10. Fragmented

Jake commits to an all-out brawl, pushing Limit Break to 20% as arcane energy floods his body. Without his main melee weapon, he uses arrows as daggers and Venomfang to parry, trading brutal blows with the Prima. Weight and force magic slam Jake around, but accumulating poison and Touch of the Malefic Viper begin tipping the fight.

Jake endures a stab through the gut to lock the Prima in place, weaponizing his toxic blood and learning to sense the wrongness of its time magic. Recognizing the Prima is racing a poison clock, Jake prepares a decisive clash as the Prima shifts its silver mark to overload one arm for a single devastating strike.

Jake pours arcane and dark mana into Venomfang, forcing Descending Dark Fang to evolve into Descending Dark Arcane Fang, coating and extending the edge. At the instant of impact, he asserts his Moment of the Primal Hunter, suppressing the Prima’s time concept, dodging its overcharged punch, and driving the volatile blade into its skull. The Prima dies; Jake gains multiple levels and free points.

Afterward, Jake finds Venomfang cracked beyond future use. The Prima’s body turns to dust, dropping a Key Fragment of the Exalted Prima and a D-grade Beastcore infused with time energy. He pockets the loot, notes about ten hours left before the World Congress, and decides to investigate the central temple the Prima had guarded.

In a distant chamber, a chained, ancient beast momentarily awakens as one of 999 spikes sealing it vanishes. With 998 chains remaining and a missing stub regrowing, it returns to waiting, foreshadowing a greater threat unleashed by Jake’s victory.