The Black Hydra’s heads reared back, a deep, guttural hiss rising from each throat. Dark energy crackled around its scales, and from its seven maws, a torrent of black flame erupted, sweeping across the chamber like a tidal wave of shadow and heat.

Sarah was already in motion. She floated higher, pink energy gathering at her wand’s tip. "Heartstorm Apocalypse!" A massive column of pink light descended, striking the hydra’s central head and forcing it to recoil.

The hydra roared, its flames intensifying as it turned its fury toward Sarah. Black fire swept toward her, but Lisa was already there.

"Aegis of Dawn!" A shimmering mint-green barrier expanded around Sarah, deflecting the flames just before they could reach her. The barrier held, the fire sizzling against its surface.

"Nice save, Lisa!" Sarah called out, already preparing another attack.

Sein and Hope used the opening to close the distance. Sein launched herself at the hydra’s flank, flames roaring. "Crimson Impact!" Her fist slammed into the hydra’s side, but the scales barely cracked. "Tch! It’s even tougher now!"

Hope’s greatsword swung in a wide arc, carving a shallow gash across another section of the hydra’s body. "It’s regenerating faster than before! We need to find a weak spot!"

The hydra’s heads snapped toward them, its movements faster and more coordinated than before. Black flames erupted from its maws, forcing Sein and Hope to retreat as the fire licked at their heels.

"The flames are getting hotter!" Sein shouted, dodging a burst of black fire.

Lisa’s barrier was holding, but the repeated impacts were weakening it. "I’m running low on mana! The hydra’s attacks are too strong!"

Andrey moved to the center of the chamber, his staff extended, Ki flowing through his body. His eyes tracked the hydra’s movements, searching for any pattern, any weakness. ’It’s protecting its core. The scales are thickest around the chest area. That’s where the core is hidden. But getting close enough to strike...’

The hydra’s heads turned toward him, its eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence. Black flames gathered in its maws, and it unleashed a focused torrent of fire directly at Andrey.

He planted his staff, channeling Ki into the weapon. "Ki Barrier!" A pale blue dome formed around him, the flames crashing against it in waves. The barrier held, but cracks were already forming.

"Lisa, reinforce the barrier! Sarah, focus fire on its heads! Sein, Hope—try to weaken the scales around its chest!"

The hydra’s heads snapped toward Andrey as he moved, its flames tracking his movements. He could see the pattern forming, the way each head attacked in sequence, how they coordinated to cover each other’s blind spots. The hydra was adapting to their tactics, learning from their earlier strikes. If they kept fighting the same way, they would only wear themselves down while the hydra grew stronger.

Sein launched herself at the hydra’s chest, flames roaring. "Crimson Cataclysm!" The fire exploded against the hydra’s scales, and this time, a faint crack appeared.

Hope followed up immediately, her greatsword swinging. "Radiant Judgment!" The golden energy struck the same spot, widening the crack.

The hydra roared, its heads turning toward them in a frenzy of coordinated fury.

Sarah unleashed a concentrated Pink Nova at one of the heads, forcing it to recoil. "Sein, Hope—keep hitting the same spot! I’ll keep the heads distracted!"

Lisa reinforced the barrier around the team, her voice strained but steady. "I’m doing what I can! Just don’t let them coordinate!"

Andrey’s staff extended, slamming into the hydra’s chest where the crack had formed. The impact sent a shockwave through the creature’s body, and for a moment, it staggered. But the hydra’s regeneration was already working, the crack sealing itself as dark energy pulsed from its core.

"Tch! It’s healing too fast!" Andrey gritted his teeth, pulling back to avoid a sweep of its tail.

Sein, who had been pressing the attack, was caught off guard by a sudden lash of the hydra’s tail. The impact sent her flying across the chamber, her body crashing into a stalagmite with a sickening crack. She slid to the ground, groaning, flames flickering weakly around her fists.

"Sein!" Hope’s voice was sharp with concern, but she couldn’t break formation. She swung her greatsword in a wide arc, carving through a burst of black flames aimed at Sarah.

The hydra’s heads turned toward Sein, their eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence. Black fire gathered in their maws, ready to finish her off.

