt the spell before it could be completed.
Lucius, focused on his chant, sensed the imminent danger and, in a quick reflex, interrupted the enchantment to teleport away from the direct attack. But the Juggernaut, in a display of surprising cunning, scratched the ground with its powerful claws, launching a swarm of stones and debris in the direction where Lucius would reappear.
The mage appeared at the predicted point, only to be greeted by a shower of stones. "AHHHHH!!" Lucius screamed, the searing pain piercing his body. The sudden attack wounded him, but he remained steadfast.
Lyd saw Lucius's moment of distress and shouted worriedly: "Lu-Chi!" But Lucius, although injured, refused to give in. Spitting blood, he resisted the urge to use healing magic, knowing that any distraction could cost the battle, and continued focusing on the magical solar ball above his head.
"Don't stop, I'm almost finishing!" Lucius roared to the Xenos, who, despite their own struggles and wounds, redoubled their efforts, launching themselves at the Juggernaut.
Lucius, gathering the last of his strength, resumed the chant, his voice echoing with a power that defied the pain. "Let from my being, light be made, let from my heart, fire crackle, In the battle that looms, may my magic not fail. And at the end of this chant, at the end of this rite, May my name be remembered, my power be spoken."
"I'm going to cast the spell!" Lucius announced, and at the climax of the incantation, a bright and pulsating sphere of energy formed completely, resembling a legendary yellow Genki-Dama. A wave of light and force burst from him, speeding with devastating velocity towards the Juggernaut as he launched it with his arms.
In the instant before impact, Lucius, with a last effort of will, enveloped each of the Xenos in spheres of time, pulling them out of range of the impending attack. The creature, now the sole target of the glowing sphere, looked at the incoming attack, its expression a mix of rage and confusion, as it could sense the danger of the attack and its targets had vanished, leaving it alone with the bright ball of light and heat.
As Lucius's Solar Ball advanced towards the Juggernaut, the air around began to vibrate with palpable energy. The monster, realizing too late the deadly threat approaching, attempted to retreat, but the glowing sphere was too fast, too relentless.
At the moment of impact, an explosion of light and heat erupted with blinding intensity. The force of the collision released waves of scalding magic that spread in all directions, making the ground shake and the air hum. The light was so bright, so encompassing, that for a brief moment, all that existed was an overwhelming white.
At the center of the explosion, the Juggernaut was engulfed by the devastating force of the Solar Ball. Voracious flames, fueled by Lucius's pure and powerful magic, enveloped the creature, burning and consuming every inch of its imposing form, surpassing all its defenses against magic. The monster's roar, a sound that had once resonated with fury and threat, was now a scream of agony, muffled and distorted by the firestorm that surrounded it.
Lucius, even tens of meters away, was caught by the impact destroying the entire room, in a last act to move away from danger, he used his teleport along with the xenos in their spheres to retreat immediately while the whole place was being destroyed.
As the light began to dissipate and the vision of those present adjusted again, it became clear what had remained of the Juggernaut. The creature, which had once been an unstoppable force of destruction, was now little more than a charred shadow of its former self, disintegrating.
Exhausted, wounded, but alive, the Xenos emerged from the time spheres, their gazes turning to Lucius with a mix of admiration and deep respect. Together, they had faced a terrible threat and emerged victorious.
Lucius, exhausted and injured beyond measure, paused to contemplate the consequences of his magical offensive. Despite the victory, the personal cost to Lucius was evident. He had pushed his limits to the extreme, even channeling the energy of the mana zone and using sequentially high-caliber spells like Sun Ball, Chrono Stasis, and Fast Teleport.
Lucius felt his body tremble, his mind, which had been a focus of clarity and purpose during the battle, now was blurred and on the verge of collapse, a state that mages feared - mindzero. It was the price of pushing his magical capabilities beyond safe limits, a mental overload that left the practitioner extremely vulnerable and disoriented. He passed out the next moment.
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Raccoon here: What did you think of the fight? Was it forced, repetitive? Should I redo it?
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