The Earth Salamander shrieked, and from around it, pillars of molten lava shot up like jagged spears. The ground groaned, splitting under the heat, as these crimson plumes threatened to swallow everything. Gloria, Everett, and Guruji barely dodged—flames licking at their heels, hair singed, breath short.
With that, Everett's attempt to trap the Salamander also failed.
The Shard Vulture flew below him, helping him dodge the attack. The storm-footed Wind Elephant soared above, trumpeting. The moment its foot touched the lava-ridden earth, it was gone—dismissed or slain. But Everett had no time to mourn. He followed it with the next, and the next. Each beast moved with urgency, and fury—the bond between them was forged in frozen survival, tested by fire.
Each of the nine:
Wind Elephant – the storm-footed giant
Thorn Boar – bristles of shrapnel
Glimmer Wolf – vanishes between breaths
Ice Salamander – spitting frostfire
Plated Serpent – mirror-scaled coils
Shard Vulture – predator of glass winds
Phantom Bear – silent even when roaring
Cradle Leech – feeds on fear and warmth
??? – a frost-eyed creature who simply watched
Fought with desperation.
Gloria had already fallen. The Earth Salamander, emboldened, lunged toward her—but Everett ordered his beasts to intercept. The nine summoned beasts rushed forward, forming a living wall between the raging elemental and his fallen comrade. Meanwhile, Guruji stepped forward. Sweat trickled from his brow as he whispered into the wind. An illusion formed—dense, sacred, full of shifting dimensions. It wrapped around the Earth Salamander, enough to confuse it. Buy them time.
They retreated. Their bodies trembling, steam rising from hair and clothes. The forest realm had endured another battle.
---
Three years passed.
The Ganso Kingdom Palace—a fortress grown from the roots of a glacial forest, carved with blade and frost magic—stood strong. Around it, the Kingdom of Ganso formed. Ferocious beasts, driven by instinct or reverence, settled in territories surrounding the palace. The forest bloomed unnaturally bright with herbs, frost lilies, glacial orchids. Of the Earth demon beasts, three surrendered.
The Seven-eyed Frost Deer, mysterious and mournful.
The Four-legged Serpent, cunning and quiet.
And lastly, the cutest guardian of all—The Frost Glimmer Wolf, a kin to Everett's own, now protector of their lands.
In the courtyard, Everett wondered aloud:
"Maybe the Realm shard can help one of my beasts evolve... I don't have the Realm Shard yet—but I can feel it. If I can trap the Earth Salamander in my Frost Realm, maybe... maybe that's how I get it."
Guruji responded cryptically, as ever:
"When fire dances in a frozen lake, one shall witness evolution, not warmth."
Gloria, spinning her sword like a fencer trapped in theater practice, laughed:
"Enough riddles, old man! If I don't beat this oversized furnace in my 840th duel, I swear I'm retiring as a janitor."
---
Everett and the trio once again returned to the volcanic mountains. Just as they entered it a furious roar cam.
They knew it was earth salamander. It had sensed them. It charged forward with surprising speed, defying its massive size.
The earth salamander opened its mouth. It spewed scalding volcanic ash, blinding the battlefield.
Everett responded it with a frost storm which cleared the area between them.
Just then Gloria charged forward, flames reflecting off her blade. She chanted her old, dramatic lines:
"From the glory of the ancient knighthood! My blade will carve destiny!"
Behind her, a glorious knight spirit shimmered into existence and merged with her body. Her sword transformed, glowing with a power that pierced dimensions.
"This is the Splash of Fury!" she cried.
Her slash, empowered with sword intention, birthed a crimson arc, twenty stories tall and a dozen meters wide. The very ground split beneath it.
The Earth salamander replied gloria's attack with his own defence.It roared and a plate of thich volcanic earth armour surrounded it.
The sword cut through the beasts armour as a knife through butter, but as it reached the earth salamander the attack was weakened a lot.
Just then, Everett, already prepared, gave the command:
"All beasts—maximum range attack! Now!"
All nine roared, howled, hissed, or stayed silent. The Realm of Frost cracked open as Everett focused. For years he'd practiced entering with beasts stronger than him. Many failed. But now, in this moment, he stood at the entrance of the Frost Realm.
He couldn't force the Earth Salamander into it yet, but his resolve was strong.
Then something changed.
The earth salamander felt mysterious force around it. It knew about this mysterious force as Everett tried it in every battle.
It shrieked and prepared tho move out of this place just then guruji while chanting threw it into a mental illusion of profecy of God.
By the time the earth salamander cam out of it Everett had prepared his weapon combining the dual power of intentions and frost realm, combining them into a spear. He named it frost spear, the salamander knowing it's dangers fired a volcanic beam which had the powers to demolish mountains towards the frost spear but just then Gloria starts chanting.
"Knighthood of the Forgotten Flame, Stand beside your eternal name. Let glory mold and wrath reclaim— The truth of sword, the end of shame."
"Final slash"
Everett froze for a heartbeat, awe flickering in his chest as Gloria stepped into the blaze like a warrior reborn
Gloria's attack collides with the volcanic beam which results in cancellation of both attacks.
Finnally the spear of frost collides with the earth salamander which freezes it.
Just when Everett thought the Frost Spear had done its job, the Earth Salamander's eyes burst open—full of rage, refusing to fall. The realm pulsed. The frost cracked. It was breaking free.
Everett's heart sank. Again? Was even this not enough?
Then, Guruji lifted a trembling hand. His voice—barely a whisper at first—grew with each word, echoing the language of gods. The chant wrapped around the Salamander like invisible chains, ancient and absolute.
"By the breath of stillborn stars,
By the silence before the scream,
I bind this fire-born beast
In the cradle of frost and dream.
Let the tongues of forgotten gods
Freeze the marrow, still the flame—
By name unspoken, by shape unformed,
Return to frost. Return to name."
With each verse, the air tightens. The Earth Salamander thrashes as chains of invisible frost wrap around it, shackling soul to soil. And with the final line—
"Ashes to frost. Flame to slumber. Time… to vanish."
With the final syllable, the Earth Salamander's defiance flickered. Its body slumped. Its eyes shut.
And then—it vanished.
Guruji and Everett collapsed, spent. Gloria fell to her knees beside them, tears spilling down her soot-streaked face.
"We won," she whispered. "We finally won."