Alpha Instinct-Chapter 71: "Beyond Useless"

Kaleb, instinctively, eyes wide with terror, raised his hands and conjured a magic shield. A shimmering, translucent blue barrier appeared before him, just as the Cragheart’s colossal arm came crashing down.

The Cragheart’s fist slammed into the magic shield with full force. The energy exploded in a blinding flash, and the shield shattered into a thousand pieces.

The resulting shockwave, along with shards of stone and wood, hurled Kaleb backwards. He slammed violently against a tree trunk and crumpled to the ground, dazed and groaning in pain, but alive.

The Cragheart, momentarily thrown off balance by the impact, roared again, even more enraged, and turned its attack towards Leonard and Evelyn.

Leonard, already moving, shouted, "Evelyn, distract it! Mikaela, get Kaleb!"

He activated his ELEV and focused all his energy on his legs. His body became a bluish blur as he dodged the Cragheart’s colossal fist by an inch.

The punch slammed into the ground, raising a cloud of dirt and roots.

Evelyn, agile, leaped back, drawing her twin daggers. "Subterfuge, level two…" she thought. Two black, shadowy wings sprouted from her back. She was the angel of death itself.

She charged at the monster’s leg, the blades whistling through the air, aiming for the joints of its rocky carapace.

Meanwhile, Mikaela ran to Kaleb, who was still on the ground, groaning. She placed her hands on him, channeling healing energy. "Hang in there, Kaleb! You’re going to be okay."

The Cragheart, irritated by Evelyn’s attacks, which she dodged with nimble acrobatics, spun around, trying to crush her with a backhanded blow.

Leonard, seeing the danger, used his "Phantom Steps" for the first time. With absurd speed and fluidity, he closed in on Evelyn and pulled her away.

The Leirion’s attack failed, but Leo diverted the monster’s attention.

"The tendons!" he thought, launching a quick strike. The blade penetrated partially, but enough to make the Cragheart recoil, bellowing in pain and fury.

"It’s strong, but slow!" Leonard shouted, assessing the situation. "We need coordinated attacks! Evelyn, the joints! Mikaela, when you can, tell me! Kaleb…" He looked at the mage, still recovering. "Kaleb, can you stand?"

Kaleb, with Mikaela’s help, managed to sit up, still dazed and with his left arm hanging at an awkward angle. "I… I think so…"

"I need you to focus," Leonard said firmly. "You told me you’re a talented mage, the best. I need the strongest spell you can muster. But wait for my signal!"

"I’m a fire mage…" Kaleb said through gritted teeth.

"Even better! Let’s roast this bastard!" Leonard shouted.

Cragheart recovered, letting out a deafening sonic roar. The sound wave hit the group head-on, disorienting them.

Evelyn staggered, bringing her hands to her ears. Mikaela, stood in front of Kaleb, taking the full brunt of the sonic damage. To counteract his attack, she shouted, "Kalendor!", raising her hand, and receiving her sword.

Taking advantage of the group’s disorientation, the Cragheart ripped a piece of its own carapace off and hurled it in the direction of Mikaela and Kaleb.

Mikaela, yet a bit stunned, threw herself in front of the projectile. She tried to use Kalendor to deflect it, but the rock was too big. The impact threw her backwards, and she fell to her knees.

"MIKAELA!", Leonard shouted, desperate.

Evelyn, seeing the critical situation, made a bold decision. She ran towards the Cragheart, ignoring the ringing in her ears. She ran majestically and did a kickflip, jumping towards the monster’s back. Evelyn clung to the moss and stones, climbing with masterful skill.

Using her subterfuge at level 2, she sank the daggers with all his strength, into the nape of the named leirion.

"Now, Mikaela!", Evelyn shouted, holding on tight to the Cragheart’s nape.

Mikaela, still catching her breath, saw the opportunity. She grabbed her sword like a spear and focused all her energy. It was the "Smite" ability.

Leonard, to buy Mikaela and Evelyn a little more time, struck at the Cragheart’s joints with all the strength he could muster. Leonard was getting tired.

Mikaela was ready. She threw her sword, a concentrated ray of light erupting. An explosion; the sword turned to energy and struck the crystal. The crystal vibrated intensely, and the Cragheart let out a roar of pain.

"It worked!" Mikaela shouted, but her voice was drowned out by a new tremor.

The Cragheart, enraged, began to pound the ground with force, creating shockwaves that unbalanced the group. Evelyn, clinging to the monster’s back, could barely hold on.

"It’s my time." Kaleb, seeing his friends in danger, overcoming fear and pain, stood up. He took a deep breath, channeling all his energy into his ELEV.

All his training, all his frustration, and all his desire to prove his worth.

"I… am not… useless!" he shouted, with an unexpectedly powerful voice. "I am KALEB!"

His eyes glowed with an intense golden light. He raised his staff, and a sphere of magma began to form, growing rapidly. The fire was thick, like goo.

The sphere grew larger than himself, larger than any fire magic he had ever conjured. It was a concentrated hell, an explosion of pure destructive energy.

Leonard was startled by the sight. He quickly moved out of the area of effect, seeing what Kaleb was doing. "KALEB, NOW!", he shouted, with all the strength of his lungs. "EVELYN, JUMP!" he ordered.

Kaleb, with a yell of fury and determination, launched the sphere of fire.

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"VULCANO!" Ahhhhhh!

The magic cut through the air like a meteor, leaving a trail of flames. It struck the crystal on the Cragheart’s head squarely.

The explosion was cataclysmic. A wave of heat swept through the forest, incinerating trees and melting rocks.

Evelyn barely escaped, falling to the ground and shielding herself.

The Cragheart let out one last roar, a sound of pure agony, before collapsing to the ground, inert, a pile of stones. The crystal, once bright, was now opaque and cracked.

Silence fell over the forest again, broken only by the crackling of the remaining flames and the ragged breathing of the four equalizers.