Flames of three distinct colors—azure, emerald, and crimson—coalesced around the Heart-Fire triplets as their minds merged into a single, unbreakable will. Their individual forms dissolved into shimmering embers, swirling together in a cyclone of heat and light. Their unified body radiated waves of heat so intense that the very stone beneath them glowed cherry-red before turning white-hot, warping underfoot. Bodies blurred like wax near flame, minds expanded beyond mortal constraints, souls entangled in a harmony both regal and volatile. Reality rippled in protest, the air thick with distortion, as distant droplets hissed into vapor—each one a herald of the unraveling world around them.

  “Ah,” their voices resonated like a fractured chorus from the depths of the outer circle, each syllable soaked in divine judgment. “The stench is unmistakable.” The tone bled with primordial arrogance, as though a forgotten demon had stirred from eternal slumber to pass final sentence upon Orbis.

  From that inferno emerged a new entity—tall, horned, and regal—its blazing body a fusion of their strength and legacy. This was no longer three beastkin. This was the embodiment of their bloodline’s birthright: Cerberus reborn, cloaked in majesty and fire.

  “It’s probably us,” Lethe said with a lopsided, playful tone—still unified, but their voices now distinct. They were clearly still adjusting to the overwhelming new power. “I miss my warm baths,” he added with a nervous chuckle, the joke failing to fully conceal the tension threading through his voice.

  The creature standing before them bore no resemblance to three separate beastkin anymore—it was Cerberus incarnate, forged in divine fire and fury. Towering and majestic, its body was cloaked in layered fur of scarlet and chestnut, licked by azure, emerald, and crimson flames that crackled with primal intensity. Muscles rippled beneath its radiant hide like iron beneath silk, while jagged tusks jutted from a snarling maw, each breath exhaling steam in rhythmic gusts like the exhalations of a volcano poised to erupt.

  Its molten gaze scanned the chaotic battlefield, lingering on the crumpled forms of Bjoern and Isabella with what almost resembled contempt. “Pathetic,” it hissed, the word crackling with heat. But the true object of its loathing stood ahead—the divine beast. “A daring little insect,” it rumbled, its eyes narrowing into blazing slits as they locked onto the abomination with a predator’s precision.

  Each step forward carved smoldering prints into the earth, the molten impressions sizzling like fresh brands. The ground sagged beneath the weight of their power, pliable as wax under flame. The air thickened into a choking haze, reality itself buckling with every motion. Behind them, trails of multicolored flame danced like ghostly serpents, leaving a sky of ash in their wake.

  “Bjoern fought well, but he’s hanging on by threads,” they noted, their chorus-like voice laced with both urgency and a hint of biting amusement. “It’s time we stepped in.”

  It was surreal. Their voice carried a clashing harmony—multiple emotions woven together into something imperfect yet powerful. Similarly, the body staggered with awkward grace, each motion betraying its unfamiliarity with such unity. They admitted their inexperience; only time and power would smooth the jagged edges. Yet the burden was shared: Styx commanded the body, Lethe channeled the [Energy], and Persephone served as the bridge between them, bearing the crushing responsibility of coordinating their minds while directing the flow of mana—a novel experience—her soul straining under the pressure like glass under fire.

  ‘Are you okay?!’ Styx’s thoughts reverberated with sharp concern, his focus trembling beneath the strain of their unraveling fusion.

  ‘Yeah…’ Lethe winced as he felt Persephone’s strain ripple through their shared consciousness. ‘Maybe ease up on the mana flow until—’

  ‘Everything is fine! Shut up and focus!’ Persephone snapped, her voice sharp with irritation as she struggled to maintain concentration.

  Every inch of their colossal frame shimmered with enchantments—mana slithered like serpents around every vulnerability, reinforcing them with ethereal armor. Around their claws—already hard and sharp as forged steel—extra layers of arcane protection crackled, amplifying both strength and precision. Their senses expanded beyond the physical, attuned to the faintest trace of movement or mana, able to perceive the unseen like a sixth sense sharpened to a blade’s edge.

