The first wyvern burst through the clouds with a shriek sharp enough to shake the air, then came dozens more, the massive winged predators dove from every direction, their scales black-green beneath the stormlight of the dungeon sky. Their wings blotted out entire sections of the clouds as they descended toward Kamish like starving beasts sensing another apex predator entering their territory.

Only this time... they had chosen the wrong target.

Arthur stood unmoving atop Kamish’s skull, his glowing violet eyes reflected the incoming swarm without even the slightest trace of concern.

Behind him, the Titans were already bracing themselves.

Robin reached for his staff. Cyborg’s cannon shifted into combat mode. Starfire’s hands ignited green. Blue Beetle’s armor crawled over his body with nervous speed. And Arthur raised one hand without even turning around.

"Don’t lift a finger."

The Titans blinked.

Arthur’s lips curled faintly.

"Just hang on tight."

Beast Boy immediately responded. "They are all yours buddy!"

Kamish roared and the dragon’s voice detonated across the sky like a living catastrophe.

And then everything happened at once as Kamish accelerated so violently the entire world blurred.

Beast Boy screamed instantly. "OH COME ON!"

Blue Beetle grabbed onto a massive spike on Kamish’s back for dear life. "WHY DOES HE FLY LIKE HE’S TRYING TO KILL US TOO?!"

The first wyvern lunged from above.

Kamish didn’t dodge, he met it head on.

CRUNCH.

The shadow dragon’s jaws closed around the creature’s neck with horrifying force. Bone exploded. Blood sprayed across the clouds as Kamish ripped the wyvern clean in half mid-flight without slowing down.

Starfire’s eyes widened. "Oh..."

Cyborg stared. "That was metal as hell.."

Another pack descended from below.

Kamish opened his mouth.

Dark purple flames erupted across the sky, it was pure annihilation.

The breath attack consumed the entire lower formation in an instant, swallowing wyverns whole. Their shrieks lasted less than seconds before their bodies simply disintegrated into burning ash scattered by the wind.

The shockwave rocked Kamish’s back hard enough that Robin nearly lost balance.

"Hold on!" Robin shouted.

"WAY AHEAD OF YOU!" Beast Boy yelled while practically hugging the dragon’s spine with both arms and legs in Gorilla form.

Another wyvern dove toward Kamish’s side, claws extended.

Arthur didn’t even move.

Kamish twisted midair with impossible speed for something his size, one massive wing folding inward as he rolled through the sky. The maneuver nearly launched everyone off his back.

Blue Beetle panicked immediately. "NOPE. NOPE. NOPE!"

Raven, somehow perfectly stable despite the chaos, crossed her arms while floating slightly above Kamish’s shadow scales.

Then she looked toward Beast Boy dangling for dear life and laughed.

"You look ridiculous."

Beast Boy stared at her in betrayal. "I’M FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE OVER HERE ON TOP OF YOUR BOYFRIEND’S PET!"

Kamish slammed directly into the attacking wyvern and the impact shattered the creature’s ribcage like glass.

Before the corpse could even fall, Kamish’s tail whipped through the clouds and obliterated another one behind them in an explosion of scales and blood.

Cyborg’s mechanical eye twitched.

"Okay... This dragon’s insane."

Arthur’s voice came calmly through the chaos.

"He’s enjoying himself."

As if understanding the compliment, Kamish released another thunderous roar.

Then the dragon climbed upward sharply, the wyverns followed.

It was a huge mistake as Kamish suddenly folded his wings.

The shadow dragon dropped through the sky like a meteor.

Robin’s eyes widened. "Arthur!"

But Arthur remained perfectly still atop Kamish’s skull and the moment three wyverns closed around them,

Kamish’s eyes ignited.

A pulse of shadow erupted from his body and the sky itself darkened.

Every wyvern caught near the pulse suddenly froze midair for half a second, then their bodies split apart simultaneously.

Clean and instant.

Like invisible claws had carved through them, Blood rained through the clouds.

Blue Beetle’s jaw dropped. "WHAT EVEN WAS THAT?!"

Arthur answered casually, "Dragon Fear."

Jaime blinked. "Fear?!"

"A special skill some of the strongest of the dragons can use, Kamish’s presence attacks weaker minds."

Beast Boy stared in horror at the dragon beneath them. "You brought us onto the back of a nightmare... sometimes I’m really glad that you are on our side.."

Kamish growled proudly.

"That sounded smug," Cyborg muttered.

"It was," Raven replied.

More wyverns emerged from the storm ahead, dozens this time, their shrieks layering into one monstrous sound.

Arthur finally moved and slowly he drew his sword.

The violet glow running through the blade illuminated the dark skies around him as he pointed forward toward the approaching swarm.

Kamish’s massive wings spread wide.

Arthur smiled.

"Straight through them."

"Leave it to me, my king."

The dragon surged forward again.

And then Arthur moved.

One moment he stood atop Kamish’s skull and the next a burst of violet-black energy exploded beneath his feet.

The air shattered.

A sonic boom tore through the skies as Arthur launched himself forward alone.

"Catch up," Arthur said calmly over his shoulder, his ashen white hair snapping violently in the wind, "I’ll fly ahead and clear the path on the castle wall. The giants already have vision on us."

Robin opened his mouth. "Arthur wai.."

But it was too late, as Arthur vanished into the clouds like a violet comet.

