The entity's burning gaze locked onto Magi. For three heartbeats, nothing moved. The temperature continued to drop until each breath became a small cloud of frost.

  Magi stood his ground, hands relaxed at his sides.

  YOUR PRESENCE DISRUPTS THE PATTERN, the entity projected directly into minds. A VARIABLE OUTSIDE CALCULATION.

  "I get that a lot," Magi replied.

  The entity raised both arms, and the skeleton warriors began to twitch. Their bones crackled and popped as they broke apart, disconnecting at joints.

  Hundreds of skeletal forms disassembled into thousands of individual bones that rose into the air, swirling like a macabre tornado.

  "Fall back!" The Guild commander shouted, finally breaking from his shock. "All forces, defensive positions!"

  The Golden Lions had already retreated beyond the secondary perimeter. Keller's face was ashen as he watched the growing bone cyclone from what he hoped was a safe distance.

  "Magi!" Marc called out. "We need to go!"

  Magi glanced back at Echo Squad, who stood firm despite the chaos. "You should retreat with the others."

  "Not without you," Layla said, her greatsword ready.

  "We're a team," Jax added with a tight grin. "Even if you're weird as hell."

  The entity's form began to flicker and fade, its essence seemingly transferring into the swirling mass of bones.

  As the last of its presence vanished, the bone cyclone contracted, then expanded violently. The individual pieces slammed together with sickening cracks, fusing and reshaping.

  Where once stood an army of skeletons now loomed a massive construct, a dragon formed entirely of bone.

  Its wingspan stretched thirty feet, skull large enough to swallow a car. Eye sockets flared with the same crimson energy as the Rift. When it roared, the sound came from hundreds of skeletal jaws working in unison.

  "That's new," Magi observed.

  The bone dragon's tail swept across the ground, forcing the remaining Raiders to scatter.

  Several were caught by the strike, their bodies flung against walls with sickening thuds.

  The creature beat its massive wings, lifting its bulk from the ground.

  Marc assessed the situation with practiced efficiency. "The Raiders can't handle this. We need to buy them time to evacuate the civilians."

  Eli nodded, silver hair whipping in the wind created by the dragon's wings. "I can slow it down with wind barriers, but not for long."

  "I'll hit it with everything I've got," Jax said, twirling his daggers.

  The dragon rose higher, circling above them like a vulture.

  Layla growled in frustration. "It's staying out of reach. Coward!"

  Marc turned to Magi, who was calmly watching the creature's flight pattern. "Can you fly?"

  "No," Magi replied. "That's an advanced skill."

  "What about your wind control? Can you lift someone?"

  "Not safely. The air pressure would be unstable."

  The dragon opened its maw, and a stream of bone shards shot toward the retreating civilians.

  Eli raised her hands, creating a swirling shield of air that deflected most of the projectiles. The effort left her breathing hard.

  "We can't keep this up," she warned. "We need to ground that thing or kill it fast."

  Marc's tactical mind worked through options. His gaze settled on Layla in her heavy armor, then back to Magi. "Can you throw Layla?"

  Jax snorted. "Have you lost your mind? She weighs—" He stopped abruptly at Layla's glare.

  "Choose your next words carefully," she warned.

  Magi considered the question with the same seriousness he'd give a lunch order. "Probably."

  "Probably?" Marc pressed.

  "I've never tried to throw a person before," Magi explained. "But the principles should be similar to throwing other objects."

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  Layla looked between them. "Wait, are we actually considering this?"

  The bone dragon circled back, preparing another attack run. Civilians screamed as they rushed toward the emergency shelters. The remaining Raiders formed a defensive line, but fear was clear on their faces.

  "We're out of options," Marc said. "That thing needs to go down now."

  Layla hefted her greatsword. Despite the absurdity, a grin spread across her face. "Let's do it."

  Magi nodded. "I'll need to calculate the trajectory and required force."

  "No time for math," Jax cut in. "That thing's coming around again!"

  "I wasn't going to write it down," Magi said.

  The dragon tucked its wings, diving toward the civilian evacuation route. Eli's strength was fading, her wind barriers growing weaker.

  "Now or never," Marc ordered.

  Magi approached Layla, examining her stance. "I'll need to hold you by your waist and shoulder."

  She nodded. "Just don't miss."

  "Stand still," Magi instructed. He placed his hands carefully, one at her waist, the other gripping her shoulder armor.

  Layla grinned over her shoulder. "If you drop me, I'm coming back to haunt you."

  "I won't drop you," Magi promised. He closed his eyes briefly, concentrating.

  The change was subtle. No flashy effects, no shouted skill names. But those watching closely might have noticed the slight shift in Magi's muscles, the way the ground beneath his feet compressed slightly.

  "Basic Reinforcement," he murmured.

  Layla felt his grip tighten. "Wait, should I brace for—"

  Magi moved with sudden, fluid precision. He pivoted, lifting Layla as if she weighed nothing, and in one continuous motion launched her skyward. The force of his throw created a small crater where he stood.

  Layla shot through the air like a missile, her armor glinting in the emergency lights.

