The cavern trembled as Nidhogg let out a guttural roar, his monstrous form hovering before the gaping dimensional rift. A vortex of chaotic energy spun wildly behind him, casting the battlefield in frantic hues of blue and violet, warping the very fabric of reality. The group struggled against the pull of its gravitational force, their feet skidding across the fractured earth.

“We can’t let him escape into that rift!” Star shouted, her voice straining to rise above the shrieking winds.

Nidhogg’s massive wings flared, sending shockwaves through the air as he ascended. His body, vast and grotesque, began to merge with the rift’s edge. The ceiling of the cavern cracked and collapsed, revealing a shattered sky above—one split open, where distant stars and alien realms flickered through the cosmic tear.

“Wait!” came a voice from the shadows—Astrid, emerging with her bow aglow in divine light. She drew it taut, her eyes locking on the beast’s exposed chest, where a dim, fiery pulse betrayed the location of his damaged heart.

Holding her breath, Astrid released.

The radiant arrow tore through the air like a comet, slamming into Nidhogg’s chest. The dragon’s roar echoed like thunder as his body shuddered violently. His wings faltered, flapping erratically. From the open wound spilled a torrent of dark energy, seeping into the air like ink. Slowly, the mighty creature began to fall.

“He’s going down!” Friedrich yelled, gripping his greatsword tightly.

“He’s weakening!” Star cried, her voice slicing through the chaos. “We can’t let him recover—this ends now!”

Siegfried stepped forward, blood and grime staining his cracked shield and battered sword. His eyes blazed with unshakable resolve.

“Then I’ll end it,” he declared.

“Siegfried, wait—!” Klara called out, but her voice was drowned beneath the dimensional rupture’s roar.

Nidhogg’s wings gave a feeble twitch as he struggled to rise, his colossal frame trembling from the damage. But Siegfried didn’t hesitate. He sprinted across the jagged ground, leaping onto the dragon’s serpentine tail, clawing his way up the monstrous back.

The heat radiating from Nidhogg’s scales was searing, burning through his gloves. Sweat streamed down Siegfried’s face as he climbed higher—every movement a battle of will against the dying titan beneath him.

“Hang on!” Star shouted, chasing after him—but deep down, she knew. This was his moment.

Reaching Nidhogg’s massive, skull-like head, Siegfried steadied himself. His sword shimmered, catching the holy light from the rift above. The dragon’s molten eyes rolled back to glare at him—depths of fury and sorrow swimming within them.

“Do you truly think you can end this, human?” Nidhogg’s voice thundered—a rasping growl filled with defiance and fatalism. “You are but a blemish before the eternal.”

“I’m not just ending it,” Siegfried growled back, emotion raw in his voice. “I’m fighting for everyone you tried to destroy!”

With a defiant roar of his own, Siegfried raised his sword high. The flame within him surged. His blade ignited with blazing energy, glowing like a fragment of the sun itself. And with one final cry, he brought it down.

The strike landed with a devastating crack—piercing Nidhogg’s skull, splitting bone and flame alike. The sword sank deep, all the way to the dragon’s core.

Time stopped.

Nidhogg’s entire body convulsed in agony. A scream ripped from his throat, shaking the world. Black energy erupted from the wound, spiderwebbing through his body like cracks in shattered glass. The ground beneath them trembled as his head thrashed, and Siegfried clung to his blade, driving it deeper with everything he had.

“You think this is victory, boy?” Nidhogg’s voice, once booming, was now heavy and worn—tinged with resignation. “You’ve slain a dragon… but you’ve defeated nothing.”

Star stepped forward cautiously, her sword still raised. “What are you talking about? Speak clearly—Monster!”

A bitter, hollow laugh rumbled from the fading titan. “Monster… is that what I am to you? You know nothing of who I am… or why I was brought here. I do not belong to this world.”

Star’s gaze flicked toward her friends—uneasy.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice tightening. “You came from Atlantia… didn’t you?”

Nidhogg’s glowing eyes met hers. A glimmer of sorrow flickered in their fading light.

“I lived beneath the roots of the Tree of Life for centuries,” he rasped. “I watched its cycles, tended to its echoes, preserved the balance of its flow. I came from the depths—far below the petty chaos of gods and men. I had no part in your wars.”

His voice darkened.

“Until Nibelung came.”

Star’s heart skipped a beat. A shadow deeper than the cavern itself seemed to fall over the battlefield. The dragon’s words hung in the air like a curse—and suddenly, the full weight of the enemy they were truly facing became terrifyingly clear.