  ‘Just… focus on yourself.’ Persephone clenched her teeth, refusing to retreat from the commitment she had made. Her pride demanded it—especially when a mere ‘puppy’ could wield mana with a grace and potency she envied. The beauty of his technique, the seamless blend of finesse and power, embodied a single goal she craved—ego. How could she face Alexander as anything less? To prove it to herself, to surpass expectations, to be better—like every true Heart-Fire knight, she had to become better.

  Fenrir, while revered, was fundamentally a barbarian. Scarlet’s ‘ferocity’ could only be described as bloodthirstiness. Marisia, a prodigy among prodigies, became the strongest through ‘masochism.’ The Leonandra household became the most exceptional.

  It was mortifying, if not outright humiliating, that for generations their household had ceased striving to be the strongest, the most commanding. She refused that complacency. She craved supremacy. She yearned to reclaim everything that had been squandered.

  ‘Prepare,’ her thoughts pulsed through their shared mindscape, aligning the three of them with razor precision. ‘I want its head served on a silver platter.’

  As they approached, the scene—witnessing Isabella’s torso simply erased by that devastating beam, still floating mid-air, Bjoern reduced to a mangled ruin of flesh and bone—their expression darkened with righteous fury. Flames shrouding their form roared higher, wilder, as if eager to answer that outrage.

  “Holy divinity?” They echoed, halting mid-stride as molten bubbles rose beneath their feet. “Such arrogance has no place on our soil.” Their voices rang with the cold finality of a verdict passed, each syllable a deliberate mandate to erase the divine beast before them.

  The horns crowning their head burst into a corona of searing flame, ribbons of power spiraling upward as they inhaled with deliberate, predatory calm. At their core, Persephone’s meticulous coordination intertwined with Lethe’s icy precision and Styx’s blistering wrath—mana and dignity melding into a single, volatile force straining against the limits of their shared body.

  With a single, controlled exhalation, a torrent of concentrated flame erupted from their maw—not mere fire, but molten annihilation, writhing and coiling like living serpents of magma. The searing flood slammed into the divine beast with the force of a volcanic eruption, driving it back in a storm of heat that devoured everything in its path.

  BOOM

  The divine beast pressed back, its focused beam shattering and splashing against the cave wall before melting away under their combined heat.

  “What became of the Cursed Beast? Of the Titan?” they demanded, their tone steeped in the cold weight of disappointed nobility, mockery, and pride. “Nothing left but whimpering pups, unworthy of their names.”

  They advanced with unyielding purpose, guiding the battered Bjoern and Isabella aside—careful, yet decisive, ensuring no further harm. The Heart-Fire territory might lack the wealth of other domains, their coffers bare and their inventions few, unable to rival the adaptability of their peers. But they carried something rarer, something Moorgrel’s greatest houses envied: the undiluted blood of Cerberus, the legacy that had always been their truest strength.

  The Nine-Fire household could raze kingdoms in a tide of chaos. The Leonandra could shape brutal warriors able to challenge any foe—a lineage of barbarians and harlots alike. But Heart-Fire? They stood apart. Nobility distilled to its purest essence, the only peers within Moorgrel’s borders who could stand on equal footing with the Count himself.

  “Be careful,” all three voices intoned in flawless unison, their words rolling out like a shared heartbeat as lava hissed and hardened around the divine beast, sealing it in a molten tomb. “Not that it will make any difference, will it?”

  No cunning feints. No intricate schemes. Only raw, unrelenting power. What more could they possibly require, when the undiluted blood in their veins was weapon enough?

  They leaned forward, their towering frame now mirroring the divine beast’s imposing stature, as the ground beneath them seethed into bubbling magma—an unmistakable signal of the final strike, a decisive act to purge the intruder from their soil.

