No, Not them.
The rest of Tharion’s comrades—26 figures in total—were standing still, their gazes fixed on Zarenth’s duel.
They were distracted.
Kael’s body scread in protest as he forced himself to his feet, his limbs trembling with exhaustion.
"Move. You have to move,"
His hand tightened around Aethral Fang, the legendary blade whispering in his mind.
The adrenaline coursing through his veins dulled the pain as he staggered forward, his vision narrowing on the approaching monsters.
"You’re not touching them," Kael growled, his voice barely above a whisper.
The monsters turned toward him, their soulless eyes gleaming.
Kael raised his sword, the blade’s dark energy flaring to life.
The whispers grew louder, urging him forward.
"Devour them," Kael muttered, his voice filled with cold resolve.
The blade responded, its surface rippling as if alive.
With a sudden burst of speed, Kael lunged forward, slashing through the nearest monster.
The creature’s form dissolved instantly, its essence consud by the blade.
Kael didn’t stop.
Fueled by adrenaline and determination, he moved like a man possessed, cutting down monster after monster.
SLASH-SLASH-SLASH
Each strike was precise, his movents growing faster and more fluid with every kill.
The immortal monsters began to retreat slightly, their instinctual fear overriding their orders.
But Kael didn’t relent.
His blade absorbed their essence with every strike, its energy growing darker and more intense.
.
CLACK
Zarenth movents were sharp and precise, but his opponent was equally formidable.
For a mont, Zarenth’s focus faltered.
His gaze shifted to Kael, who was relentlessly cutting down the immortal monsters with his sword.
Zarenth’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the weapon Kael wielded.
That’s... Aethral Fang.
The legendary sword, a relic of imnse power, glead ominously in Kael’s hands.
Zarenth’s breath hitched.
What’s that sword doing with him?
"CLANG!"
The dark figure’s blade ca crashing down, snapping Zarenth out of his thoughts.
"You have ti to be distracted in the middle of a fight?" the figure taunted.
Before Zarenth could respond, another presence erged behind him.
His instincts flared too late.
"SLASH!"
A blade tore through the air, cutting through Zarenth’s arm with a sickening sound.
"ARGHH!"
Zarenth staggered, his left arm hanging limply, nearly severed.
Blood poured from the wound as he gritted his teeth.
"You bastard!" Zarenth snarled, his voice hoarse with pain. "You cheated!"
"Cheated?" the figure sneered. "When were we ever fighting fairly?"
With a swift, brutal kick, the figure sent Zarenth flying across the battlefield.
"THUD!"
Zarenth crashed into the ground, skidding to a halt near Kael.
Blood dripped from his mouth as he struggled to push himself up.
His Red eyes locked onto Kael once again, and for the first ti, he saw the boy with clarity.
’Why didn’t I realize it earlier?’ Zarenth thought.
Kael’s eyes, fierce and unwavering, burned with the sa fire as another man Zarenth had once known.
His features, though worn by exhaustion and blood, bore a striking resemblance to soone who haunted Zarenth’s mories.
The sa eyes... the sa determination...
Zarenth’s heart clenched.
’Am I blind? Or was I running away from the truth all along?’
His mind raced with fragnts of the past. The man who was loved was his sister the most.
And now, staring at Kael, it all clicked into place.
This boy...
"He’s my nephew," Zarenth whispered, his voice trembling with both shock and guilt.
His grip on his remaining weapon tightened.
This child has that sa undying spirit.
That sa refusal to give up, no matter the odds.
Blood pooled beneath him as his body scread in agony.
But Zarenth ignored the pain, his focus narrowing on Kael.
’I’d be damned if I let this child fall here. I will protect him.’
Summoning every ounce of strength left in his battered body, Zarenth rose to his feet.
His legs wavered, and his vision darkened at the edges, but he forced himself to stand tall.
Kael, mid-battle against the immortal monsters, turned to see Zarenth rising.
"Zarenth—" Kael began.
"Stay focused, kid! You don’t get to give up now!" Zarenth’s voice was strained but firm.
With a burst of energy, Zarenth lunged toward the enemy forces.
His movents were wild but desperate, fueled by sheer willpower. He struck at the dark figure and his allies, his attacks unrelenting despite his grievous injuries.
The battle was short-lived.
Outnumbered and weakened, Zarenth was overwheld.
THUD
The dark figure struck him down with a decisive blow, sending him crumpling to the ground.
Blood pooled beneath him as Zarenth’s vision dimd. His body refused to move, but his thoughts lingered on Kael.
"I’m sorry... Sister..." Zarenth muttered, his voice barely audible.
.
Kael knelt on the blood-soaked ground, his trembling arms wrapped tightly around Lumia.
Her face, sared with blood and dirt, pressed weakly against his chest.
"I don’t want to die..." Lumia’s voice cracked, barely audible, each word laced with despair. "I don’t want to die, Kael..."
Tears welled in her eyes, and her trembling hands clutched his tunic with all the strength she could muster.
Kael’s own hands trembled as he held her.
Guilt tore through him, every breath a reminder of his failure.
His mind scread at the unfairness of it all.
He had brought them here, to this nightmare. It was his fault.
"This is it..." Kael whispered, his voice hollow. "This is where it all ends."
The shadows of the Immortal Monsters crept closer, their grotesque forms towering over them.
The figure known as "Father" stepped forward, his dark aura suffocating the battlefield. His eyes glead with twisted amusent as he raised his hand.
"End them," the figure commanded with chilling indifference.
Tharion smirked, his blade gleaming as he lunged toward Kael and Lumia.
Kael’s grip tightened around Lumia.
"I won’t leave you," he muttered, his voice breaking. "Not now. Not ever."
The air grew heavy. Kael shut his eyes, bracing for the end.
Tharion smirked, stepping forward with his blade raised high.
"Goodbye, boy," he sneered, lunging toward Kael and Lumia.
Kael tightened his grip around Lumia, pulling her closer. "I’m sorry," he whispered. "I’m so sorry."
But just as the killing blow was about to land
—
SHUDDER. SHUDDER. SHUDDER.
The ground beneath them trembled violently, a deep, resonating rumble that seed to shake the very core of the world.
Thunder roared across the battlefield, splitting the skies apart.
All eyes turned upward.
The heavens opened.
A blinding golden light spilled through the cracks in the stormy clouds, illuminating the carnage below like divine judgnt.
A deafening roar echoed, not of rage but of sheer dominance, a sound that demanded reverence.
Kael looked up, his breath caught in his throat.
The light grew brighter, and within it, a figure descended.
She was ethereal, radiant—a presence that could not be ignored.
Silver hair, flowing like molten starlight, cascaded around her like a waterfall.
Her piercing golden eyes burned with a quiet fury, gazing down upon the battlefield as if assessing its worth.
She wore a regal armor that shimred with an otherworldly brilliance, its design evoking the scales of a dragon.
A crown, subtle yet unmistakable, rested upon her brow.
Behind her, imnse wings unfurled, their feathers shimring with threads of lightning that crackled.
The battlefield fell silent. Every creature, every being, froze under her gaze.
Kael stared in disbelief, his mind struggling to comprehend what he was seeing.
The Dragon Queen his Mother had arrived.
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