The air atop the ruined tower became heavier with every second.
Not from smoke.
Not from heat.
But from the presence of the Skelet Dragon itself.
It felt unnatural.
Like the creature's existence alone was crushing the atmosphere around them.
The massive dragon slowly raised its skull-like head.
Its hollow green eyes burned brighter.
And then—
its jaws opened.
A violent green glow began building inside its mouth.
Karoschi's eyes widened immediately.
„Karoschi: MOVE!!"
The dragon unleashed another torrent of green fire.
The flames exploded across the tower like a wave from hell itself.
Stone melted instantly.
Ancient pillars cracked from the heat.
The group barely managed to throw themselves aside in time.
But Johann—
because of his injured leg—
was too slow.
The green flames grazed his arm.
„Johann: SHIT—!!"
He screamed in pain as the fire burned through his sleeve and scorched his skin black.
The smell of burned flesh filled the tower instantly.
The dragon stepped forward slowly.
Patiently.
Like it already knew they couldn't win.
Anna gritted her teeth through the pain in her body.
Then suddenly rushed forward.
„Anna: GET AWAY FROM THEM!!"
She leaped toward the dragon—
and drove her sword deep into its ribs.
The creature let out a horrifying screech.
But then—
its massive tail swung violently through the air.
CRASH!!
Anna was slammed directly into one of the stone pillars.
The entire column cracked from the impact.
She collapsed onto the floor instantly.
Blood poured down the side of her head.
Then she coughed violently—
spitting blood onto the stone ground.
„Noah: ANNA!!"
Noah immediately tried running toward her—
but the Skelet Dragon blocked his path.
The creature lunged forward suddenly—
trying to bite him apart.
Noah barely dodged at the last second—
then swung his sword with everything he had.
The blade sliced through one of the dragon's skeletal arms.
The arm crashed onto the floor.
The dragon screamed.
A horrible sound that shook the tower itself.
„Johann: Nice one Noah!!"
But then—
something horrifying happened.
Green energy suddenly surrounded the severed arm.
Slowly—
the bones dragged themselves across the ground.
And reattached themselves to the dragon's body.
Noah froze.
„Noah: What…?"
The dragon moved instantly.
Its jaws clamped around Noah's arm.
„AAAAAHHHH!!"
The creature violently threw him across the tower.
Noah slammed against the edge—
his body almost flying into the abyss below.
For one terrifying moment—
he nearly fell.
But at the last second—
he grabbed the edge with one hand.
Below him—
nothing but darkness.
The dragon slowly turned away from Noah.
Its claws scraping across the stone floor.
Then it began walking toward the others.
Slowly.
Calmly.
Confident.
Like death itself approaching.
Heinrich was slowly regaining awareness.
But traces of the Soul Vector's effects still remained.
His breathing became panicked the moment he saw the dragon approaching him.
„Heinrich: AAHHHH!!"
He crawled backward desperately.
„Heinrich: STAY AWAY FROM ME!! PLEASE!!"
Karoschi suddenly grabbed a loose stone from the floor—
and hurled it directly at the dragon's skull.
CLACK!!
The dragon slowly turned its head toward him.
Karoschi forced himself to stand despite his damaged body.
„Karoschi: HEY!!"
He raised his sword.
„Karoschi: Come here, you piece of shit!!"
The dragon's hollow eyes narrowed slightly.
Almost irritated.
Then—
its jaws opened again.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
Green fire exploded from its mouth instantly.
Karoschi's eyes widened—
but there was no time to dodge.
„Karoschi: AAAAHHHHH!!!"
The flames consumed him completely.
His body caught fire instantly.
The smell of burning flesh filled the tower.
Several Soul Vectors burst from the flames—
jumping directly onto him.
Karoschi collapsed screaming onto the ground.
His skin blackened.
His flesh melted.
Yet somehow—
he was still alive.
Then suddenly—
BOOOOM!!
The entire ceiling exploded apart.
Barry crashed through the roof like a monster himself.
Stone rained everywhere.
With a deafening roar—
Barry slammed both massive arms into the Skelet Dragon.
The impact shook the entire castle.
The dragon was smashed violently into the floor.
Its entire skeletal body shattered apart instantly.
Bones exploded across the tower.
The whole castle trembled from the force.
„Johann: HOLY SHIT!!"
He pointed excitedly despite the chaos.
„Johann: GOOD JOB BARRY!! WOHOOOO!!"
Karoschi collapsed onto the floor.
His body completely burned.
But slowly—
very slowly—
his flesh began regenerating again.
Anna painfully pushed herself back onto her feet.
Still bleeding heavily.
She immediately ran toward the tower's edge.
„Anna: Noah!!"
She grabbed his arm tightly—
pulling him back up onto the tower.
Noah breathed heavily.
„Noah: Thanks…"
„Anna: Are you okay?!"
Noah nodded weakly.
„Noah: Yeah…"
Then suddenly—
Johann's smile disappeared.
„Johann: Uh guys…?"
Everyone turned.
The scattered bones across the tower floor began moving.
Slowly.
Then faster.
All the skeletal pieces started flying back toward the dragon's skull.
Rebuilding themselves.
Reforming.
The dragon stood back up once more.
Completely restored.
Silence filled the tower.
Hope vanished from their faces.
Karoschi's burned throat slowly regenerated enough for him to speak again.
His voice sounded weak and damaged.
„Karoschi: It's useless…"
He struggled to breathe.
„Karoschi: You have to destroy the head…"
A cough.
„Karoschi: Otherwise… it won't die…"
The Skelet Dragon slowly spread its gigantic wings.
Then launched itself upward into the air again.
Barry tried smashing it out of the sky.
But this time—
the dragon dodged.
Then instantly counterattacked.
Green fire exploded directly into Barry's eye.
The giant creature stumbled backward—
clawing desperately at its burning eye.
The dragon immediately descended again.
It slammed Johann and Heinrich aside with its tail.
Both crashed violently into the wall.
„Johann: AAGHH!!"
Noah gritted his teeth—
then charged directly toward the dragon.
His sword raised high.
The dragon turned instantly.
And bit downward.
Everything happened in less than a second.
A wet cracking sound echoed through the tower.
Then—
silence.
Noah's legs were gone.
Completely torn off.
Blood exploded across the stone floor.
Noah collapsed violently onto the ground—
his upper body dragging against the blood-covered stone.
For a moment—
nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Anna stared in horror.
Johann's face went pale.
Heinrich's eyes widened completely.
Even Karoschi looked frozen.
And slowly—
their hope began to disappear.