  ‘I want his head for Zaphiro,’ Persephone’s voice came taut with strain, her mind seething like a boiling cauldron—yet she clung to this chance with iron resolve, unwilling to let it slip away. The first step to reclaiming their honor.

  In a heartbeat, they vanished—reappearing before their foe in a blur, massive clawed hands sheathed in multicolored flame crashing forward with the cataclysmic force of a collapsing mountain.

  BOOM

  The blow met a jarring resistance. The impact rang false, hollow, as if striking an empty shell. Cracks split across the carapace before it sloughed away in great, molten chunks, revealing the true foe beneath: a humanoid figure with skin like burnished steel, its [Aura] thrumming with the unmistakable might of the [Second Conjecture].

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  ?Weak.?

  The triplets pressed their advantage, refusing to give the newly revealed form a moment to adjust. But the divine beast lifted one hand with casual precision, effortlessly intercepting their flaming strike as though plucking a falling ember from the air.

  BOOM

  The shockwave from the clash tore away the final shards of its outer shell, heat and flame lashing the cavern walls—yet the figure absorbed it without flinching, its stance unshaken, its form unscarred, as though the effort to block them had cost nothing at all.

  ?Now, be gone.?

  BOOM

  With a single, almost dismissive sweep of its other arm, a concussive wave erupted point?blank, hammering into the unified triplets and hurling their massive body backward. They skidded across molten stone; the force wracking their fused form with searing pain before they came to a shuddering halt.

  ‘Coward!’ Persephone’s thought lashed out the instant they skidded to a halt, urgent and razor?sharp. ‘It’s burning its very life to fuel that power!’

  The divine beast’s [Aura] loomed vast and indomitable, brimming with untapped potential—yet she could feel its strength bleeding away. Moment by moment, that presence weakened, little by little, the [Energy] clinging to its body unraveling like water spilling from a bucket riddled with holes. This was its last stand.

  ‘What’s the plan?’ Lethe asked, his sigh carrying the first cracks in his usual calm. ‘Do we stall? I don’t think we can outlast… whatever this thing is now.’

  Though they loathed to admit it, their fused form—known as Ifrit—was far from everlasting. Every moment it endured drained their [Energy] reserves at a punishing rate, sustaining only a power level at the initial stage of the [First Conjecture]—still far beneath whatever the divine beast had become.

  ‘Who cares?!’ Their body surged forward under Styx’s unwavering resolve, pouring every last drop of strength into one final assault. ‘We’ll finish it here! And we’re not alone—there are still others behind us!’

  Though Persephone hated to admit it, Styx was right. Beside them, Narsiz and Mathilda were preparing something—what, she couldn’t say—but the air itself quivered with erratic surges of mana, revealing that whatever it was, it was already in motion.

  ‘You’re… right.’ Persephone almost bit her tongue for admitting it, loathing the thought of relying on anyone else. ‘Survival takes priority.’

  ?Are you finished? Whatever scheme you cling to, it ends here—every last one of you will die.?

  A chorus-like voice dragged them back, rattling their minds with the oppressive urge to submit. Even in their enhanced form, they strained against its mind-soothing pull. If that had been the only threat, they might have endured—but their strength felt wholly inadequate as the divine being began to reveal its true form. The ground shifted, pebbles and shards of metal rising into the air, orbiting its humanoid frame, multiple wings unfurling from its back like some twisted, profane angel of destruction.

  The divine beast emerged from the shattered remains of its molten shell, looking more irritated than wounded—and far too powerful. Its [Energy] bled into the ground, bleaching it white and cracking it apart as though purging the earth itself. All they could do now was trust in whatever their… friends were preparing.

  ‘Pull me out when this is over,’ Lethe said, pouring every ounce of control into focusing their [Energy] for one final attempt. ‘Not gonna lie… dying here was never on my to?do list… hehe.’ The laugh came a beat late, edged with the grim awareness that it was a very real possibility.

