“Mother, why do we hunt the omnidragon? And why are they called ‘Usurper’?” The little fire wyrmling asked, watching a fight between her older brothers. They were deciding who was going to become the next Warbringer.

The massive Adult Nuclear-dragoness briefly shifted her gaze from the fight to her. "The Usurper wishes to kill our Emperor, when she doesn't submit to him at birth. We cannot allow such a being to exist longer than a flame’s roar."

The little wyrmling was shocked. “Are they foolish? How can they hope to do… that!” Just thinking about it felt blasphemous to the extreme.

Her mother shrugged, the movement rocketing the cave. “It is said that the omnidragon can easily bend others to their cause, and their power is above and beyond what we think possible.” She sneered. “But they got slaughtered each life all the same.”

“I’ll destroy her for your honor, mother!” The little one declared, puffing out her chest. She wasn’t feeling that much confident, but…

“Good child.” Her mother snuggled a little closer.

She liked snuggles too much.

Nashariel pov

Nashariel opened her jaws wide, charging up the radiant beam of this form. She felt a momentary surprise at the lack of need to invest some of her mana to manifest the element, but the skill drank and drank her reserves until barely half remained. The omnidragon decided to also power it with as much Shine as she could.

Once she unleashed her only third-tier skill, all hell broke loose.

The golden river of light had lost all pretenses of being a simple beam, gaining a presence in the physical realm instead despite being a simple mana construct. Nashariel could barely control her aim since the thing’s recoil had completely stopped her leap.

Of course, things were much worse on the other end.

The skill washed over the draconic trio, leaving only charred ashes behind its wake. Said remains were getting assaulted without mercy by the rapidly dissolving particles of Radiance.

What the…? Nashariel stared wide-eyed at the scene. She remembered how big the difference between different tiers was, but this… this was much more than she could expect.

/No notification, stay vigilant/ The secondary mind warned.

Nashariel shook herself out of the stupor. The light assaulting the bones was snuffed out by the mist. Nashariel wasn’t sure, but she almost heard the light die with a choked scream. She shuddered.

Her body’s inner light grew dull, leaving the omnidragon heaving for breath.

*Shine 0/35

All Radiance-based skills are temporarily weakened. *

Nashariel grunted. Already? She shifted into… damn, my Light form is the weakest, and the Protection one is barely better without other people! I won't benefit from an elemental advantage, but… she shifted into her Lightning form. “Let’s crackle this place up!”

The bones shivered. Slowly, they reformed and attracted one another, aided by the mist. Orbiting in the center, a massive orb of darkness directed the reconstruction, stitching together the remains of the dragons with three screaming souls.

Nashariel pushed down the horror evoked by this spectacle. I’m not letting you finish! A moment later, electricity came to life, dancing on her scales. Lightning-fast, Nashariel charged the orb.

Just as she extended her claws, a malformed skeletal head formed in front of her. Startled, the omnidragon failed at dodging, letting the thing roar directly in her face.

This time, the sound traveled deep in her soul, ignoring her physical body. Nashariel was repelled back from where she had jumped a moment before, curling up in tears and screaming at the top of her lungs.

All her worst memories were coming to light, unfiltered by her minds. The times when people gazed at her in distrust or outright hostility. The last moment of visibility of her parents’ ship. All the horror felt in this village…

Nashariel desperately fought off the assault, suppressing those unkind memories. She stood on all fours, shaking her head free. If I wasn’t pissed before… the dragoness roared.

Meanwhile, the undead hadn’t remained idle.

The construct towered over Nashariel, easily three times her size. Two heads stared back at her, with a smaller third one bending at an impossible angle from the back, much like a scorpion’s tail. Skeletal in nature, the massive dragon glowed with blue mist, particularly in its chest where the orb sunk in to hide its malevolent presence. The bones in particular had been thickened and ridged with black ice.

The abomination roared back, all its three heads vomiting a large quantity of dark mist.

*Body/Ice/Curse-Artificial proto Dracolich Lvl 210 (Fog/Soul-Core infused)

A… *

A chill shook Nashariel to her core.

Without giving her any time to think, the abomination moved. Faster than how it had any right to be, both its frontal heads closed in on Nashariel in a pincher-like maneuver.

