The island shook like the bones of the world were breaking.
Andy's boots ground against slick stone, lightning crawling across his silver-streaked hair as his breath fogged in the storm. The Leviathan rose higher, higher—its body shedding seawater in waterfalls, its scales carved with jagged glyphs that pulsed in rhythm with thunder. Where its massive body curved into the clouds, no end could be seen.
[System Notice]
Leviathan – Abyssal Beast (Ascendant Form)
Danger Level: Catastrophic++
Environmental Instability Detected
Bond Synchronization: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 90%
The monster's eyes burned brighter, crimson pits that locked onto Andy like a god examining an insect. It opened its maw and inhaled. The ocean obeyed. A tide ripped toward it, dragging ships, rocks, and the screams of men into its jaws.
Andy staggered forward. Stormbreaker Fang vibrated like it was alive in his hands, lightning coiling tighter around the blade. Ember Edge flared crimson on his hip, Tide-Singer bled blue mist across the rain. All three blades resonated like a chorus struggling for harmony.
"Activate—Storm Step!"
Wind bent beneath him, invisible paths unfurling in the sky. He dashed forward, the world blurring, each step carried on gales older than time. The suction of Leviathan's inhale clawed at his body, threatening to pull him down, but Andy slashed both Ember Edge and Tide-Singer outward.
"Elemental Flow—Twin Surge!"
Fire and water collided, exploding into steam that shattered the drag for a heartbeat.
[System Notice]
Skill Activated: Twin Surge
Damage Output: +145%
Status: Overload Risk – Moderate
"Andy!" Nia's voice cut through the storm. Her staff blazed sapphire, runes circling her body. "Barrier of Lumina!" A dome of light shimmered into existence around the ship below, shielding the sailors from flying debris. Her eyes locked on him, tears smudged by rain. "You're not fighting this alone. Not while I breathe!"
From beside her, Aurelia darted forward, daggers gleaming gold. She stabbed them into stone, anchoring herself as the island quaked. "Andy!" she roared, her voice like fire. "The storm doesn't test the weak—it tests the worthy. Show it who you are!"
Nia's lips parted, fury and fear twisting her face. "Don't act like you know him better than I do!"
Amber eyes met sapphire, a clash of wills burning brighter than the storm itself. Aurelia's smirk was quick, sharp. "Maybe I don't. But right now—he needs me."
The bond threads writhed, golden and sapphire wrapping around Andy's chest, pulsing chaotic.
[System Notice]
Bond Synchronization Instability – Dual Anchor Overlap
Risk Level: Critical
Stability: -7%
Andy groaned, aura flickering. His hands shook as blood slicked the Stormbreaker Fang's hilt. The Dragon Core inside him roared, scales crawling across his arms. The Phoenix Ember ignited, feathers of light scattering from his chest. Stormlight twisted around his wings of flame and tide, trying to devour him from the inside out.
"Not… yet," he hissed. "I won't lose myself here."
The Leviathan moved. Its colossal tail crashed against the island. Rock shattered, stone spears rained from above. Andy spun Ember Edge upward, unleashing "Dragonfire Arc!" A crescent of crimson flame burned through falling debris. He followed with Tide-Singer, "Aqua Veil—Surge Breaker!" A column of water spiraled outward, dissolving rubble mid-air.
[System Notice]
Dragonfire Arc – Success
Aqua Veil: Stability – Partial
Bond Support Efficiency: 73%
But then the roar came.
Abyssal sound, deeper than any thunder, rolled from Leviathan's maw. The air itself convulsed, men screaming as blood spilled from ears. Several collapsed, writhing. The ship nearly capsized, wood splintering under the pressure.
Andy dropped to one knee, his skull pounding. The roar burrowed into his chest like claws.
"Andy!" Nia thrust her staff forward, threads of light wrapping his body. "Stay with me—I'll never let you go!"
Aurelia tore forward, grabbing his arm. Her hand was strong, steady, her amber eyes like anchors in the storm. "Look at me! Don't bend—this monster isn't your master!"
Both voices bled into him, both flames burning through the storm.
[System Notice]
Bond Synchronization – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 91%
Dual Anchor Effect Active
Stability: Restored
Andy surged upright, hair whipping as lightning crowned his head. He bared his teeth, the storm howling in response. "Stormbreaker Fang—lend me your strength!"
He sprinted up an invisible staircase of gales, wings unfurling behind him. Ember Edge in his left hand, Tide-Singer in his right, Stormbreaker Fang blazing in his grasp. Fire, water, storm.
"Elemental Trinity—Resonance Strike!"
Three arcs carved into the sky, converging on Leviathan's skull. The impact detonated in a flash that blinded the world. A scream followed, the beast thrashing, seawater exploding skyward.
For a moment, hope flared.
Then Leviathan rose higher.
Its spines lit fully, arcs of stormfire connecting sea to sky. Its bulk loomed over the entire island, so massive it seemed to blot out existence itself. Crimson eyes glared like dying suns.
[System Notice]
Leviathan Ascendant – Phase Two
Power Output: 162%
Environmental Stability: Collapse Imminent
Andy's arms bled, his chest scorched by his own aura. But he smiled, silver eyes burning.
Behind him, Nia cried, "Andy, please, stop before it destroys you!"
Aurelia stepped closer, golden hair tangled with rain, lips trembling before she forced them into a smile. "No. Don't stop. Show us the man who can tame even the storm."
The storm pulsed, the bond burned hotter.
[System Notice]
Bond Synchronization: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 92%
Stormbreaker Fang Synchronization: 97%
Secondary Trial: Pending – Leviathan Final Form
Andy lifted all three blades, aura roaring fire, water, and storm as one. He leapt, screaming into the storm as the Leviathan descended like a mountain falling.
The island cracked. The world burned.
And the final clash began.
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