Lily really didn’t want to be here. He wasn’t like Poyraz. Yeah, getting elven babes was good and the wine he tasted here was incredible. He wished that he had come here earlier. Whifur did have alcohol but it all tasted horrible. It was almost like they were trying to make the foulest tasting drink possible just like the guys who considered every drink that didn’t taste like gasoline “girly”.


    In truth, Lily wouldn’t have come here if it wasn’t for Poyraz. He felt bad for beastkin and how they were treated. He also knew that if Nidhogg was left alone things wouldn’t be good for everyone.


    Yet, he wouldn’t have risked his own skin to fight a literal eldritch entity to escort a group of beastkin he didn’t personally know. He wouldn’t have fought an acid-spewing massive dragon to kill it.


    But he was here, flying high in the air drawing out the black orbs Nidhogg manifested to himself while Poyraz speared the creature in the head. He blocked a wave of black mana one of the orbs released with his mana-infused twin swords. The impact caused him to fly back several meters. He flipped in the air several times before he stabilized himself. Just like that, he flew forward rapidly to prevent the orbs from unleashing their might upon Poyraz, who was currently tearing the head of the Nidhogg.


    “It''s fooking cold.”


    Lily shivered as he got closer. The massive pillar of ice Poyraz used to impale Nidhogg was cold. Just getting closer to it caused Lily’s breath to turn visible. It was almost like it radiated an aura of coldness. Lily didn’t know how Poyraz managed to create an attack that powerful. He knew how tough the creature was as he struck it before. His hands still felt sore because of the impact. Yet, Poyraz managed to not only blow a hole in its body but also managed to trap it.


    Maybe he should have expected it. Poyraz was the guy who got accepted to the super soldier program because he managed to kill two Hornets in close-quarters combat. Lily felt a lump forming in his stomach. He should have felt happy about how strong his friend was but he knew what being strong meant for him. Poyraz was “With great power comes great responsibility” kind of guy. Lily knew what that kind of thinking led to. He was going to destroy himself while trying to protect others, just like he did in his previous life.


    He took a deep breath and released it. The frigid air caused his breath to form misty clouds around him. Well, no use thinking about it right now. Not like he was a person who lived life thinking about the future anyway. He would think about the tomorrow when it came, not today.


    Despite the massive hole in its stomach, its scales freezing off and a spear penerating its brain Nidhogg was still as lively as they first encountered it. Perhaps it was even more lively as its claws managed to break the ice pillar trapping it. Free of its prison, it landed on the ground with a part of the pillar still in its stomach and Poyraz on its head.


    Lily gritted his teeth as he watched the scene unfold before him. The orbs that had been orbiting it followed its fall with a velocity he hadn’t anticipated. With his hands tightly gripping his swords, Lily propelled himself forward, his wings beating furiously against the frigid air as he soared towards his friend and the rampaging beast below. He knew that he needed to act quickly if they were to have any hope of turning the tide of battle in their favor. But this time he wasn’t fast enough. The orbs struck the ground like meteors before releasing their energy close to Nidhogg, causing a massive explosion that engulfed both itself and Poyraz.


    “No!”


    Lily reached out desperately for his friend but the force of the shockwaves sent him hurtling backward through the air, spinning wildly as he struggled to regain control of his flight. His heart pounded in his chest as he fought against the tumultuous currents, the icy wind whipping past him as he desperately sought to steady himself. But amidst the chaos and destruction, there was no sign of Poyraz in the massive dust and ash cloud.


    For a moment, fear threatened to consume Lily, the weight of uncertainty pressing down upon him like a suffocating blanket. No. No. It couldn’t be. He wasn’t someone who would have die-


    Lily’s thoughts were cut just like the dust cloud below. A single spear strike tore through the cloud, dispersing it to the side. And there he was. His armor was gone, his skin was charred and he was covered with enough blood to kill a man. Despite the state of his body, he was still attacking the Nidhogg without stopping. Nidhogg smashed its head to the ground in hopes of crushing him yet the only thing it accomplished was impaling itself on the ice spears protruding from the ground.


    Arrows and magical projectiles rained upon the creature as the roots tore the ground to restrain it. As they tore through the cloud and hit the creature, Lily snapped awake. His companions were fighting, what was he doing watching them?


    Without hesitation, he soared towards Poyraz, his wings propelling him forward with incredible speed as he closed the distance between them. The wind coiled around his blades as he descended upon the beast, releasing all the momentum and mana they carried into its hideous hide.


    Lily''s determination blazed like wildfire as he descended upon the beast, his twin swords slashing through the air with deadly precision. With each strike, he channeled his mana into the blades, infusing them with the power of the elements as he unleashed a flurry of devastating attacks upon the Nidhogg''s monstrous form.


    The creature roared in agony as Lily''s blades bit deep into its flesh, tearing through scales and sinew with relentless ferocity. Despite its size and strength, the Nidhogg found itself overwhelmed by the sheer force of their coordinated assault.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!It tried to melt the roots binding it by spewing acid but Poyraz manifested a massive shield and shoved it deep into its mouth, blocking the acid. Black lightning bolts fell all around them and even on Nidhogg, shocking him. It seemed like in its desperation it didn’t care about its well-being if it meant killing them. Lily moved around the creature’s back to avoid getting hit by them but even he wasn’t quick enough to dodge all the bolts raining upon them. Lily realized a bolt was about to hit him and he braced for the pain. Yet, it never came.


