My sword struck the ground, throwing a cloud of dust in the air. My eyes were instantly scanning in front of me to locate the dragon.

  [Behind you!]

  The sword in my hand buzzed as it sent me a telepathic warning, but I couldn't turn fast enough. Several rge, sharp objects impacted my back, sending me flying forward until I nded face down.

  It must've hit me with one of its cwed wingarms, as I could feel several deep gashes on my back.

  “O' Holy Goddess, creator of all. Hear my plea and grant me your holy light to heal these wounds. With the power of your healing hands, all injuries shall be repaired. Mend...”

  The wounds on my back closed, but I had already lost a lot of blood in just a few short seconds. I pushed myself to stand on shaky knees, readying my sword and taking a defensive stance.

  “Zokuul…” The dragon took long, confident strides towards me as it spoke. “Surely that is not nearly the limit of your power. Come! Show me your real strength, and why you have been named Zotoh!”

  Zohtoh… I haven't given it much thought, but it keeps calling me by that name… Is it mistaking me for something else?

  “Why do you still stand there? Do you wish to surrender? Then… you are not worthy of standing before me!”

  The dragon stood erect on its two legs, spreading its wings as far as it could and looking straight into the air. It was hard to notice, but I spotted a bck mist gathering around its mouth. On top of that, I could feel an insane amount of mana building up…

  [MOVE!!]

  Trusting the sword, I threw myself to the side, and just in time too, as it took that moment to fly into the air and attack where I had been standing. It was like a standard dragon's breath attack, except… it was bck. The only times I've seen something of this nature has been when I was fighting the Shadows. The sword really wasn't lying about that.

  “I see your reflexes aren't as bad as I expected! Still… You disgrace the name of Kortoh, your predecessor would be dissapointed…”

  The dragon nded as it taunted me, once again slowly advancing. I stood back up to ready myself again.

  [Mira. Luci should have had enough time to escape by now. Try to clear more distance between her and our foe by moving west, towards the ocean. Do not, under any circumstances, drop your guard. Keep moving, and I will guide you once you're far enough.]

  Understood.

  West is… behind me. Good. I just have to keep backing up while somehow staying alive. That can't be too hard, right? The dragon was still moving towards me, so I walked backwards to maintain the current distance.

  “I smell fear on you, Zotoh… I shall enjoy sying you. Run! Try to escape, and make this worth my time!”

  It opened its mouth and a sphere of its bck-colored magic hit the ground at my feet. Seeing its invitation, I turned and ran.

  [Good! He underestimates you! Entertain his games and you'll end up right where we want!]

  What followed after I started running was a game of cat and mouse. The dragon chased me from above the forest, constantly forcing me to watch the skies in order to dodge its attacks. Soon enough, I could smell the salt in the cool, ocean breeze.

  [Just a little further!]

  “Zotoh! Surely you do not believe you can run forever! You shall soon tire, and I shall cim your life!”

  [This should be far enough. Mira, what I am about to tell you will contradict almost everything you know about how magic works. Are you ready for this? It's not even likely to work.]

  I have no other choice, right? Besides, I'm sure I can trust you.

  [Alright then, keep moving. I'll teach you a spell while you run. What you've likely been told regarding magic, about how you must learn tiers in order, and you have to follow the spells, that's all false. I can't expin right now, we're in a hurry, but spells are simply guidelines for convenience. Channel Fire throughout your body, and I will show you the spell only my previous companion has mastered.]

  Fire mana, got it.

  I circuted the mana throughout my body, waiting for the next step, when I realized something the sword said.

  Wasn't your previous companion also me? Just, before I died or whatever?

  [No, I meant before that… Anyway, no questions! Ready?]

  Ready!

  [Then stop moving, and keep channeling mana. Now, repeat after me. Lord of Fire and all that burns!]

  “Lord of Fire and all that burns!”

  [Heed my call and grant my request!]

  “Heed my call and grant my request!”

  [The enemy is great, but your supreme power remains ever greater!]

  “The enemy is great, but your supreme power remains ever greater!”

  The ground around me began cracking, and molten rock slowly flowed from the cracks. The dragon must've noticed by now, since I heard its voice from the sky.

  “What are you trying?!”

  [Grant me your most destructive power, that which will burn away all that stands in my way!]

  I repeated the line, and geysers of va began erupting from ground as storm-clouds of ash and fire formed in the sky.

  “That power! Zotoh! That is not Zokuul?!”

  [Bring the fires of damnation to the surface of the nd and burn my foe to ashes!]

  Another line repeated, and what appeared to be three tornadoes of fire descended from the ash clouds. The forest around me was already devoid of any other life.

  “Do not cast that spell!”

  [None will have that power to defeat me as I call upon you at the pinnacle of all strength!]

  This time the fire tornadoes began swirling around me, until the converged and created a giant pilr of fire around me. The heat was uncomfortable, but strangely, it didn't burn me. It likely recognized I was the one casting the spell. The pilr quickly condensed into a sphere, hovering just above my head.

  [Hell on Earth!]

  The name of the spell. Once I say this, I'll have casted a spell of the Ultimate tier. Well, at least I think it's at that level.

  “I won't allow you to cast that spell, Zotoh!!”

  The dragon - who had somehow remained unscated so far - suddenly appeared in front of my face. Before I could react, darkness emerged from its mouth, and it felt like I was stabbed hundreds of times before being thrown backwards like trash.

  The pain was horrible. My chest and stomach were full of holes and I was already lying in a pool of my own blood seconds after nding. I didn't have time to cast Mend again, so… this is probably it for me. At least Luci managed to get away. Man… This was a horrible idea for a date…

  Before my consciousness left me, however, a few words managed to slip from my mouth.

  “Hell… on Earth…”

  The dragon dissapeared, the sphere of fire colpsed in on itself, my mind went bnk.

  Alpy376