The ground trembled as the Wild Saurian's massive tail swept in a wide arc, cutting through stone and sand like a scythe. The impact shattered boulders, sending fragments skittering across the battlefield. A shockwave rippled outward, rolling up dust clouds that stung their eyes and bit at their lungs.
Clive dug his heels into the shifting ground, sword raised. Sparks of Ifrit's fire licked along its edge, answering the heat in his chest. He bared his teeth, voice cutting through the din.
"Stay sharp! It's reading our movements!"
The monster lowered its massive head, molten-gold eyes narrowing. Its scales shimmered with an unnatural sheen, muscles twitching with primal anticipation. Then it charged.
"Move!" Auron barked, stepping into its path. His katana whistled as it met the beast's horned skull. The collision cracked like thunder, sending vibrations up his arms so fierce he thought his bones might split. The beast pressed forward, and Auron slid back several paces, boots grinding against stone. Still, he held, his glare unwavering.
"Stronger than it looks," he muttered.
Lunafreya raised her staff, her voice ringing with command. "Shield yourselves—!"
Water rippled outward, forming a shimmering dome. The barrier blunted the aftershock of the charge, though cracks splintered across its surface before fading.
But the monster was relentless. Its jaws split wide, and from its throat erupted a piercing shriek — Sonic Fangs. The sound ripped the night air like a blade, rattling teeth and skulls alike. Vivi staggered, clutching his head.
"Not… enough… to stop me!" the little mage hissed. He forced his staff upright, eyes glowing brighter. Sparks danced along its tip, swelling into a storm. "Thundaga!"
Lightning tore from the sky, blinding in its brilliance, and slammed into the beast's flank. The Saurian reeled with a roar, smoke curling from its scales — but its legs held, claws gouging furrows into the canyon floor.
Serah's voice rang above the chaos. "Paradigm Shift!"
Mog shimmered, transforming fluidly between bow and blade. Serah spun the weapon, drawing light into an arc. "Ravager mode, focus its weakness!"
The shift rippled like unseen magic through the group — a tightening of resolve, roles sliding into place as if their very threads had aligned.
Clive surged ahead, taking Commando stance. His strikes carved fiery arcs across the monster's scales, locking it in place.
Vivi and Serah moved in tandem, Ravagers chaining spell and arrow — lightning striking into flaming wounds, each blow amplifying the next.
Lunafreya steadied herself, Medic now, her magic soothing burns, mending cuts, bolstering their lungs with restorative breath.
And Auron, steadfast as stone, raised his katana high. "Armor Break!" His strike rang like a gong as it bit into the beast's plated hide, scales shattering. The Saurian bellowed as its defense faltered.
The battlefield sang with synergy.
But the beast was far from finished. With a roar, its tail glowed faintly red, gathering power. The air hummed — a deadly Screwtail incoming.
"Hold steady!" Clive braced, digging deep, but the sand betrayed him, shifting underfoot. "Damn terrain—!"
"Not alone!" Serah cried, leaping beside him. Mog, now in sword form, glowed with radiant light. Together their blades intercepted the tail's whipping strike. The impact exploded in a blast of wind and dust that hurled them both backward, but they'd diverted the strike away from Lunafreya.
The beast reared, its massive jaws gaping. Smaller creatures — twisted wolves that had followed it — crept near. The Saurian bent low, claws pinning one of the wolves, jaws opening to consume.
"Cannibalize!" Auron barked. "It's trying to heal!"
"Not happening!" Vivi's voice cracked with strain. His staff pulsed, a second Thundaga striking the wolf just as the Saurian lunged. The carcass disintegrated before it could be swallowed. Sparks crawled up Vivi's arms, his body shaking with exhaustion, but his eyes shone.
Clive pushed to his feet, fire surging. "My turn." He leapt, blade blazing with Ifrit's wrath. His strike carved across the monster's chest, leaving molten cracks that oozed smoke. The Saurian roared in fury, clawing at the wound.
"Bushido—Dragon Fang!" Auron's voice thundered as he gathered his Overdrive. His katana erupted with force as he plunged it into the beast's chest wound. The strike detonated, hurling shards of broken scale into the air.
The Saurian reeled, crashing into the canyon wall. Rocks splintered, tumbling down in an avalanche of dust. For the first time, its massive frame faltered, knees buckling.
"Now!" Lunafreya's voice rose, ringing with authority and warmth. Her staff gleamed like moonlight. "Not with strength alone — with unity! We can bring it down together!"
Her words resonated like a hymn, carrying weight beyond magic. Clive felt his muscles steady, Vivi's breath draw deeper, Serah's strikes sharpen. Even Auron's grim stance softened into purpose.
"One more!" Vivi gasped, forcing his staff skyward. "One more spell—!" Sparks gathered, lightning burning at the edge of collapse.
The Saurian roared, its body glowing faintly now — feeding on its own rage. Its scales pulsed like molten steel, heat radiating from its hide.
It staggered forward, fury incarnate.
Clive gritted his teeth. "Damn thing won't stay down!"
"Then neither will we," Serah answered, her bow-shots of light chaining with Vivi's sparks, shattering scales in rhythmic bursts.
Lunafreya's hands glowed as she wove healing magic faster, the strain beading sweat along her brow. "Stand firm! Together, we endure!"
The Wild Saurian thrashed, every movement more desperate, more violent. Its rage was its strength — and its weakness.
Clive's sword burned white-hot, his own fury threatening to spiral. Ifrit's voice whispered at the edge of his mind, tempting him to lose control. But then he heard Lunafreya's words echo again: "Not rage — will."
He exhaled. Balanced. Grounded. He struck, not as Ifrit's vessel, but as Clive Rosfield.
Steel and fire carved deep. Lightning and arrows rained in tandem. Auron's katana broke scale after scale.
The beast howled, battered but not broken.
And then, its eyes glowed blood-red, its body trembling as it drew on reserves of primal fury. The ground split beneath its claws.
Auron narrowed his eyes. "It's entering a berserk state…"
Clive raised his sword, sweat dripping, chest heaving. "Good. Then we'll break it here and now."
The Wild Saurian lowered its head, bloodlust pouring from its form. The air warped with its wrath, its roar splitting the canyon night.
The battle wasn't over. It was only growing deadlier.
And the party knew — this fight would demand everything they had.