Beast Boy stared after him for a second.

"There he goes."

Raven sighed softly.

Then shadows wrapped around her body as she floated upward after him without hesitation.

"I’m not letting him wander alone."

Beast Boy pointed dramatically. "And there goes Raven."

Starfire blinked once before immediately flying after them with glowing green eyes.

"Wait for me Raven!"

Beast Boy watched her disappear too.

"...And there goes Starfire."

He slowly turned toward Cyborg and Blue Beetle who were hanging for dear life on Kamish’s back.

"Damn. Dude’s a girl magnet."

Robin snorted despite himself while Cyborg laughed.

"Can you blame them?" Cyborg said.

Blue Beetle nodded seriously. "Yeah, if I had shadow powers I’d probably have followers too."

"You wish, puny human." Kamish growled beneath them, he was almost offended.

"Sorry big guy," Jaime added quickly.

The shadow dragon beat his massive wings once.

The force alone bent the clouds apart, then Kamish surged toward the castle.

Not nearly as fast as Arthur, because Arthur himself was already there.

The giants barely had time to react.

Massive horned warriors standing atop the colossal walls pointed upward as the streak of violet light descended from the sky.

One giant roared something in its own language, Arthur crashed directly through its skull.

The impact detonated like artillery.

Blood exploded across the fortress wall as Arthur tore through the giant’s head entirely, emerging from the other side surrounded by gore and shattered bone fragments.

The corpse remained standing for half a second before collapsing backward into the fortress below.

Dozens of giant soldiers froze atop the walls.

Their massive eyes widened, because floating above them now was a single humanoid figure covered in blood, eyes glowing violet and Arthur slowly looked down at them.

Completely calm, the pressure rolling from his body alone made some of the giants instinctively step backward.

"None of them are the boss..."

His gaze sharpened.

Violet light pulsed through his eyes as his vision pierced through the gigantic fortress beneath him, the castle itself was monstrous.

As big as a human city.

Massive towers connected through bridges large enough for giants to march through by the thousands. Countless torches burned within the structure while giant warriors flooded the streets below like an organized army preparing for war.

And deep inside... Arthur sensed it.

A powerful presence, far stronger than the others.

"There you are."

Raven appeared beside him in a swirl of darkness, her cloak fluttering violently in the high winds. Even she looked unsettled staring down at the endless fortress below.

"There’s so many of them... yeah... none of the hunters would have survived this, maybe the vessels of the rulers are the only ones that can clear this S rank dungeon."

Starfire landed nearby moments later, floating slightly in the air while staring openly at the giant soldiers beneath them.

"They truly are enormous up close!"

One of the giants finally snapped out of its fear and roared an order.

Ballistas the size of buildings turned toward them.

Arthur didn’t even look concerned.

Because Kamish descended now.

The shadow dragon crashed onto the castle walls with enough force to shake the entire fortress. Stone exploded beneath his claws while giant soldiers lost balance and fell screaming from the battlements.

Then Kamish inhaled, the giants panicked instantly.

Purple dragonfire erupted across the walls and entire sections of the fortress vanished beneath the blast. Giant soldiers were erased instantly while the stone walls melted and exploded outward in molten debris.

The shockwave alone sent burning bodies flying.

Beast Boy, still clinging to Kamish’s back, stared with wide eyes.

"...Are we even needed here?"

Cyborg watched the devastation below.

"I’m starting to think we’re emotional support."

Robin pinched the bridge of his nose.

Arthur ignored the destruction around him and kept staring deeper into the fortress.

"I’m planning to question the boss of this dungeon before killing him."

Raven looked at him.

"And then?"

Arthur’s eyes glowed brighter.

"Then I’ll question him again after turning him into a shadow."

Raven blinked. "Why?"

Arthur crossed his arms while observing the castle.

"I want answers. These dungeon creatures know more than they should. The rulers imprisoned entire armies inside dimensions like this. There’s a possibility the higher ranking ones possess information about their monarchs."

Raven frowned thoughtfully.

"But if they know something important, why wouldn’t they just tell you as shadows?"

Arthur finally looked toward her.

"Because they may not be allowed to."

That caught everyone’s attention.

Arthur continued calmly.

"The rulers are capable of placing restrictions and curses upon prisoners. It’s possible some monsters physically cannot reveal certain truths."

Raven narrowed her eyes slightly.

"They can do that?"

"Yes."

Arthur’s expression darkened faintly.

"And if that’s the case, then the rulers have been hiding far more than they admitted."

Below them, war horns suddenly echoed through the gigantic fortress.

Hundreds of giants began mobilizing.

Massive armored warriors flooded the streets carrying colossal weapons while wyverns rose from towers deeper within the city-castle.

The entire dimension was waking up to this intruder.

Arthur slowly rolled his shoulders.

Then he smiled slightly.

"Now then..."

Violet energy suddenly pulsed from his body.

A ring of black metal manifested around his finger, glowing with deep purple light.

Raven immediately recognized it.

"...You’re actually using that? Haven’t seen you use it in a long time."

Arthur glanced at the shadow lantern ring.

"Been a while, yeah."

Darkness spread outward unnaturally across the sky above the fortress.

Even Kamish lifted his head slightly.

Arthur’s glowing eyes focused on the endless giant army below.

"I think I know how to clear this castle quickly."

/-\

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