Chapter 345: Complete Combustion
Although Little Ica whipped up a storm, the Crimson Mist seemed endless. The right dragon head continuously replenished the dispersed patches, rendering the effort largely ineffective.
However, that brief opening was more than enough.
"I'm going in!"
Firefly didn't pause for a microsecond. The silver mech carved a sharp arc through the air. She deactivated her emerald twin swords, and crimson flames began condensing and compressing frantically around her right fist.
The magnificent wings of fire on her back erupted with thrust. SAM vanished from its spot, closing in on the roaring two-headed dragon at a terrifying speed that the naked eye couldn't even track.
Then, she threw a punch.
There were no flashy visual effects to the strike, just the absolute zenith of strength and speed. A blast of light and heat, akin to a nuclear detonation, exploded at the exact point of contact between SAM's fist and the dragon's body.
The terrifying shockwave pushed the burning lake water dozens of meters away in all directions, creating a temporary vacuum. In the face of this pure violence, the supposedly indestructible dragon scales shattered and sprayed outward like wet paper.
Scalding dragon blood geysered into the air. The two-headed dragon's twin heads let out a synchronized, ear-piercing shriek—a horrific blend of agony and unbridled fury.
"Unrelenting sun of the sky. All is to escape your body—bloom, armor of the laurel tree!"
At that exact moment, Daphne completed her short chant.
"Lamour!"
A deep green membrane of light instantly enveloped her entire body. This was a defensive magic similar to an enchantment, capable of slightly boosting her Endurance while massively enhancing her Agility.
Leaping high from the surface of the water, Tifa and Daphne struck from two completely different angles, violently stabbing into the exposed wounds created by Amphisbaena's agonizing thrashing.
The battlefield was instantly elevated into a full-scale, three-dimensional warzone.
High in the sky, the silver Molten Knight, SAM, acted as the absolute primary attacker. Utilizing a degree of mobility unattainable by mere mortals, she rained down a torrential storm of strikes upon the two-headed dragon. Down on the water, Tifa and Daphne struck from the left and right, constantly exploiting the openings along the dragon's massive frame.
Close behind, Jeanne charged in with her iris battle standard. She didn't run on the water, but relied on her astonishing leg strength to leap between the floating ice and shoreline rocks. Her long spear blurred into streaks of golden light, launching devious, crippling strikes at the dragon's lower body from the flanks.
In the rearguard, a gentle wind of healing drifted over them like a ceaseless drizzle, accurately washing over every combatant. It continuously restored their draining stamina and mended their minor wounds.
Meanwhile, Robin had become the metronome of the battlefield. She no longer tried to land heavy magical strikes directly, but continuously fired off small-scale sonic blasts. Sometimes she aimed for the dragon's eyes; other times she disrupted the trajectory of its breath attacks. With her precise harassment, she created vital openings for her vanguards.
Aiden stood in the safest position at the very rear. Like a calm chess grandmaster, he oversaw the entire board. His magic lay coiled like a drawn bowstring—the moment any of his companions fell into a true disadvantage or lethal danger, a limit-breaking sonic blast would instantly fire, forcibly repelling the Floor Boss to buy them a moment to breathe.
Under the group's relentless, tempestuous siege, Amphisbaena roared in agony. Its massive body thrashed continuously, shifting the battlefield from the center of the lake to the rocky shores.
Every time it spewed Azure Flame, a massive floating island of ice ten meters across would instantly melt and evaporate. The entire lake was now ablaze with raging blue fire, and the rising steam turned the 27th Floor into an unbearably stifling, humid nightmare.
This was no longer the chilly Water Capital; it was an Azure Flame Furnace, wholly incompatible with the aquatic environment.
"My throat feels like it's burning...!"
The scorching steam and polluted air inevitably began to hinder Tifa and Daphne's movements. Every breath felt like swallowing red-hot coals, severely draining their focus and accelerating their stamina loss.
Firefly was protected by her mech, and Jeanne had the blessing of her Saint skill, so they didn't feel it as intensely, but even they were already drenched in sweat.
Robin frowned as she watched the Azure Flame greedily devour the oxygen. That Crimson Mist isn't just blocking magic. It's obscuring their vision and obstructing their attacks. Combined with this steam, the conditions couldn't possibly be worse.
Just as she suspected, in a battle predicated on close-quarters combat, the thick red fog swirling around the two-headed dragon had become the most lethal obstacle. Mixed with the high-temperature steam, visibility had dropped to near zero. Several times, Firefly's aerial ambushes had been severely hindered at the last second because the Crimson Mist obscured her vision, drastically reducing the effectiveness of her strikes.
By now, the originally intact icy shoreline had been carved into fragmented pieces by the dragon's breath, turning into countless "floating islands" drifting wildly in the violent currents.
The dragon's two heads displayed a terrifying agility completely disproportionate to its massive size. One head frantically spewed Azure Flame, tearing the battlefield apart, while the other continuously replenished the Crimson Mist, its crimson eyes dead-locked on the movements of every single enemy. It was causing an immense amount of trouble for Firefly and the others.
Amidst this deadlocked battle, the silver figure that had been circling in the sky, constantly searching for an opening, displayed a terrifying level of decisiveness.
"This can't go on..."
In the next moment, SAM's chassis erupted with a burst of teal light—brighter, harsher, and far more blinding than before. High-pressure energy streams blasted from every seam in the armor, as if a power suppressed to its absolute limit had finally broken free of its final restraints.
[Complete Combustion]!
Without hesitation, Firefly activated the overload mode, burning her very life force as fuel.
VMMMMMM!!!
SAM's performance was pushed to the absolute edge in an instant. The very air around it screamed in protest under the immense strain. The wings of flame on its back violently expanded, nearly doubling in length. What they spewed out was no longer teal fire, but a terrifying torrent of mixed crimson and pure white flame, resembling a solar flare erupting from the surface of a star.
Without pausing for even a fraction of a second, SAM transformed into a streak of white lightning that tore right through the steam and Crimson Mist. With an aura of pure, unadulterated violence, it charged head-on toward the two-headed dragon that was currently tangled up with Tifa and the others.
"ROAR?!"
Amphisbaena's two heads sensed the apocalyptic threat simultaneously. It immediately abandoned its current targets, attempting to use the Crimson Mist covering its body to block the incoming charge.
However, against SAM in its Complete Combustion state, the Crimson Mist—which was capable of dispersing any magic—was utterly powerless, as if it had finally met its natural predator.
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