At the last instant, the Lightning dragon darted away. Secondary mind, identify this thing!

/An undead created-/

“Skip the fluff! How do we kill this… thing!” The dragoness shouted, dodging another bite, forgetting for a moment about the head-tail.

/Radiance! Undead resistances, and we must avoid Fire. You must break the Core, or it will continue to regenerate! Do not breathe in the mist for too long!/

Fantastic news… Nashariel breathed a Lightning breath. The attack uselessly bounced back the abomination’s misty wing. And of course, it's magic resistant, because why the heck not!

The abomination stomped the ground. A series of cracks extended from the paw and Nashariel, exploding in a series of spear-like bones against her scales.

The attack had enough strength to push Nashariel away, but it lacked the necessary bite to go through her scales. Still, the distraction slowed the dragoness more than enough for the Dracolich to unleash its (their?) own breath weapon.

Nashariel held her breath, hoping for a miracle.

For the moment, the mist didn't seem to affect her, but the vapor wasn't returning to mana anytime soon. The moment I breathe, I’m done. Quickly then!

The omnidragon allowed her aura to come to life. The humidity powered the Lightning, creating beautiful if eerie light plays. Nashariel commanded the secondary mind to fill a few units of Voltage, discharging it immediately after. She pounced with a thunder, going directly on the things back.

Once there, the girl discharged her Breath weapon, keeping up the pummeling at the same time.

The electricity crackled on the abomination’s frozen bones, barely effective, while Nashariel noticed a moment later that her strikes were hurting her paws more than her enemy’s body.

The bones turned freezing, then unleashed a flurry of icy rain along Nashariel’s lower body, drawing the first blood of the fight.

Snarling, the dragoness retreated to safety. I’m not getting through like this. She thought. No fire for the ice… I could use some [Sound bombs]… Nashariel looked past the dome. I hope they’re fine…

Having already regenerated her health, the omnidragon considered her options. I guess I have to break through the classical way. She shifted into Metal, summoning her armor.

The abomination flailed towards her, making a show of their lack of coordination. The two heads in front breathed some more mist in the air.

Unperturbed, Nashariel shifted back into her dragokin form. She ran, sliding among the colossal dragon’s four legs, using the ground as a launch platform. The warrior formed a pair of gauntlets so large that only her superior physique allowed her to wield them, and even then, they looked like sticks against the titan.

She landed the strike, a wave rippling across the bones. They held but ringed in doing so. Nashariel smirked.

Hearing a noise, the dragokin looked to the side, where the third head was already unleashing its icy mist at her. Annoying! Nashariel kicked the skeleton, launching herself away and dodging the wave. She grabbed the nearest leg, using her claws to maneuver her jump, then she swiftly climbed above.

The moment one head tried to bite her, Nashariel returned a dragoness. She grabbed the offending part, abusing all her weight to apply more pressure, then she twisted as strongly as she could.

The head snapped right away. Both the bones and the dragoness crashed on the ground, while the headless neck flailed like a dead chicken, spewing mist all around.

Before the Dracolich had time to regenerate, Nashariel barreled into the other head.

It growled into her face with a malevolent gaze, but the omnidragon simply ignored it. Instead, the Templar abused her thick tail as an impromptu hammer against the other’s leg.

The clanging of the metal against ice echoed in the mist, where each titan fought for domination. Where the giant abomination had raw power, Nashariel countered with technique and experience with grappling.

The omnidragon heard a thunderous crack on the monster’s leg, but her nascent victory shout was interrupted when the opposite paw crashed down on her.

Nashariel was sent flying all the way back, clearly hearing a crack of a bone or two. She didn’t dare thinking more about it.

The omnidragon smacked against the steel-like dome, all the air escaping her lungs. She was forced to take her first breath of the mist. It tasted like rot mixed with ice. She held back a retch.

*Omnidragon physique blocks soul domination. *

Nashariel’s heart skipped a beat. Astill’s mercy… at least this gas is useless against me. With renewed vigor, the omnidragon faced the Dracolich, her regeneration already finishing to repair the offended bones.

The destroyed head was already half-reformed, but yet unable to rejoin the fight. The monster roared a primal roar, and mist started spewing out of each fissure of its body. The leg Nashariel had disabled had been crushed by the rest of the monster’s weight, forcing the construct to skip on three legs.

