*WHOOOOUUUUU*


    The shadows dance around Draven like dark, living tornadoes, blowing icy winds that nearly lift him off his feet and whispering sinisterly in his ear.


    But he nts his feet firmly on the ground and grips his long sword with both hands, golden and red symbols glowing along its de.


    "COME ON!!!" He shouts into the shadows, ready to strike.


    "Sssshhh… let''s y, little Lion…" The ominous female voice hisses from the shadows, and a face with ck tattoos emerges to provoke Draven.


    "You bitch!!" Draven swings his sword forward, and an arc of golden light erupts. This arc is muchrger and brighter than Arthur''s but fundamentally the same, embodying the intent of a Swordmaster.


    *SHOOOOSH*


    The arc of light carries immense power but fades quickly as it approaches the shadows, leaving Draven confused.


    "Hahahaha…" The woman''s voice sounds arrogant. "Is that all you''ve got, little Lion?"


    "Heh?" Draven smirks, and the golden lion tattoo on his back glows even more intensely.


    *Roar!*


    The creature''s mighty voice echoes as it leaps out of Draven''s back, materializing beside him. The lion is entirely made of brilliant golden energy,rger than a horse, and taller than Draven. It has a massive mane that almost touches the ground, strong paws with sharp ws, and eyes that resemble two burning suns.


    Draven''s smile softens as he gazes at the lion and strokes its mane. "Sorry to disturb your slumber, my loyalpanion."


    *Roaarr* The lion''s voice rumbles, calm and friendly.


    Draven nces at the shadows. "This is An; he''ll help me deal with you."


    "What a nice pet you have… Is it a Mystic rank Astral Beast?" The male voice echoes from the shadows, sounding impressed.


    "Too bad it won''t help at all! Hahaha…" The female voice follows in a mocking tone, and dark tentacles emerge from the vortex.


    Draven looks with disgust at the tentacles. "Your dark magic is useless against my light!" He swings his sword again, unleashing another arc of pure energy intent. This time, An leaps in the same direction,unching abined attack.


    The shadows block the energy arc, but An breaks through, tearing them apart with his golden teeth.


    *FUUUSH*


    Draven follows up with his sword, cutting through the air andunching another energy arc, which flies at incredible speed, kicking up dust and severing the shadowy tentacles in its path.


    *Rooooaaar!*


    An continues leaping through the shadows, but Its light is continuously swallowed by the darkness.


    "Hahahaha! I said it!! Your light is fucking useless!!" The female voice echoes again.


    "There!" Draven exims andunches an arc of light toward the voice, with An attacking in the same direction, slicing through the shadows.


    *Thud*


    The sound of impact echoes as a figure wrapped in dark fabric falls to the ground, motionless.


    "Nice!" Draven exims excitedly as An approaches the body on the ground.


    But as the lion reaches the mysterious figure, it turns into ck dust, leaving Draven confused and shocked.


    "Hahahahahaha…" The female voice echoes from various positions within the shadow tornado. "You fool!!"


    "Let''s finish this already, Circe," the male voice says impatiently from the shadows, and the dark tornado intensifies.


    More tentacles emerge from the air and ground, followed by ck des flying toward Draven.


    "Fuck you!" he exims but maintains a confident expression as he uses his sword to shatter the ck des.


    *ng* *sh* *ng* *sh*


    The des attack frantically, but Draven has no trouble handling them. Yet, the tentacles keep growingrger, forcing An to return to its master''s side and assist him.


    *Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh*


    Draven counters skillfully,unching intent attacks at the shadows, but the dark tornado only expands.


    "What will you do, little Lion?" Circe mocks as she continues creating more tentacles to attack Draven.


    "You''ll see, stupid bitch!" Draven looks at his golden lion. "An!!"


    *Rooooar!!*


    The lion leaps toward Draven, and as they touch, the creature disappears, reced by a bright light that surrounds Draven, transforming into a stunning full-body armor of golden energy.


    Draven''s hair turns red and grows instantly, falling over his shoulders. His eyes be golden, and his nails lengthen like ws. Even a tail and patches of fur appear on his skin, giving him the appearance of a human-lion hybrid.


    *Roooaaarr!* Now, it''s Draven''s voice that echoes like a lion''s roar.


    "Oh? Is this your Astral Form?" The female voice provocatively calls out from the shadows. "I was waiting for you to use it. It''s not bad, but it won''t save you either…"


    "We''ll see about that!" Draven leaps toward the shadows, swinging his sword, which glows golden with the pure power of his intent.


    *Whooosh* *Shooosh*


    Draven now moves much faster, like a sh of light, and is far stronger, unleashing waves of energy in all directions with his sword.


    *Booom* *Boooooom* *Boooooom!*


    His attacks create explosions of energy everywhere, opening massive trenches and craters all around the area. But as soon as the shadow tornado is sliced, more tentacles form again.


    "Hahahahah…" Circe''sughter continues from all sides.


    "Circe?!?" The male voice sounds increasingly impatient.


    "Alright, alright, Vorren…" Circe whispers.


    Draven continues his offensive while his brilliant armor blocks every attack against him. He cuts through the tornado with a massive wave of energy, only toe face to face with a giant monster.


