Lyra and Tom stood side by side, staring at the beast with anger burning in their eyes, weapons clutched tightly as they waited for the right moment. The creature regenerated rapidly before their eyes, new limbs sprouting out one after the other until it stood with a total of eight.

Since they already knew how many limbs the beast could manifest, they were well aware this number wasn't its limit. They braced themselves, but the beast didn't give them any breathing room as the limbs immediately shot forward with astonishing speed.

Tom wasn't one to wait around. Flames swirled around his feet and like a blazing meteor he exploded forward with neck-breaking speed, weaving through the flurry of limbs.

They sliced the air just inches past his body, yet he moved with precision, letting them pass as though they were harmless shadows.

Lyra, however, raised her shield and met the beast's assault head-on. All eight limbs crashed into her with crushing force, sending her skidding back several inches, her boots tearing grooves into the ground.

She clenched her teeth, dug deep, and finally held her ground. Just as she steadied herself, the limbs suddenly retracted, shifting direction to chase after Tom with renewed ferocity.

"Inferno!" Tom roared, thrusting his sword high into the air. A deafening bang echoed as a tunnel of flames erupted with immense force, slamming into the beast's shoulders.

The blazing torrent tore flesh apart, ripping open a gaping wound. But almost instantly, the branches wrapped around its body slithered in like serpents, covering the hole and sealing the damage.

As if unfazed, the beast sprouted even more limbs, whipping them forward to strike. Tom crossed his sword just in time, bracing for impact. The blow still hurled him out of the air, sending him spinning across the battlefield before he caught himself mid-fall.

"ARGH!" Lyra growled, swinging her sword with all her might. A massive slash of flames tore forth, the wave of destruction smashing into the beast and forcing it to skid several inches across the ground.

'Come on! Why is nothing working? How can we kill a beast that regenerates endlessly and tanks every single hit like it's nothing? Where is its weakness? Every being in this world has a weakness, so where is its own?!' Lyra raged inwardly, sweat beading down her brow.

Meanwhile, Tom pressed on relentlessly, refusing to back down. Loud bangs thundered through the air as he unleashed strikes at full speed, pouring what little essence remained in his reserves into each attack.

He weaved through the storm of limbs, flames flaring wildly from his blade. Sometimes he landed burning hits, but just as often a limb slammed into him, forcing him to skid back before regaining his stance.

'There has to be something! A weakness… or even the smallest opening!' Lyra howled in her mind. Sparks of lightning crackled violently around her boots and in the next instant, she launched forward like a streak of lightning, dust exploding in her wake.

Leaping high into the air, her sword shimmered and shifted into a massive war hammer. With every ounce of strength she possessed, she hurled the weapon down toward the beast.

BANG!

The sound ripped through the battlefield, drawing every eye to her as the hammer broke the sound barrier. In a split second, before the beast could even react, the war hammer smashed into its skull with crushing force. The impact lifted its entire body off the ground, its head cracking open slightly and gushing blood before it crashed and tumbled violently across the earth.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the terrain as the beast dug its limbs deep into the ground to halt its momentum. Its mangled body skidded, dragged, and finally came to a stop. Slowly, it rose back up, its torn head knitting back together until the wound sealed completely.

'Huh?' Zen, who had been keeping an eye on both fights, stiffened. His gaze shifted toward Xar's battle just in time to witness something alarming. Jace had unleashed a vicious attack, one that should have landed directly on Xar.

Yet the figure simply pivoted with fluid grace, sidestepping the blow before smashing his foot straight into the Reaver. The strike sent Jace's body tumbling like a ragdoll, blood spraying from his mouth as he crashed hard into the dirt.

And just at that moment, Xar's head split open for the briefest second, pink blood dripping down his face before his body instantly transformed, sealing the opening beneath hardened bone.

All of this happened in less than the blink of an eye. So subtle that no one else would have noticed, but Zen did. His eyes widened slightly, though confusion clouded his mind even further.

'What was that?' he wondered, his frown deepening. Not wanting to jump to conclusions too quickly, he forced himself to stay calm, determined to observe both battles carefully while making sure not to miss a single detail.

"Catch!" Lyra's voice suddenly roared across the field. Her towering shield shimmered in a blinding flash before shrinking into a smaller, rounder form. Without missing a beat, she hurled it like a frisbee.

It spun through the air with deadly silence and speed, cutting against the wind until, in the twinkle of an eye, it smashed into the beast's shoulder. The impact drove the shield several inches deep, forcing the monster to stagger back, though no blood flowed from the wound.

Tom immediately seized the opening. He flashed forward in a burst of flames, swinging his sword in a lethal arc aimed at the beast's neck.

But the creature leaned back unnaturally, evading the slash, before slamming its limbs into the ground. A dozen sharp branches erupted upward, aiming to impale Tom mid-strike.

"Not today!" Tom growled. Flames exploded from his feet, rocketing him into the air just in time to avoid being skewered.

"Split." Lyra muttered sharply, separating her hands. Instantly, the shield lodged inside the beast split apart in two, releasing a violent blast. The beast's shoulder was ripped open in a savage explosion, black blood spurting profusely and dripping across the cracked ground.

Zen's attention darted back toward Xar's fight. He saw Blake and Jace struggling desperately, their strikes clashing against Xar's transformed weapons but doing little damage. The creature-like man tanked every hit, retaliating with brutal precision, boxing them around as if they were mere novices.

And then Zen's eyes narrowed. He spotted a sudden gash appear across Xar's shoulder, pink blood dripping in heavy amounts.

'But none of them hit him there. So… I was right, huh.' Zen clenched his fist, his mind racing. 'He's connected to the beast. That explains everything. No matter what we throw at the beast, it regenerates because the damage is shared with Xar himself. Of course they're connected.'

He facepalmed briefly, annoyed at his own slowness. 'He can control the beast, conjure weapons, and share damage with it. This is no different.

Which means, if we want to kill the beast, the only way is to kill Xar first. But how? Jace is stronger than me, and even Blake surpasses him, yet the two of them together are still struggling against Xar.'

"Think, think, think. Make use of your damn brain." Zen muttered to himself, his teeth grinding as he kept a keen eye on both fights.

His focus sharpened when he saw Xar's arm morph into a long bone spear, thrusting forward with the intent to skewer Jace. Blake managed to appear in the nick of time, kicking Jace away and saving him from being impaled.

Zen's eyes widened. Inspiration struck.

'Doesn't Xar's ability look almost identical to Lyra's Veil? The power to conjure any weapon of his choice, but through bone instead of essence. Oh, now I get it! This is nothing but a case of wrong match-ups.' His lips curved into a grin. 'Then the only answer is to fight fire with fire.'

His sword shimmered into view as he raised it, determination etched across his face.

"Warmongress! Sir Tom! Jace!" Zen roared, his voice booming across the battlefield. "On my count, you all switch!"

He quickly flicked his gaze upward, catching sight of Aria waiting silently in the trees.

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