The mist itself robbed Nashariel of visibility, making her growl in annoyance. Is Shine recharged?

/Affirmative, but a few points are still missing/

Good enough. Nashariel shifted into Radiance, activating [Radiant aura] coupled with a single unit of Shine. The mist receded with an angry hiss, allowing the girl to see the titan mid-flight.

The Dracolich had its frontal head opened wide, showing the endless abyss within.

Nashariel darted to the side, but the shockwave of the monster's landing sent her flying once more. She bounced twice, before coming to a stop, then flipped back on four legs. Confident in her element, she unleashed her ray once more, even if not fully powered.

This time, the Dracolich’s resistance to magic didn’t help. The Radiance cleaved through the ice, stopping to sear the bones below. Giving the monster no quarter, Nashariel powered her racial aura too, going melee.

The omnidragon mercilessly pounced on the screaming entity’s side, raking it with her hind legs. With her frontal claws and jaws she ripped a wing out of its joints, getting a whiff of mist in her face for the trouble.

Gotta find that fricking ball… She thought, ignoring the taste of rotten eggs in her mouth. Then she formed a fist with her right paw and slammed it against the bones. The Radiance-infused limb shattered the ice and seared the monster’s body.

For the first time, the Dracolich roared in anguish. The mist surrounding its body flash-froze, encasing Nashariel within.

The omnidragon snarled. She pumped Shine and her auras in response, earning another wail back. “How do you like that, uh?!”

The blackish ice broke, leaving her scales freezing, but Nashariel powered on, biting the bones with the same fervor of a giant dog. She barely managed to rip out one of them, before the titan’s next move.

From the ground, the back head sprouted. Almost unseen, it clamped against Nashariel’s rear, gripping tightly. The icy teeth ground the dragoness under their strength, shattering most of the scales, but failing to sink in the muscles below, so the limb threw her away.

Nashariel landed on her feet, ignoring the circular pulsing on her back. She watched as the damage she had just done started to repair itself. How do I get through this thing!? She snarled the thought.

The Dracolich wasn’t too difficult to deal with, much to her surprise, but the Core inside it made the undead pretty much immortal.

Her thought made her pause. Why does something 100 levels above me feel… kind of easy? It barely broke through my defenses… is this the true necromancer’s failing?

…

Gods, I’m about to do something stupid.

Nashariel charged the undead head-on. The Dracolich slashed a paw towards her, aiming to crush her under his enormous weight.

Heart pounding in her chest, Nashariel suppressed her instinct to dodge the hit. Instead, she just… met it with her own left arm, her other legs firmly pressing against the ground.

The crash of ice and bone against scales and radiance cleared the surrounding fog, giving a clear view of the result.

Nashariel’s arm was a bit sore, but it stood tall and proud.

The omnidragon let out a predatory grin. It’s weak! “Come at me!” She taunted, ignoring the minor crater that the hit dug.

The four eyes staring back at hers didn’t flinch. However, the heads repeated their pincher-like attack.

With some effort, Nashariel threw the leg she was holding in the trajectory of the heads. As soon as they crashed down against each other, she jumped over them and summoned her Radiant armor.

The dragoness savagely bit and slashed both the stunned limbs until they held on by a few threads of mist. A quick swipe of her breath weapon, and they were no more.

Nashariel picked up the skeletal remnants and threw them as far as she could. Her aura barely countered the shower of mist that was drenching her. After that, Nashariel rudely jumped on top of the monster, using it as an improvised, and frozen, road.

The smallest head was waiting for her. It roared, preparing a misty breath, but Nashariel answered with another golden beam. Coupled with Shine, the attack cleaved through the other’s skull. Ripping it out of the main body was a matter of moments.

Completely headless, the Dracolich crashed down, immobile. The disgusting creaking of bones was telling of its still ongoing regeneration.

Nashariel didn’t let it discourage her. She punched the icy armor twice, then pried open the shattered remains like an ugly, icy-looking coconut. The insides were as dark as the night, while the mist resembled actual clouds.

The omnidragon glanced at her mana, noticing that she was consuming way too much of it, despite absorbing some essence from the mist around her. She deactivated her auras, keeping her armor on. Shifting back into a dragokin, Nashariel hopped down the hole.

