Asura Ishvalda

The Asura Ishvalda is a relative of Shara Ishvalda.

Description
Asura Ishvalda’s skin is charred black to the point of resembling charcoal, and under the cracks one can make out exposed muscle. These openings emit a fiery light when the creature is enraged, at which point the air itself simmers with its body heat. Its pupils have an incandescent glow. There is a large distinct wound on the monster's chest.

Its obsidian armor is jagged and menacing and much slimmer than Shara Ishvalda’s coat. In this state, its spiny fingers become like scythes.

Habitat Range
The Asura Ishvalda resides at the summit of the Roaring Mountain, a lone volcano beyond the Elder's Recess. The surrounding area is a blasted landscape devoid of life, eradicated by the Asura Ishvalda.

Ecological Niche
Asura Ishvalda isn’t so much a part of the ecosystem as a destroyer. It is hostile to all other forms of life, and will go out of its way to kill whatever it sees, including other Elder Dragons.

Biological Adaptations
The Asura Ishvalda generates an immense amount of heat, which it can release through its wingtips in the form of superheated air that, when concentrated, is enough to liquefy stone. The dragon can also submerge itself in lava, which after emerging cools into a mantle of obsidian armor. The Asura Ishvalda can also unleash dragon energy, but only when it is truly furious and greatly injured.

Behavior
While the Guild makes a rule not to anthropomorphize monsters, the behavior of Asura Ishvalda cannot be described as anything other than malicious. The creature is exceedingly aggressive and unduly brutal to those that intrude upon its territory, even going as far as to mutilate its victims. While this was initially believed to be some sort of grisly territorial display, the dragon strikes without warning, which renders the theory moot. The Asura Ishvalda then retreats to the caldera of the Roaring Mountain, where it enters a state of torpor. It does not seem to eat or drink or mate, only waking to take out its anger on those unlucky enough to cross it.

While some intelligent monsters have been known to recognize humans after repeat encounters and even develop a grudge of sorts, the Asura Ishvalda’s wrath exceeds anything found in nature and its cause cannot be determined. However, after much digging, an obscure legend may offer a clue. When the Ancients warred against the Elder Dragons, a mighty dragon and its mate were slain by a terrible weapon—yet the dragon did not die, sustained by its terrible rage. It lashed out everything, both man and monster; not even the other dragons were safe from its wrath. It took the combined might of several Elders to force it into retreat, an epic battle that was said to scorch the heavens and the earth. The dragon then fled across the sea, lost to time. Yet here is Asura Ishvalda, a dragon bearing the scars of some ancient battle and possessed of unending rage... If the legend is true, then the Research Commission has much to fear.

Attacks

 * Heat Beam: Asura Ishvalda can shoot a fiery beam out of any one of its wingtips, inflicting Fireblight. It can fire up to three pinpoint beams in rapid succession, and can shoot while walking. Asura Ishvalda can also target hunters at its sides and to a limited extent behind it. These beams destroy safe ground, revealing the molten earth beneath. This can be stood on, but deals damage over time (this can be negated by Heat Guard).
 * Heat Blast: Asura Ishvalda brings its fingertips together and fires a devastating blast in front of it. Unlike Shara Ishvalda, Asura Ishvalda isn’t pushed back by this ability and can slightly pivot while firing.
 * Sweeping Beams: Asura Ishvalda sweeps one of its wings, firing from every fingertip, in an attempt to hit hunters approaching it from the sides.
 * Boiling Earth: Asura Ishvalda concentrates several of its heat beams on a single patch of ground until it explodes, covering a large area. Similar to Gogmazios’s attack, but less lethal.
 * Lava Eruption: Asura Ishvalda roars and rears up on its hindlegs before slamming back down, causing any nearby lava pools to erupt.
 * Underbelly Grab: Asura Ishvalda’s underbelly sweep moves leads to a grab, where it roars in the hunter’s face before crushing them between its fingers and tossing them across the field.
 * Obsidian Armor: To commence the second phase, Asura Ishvalda walks to the edge of the arena and dives into the lava, after which it will shortly emerge. Hunters have only a short window of opportunity to attack Asura Ishvalda before the lava cools and hardens. While armored, Asura Ishvalda can use more moves and its armor must be broken off before its body parts can be damaged again. Unlike Shara Ishvalda, Asura Ishvalda can continue to shoot from its wings in this form and retains its aggression.
 * Wing Smash: Asura Ishvalda slams its armored wings onto the ground like fists. Instead of flailing wildly, Asura Ishvalda will target nearby hunters.
 * Claw Rake: Asura Ishvalda’s raking moves inflict Bleeding while it is armored.
 * Nova: One of Asura Ishvalda’s most dangerous moves. The monster roars before rearing up on its hindlegs and generating a fireball between its wingtips, which it slowly compresses until it explodes, covering a wide area and dealing immense damage to anyone caught in the blast. Only used during the second phase.
 * Demonflare: Asura Ishvalda’s ultimate attack, only usable during the third phase at Master Rank 100. Asura Ishvalda begins to crackle with dragon energy before erupting with devastating force. The only practical way to avoid this move is to seek cover or use a Farcaster. Similar to Behemoth, Asura Ishvalda will use this move one last time when it’s on its last legs and it will not die until it’s done. When this happens, the Asura Ishvalda jams its fingers into its chest wound, prying it open to unleash all of its dragon energy in a kamikaze attack to try and take as many hunters with it as possible.

Combat Information

 * Phase One: Unlike Shara Ishvalda, Asura Ishvalda begins the fight without armor. It will continue to bombard faraway Hunters with its wing blasts, but it is much more aggressive with its melee attacks. Over the course of the fight, Asura Ishvalda will destroy the outer ring of the arena with its wing blasts, reducing the amount of safe space.
 * Phase Two: Asura Ishvalda heads into the lava and disappears. During this time, the hunters will have to avoid tremors and lava upwellings. When the Asura Ishvalda emerges, it is covered in lava which quickly cools into a coat of obsidian armor. Compared to Shara Ishvalda, however, it remains just as aggressive and nimble in this state, and it is still capable of using its wing blasts. The hunters will need to destroy the armor to resume damaging the monster, and it will not restore its armor.
 * Phase Three (Master Rank 100): The Asura Ishvalda falls, but there is no victory fanfare. Its body begins to smolder and crackle with energy as the dragon rises again. Then with an earthshaking roar, it erupts with dragon energy, damaging and pushing back anyone too close. Asura remains permanently enraged until the end of the fight, but will occasionally tire, allowing the hunters an opening to retaliate. In this berserk state, Asura Ishvalda no longer uses its wing blasts, but acquires dragon energy attacks. Megaflare is also replaced with Demonflare, its most dangerous move, which it will use one last time when its health is reduced to 1 (it is invincible during casting) to try and take as many hunters with it as possible, but will die afterward.

Armor

 * Total Skills: Agitator 5, Attack Boost 5, Fortify 1, Heroics 3, Resentment 4, Resuscitate 1, Partbreaker 2, Shara Ishvalda Divinity (Set Bonus)