  Their maw opened wide, multicolored [Energy] gathering before them in a dense, swirling sphere that throbbed with devastating potential, expanding with every heartbeat like a star on the verge of collapse.

  ‘Perse, you’re up!’ Styx’s thoughts thundered through their shared mind as their muscles surged and contracted in unison, channeling every last shred of power into the attack. ‘Get ready—it’s going to be rough.’

  Their form diminished, shrinking as though every last drop of life were being drawn from them, while the orb before them swelled ever larger, churning with dense, searing [Energy] that transformed the surrounding space into a blazing forge, melting stone and earth into flowing ruin.

  ‘Sorry, boys.’ The final surge nearly wrenched them out of consciousness as their mana veins and core constricted, a blinding headache crashing through their skull. ‘Give it everything you’ve got!’

  Constructs and spells flared into existence for only a heartbeat before being devoured by the growing mass. She poured every drop of their mana into the orb, compressing it until it became pure, concentrated destruction. Holding anything back now would be their death sentence.

  With the last of their strength, a chaotic burst of [Energy] tore through the air toward the divine beast. “Try blocking this, you firefly!” Styx bellowed, his voice riding the roar of the attack as the orb scorched its path into pure, bubbling magma.

  ?No matter how savage you lowly beings become,? the divine beast said coldly, lifting one arm in a languid, almost bored motion. Before its upraised palm, a sphere of concentrated divine energy began to form, swirling tighter and denser with lethal intent. ?A dog will always remain a dog.?

  Some things remained absolute. One of them was the [Conjecture]. Someone of the [First Conjecture], especially at its initial levels, could never overwhelm someone at the [Second Conjecture], especially not if the gods themselves gave their power to it.

  ?Be gone.?

  Before the sphere could close the distance, the counterattack struck like judgment made manifest. A beam of pure annihilation ripped through the air toward their chaotic assault—meeting it head?on, the outcome was never in doubt.

  ‘Ready? Here it comes,’ Lethe murmured into their shared thoughts, his mental voice thin with exhaustion as he poured the last of his strength into shaping their final, desperate strike. ‘Don’t bite your tongue!’

  Before the beam could even meet their attack, the sphere fractured into hundreds of smaller orbs, parting to let the beam pass through with unimaginable speed. They hung in the air for a heartbeat, circling like a swarm of ravenous locusts sighting fresh fields, then snapped their focus onto the divine beast. The creature flinched as a binding spell took hold, marking it as prey, and the orbs dove in relentless pursuit just as the beam tore past.

  BOOOOM

  The two attacks collided simultaneously and with devastating effect.

  The divine beast’s beam punched through, searing a gaping hole in their chest even as their swarm of orbs slammed home. The pain was indescribable—not merely physical, but a tearing at the very threads of their essence—as the force hurled them backward, the impact erupting behind them deep within the cave. Their transformation began to unravel, threads of unity fraying apart.

  At the same instant, the orbs detonated one after another, drenching the divine beast in wave after wave of destruction. Spells and debilitating effects tore into it, the blasts rattling the cavern and engulfing its position in an unending inferno.

  “Shit…” As their unified form broke apart, Styx was the first to reemerge—bearing the same grievous wound as their shared body, a gaping hole punched clean through his chest. Before darkness could claim him, he fumbled out high?grade healing potions and talismans from the Temple, pressing them to the wound and downing the potion in the same desperate motion.

  Though his wound was grievous, it wasn’t immediately fatal—his heart was intact, and his head remained firmly on his shoulders. One lung, however, was simply gone, the surrounding tissue seared by [Holy Energy], making the healing process far more arduous. Even with the aid of [Nature Energy] from the Talismans, purging and repairing the damage was painstakingly slow.

  “I’m done.” Flames guttered out as Lethe materialized beside Styx—outwardly unscathed, yet inside, every [Energy] vein and his core lay in tatters. The invisible damage stole the strength from his legs, driving him to his knees in an instant.

