Alex didn't expect the flames to damage the beast at all, but they had done their job very well.
After all, their job wasn't to cause any damage, but to further suppress the beast's abilities.
The giant beast was engulfed in flames, brighter than the rest of the town. It's rough, scaly skin had long taken on a blacker hue thanks to the charring of the flames.
It was slowly becoming more desperate, as with enough time passed, the flames covering its body from head to toe would burn through its scales and reach the parts that would actually deal some real damage to it.
But Alex wouldn't give it the chance to do anything about that.
At least, he tried to, before something completely unexpected took place.
The beast's desperation seemed to have been some sort of a ruse, as it disappeared without a trace and was replaced with a despondent, neutral gaze.
And in a shocking turn, water started to ooze from every pore on its body, dousing the sizzling, hot flames, with steam rising from all over its body.
In no time, the flames covering its body were put out, and the beast turned its sights to the distance, where the whole town was still engulfed in a blazing glory.
It huffed inwards, and shot out a pressurised beam like a waterjet, which put out any flames it came into contact with.
Alex just stood there on the side-lines, still reeling in from the shock that this beast had access to two elements, two!!
He had never seen such a thing before, never had he heard of it happening.
Other than himself.
Even Mira only had access to one element, and that was the Space element that she had gained from the space fragment she absorbed.
Otherwise, she'd have had to struggle to learn to control one of them like every other awakened with average potential.
However, Alex snapped out of his daze and instantly sprung to action.
Instantly, the thing fell to its knees as it lost control of any feeling in its legs.
The flames spread from the wound, engulfing the beast once more. It tried to summon water to douse them, but Alex's relentless assault kept it from focusing. The light from the fires grew brighter, drowning out the shadows and further suppressing the darkness element.
With a final, desperate effort, Alex drove his sword deeper, the flames burning hotter than ever. The beast let out a guttural roar, its body convulsing as the light overtook it.
It tried to get away using whatever reserves of energy it had left to forcefully summon darkness into the surroundings, but the light from the flames was just too overwhelming.
Alex leapt back, breathing heavily. He watched as the beast's body crumbled, the fires finally extinguishing. The oppressive darkness lifted, and Alex felt a surge of relief.
But the victory was bittersweet. The town was in ruins, and the lives lost weighed heavily on his mind. He had survived, but at what cost?
He felt something enter his inventory, but he was in no mood to check.
Over ten thousand people had died for this abomination to be summoned, and he was the one to gain the rewards from it.
He dug into the beast's skull, finding a beast core sitting neatly inside, but he felt no positive emotions when he lifted it.
He emotionlessly put it inside his storage artifact, joining the rest of his beast core collection, and removed any further thoughts about it.
He turned away from the smouldering remains of the beast, his thoughts already on the next challenge. There was no time for rest, no time to mourn. Survival was all that mattered.
As he walked away, the memory of the fallen town stayed with him, a reminder of the price of power and the cost of survival.
He had won, but he didn't want to stay in this place any longer.
There was still a month and a half remaining before he had to return back to his own universe, but he didn't want to stay in this place where there was only pain and misery everywhere he looked any longer.
[Would you like to leave the Primordial Expanse?]
'Yes.'