Suddenly, a massive tidal wave surged through the capital, subrging it in an instant. Chaos erupted as panicked citizens scrambled in every direction, colliding, tripping, and tangling in their desperate attempts to escape.
The wave’s force left no ti for comprehension. When the water receded, an eerie silence blanketed the city. People stood frozen, their faces pale with shock. So gasped audibly, testing their ability to breathe, while others flailed helplessly, as though still caught in the current.
Richard’s gaze darted across the surreal scene, his brows furrowing as he processed the inexplicable phenonon. Amid the chaos, his eyes locked on a lark surrounded by soldiers. But before he could act, the creature vanished. In its place, a small seed rested on the ground.
His thoughts raced. Could it be… did he turn into a seed?
Startled, Richard instinctively turned his head. A chilling presence prickled the back of his neck, and then ca the deafening crash of a building collapsing nearby.
This one’s no ordinary opponent, he thought grimly, his jaw tightening.
He quickly assessed the situation. It was clear the kings would need ti to deal with the lark. Worse, there was a real possibility the creature could escape the palace grounds and wreak havoc on the city.
“Evacuate the citizens!” Richard barked, his voice sharp and resolute. “Get them as far from the royal palace as possible—beyond the city walls, if necessary! Only the elderly and the sick are permitted to use carriages!”
The urgency in his tone left no room for hesitation. The warriors relayed his commands with military efficiency, their voices carrying the orders down the chain of command. Soldiers fanned out across the capital, banging on doors and shouting to rouse the residents.
The evacuation unfolded with surprising speed. So citizens bolted from their hos the mont soldiers knocked, their fear evident in their wide eyes and hurried movents. Others, hearing the phrases “royal decree” and “mandatory evacuation,” complied without resistance. The sight of the kingdom’s forces battling the invading larks had already convinced many to trust them.
Crowds sward the streets, a mix of soldiers and civilians moving toward the city walls. Most carried little more than the clothes on their backs or hastily packed bundles.
Ironically, the evacuation in the affluent district progressed far more slowly. Many mansions boasted robust underground shelters, and their residents believed locking themselves in was safer than fleeing. The restriction against using carriages unless elderly or ill only added to their reluctance.
Soldiers stationed in the district followed their orders to the letter. They warned the residents of the danger but refrained from forcing anyone to leave.
An earsplitting, otherworldly screech suddenly shattered the tense atmosphere. The sound was so jarring that even the ambient noise of evacuation fell silent for a mont.
“My god…”
“What is that!?”
In the distance, the enormous serpent reared its colossal body, a nightmare brought to life. Its sheer size made it seem terrifyingly close, even from afar. A bloodcurdling scream shattered the stunned silence, igniting a cacophony of panic. People scattered like leaves in a storm, running frantically in every direction. So collapsed where they stood, sobbing or paralyzed with fear, while others tripped and were carried along by the tide of fleeing bodies. Even the most stubborn who had refused to evacuate monts ago now joined the desperate exodus.
Yet, amidst the chaos, not everyone fled. A growing number of people remained rooted to the spot, their wide eyes fixed on the surreal spectacle of the serpent’s rampage. They stood frozen, unable to look away, as though srized by the sheer impossibility of what they were seeing.
“They’re… fighting,” soone murmured, the words barely audible over the commotion.
A speck of movent caught their eyes—a tiny figure leaping onto the serpent’s massive body. It was almost invisible against the monster’s sheer scale, but flashes of vivid light—red, green, purple, and blue—illuminated its actions. Each burst of light was sharp and brilliant, slicing through the oppressive gloom that seed to envelop the beast.
Despite the overwhelming size difference, the flashes of light made the serpent thrash and writhe in visible agony.
“The kings…” soone whispered reverently, their voice trembling with awe.
Even without confirmation, the realization spread like wildfire among the crowd. The kings were fighting. The serpent—a lark of unprecedented scale—was their prey. As the truth sank in, fear began to lt away, replaced by hesitant hope.
The chaos in the streets began to subside. While many still fled, others stopped in their tracks, compelled by the spectacle unfolding before them. They turned their eyes toward the battle, their breaths held, captivated by the clash of power and might.
When the serpent fled toward the central plaza, its full, monstrous form ca into view. The towering buildings of the palace no longer obscured it, and those standing in the long avenues radiating outward from the plaza now had an unbroken view of the titanic struggle.
“Oh…”
“Wow…”
The collective gasps of the crowd punctuated the scene. Their emotions ebbed and flowed with the rhythm of the battle. When the kings’ attacks faltered, despair rippled through the onlookers, groans of dismay escaping their lips. But when the serpent seed cornered, triumphant cheers erupted, filling the air with renewed energy.
Then, a crimson explosion erupted above the serpent’s head, the fiery light spreading like a brilliant scar in the darkened sky. The beast froze mid-thrash, its movents montarily halted.
A sharp blue light followed, taking the form of a spear, which plunged through the serpent’s jaw with lethal precision.
The air trembled with a deafening sound—an explosion, or perhaps the collective gasp of the crowd, indistinguishable in the mont.
The serpent convulsed once, its massive coils shuddering violently, and then its enormous body began to disintegrate. Fine dust rose into the air, sparkling faintly as it scattered, leaving no trace of the monster behind.
A stunned silence fell over the city. For a breathless mont, no one moved, the enormity of what had just occurred sinking in.
Then, as if on cue, the crowd erupted into an overwhelming roar of jubilation.
“Wooooaaaaaahhh!!!”
Thɪs chapter is updated by novel•fire
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