  Lethe answered no one, his eyes drifting shut as he fought to stay conscious. Every nerve screamed, yet he willed himself to reach for Styx, desperate to pull him away—even as his body refused to obey.

  “Urgh…” Persephone was the last to emerge, her eyes rolling back as her black canine ears pinned flat against her head. Mana veins torn and core shattered, the agony overwhelmed her in an instant, stealing her consciousness as she crumpled forward, hitting the ground with a muted thump.

  Their reserves were utterly spent, leaving them as defenseless as newborn pups. Still, their strike had landed, doing exactly what they expected. ?How dramatic.? With a casual flick of its arm, the creature dispersed the lingering heat, searing everything in its path as if to erase the remnants of their defiance. Tilting its head with predatory curiosity, it allowed a cruel smile to spread across its features. ?Was it truly worth it??

  It was—the divine beast’s power slipped from the [Second Conjecture] down into the upper range of the [First Conjecture]. Though it emerged without a scratch, the oppressive [Aura] pressing against them had thinned, and the once?crushing wave of righteous wrath now felt far more bearable.

  ?Too bad, having you as slaves would be such a delight—?

  Its words were cut short by a sudden eruption of killing intent so pure and focused that even the divine being faltered. A grey blur tore across the chamber like living lightning, forcing it to snap up its defenses a split second before something monstrous slammed into it with bone?jarring force.

  “Such a big mouth, aren’t we~?” Sarusos’s distorted voice carried notes of playful menace despite the fact that his twisted form was already showing cracks from the impact. “How about you give me a proper bout before bullying those cute pups~?”

  Before the divine beast could respond, a crude yet effective spell snapped into place around its chest—air rushing inward in a violent vacuum before detonating outward. The blast hurled the creature across the chamber, slamming it into the cavern wall with bone-rattling force.

  “Now then.” Sarusos swept his abyssal gaze across the battlefield, lingering on the barely conscious young nobles. A faint, almost proud nod acknowledged their efforts. “You’ve fought well—but this battle is no longer yours to finish.”

  He vanished.

  While he was gone, the two barely conscious triplets could hardly believe their eyes. Was this truly the same insane foxkin, now radiating such overwhelming power? Before they could even process the thought, a cheery voice rang out behind them.

  “Not gonna lie,” Lethe and Styx turned to see Mathilda striding toward them with Isabella and Bjoern slung over her shoulders. “That thing’s right—you really are pretty dramatic~” she said, a mischievous smile curling her lips as her tail waved happily around.

  She strolled over to Persephone with unhurried ease, hooked a hand through her belt, and hoisted her as effortlessly as if lifting a sack of grain. Had the Cerberus descendant been conscious, the indignity would have been unbearable—but for now, she only hung limply, drooling.

  “Can you two at least walk~?” She asked, gesturing toward the far side of the cave. “If I were you, I’d get moving before things turn ugly.”

  Styx shot her a look as he made his way to Lethe, slapping a few talismans onto his back hard enough to make his triplet brother gasp. Then he fished a special recovery potion from his pouch—restore just enough [Energy] to get Lethe on his feet—tilted his brother’s head up by the ears, pried open his mouth, and poured it in with all the subtlety of force?feeding a goose.

  “What ya mean?” He glanced around while Lethe flailed, choking on the potion. “This place already looks like the outer circle.”

  The scene looked as though destruction itself had descended upon them. Vast sections of the ground were torn apart by Bjoern’s rampage, the earth pocked with craters; other stretches had melted into yawning pits, while some areas were scoured clean by the [Holy Energy]. The surrounding walls fared no better, marred with gaping holes and craters of their own.

  “Just follow me.” Mathilda spun on her heel with a jaunty hop, a mischievous glint in her eye. “This is going to be fun~”

  Patreon—30 and more advanced chapters for 5$

  RoyalRoad—please rate, follow, and fav!

  Discord—feel free to debate me. I am ready to go for it!