Inside here, the air she took in prickled her from within, so cold it was. The visibility was more than lacking, even if her armor helped a great deal. On the more, the stench of rot was worsened by the stuffy environment.

Being human-sized inside the monster really displayed how gigantic this thing was. And I blocked a swipe with my arm… Just thinking about that made Nashariel feel like an idiot. She pushed the thought aside, as now there were more pressing concerns to take care of.

Swiftly, Nashariel activated [Radiant sight], following the skill’s sensation of wrongness deep into the monster’s body. After a few seconds of running, Nashariel shuddered in horror.

As indicated by the ribcage, she was in the chest area, the one the Core had sunk into. The round object was still there on a pedestal in what looked to be a human-sized room.

What made Nashariel shudder was the fact that three miniaturized dragon souls were clearly trying their hardest to escape. Their agonized screams reached painfully clearly Nashariel’s ears. They begged to be released.

Nashariel unleashed her breath weapon, doing Templar’s work.

The Core did not yield.

Cursing, Nashariel jumped closer. She could feel the titan starting to move again. She didn’t want to find out what it could do from outside.

She ignored the pleading dragons, and she slashed with her Radiance-infused claws at the Core. They bounced off without even scratching the thing.

Damnit, it’s even more magic resistant in here! Nashariel’s head spun in circles. The mist… it's stronger in here. She steadied herself, holding her breath. Kinda stupid of me to ignore it. But how do I destroy this thing?!

She threw an infused breath to the giant sphere. It cracked slightly.

Not indestructible then. Thank Astill. Before Nashariel could fully form a victorious grin, the monster roared in fury. Two pairs of eyes stared at her from outside the ribcage.

Crap.

They both spewed in an ungodly amount of mist.

Nashariel instantly powered [Radiant aura], not thrusting anything else to shield her. Swaying in another bout of nausea, she leaned against the Core.

*Omnidragon kin detects an available source of Essence.

Identifying…

Identified Fog/Soul Core.

Tier two elements unavailable.

Essence tier downgraded to Mist/Spirit.

Absorb?

Time required: 30 minutes *

Nashariel blinked a few times at the prompt. It’s been a while… and still, this is too long. She got hit by a wave of dread. I hope that they’re doing okay… I must hurry!

The dragokin unleashed all the light she was capable of in a single beam. Less than an eighth of the Core got sheared.

The room went from chilling to freezing, as the Dracolich outside wailed. Then, Nashariel saw a pair of massive claws come through the skeleton, grabbing the ribs.

Thinking quickly, Nashariel prepared another beam of light like the one she opened the fight with. Hoping for the best, she unleashed devastation at the Core.

This time, an audible crack echoed in the monster.

As soon as Nashariel dared open her eyes again, she saw that the thing had lost just a bit more than a third of its size. The dragoness’ Radiance powered down once more.

Damnation! She snarled, right as the giant paw of the monster broke through its own ribcage. It moved towards her, but she managed to dart away in time.

The object seemed to taunt her with its persistence.

*Time required: 20 minutes *

The more I destroy it, the quicker I can absorb it. Good, I need all the advantages I can get my hands on.

*Leeching commenced.

Time remaining until complete absorption: 19:58 *

Nashariel saw a direct misty line between her and the Core. The three souls within had stopped screaming and were now looking at the omnidragon, unblinking. Please don’t rejoin the fight. Please don’t rejoin the fight…

She had enough on her plate without additional fighters.

A moment later, the Core pulsed with power. Another wave of soul-rending agony hit Nashariel, allowing even worse memories to reemerge. This time they were… deeper, and not even hers, not really.

Nashariel powered [Radiant aura] until they went away. Most of her mana was gone by now. “Secondary mind, plans for this thing?”

/Your new breath can be powered with mana, health, or stamina/

The dragoness snarled. And that’s what I get for not reading a new skill! “That’ll do!” Nashariel shouted, glancing at her resources. Her health was nearly full, despite the attack from the Core, and her stamina was faring pretty well. The omnidragon decided to split the cost.

Emptying her health made Nashariel feel somewhat winded, but the breath in her mouth spoke volumes about the utility of this option. Consuming every remaining point of Shine, Nashariel unleashed another river of golden light.