    *SHHHASSHHHSH*


    The creature resembles a giant worm with slimy skin, no eyes or nose, just arge mouth filled with rotting teeth and a grotesque tongue.


    "Damnit!!" Draven is taken by surprise.


    "You thought you were the only one with a cool pet? Hehehe…" Circe''s voice echoes proudly.


    "It''s as disgusting as you!" Draven shouts and attacks the giant worm. The creature is sluggish but still formidable, yet he drives his sword into its head.


    Draven''s sword glows with golden energy, and the same light pours out of the creature''s mouth before it explodes from the inside out.


    *BOOOOM*


    Guts and skin fly everywhere, along with a slimy liquid that begins raining down over Draven.


    "What the hell?!?" His entire body feels heavier due to the disgusting slime sticking to him. The light of his armor begins to fade, cracks forming all over it.


    "Golden lions are always so predictable and dumb… hahaha!" Circe keeps taunting from the shadows while sending more tentacles to attack Draven.


    As Draven tries to shake off the slime covering his body, anotherrge figure emerges from the tornado. He sees it as the shadow of a giant bird, but as it approaches, he realizes it''s entirely made of bones.


    *Creak... creeeack*


    "Let me introduce my Astral Beast, too…" Vorren''s voice sounds proud. "Let''s finish this, Circe."


    "Yeah, he''s done for, hahaha…"


    Draven sees the skeletal bird approaching, its ck eyes glowing as the slime on his body dulls his golden light. The situation looks grim, but he still smiles at the shadows.


    "You think this is enough to stop me? I''m your fucking Lion King, and I will make you bow!" He shouts.


    "What can you do, little Lion?" Circe''s voice is mocking.


    "Golden Lions draw power from the sun, so they''re weak at night…" Vorren''s voice is neutral. "You can''t do anything. It''s night."


    "Heh?" Draven''s smile grows even brighter. "And who said it''s night?"


    "Huh?"


    "What??"


    Both Circe and Vorren are confused and then shocked as they watch Draven''s brilliant armor vanish, transforming back into the golden lion.


    "I didn''t want to be forced to use this yet, but it seems I have no choice…" Draven murmurs then raise his sword to the sky. "You garbage! You should feel privileged to witness my greatest creation…"


    "An!!" Draven shouts, and the golden lion responds with a loud *ROOOOOOAR!!*


    Its body shines even brighter, and An leaps skyward in the direction Draven''s sword is pointing.


    It all happens very quickly. Circe and Vorren can only look up at the sky, stunned, as a brilliant beam of light emanates from Draven''s sword, with his golden lion running up it toward the clouds.


    "NOW, APPEAR…" Draven shouts to the sky as his lion explodes in golden and red light. "MY RED SUN!"


    The light takes shape in the sky as a glowing red circle, literally a new sun, casting its light over hundreds of miles around.


    "THE FUCK!?!?"


    "Impossible…"


    Circe and Vorren''s voices are filled with shock and fear. The light from Draven''s red sun reaches everything around him, burning off the slime from Circe''s foul creature and even searing the bones of Vorren''s sinister bird.


    "It will be day, if I want it to be," Draven says proudly, now able to see through the dark tornado to the various figures flying within.


    "Stupid clones!" He exims, then swings his sword, now glowing with an even more intense golden light, sending out a far more powerful Intent wave.


    *WHOOOOOOSH*


    The arc of golden light effortlessly cuts through the weakened dark tornado under the red sun and destroys many of the shadowy clones.


    "SHIT!!"


    "DAMN!!"


    Circe and Vorren are at their wits'' end as the red sun significantly weakens their dark magic. Even their Astral Beasts refuse to leave their Nexus as frightened rats scared of a ferocious cat.


    "Where''s your boldness now?!?" Draven exims as he easily counters Circe''s dark tentacles and des, his sword and light waves enhanced by his own sun.


    *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud*


    The clones fall quickly, dissolving into ck dust, and the shadowy tornado loses strength by the second.


    "Fuck it!"


    Before they run out of clones, the dark magesmand the remaining ones to abandon the tornado and quickly scatter in different directions.


    "What? Don''t run, you cowards!!" Draven yells proudly,unching a few light waves at the fleeing figures, destroying only a handful of clones.


    He doesn''t pursue the dark mages, and once they''re far away, he finally rxes, breathing heavily. "Huff… what was that? Were those guys Great Mages or what??"


    Draven gets no response, so he turns around, concerned. "Are you th—" He notices Ss, one of Alicia''s servants, on the ground, his ball eyes missing.


    *Cough-cough* ck blood trickles from Ss''s mouth as he breathes hisst time.


    "Don''t die!" Draven rushes to the man, trying to give him a potion from his belt, but it''s toote—the liquid is blocked by the ck blood in Ss''s mouth.


    "Be…" Ss uses thest of his energy to try to say something. "Beau…"


    "Beau? Your partner?" Draven looks around but sees no sign of the loyal archer. "They took him? Why?"


    Ss clenches his teeth. "Inf… information… Beau… find… general…" The man utters his final words and dies, leaving Draven confused and concerned.