  The sensation was unlike anything she'd experienced, weightless yet powerful, terrifying yet exhilarating. Layla aligned her greatsword before her, becoming a human projectile aimed directly at the bone dragon's skull.

  The creature sensed her approach too late. As it turned to face this unexpected threat, Layla crashed into its head with her blade leading the charge.

  The impact shattered bone, sending fragments flying in all directions. Her momentum carried them both downward in a chaotic spiral.

  "She hit it!" Jax shouted, jumping with excitement. "She actually hit it!"

  Magi straightened his hoodie, looking perfectly calm despite having just thrown a fully armored woman several hundred feet into the air. "The angle was slightly off. I'll need to adjust next time."

  The bone dragon thrashed as it fell, wings beating frantically to stabilize. Layla clung to her embedded sword, laughing with wild abandon as they plummeted.

  The sound carried across the battlefield, a jarring counterpoint to the screams and chaos.

  "She's enjoying this," Eli observed, somewhere between horror and admiration.

  Marc was already moving. "We need to be ready when they hit the ground. That thing won't go down easy."

  The dragon crashed into the pavement fifty yards away, the impact sending tremors through the street. Bone fragments scattered in all directions.

  Layla had somehow maintained her grip on her sword, still embedded in the creature's skull.

  "Coming in hot!" she shouted, riding the dragon's head like a bucking bronco.

  The construct struggled to rise, its wings damaged but its fury undiminished. Crimson energy pulsed through its shattered form, already beginning to draw bone fragments back together.

  "It's regenerating," Marc warned. "Hit it now, while it's down!"

  Jax sprinted forward, daggers ready. "On it!"

  Eli followed, preparing a wind spell. "Keep its attention on you!"

  Magi walked rather than ran, his pace unhurried but deliberate. The bone dragon thrashed, throwing Layla clear.

  She rolled with the impact, coming up laughing despite the blood trickling from a cut on her forehead.

  "That," she declared, "was AMAZING! Can we do it again?"

  "Focus," Marc commanded, though there was a hint of a smile on his face. "We need to finish this thing."

  The dragon rose on unsteady legs, its skull partially caved in where Layla's greatsword had struck. Bone fragments continued to float back toward the creature, reattaching and fusing. Its wings spread wide, preparing to take flight again.

  Jax darted in, slashing at its legs with his daggers. The blades sparked against bone but did little damage. "Its legs are too thick!"

  Eli directed cutting winds at its wings, shredding the thin bone membranes. "Keep it grounded!"

  Layla retrieved her greatsword from where it had fallen. "Round two, bone-face!"

  The dragon roared, the sound emanating from dozens of skeletal jaws throughout its body. It lashed out with its tail, narrowly missing Jax. Its head swung toward Layla, jaws opening impossibly wide.

  Magi stepped between them.

  The dragon paused, those burning eye sockets focusing on him. Recognition seemed to flicker in that crimson glow.

  "You're not supposed to be here," Magi said quietly, addressing not the construct but whatever intelligence controlled it.

  The dragon lunged forward, jaws snapping. Magi didn't dodge. Instead, he raised one hand, palm forward. The creature's massive teeth closed around his arm.

  And shattered.

  Cracks spread across the dragon's skull from the point of contact, as if Magi's arm was made of something infinitely harder than bone. The crimson glow in its eyes flickered, dimmed.

  "Basic Reinforcement," Magi explained to no one in particular. "It works on defense too."

  The dragon recoiled, but Magi kept his hand pressed against its snout. The cracks continued to spread, radiating outward through its entire structure. Pieces began to fall away, the unnatural energy holding them together disrupted by Magi's touch.

  "Everyone, hit it now!" Marc ordered.

  Echo Squad converged on the weakened creature. Layla's greatsword cleaved through its neck. Jax's daggers found gaps between bones. Eli's wind sliced through weakened connections. Marc's lightning charred what remained.

  The bone dragon collapsed, its pieces scattering across the pavement. The crimson energy flickered one final time, then faded.

  For a moment, silence fell across the battlefield. The remaining Raiders stared in disbelief. The Golden Lions watched from a distance, Keller's expression unreadable.

  Layla broke the silence with a whoop of triumph. "That was INCREDIBLE!" She turned to Magi, eyes bright with adrenaline. "We have to do that again! The throwing thing! Did you see how far I flew?"

  "I did calculate the trajectory," Magi replied.

  "You threw me right into its face! Perfect shot!"

  Magi frowned slightly. "Not quite perfect. The angle was off by approximately four degrees. If we try again, I'll adjust."

  Jax laughed, slapping Magi on the back. "You're something else, man."

  The Rift pulsed, drawing their attention back to the real threat. The crimson energy had deepened to an almost black hue. The geometric pattern of secondary tears began to rotate slowly.

  "This isn't over," Marc warned.

  As if in response, bones began to rise again. Not forming a single construct this time, but dozens of smaller ones. Skeletal wolves, bears, and humanoid figures took shape, their eye sockets glowing with that same crimson light.

  And through the primary Rift, a figure began to reemerge.

  Layla rolled her shoulders, greatsword ready. Blood still trickled down her face, but she was grinning like a maniac.

  "Round two."