First Victim

The battle raged on, with each member of the group giving their all against the formidable Leviathan. Leviathan lunged at Erohan who stopped his assault. He put his claws in front of him to block, but before the impact could come Yosue, Ida, and Krazthir formed the frontline, their weapons clashing against Leviathan to defend their friend. Despite their best efforts and the fact that they greatly outnumbered it, Leviathan's sheer strength pushed them back repeatedly. Behind this frontline, Zilthiss and Eliss unleashed a torrent of spells, their magical energies weaving together to strike at the beast, trying to exploit any weakness in its dark armor.

Amukelo, still reeling from the previous assault, gathered his strength on the sidelines. Each breath he took was heavy, each moment spent recovering felt like an eternity as he watched his friends struggle against the overwhelming might of Leviathan. The air was thick with the sounds of battle, the clang of metal, the hiss of spells, and the roars of the beast they faced.

Serah, the healer, moved gracefully through the battlefield, her hands glowing with healing light. She darted from one injured ally to another, her spells mending wounds and bolstering the fighters' resolve. Her presence was a beacon of hope, a constant reminder that they could withstand the beast's onslaught as long as she was there.

Leviathan, growing increasingly frustrated by the persistence of these "ants," analyzed the battlefield with cold, calculating eyes. Each attack he launched was met with fierce resistance, yet he felt no closer to victory. The combined efforts of the melee fighters blocking his assaults and the casters' continuous barrage slowly wore him down. His frustration turned to rage as he realized that despite his power, the constant healing and coordinated attacks were keeping his opponents in the fight far longer than he expected.

After being unsealed all he wanted to do was to massacre his enemies. And now, even with his advantage in strength, he wasn't able to kill everyone as easily as he wanted. 

His gaze then settled on Serah. Recognizing her as the linchpin of the group's endurance, a sinister plan formed in his mind. "Enough of this," he roared, his voice echoing ominously through the chamber. "It's time to end your little hope."

With a powerful sweep of his tail, he cleared a path toward Serah, his movements swift and deadly. The group, realizing the danger, scrambled to intercept him. Amukelo, his strength somewhat recovered, saw the imminent threat and sprinted towards Serah, hoping to shield her from Leviathan's wrath.

Leviathan's next move was a calculated strike, aimed not just to kill but to demoralize the group by taking out their healer. As he advanced, his skeletal wing flared, casting eerie shadows that danced across the cavern walls, a ghastly prelude to the coming attack. His eyes, voids with flickers of red malice, were fixed on Serah, promising pain and despair.

Yosue desperately acting with bravery defended Serah with his own life. As he intercepted the deadly strike meant for Serah, his body shuddered under the impact. The force of Leviathan's tail was monstrous, and despite Yosue's valiant effort to use his katana as a shield, the tail's momentum was only partially halted. The gruesome injury he sustained was immediately visible, the deep gash across his waist painting the ground with streaks of blood as he collapsed onto his knees, coughing up blood in a grim testament to his sacrifice.

Yosue fell to his knees, looking down at his injury, not being sure what just happened. Time slowed down for him and his vision became blurred as he saw Ida running up to him.

Ida's voice tore through the air, a raw shout filled with pain and rage as he witnessed his comrade's plight. His footsteps thundered across the cavern floor as he charged towards Leviathan, driven by a surge of vengeance. Even though they weren't very close before, in this journey Yosue was the closest one to Ida, as he reminded him about his homeland, his family. However, Leviathan, anticipating the retaliation, prepared a dark energy bomb, a concentrated mass of malice that hurtled towards Ida with deadly intent.

But the battle was far from one-sided. From the midst of their ranks, Eliss acted with swift precision. A purple crystal flew from her hand, intercepting the dark bomb mid-air. The resulting explosion was a brilliant display of fiery power, the blast wave halting the bomb's advance and illuminating the cavern with its intense light.

As the smoke from the explosion cleared, Leviathan found his movements hindered by a sudden entanglement of vines. His immense strength tore through the natural restraints almost effortlessly, but the brief delay allowed the group a precious moment to regroup. His massive head turned, seeking out the source of this new annoyance, and his gaze settled on Eliss.

The mage stood with an air of defiance, her staff still glowing from the spell she had just cast. Around her, the air shimmered with the residual energy of her powerful magic. Leviathan's eyes narrowed as he focused on her, the disdain in his voice palpable as he addressed her directly.

"I planned to kill you in the end to give you more suffering, but you are just too annoying. I will kill you next!" Leviathan growled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through the cavern. With these words, it appeared in front of Eliss in an instant, swinging its claws to finish her once and for all. Eliss even though being a formidable mage, was caught off guard. She was only seconds away from death.