    “I can’t believe I have to put up with his smell again. And this time he has even more annoying being with him.”


    A feminine voice rang out as Lily looked up. A being made out of green energy hovered in the air. A wind elemental, Lily thought to himself.


    “What are you looking at? I will block the bolts so do your job and kill that parasite.”


    That was a fiery woman. Lily liked her despite the bad blood between his Star and elemental spirits.


    Not worrying about blocking or dodging, Lily focused on damaging the dragonic being’s flesh as much as he could. As the battle raged on, Lily could feel the weight of exhaustion beginning to take its toll as his buffs ran out and his mana was exhausted, his muscles burning with exertion as he pushed himself to the limit. But even in the face of overwhelming odds, he refused to back down, drawing upon every last ounce of strength and determination within him as he fought on with unwavering resolve.


    And then, finally, after what felt like an eternity of relentless combat, their efforts were rewarded as the Nidhogg let out a final, anguished roar before collapsing to the ground, defeated at last. Lily breathed a sigh of relief as he surveyed the scene before him, his heart pounding with exhilaration at their hard-won victory.


    Lily jumped off the corpse of the creature, a part of him afraid that it would come alive despite the damage it endured. Most of its skull was gone, just like most of its brain. The ice pillar was still in its stomach. Its tail was severed and its body was riddled with arrows. Most of its scales were torn off and its acidic blood caused a bubbling pool to form underneath it.


    “How come you managed to contact with an ancient one, human?”


    The feminine form asked as Lily tried to avoid the acid covering the ground.


    “With my charming personality, of course.”


    Lily knew that elemental spirits were not a fan of Zephyrian, especially wind elementals. The reason was simple: Copyright. Elemental fairies were created by him using the framework of elemental spirits. Of course, spirits were not happy that they were being copied. But Zephyrian still managed to swindle some kind of forgiveness from them so they weren’t hostile.


    Well, not like it would have stopped him from flirting even if they were hostile. The game was game, after all. He sheathed his swords and approached the elemental with a nonchalant swagger.


    Besides, who wouldn''t want to be friends with someone as charming and handsome as myself?"


    He smirked a playful glint in his eye despite the exhaustion that weighed heavily upon him. Spirit let out a scoff.


    “Don’t come any closer, Star Touched. You may think that you tricked an ancient one to your service but you know the consequences, don’t you? You may think you can get away by using his powers but you will end a lifeless husk in the end. I want to see that scoundrel’s face when that happens.”


    Lily chuckled at the elemental''s words, though there was a hint of bitterness in his amusement. He knew all too well the risks involved in his dealings with an ancient wind spirit.


    "Yeah, yeah, I''ve heard it all before," Lily replied, his tone laced with a mixture of bravado and resignation. "But hey, you know what? I can’t see the tomorrow, only today. That’s why I will cross that bridge when I get there.”


    The wind elemental regarded him with a mixture of skepticism and disdain, clearly unimpressed by Lily''s cavalier attitude. Despite that, she didn’t say more as the steps of weary warrior approached them. Poyraz looked fully exhausted. G?kb?rü perched on top of his grey hair, his snow-white fur reddened with blood. The person who completed the trio was weirder however, it was a mermaid made out of blue energy. Lily could feel that she was a spirit but more importantly, she was naked. Lily took a good look and carved her figure into his brain for later use.


    “Your majesty! I protected you! It was difficult but I did it! I deserved to boop your snoot!”


    Mermaid begged G?kb?rü, who let out a tired yet aggressive growl.


    “Poyraz. Are you dead?”


    Lily asked mischievously. He knew how Poyraz was going to answer as he asked the same question countless times before. Poyraz sighed.


    “Unfortunately, no.”


    Lily grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he clapped Poyraz on the shoulder. "Well, you gave it your best shot, mate. Can''t fault you for trying."


    Poyraz shot him a wry glance, his expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Lily. Just wait until the next time you''re the one on the receiving end of a giant fuckoff explosion.”


    Lily laughed, his spirits buoyed by the familiar banter between them. Elandris and Methild slowly approached them, physically fine but drained of their mana from the ranged support they gave through the battle.


    “Great Roots, Poyraz! Let me heal you!”


    Seeing the state Poyraz was in, Methild reached forwards to him, aiming to heal his wounds.


    At the same time, everyone present felt that something was wrong. The space itself twisted around Poyraz who quickly threw G?kb?rü to Methild, causing her to step away from him. In that moment the space around him closed off, just like how dungeons would become their own separate space. The border wasn’t physical and they could still see him.


    While that could be seen as a relief, that would prove itself as a misjudgment as invisible blades slashed Poyraz’s body. Countless gashes appeared on his skin before he fell to the ground with a loud thud, bloodied and unmoving.


    “One down.”