"Dominus Secare Segmen—!"
King Domine never finished the command.
The Beast was already on him, its claws driving in so fast they were a blur of motion. Domine twisted sharply at the last possible instant, his upper body bending off-line just enough that the strike only carved a shallow line across his face instead of tearing through it. The follow-up came immediately, the Beast's momentum carrying through into another swipe, but Domine had already shifted his footing. His tail snapped forward in a precise, stabbing thrust aimed straight through the Beast's torso.
The Beast did not meet it head-on.
Its body folded and twisted unnaturally, spine bending and shoulders dropping as the tail skimmed past, missing by inches. It used that same motion to coil forward, its weight dropping low before it lunged back in, claws thrusting toward Domine's chest.
Domine answered with force.
His fist drove forward in a tight, brutal arc, connecting with the Beast's head mid-lunge and snapping it downward. The impact spiked it straight into the ground, stone fracturing under the force before Domine followed through with a kick that caught it along the side and sent its body tumbling end over end through the air.
Around the crater, the others tensed.
They watched for an opening, for anything that would let them step in, but none came.
"I do not know if that Beast will attack us as well or not," Prince Mark said, his eyes fixed on the exchange.
"Look at how that bastard's moving," Samwell added, jaw tight as he tracked Domine's positioning and timing. "I loathe to admit this, but we don't have a chance if we fight him right now."
At the edge of the crater, Zee stepped forward.
"We have to help!" she said, already moving, only to be stopped as Mae grabbed her arm and held her in place.
"How do you plan on doing anything!?" Mae shot back, tightening her grip. "Don't go, Zee. You, me, none of us can contribute to that fight right now."
Zee looked at her, and the answer was there whether she wanted it or not. Her body tensed, every instinct telling her to move, to do something, but the reality of what she was seeing held her in place.
Down in the crater, the Beast hit the ground and rolled, its body snapping back into alignment as it came to a stop, all of its eyes locking back onto Domine.
Domine raised his hand.
"Dominus Secare Segmentis."
The effect was instant.
Lines appeared across the Beast's body all at once, thousands upon thousands of cuts manifesting in a single moment. Its form broke apart where they crossed, flesh and structure separating cleanly as it was shredded into fragments, chunks of its body scattering outward across the crater floor.
"NO!" Zee screamed, trying to tear free again, but Mae held her fast.
"Did you already forget what I just said!?" she snapped, refusing to let her go even as Zee struggled and cried out.
Silence followed the attack for half a breath.
"Well that was… are you sure this thing shook reality, Ercale?" Bram said, shaking his head slightly.
"Yes," Ercale replied without hesitation. "I'm sure. Watch."
Domine's eyes narrowed.
"Even that didn't do it, huh?" he said, his gaze tracking the remains.
The pieces moved.
Thin, black tendrils shot out from each fragment, latching onto others and pulling them together. Chunks slid, collided, and fused, the mass reassembling rapidly as structure rebuilt itself piece by piece until the Beast stood whole again, its form restored as if nothing had happened.
Zee went still.
She stared, shock cutting through everything else. She had seen Xain heal before, had seen what that Hatred could do, but not like this. Not to this extent.
"Goddess… even vampires and werewolves don't heal like that," Vilak said, swallowing hard.
Across the crater, Amara's eyes stayed fixed on it. "Is that you, brat?" she murmured.
Sarandel said nothing at first, only watching, measuring. "Who knew you had a part inside of you," she said quietly.
The Beast moved again.
It surged forward without hesitation, closing the distance in a straight, aggressive line.
"Even with all that power," Domine said as it came in, his body already shifting. He stepped off the line of the incoming strike, letting the Beast's claws pass just beside him before driving his knee upward into its head, the impact snapping it back. "You fight like an animal."
He followed through, his arm drawing back to hammer it down again.
This time, the Beast changed.
It did not rush blindly back in. It adjusted mid-motion, its footing shifting as it slipped past the follow-up. Its torso rotated with control, shoulders turning ahead of its hips as its arm came around in a tight, deliberate arc. The claws did not swing wildly. They drove in with precision, angling upward and inward, cutting across Domine's midsection in a clean, controlled line.
The strike landed.
Claws tore through his stomach, carving deep and opening him up as they passed through. The motion did not stop at contact. It followed through fully, the Beast pulling its arm across and out, dragging the wound wider before separating.
Domine's teeth ground together.
"Claw and fang," he growled.
The Beast began to retract its arm, preparing to strike again, but Domine moved faster. His hand snapped out and caught it at the wrist, his grip crushing down as he twisted sharply. Bone gave under the force. He tore the arm free in the same motion, ripping it off cleanly and casting it aside.
"Don't change that you will not survive me," he said.
The Beast's head tilted back.
Its jaws opened wide.
For a split second, it looked like a roar was coming.
Instead, something gathered.
Black, unstable, violently condensed energy formed within its mouth, compressing into a dense point before it discharged in a sudden, overwhelming release.
Mana Blast.
The beam erupted point-blank into King Domine's face.