The Radiance banished the fog from existence, giving the girl a clear view of the dissolving Core. From outside, the Dracolich suddenly lunged at Nashariel. One of its claws pierced her center of mass with a wet squelch, causing the beam to run wild.

The monster dragged Nashariel out, then the heads bit down on her.

The omnidragon found that, much to her surprise, the beam wasn't stopping. She could still sustain the attack, even if all she wanted to do was scream. She directed the Radiance down to the finger digging inside her, dissolving it. Once freed, Nashariel bent her neck backward, searing a head while using all her legs to keep the other at bay.

Ignoring the frost clinging to her organs, Nashariel watched as the head assaulted by her beam dissolved into nothing. Literally. It wasn’t regenerating anymore.

A glance at the Core showed one of the souls angrily setting the room on fire. The object in and of itself started decaying faster.

Nashariel pointed the last moments of the attack to the last head, then grabbed it. While her armor seared the teeth, she put all her weight onto one side, snapping the head once more.

This done, the girl returned inside the ribcage. The room was completely on fire, as the young dragon’s soul probably gave in to madness.

Nashariel ignored the heat singing her sides, and mercilessly assaulted the dying Core.

After a moment, another source of heat was freed from its prison. This time, the flames were deep red in color and melted the loose bones.

Before Nashariel could charge another strike, the Core dissolved. The last screaming soul was free.

*Leeching complete.

Mist and Spirit attunements are available to be unlocked for free. *

So quick… there must be something in the Cores that-

The Dracolich rumbled.

Nashariel swiftly backpedaled out, landing safely at a distance. She pushed yet another thought for later.

The amass of bones crumbled on itself, lifeless.

Nashariel laid down, heaving for breath. She dispelled all her skills, shifting to Light. The soothing healing helped her to calm her nerves. She ignored the notifications ringing into her ears, too occupied with watching the draconic trio setting everything on fire while cackling madly. Astill’s mercy, please guide them to the other side… I don’t have the time to do it myself.

As if they heard her, they turned in her direction. Eerily, they floated near her resting form. The large one huffed in annoyance but bowed his head. Soon, the other two imitated him.

They slowly dissipated in a warm, red flame. Some of this washed oven Nashariel, leaving her unharmed… no, regenerated. She heard another notification going off before the fire was extinguished.

*Body/Ice/Curse-False proto Dracolich Lvl 200 (Fog/Soul-Core infused) has been defeated.

Rewards assigned.

Omnidragon Lvl up!

Three fire dragons have submitted to you, gifting you a higher comprehension of the flame.

All Fire attunements are slightly easier to unlock.

Omnidragon might: 7/10 dragons conquered.

Hp: 14.000/14.000

Mana: 10.000/10.000

Stamina: 10.000/10.000 *

I… didn’t expect that. Thank you, oh Merciful Wing.

She took a moment to properly read the new skill. Not knowing its fine prints had had a cost already.

*Would you like to evolve Dragon’s breath weapon to the next tier?

Y/N

Points reduced to-> 69

Dragon’s breath weapon evolves into->

Omnidragon’s breath (III) Lvl 1

No matter the element, no matter the age nor place, a dragon’s breath has always been an omen for catastrophe or salvation. Through blood and sweat, you have clawed your way to this skill, young omnidragon, and you now wield one of the most powerful natural weapons in the world. Keep growing because, in the end, this is just a mere tool in your arsenal.

The damage and range of your breath weapon are massively increased.

Side effects of the elements are also similarly empowered.

Your breath always manifests the current element you’re attuned to for no cost. On the more, excess mana is always infused in it.

You can infuse up to 50% of your maximum mana, stamina, or health in your attack in any combination, but not above half the maximum of your lowest resource if you split the cost. The more resources you consume, the stronger the breath becomes, as does the recoil.

You can sustain your breath for up to 1 minute at no additional cost. The longer your breath is sustained, the more precise it becomes.

The aftermath left by your breath weapon will automatically seek its previous target and it will try to attack or support them once more with heavily decreased power.

Upgrade cost: 15 points Lvl. *

Holy crap, no wonder this thing devastated everything at full power! Nashariel stared at the skill in awe. An intense wave of power made her snap toward the, hopefully, the last enemy in the village. No time to sit on my laurels.

Let’s end this!