Rock blew apart from beneath Vulper’s feet, his form carried forward with an explosion transpiring moments after his launch. Leon’s only visible eye pulsed, thrown back momentarily after as Vulper’s right fist connected square with Leon’s gut. Another shock wave of pressure filtered way while Leon’s form rocketed from Vulper straight back into the rock wall with a mighty crash. Cracks spread quickly throughout the wall as he landed, both arms and both legs slamming into it after his back.

Another crash transpired as right away, Vulper stood before Leon with another fist flying. The entire wall shattered with debris flying, dust rolling, cracks spreading rapidly. Dust and dirt flew clear into Vulper, though not into Leon. Vulper’s eyes flared as before him there was only his fist and the crater delivered to the wall via his attack. Behind him in a blur of movement, the dark warrior appeared with a bit of dirt planted on his face.

His teeth gritted, his expression more of a serious one now as opposed to earlier, he looked upon Vulper’s back, “{His blows are heavier, and his speed is not insignificant.} So this is the power of a Drachen of Pure Blood… heh, outstanding!”

His serious expression faded way, the grit of his teeth returning to that of a wide grin, while again his eye fired up. Vulper slowly turned his head, casting his gaze back upon Leon who now danced behind, “Alright I’m game! If you want to fight then lets play!”

The seals upon Leon’s face had begun to glow red at the edges while the blackness of the seals themselves had begun to swell. In time said blackness also turned orange, quick to coat Leon’s entire face. His body immediately bulked up with a twenty percent increase, much as Vulper’s had. The glow of Vulper’s eyes increased as his glare became more apparent.

Horns, much like a demon’s, ripped from Leon’s scalp as the glowing of the seals subsided revealing dark faded red skin. His jaw became more pronounced, curved back teeth becoming quickly visible while the whites of his eyes turned red themselves. Finishing off his own change, his jaw line quickly emerged, becoming far more pronounced. A deafening roar left Leon as the transformation concluded, pressure rocketing out of him in the next moment.

Elise’s legs gave beneath her and once more she dropped to the ground, this time vomiting in the process.

“Elise! What’s wrong now?!” Sephiroth’s voice echoed.

“{H-his power, it just jumped exponentially. What did he do?!}”

Vulper turned around a quarter step, gazing passed Leon to Elise. A scowl quickly emerged as he looked upon her crumpling over on the ground.

“What have you done to her you bastard?” he growled.

“Me? Why I haven’t done anything at all, heh heh. Seems she is particularly susceptible to my Dark Energy’s pressure. You’re not an energy user and with that level of power, you doubtfully would feel the shift that just transpired.”

“You transformed to boost your fighting capabilities as well. How interesting, I didn’t think Dharkanians were like us Drachen.”

“Heh heh, well you’re half right,” Leon chuckled.

“Hmm?”

“Dharkanians do not naturally transform. The truth of the matter is that this isn’t even a transformation to boost my power, simply… it is a release to unlock more of it.”

“What’s that?” Vulper growled.

“There’s no point in explaining it as you won’t see beyond this state. You should feel proud though, not even Wesley the Earth Dragon managed to get me this amped up, hahaha! The fool, always so vigilant, yet he allowed peace time to weaken him so significantly.”

Vulper turned fully to face Leon, both now face too face with only a short distance between one another. The former’s wings flapped once while the latter quickly became coated in an overcoat of Dark Energy, both only staring each other down. Far behind Leon, Elise slowly rose back up with a few huffs, looking straight ahead at both. A single nod was given, from which she began to stumble away. Where he stood, Vulper gave another nod back, breathing out slowly before taking a breath in.

“Hmm?” Leon murmured inquisitively.

An immediate fire storm left Vulper’s mouth as he exhaled, all of it flying straight into Leon head on, flooding much of the entire cavern. As the flames moved back towards Elise, she stood firmly up, breathing out herself with Sephiroth stabbed into the ground. Both of her hands flew up and out immediately as the fire reached her, a small sphere of Light Energy forming before her. As the fire reached, it swiftly began to spiral down and around Elise, quickly being absorbed straight into the sphere that now pulsated as it grew and grew.

Vulper maintained his breath, eyes locked forward as he continued to jet out the flame, a bright white core now forming at the center. Still the shadow of Leon remained standing right in the brunt of the blast. Slowly the form grew bigger and bigger, his legs moving bit by bit forward towards Vulper.

“What?!” Vulper choked out without moving his lips.

The moment after, Leon emerged from the fire with his right hand drawn back and flying forward. His fist connected straight to Vulper’s jaw, cutting the flow of the flames immediately and leaving the Drachen stumbling. Forward he then went with his left to deliver another punch straight onto Vulper.

CLAP

Vulper’s right had flown up and grabbed hold of the fist, while his left flew and was quickly caught by Leon’s right. The two stood there pressing against one another, their knees slamming right into one another in the next interval unleashing another shock wave. Both growled, pushing back and forth in an attempt to overpower the other, the floor cracking beneath their force and weights.

Vulper’s snarl soon turned to a grin, his eyes shining with amusement, “Right where I want you. NOW ELISE!”

Leon’s head shot round, taking view of Elise who stood with a massive sphere of Light Energy enough to nearly fill the entire cavern’s diameter. His eyes went big, “WHAT?! {When did she- no it was the fire, she absorbed the fire so I wouldn’t sense anything being off. They planned this without even conversing, damn you Vulper!}”

The massive Sphere of Light, now about the size of a two story house, rapidly began to contract. The sphere shrunk by no more than a foot per every three seconds, contracting more and more. The ground beneath Elise began to crack and chip away as the power contracted further and further, both of her hands still out and now around it. Leon looked back upon her, shaken, then perplexed.