Hope moved faster than she ever had, her S-rank speed carrying her across the chamber in a blur of golden light. Her greatsword came down in a devastating arc, aimed directly at the hydra’s chest. "Radiant Judgment!" The blade struck with enough force to shatter the scales, carving a deep gash into the hydra’s body.

But there was no core.

Instead, the hydra’s body convulsed violently, and a shockwave of dark energy erupted from the wound, slamming into Hope and Andrey with enough force to send them flying. They crashed into the far wall, the impact cracking the stone.

Andrey pushed himself up, his vision swimming. "Its core... isn’t there..."

Sarah rushed to their side, her wand raised. "What do you mean it isn’t there?!"

Hope groaned, forcing herself to her feet. "The gash I made... there was nothing inside."

The hydra’s heads turned toward them, their eyes burning with cold fury. The wound on its chest was already closing, the scales knitting back together.

Lisa’s voice trembled, but there was a flash of realization in her eyes. "Maybe... maybe we’ve been going about this the wrong way. What if we need to cut off all the heads at once? If we destroy them simultaneously, it might not be able to regenerate."

Andrey’s eyes sharpened. He pushed himself upright, his staff in hand, the hydra’s heads hissing and snapping at them from the center of the chamber. "Lisa’s right. If we can coordinate and sever every head at the same time, we might be able to stop its regeneration. But we’ll only have one chance. If any head survives, it will grow back."

Hope’s greatsword gleamed as she lifted it. "Then we make sure none of them survive. We cut them all off at once."

Sein pushed herself up, her flames roaring back to life. Her body ached, but her eyes burned with fighting spirit. "Let’s do it."

Sarah raised her wand, pink energy gathering. "I’ll focus my attack on the two heads on the left."

Sein stepped forward, flames swirling around her fists. "I’ll take the two on the right."

Hope planted her greatsword, her gaze fixed on the center head. "I’ll take the middle three."

Lisa’s barrier flared, her voice firm. "I’ll create an opening and try to slow down its movements."

Andrey held his staff, Ki flowing through his body. "I’ll draw its attention. When I give the signal, you all strike at the same time."

The hydra seemed to sense the shift in their formation. Its heads turned, their eyes tracking each member of the team, dark energy crackling around its scales. It let out a low, rumbling hiss, and its massive body coiled, preparing to strike.

Andrey took a step forward, his staff glowing. "Now!"

He charged, staff extended, slamming into the hydra’s chest and staggering the creature. The hydra roared, its heads snapping toward him. Lisa’s eyes glowed as she reinforced the barrier around her, then she cast Gale Ward at the hydra’s legs, a swirling wind wrapping around its lower body and slowing its movements.

"Sein! Sarah! Hope! Now!"

Sein launched herself at the hydra’s right flank, flames roaring. "Crimson Cataclysm!" Her fist slammed into the base of the first head’s neck, the explosion of fire severing it cleanly. She spun, driving her other fist into the second neck, the flames burning through the scales and severing the head in a single, devastating blow.

Sarah raised her wand high, pink energy swirling around her. "Heartstorm Apocalypse!" A torrent of pink hearts rained down on the hydra’s left side, each one striking with pinpoint accuracy. The first head was torn from its neck, the second following moments later as the pink energy carved through it.

Hope moved with blinding speed, her greatsword blazing with golden light. She leaped, her blade carving through the center head in a single, clean stroke. Before the head could even begin to fall, she spun, her sword cutting through the second center head, then the third in a single, fluid motion.

The hydra’s remaining heads thrashed wildly, their eyes wide with shock and pain. For a moment, the creature seemed to falter, its massive body swaying as dark ichor poured from the severed necks.

But then, the regeneration began.

From the stump of the first severed head, a sickening crackling sound echoed. Flesh writhed and twisted, scales reforming at an alarming speed. Within seconds, a new head burst forth—smaller at first, but growing rapidly, its eyes already burning with renewed fury.

"Another head!" Sarah shouted, her voice sharp with alarm.

Hope’s eyes widened as she saw the regeneration accelerating. Her gaze swept across the hydra’s body, searching for the source of its unnatural healing. Then she saw it—a faint, rhythmic pulse beneath the scales of its chest, just above where its heart should be.

"Andrey! The heart! Its heart is the source of its regeneration!" Hope shouted, pointing her greatsword toward the pulsing spot. "We need to destroy it before it regenerates completely!"