Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Bloody Lily felt a chill run down her spine as she saw the huge crack behind Xanthea. But unlike the other people in the Valkyria Arena, she wasn't scared, she was impressed. So she clenched the hilt of her red sword and prepared to attack. She knew she didn't have much time, because the crack was getting wider and the greenish glow of Xanthea's wand was getting stronger. She had to act quickly and efficiently to stop Xanthea from doing what she was about to do.

With her sword in front of her body, she lunged at Xanthea, ignoring the whole atmosphere of fear, and used her sword to deflect and cut the long tentacles that were starting to come out of that big hole. At this point, she was more determined than ever to get to Xanthea.

The witch saw Bloody Lily approaching and smiled mischievously. She was not worried about her enemy's onslaught, for she knew she would not be able to reach her in time. She was almost done with her spell. She only needed a few more seconds to fully open the rift and summon whatever was on the other side, so she just continued to focus her mana on the tip of her wand while muttering the words of the incantation.

Xanthea was almost there. She just needed a little more time.

But Bloody Lily was almost there as well. She just needed more time.

The two were within a few feet of each other when something happened. A deafening roar echoed through the air, startling everyone in the arena. It was a roar of rage and pain, like a wounded beast crying out for revenge. Everyone stared at the battlefield and saw a colossal figure emerge from the crack behind Xanthea.

First, the legs of this creature emerged, and they were not tentacles, but muscular arms with huge black claws that radiated intense heat. Then this creature's head emerged, revealing yellow eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It was a creature that seemed to have come straight from hell. It was a red dragon.

The Red Dragon had scales as bright as rubies, eyes as yellow as fire, claws as sharp as spears, and teeth as sharp as swords. A dragon that radiated heat and power as if it were the master of all volcanoes. A dragon that could easily be recognized as a dragon of the second most powerful dragon race in existence, just behind the golden dragons, and a being with enough power to decimate entire nations. However, this red dragon was not just any red dragon, for its skin was warm, but not scorching hot, and parts of it were missing. This was an undead Red Dragon, which meant that simply killing it would not be enough to stop it. And it was angry.

It let out a jet of fire from its mouth, which hit Xanthea full on. She had no time to react or defend herself. She was engulfed by the red flames that consumed her in seconds. She didn't even scream. She just disappeared amidst the volume of the flames.

Bloody Lily stood there paralyzed. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It wasn't the first time she'd encountered a dragon, but she'd never had to fight one, and now she couldn't help it.

After Xanthea was consumed by the Red Dragon's flames, Bloody Lily stood motionless, staring in astonishment at the spot where her enemy had been consumed by the flames. She was almost certain that Xanthea was dead, but suddenly something happened. Out of the flames emerged Xanthea, unharmed, unscathed, and with a wicked smile on her face.

On her wrists were chains of fire that wrapped around the Red Dragon's wrists and neck. And at that moment, everyone understood that the reason she was called the 'Queen of Fire' was not only because of her ability to destroy.

Bloody Lily was stunned by the sight before her eyes. She had never seen anything like it before. Xanthea was truly powerful, and it seemed that nothing could stop her. Xanthea let out an evil laugh as she watched Bloody Lily's stunned expression. She knew her enemy was terrified, and she loved it. Xanthea enjoyed every moment of this battle.

"You are nothing compared to me, Bloody Lily!" said Xanthea, still laughing. "I have powers you can't even imagine. You don't stand a chance against me!"

Bloody Lily knew Xanthea was right. She couldn't compete with the Fire Queen's power. But she would not give up so easily. Bloody Lily didn't know how to take on an undead dragon, but she couldn't just stand there while Xanthea controlled the beast. She still had a trick up her sleeve, something that could turn the battle around and give her a chance to win.

She raised her sword and pointed it at Xanthea, preparing for her next move. She knew it would be difficult, but she would not give up without a fight. After all, she had her own unique abilities, and she was willing to use them to win the battle and meet Kaizen in the final.

Xanthea continued to laugh as Bloody Lily approached. She thought her enemy was foolish to run towards her with a sword when she could control a dragon. But she underestimated Bloody Lily's determination and skill.

Bloody Lily came close enough to attempt a strike, but Xanthea was quick and used the dragon to block Bloody Lily's sword with her own bottles. The warrior's sword made a metallic sound as it struck the claws of one of the dragon's legs, making Xanthea laugh again and pull the chains, causing the dragon to react once more and attack Bloody Lily with its claws. The red-haired warrior was quick and agile, however, and managed to dodge the dragon's attack.

Realizing that Xanthea was concentrating on controlling the dragon without using any other magic, Bloody Lily knew that this was her chance to attack. If she could get through the dragon's defenses, she could win this. She ran towards the witch, dodging the dragon's blows, and managed to get close enough to try and hit her with her sword.

'One cut and it's over. One swing and I'm in the finals.' Bloody Lily thought, seeing that she had a clear opening to strike at Xanthea's neck.

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

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