Chapter 26 - Leap of Faith
"Jump, Kai!"
Aurelius's voice echoed through the storm.
Kai didn't hesitate.
He trusted the Celestial Roc completely.
Grabbing the Crimson Flame Fox, he pushed off Aurelius's back.
For a heartbeat...
There was only the wind.
The world blurred beneath him as he plummeted toward the Bone Dragon.
The crimson spear tore through the space where he had been standing a moment earlier.
BOOM!
The attack exploded against Aurelius's golden barrier, scattering sparks across the sky.
The Divine Roc cried out, but remained airborne.
"Now!" Aurelius shouted.
---
Kai fell rapidly.
The Bone Dragon's gigantic ribcage rushed toward him.
The Crimson Flame Fox leapt from his shoulder.
"Beast Resonance!"
Kai activated the skill.
His heartbeat synchronised with the fox's.
Time seemed to slow.
The fox used Ember Dash, bouncing from one massive rib to another, while Kai followed using Spirit Step.
Together they descended through the dragon's skeleton like dancers moving across a battlefield.
Far below, the Corruption Core pulsed with sinister crimson light.
---
The hooded controller snarled.
"He reached the dragon!"
He raised his staff again.
Dark chains erupted from the crystal at its tip, racing toward Kai.
But before they could reach him, a roar split the sky.
Commander Arcturus had launched himself from the fortress aboard his Bronze Lion.
"You'll have to get through me first!"
The Bronze Lion collided with the controller, knocking him away from the Bone Dragon.
The battle above the clouds intensified.
---
Kai finally reached the dragon's chest.
The black crystal floated between its ribs, wrapped in countless dark chains.
Each chain pulsed with the pain of the dragon itself.
The Bone Dragon slowly lowered its head.
One ghostly blue eye opened.
For the first time...
It looked directly at Kai.
"Little Sovereign..."
Its voice echoed within his mind.
"Do not destroy me..."
Kai shook his head.
"I'm not here to destroy you."
"I'm here to free you."
A single tear of blue light rolled from the dragon's eye.
"Then... hurry..."
"I cannot hold the darkness much longer."
---
The Book of Infinite Beasts appeared.
Its pages glowed brighter than ever before.
Final Objective
Destroy the Corruption Core
Method: Unite the heart of the Beast Tamer and the will of the Beast.
Kai frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The fox looked at him.
"It means we attack together."
"Not as master and beast..."
"But as partners."
Kai smiled.
"As always."
He extended his fist.
The fox gently touched it with its paw.
Golden light enveloped them both.
The Book trembled.
New Skill Unlocked
Sovereign Resonance
Status: First Awakening
When complete trust exists between Beast Tamer and Beast, their souls resonate as one.
Kai felt warmth spread through his body.
His senses sharpened.
He could hear the Bone Dragon's heartbeat.
He could feel the fox's determination.
He could even sense the sorrow buried within the corruption.
He raised the black spear.
The fox's flames wrapped around its tip, transforming it into a spear of crimson and gold.
---
"Together!"
Kai and the Crimson Flame Fox charged.
The dark chains lashed toward them.
Kai dodged one.
The fox burned through another.
The Corruption Core pulsed violently.
Just metres away...
The hooded controller broke free from Commander Arcturus and screamed,
"NO!"
He lunged toward Kai with a blade of black lightning.
Kai had only one chance.
With a final shout, he drove the blazing spear toward the Corruption Core.
At the exact same moment...
The controller's black blade descended toward Kai's back.
The fate of the Bone Dragon...
And Kai Dragonbane...
Would be decided in a single heartbeat.