Beside Elise stood another figure, an older figure. A half-black half-white Long Coat, torn half-black half-white sweatpants, no shoes, a silver shirt. His hair long and spiked, a blend of red-orange coloration. His eyes a deep blue. His right arm was held out, and in the left he held the Star Blade.

Quickly Leon shot his attention back around to Vulper, bringing his own head back and swinging forward. Their heads collided, Vulper sent back a bit with a jerk, both of his hands releasing but that was not all. Leon went to pull way, ceasing as something wrapped quickly around his left leg. The warrior looked, seeing none other than Vulper’s tail.

Quickly two arms and both legs wrapped around Leon, locking him in place, “You’re not going anywhere!”

The sphere in front of Elise contracted once more before ceasing for several seconds, decreasing by half shortly then after until it was now the size of a truck. She huffed and huffed, appearing visibly strained as the truck sized sphere of light contracted by half again, then again, and again. Now it hovered at the size of a tire. A groan of agony left Elise, turning into more of a wailing cry, echoing throughout the cavern as the sphere quivered again.

Her wailing cry turned then into a full on yell with the veins of her arms and hands popping out, as well as across her face. Once more the sphere contracted, this time from tire size to basketball size. Her wail ceased and in that moment she collapsed over onto her side, leaving the figure of Sephiroth standing with the orb. He grinned, looking from it to Elise, then forward to Leon, “Oi, Dharkanian. Catch!”

His foot flew forward and he at once kicked the sphere, his form shattering the moment he made contact with a burst of light. Forward it flew, crackling in the air.

“Happy trails!” Vulper yelled, his teeth sinking immediately straight into Leon’s neck.

“Gyah!”

With the sphere now ten meters away, Vulper removed his teeth and limbs from Leon, kneeing him right in the back. What was left behind was none other than a forming rune of darkness, lines spreading across Leon’s neck and into his robes. Vulper flew up and forward, flying straight above the sphere. Both passed one another, a boom leaving Vulper’s feet as he carried on straight for Elise.

Leon flew forward, right into the path of the sphere with widened eyes, “{A Paralysis Seal? He knows magic and curses as well?! No!}”

“Checkmate Sycamore!” Vulper called out as he dropped to the ground right over Elise, his wings quickly folding around the both of them.

The sphere, now three meters away, moved deadset on Leon’s gut. His eyes widened big, his pupils contracting as a bright glow had begun to emit from the sphere.

“ALMIGHTY REFLECT!” a voice called out.

A figure swiftly appeared before Leon, followed by something glowing forming up immediately before said figure. The sphere ceased movement instantaneously mid-air, ceasing for a second- then two, then three. At the fourth second the sphere blew way from both the figure, the glowing form before, and from Leon, rocketing straight out and up towards the ceiling.

Gun fire continued on the surface, rockets sent flying. The forest overlooking the mines was ablaze, multiple figures running around aimlessly. Many retreated from the warehouse lines, heading back for the cliffside and the burning trees. Stationed near the divide between fortress and the wilds stood Tony with Domino Squad fighting on and on around him.

“Callie, there isn’t a moment to waste. If Leon is down there, we can end this now by defeating him. In the meantime, we have troops that need your healing abilities. Find Tony and allow the rest of your squads to defend you. Tell Jarrajod he’s being given direct command of this mess. We’re going-”

“But Lady Bell!”

With that Holly skipped up a foot and dropped feet first down into the opened hole. The group was left watching, speechless before turning as bullets continued to rain.

“Forget about it, leave Leon to them. If anyone can take him down it’ll be those two,” Britt announced.

“Alright. Lets go then-”

All at once, the warehouse went up. A tremendous cloud of fire blew through the ceiling, through the windows, through the wall. An instantaneous flash of an explosion sent rocketing high up into the sky. Flames threw themselves outwards, ensnaring a variety of Undead and Zaherian. Caldori and those beside her looked on with mouths hung.

“Incoming!” Tony yelled out, dashing out to the front with both hands flung out.

The flames warped round Tony and those behind him, soldiers and his team alike, while the flames continued to roar out to the edge of the cliff side. Cracks rippled out away from the epicenter, ground immediately caving in and cratering before their very eyes. Domino Squadron flew back, collapsing onto the then collapsing ground, falling down with it along with other soldiers and zombies not caught in the blast.

The flames and smoke rocketed high into the sky, easily eclipsing the height of the trees from the cliff. Not far from the edge, Jarrajod looked on with soldiers running all around near him.

“W-what the hell was that?!” one soldier yelled out.

“What the ever living FUCK just happened?!”

“Judging from the fire ball and the collapse… something just triggered a collapse and some form of explosion underground. Likely a fuel depot or a methane buildup. You, get me an update on our forces near the epicenter of that!”

“Nothing doing sir, communications are offline.”

Trees roared and waved as the pressure of the blast swept through, blowing multiple soldiers, tents, and even trucks clear over. Trees uprooted themselves and flew, many of which had already been on fire. Jarrajod stood in the middle of what had been the operations camp, the wind roaring around him as he watched on.

“It would seem as though things are getting interesting now, aren’t they?” he murmured, looking up witnessing literal fire balls flying and raining down, crashing and sweeping through the trees.