The oppressive atmosphere thickened further, carrying the weight of Asher's cold, rciless words.
It pressed upon them all, smothering the vulpins' trembling hearts with an unbearable dread. Even the usually vibrant glow around Kira had diminished to a dim, sorrowful shimr.
Desperation surged within Kira's battered form as she saw Asher stepping toward her with asured, relentless strides.
Her pulse thundered desperately in her ears, panic igniting a last spark of resistance deep within her. She squeezed the steel hilt tightly, her knuckles whitening under the strain as a dazzling, radiant white energy blade surged forth once more.
With a final scream of defiance and anguish, Kira swung the glowing sword toward Asher, praying it would find its mark.
"Kira, no!" Zu's desperate cry pierced through the valley, echoing painfully. He reached helplessly toward her, tears filling his eyes, knowing the fate she had brought upon herself.
But in a shocking mont that seed to freeze ti itself, Asher's bare hand calmly t the radiant blade.
A collective gasp filled the air, astonishnt etched into every face, including Kira's.
She stared, wide-eyed and frozen, her disbelief absolute.
The energy blade crackled violently against his palm, white sparks scattering wildly—but he stood utterly unmoved, as though the blade wasn't hurting him at all.
His dark yellow eyes slowly began to shift, transitioning into a brilliant, glowing gold, radiant like the sun itself.
Everyone watched, speechless, unable to comprehend what they were seeing. Instead of being hard, his aura began to transform into a radiant one, his presence blinding and suffocating!
"Your Majesty!" Father Zu collapsed instantly to his knees, his trembling voice breaking as he bowed so deeply his forehead touched the dirt.
"Please spare her life! We are the ones responsible for her actions! Punish us instead!"
His desperate plea echoed painfully, spurring the rest of the vulpins into an imdiate chorus of begging and pleading. Their voices trembled, filled with raw grief and fear, as they knelt, heads pressed into the dirt in total surrender.
Asher's golden eyes never moved from Kira's face as he coldly spoke, each word a blade piercing through her already shattered heart. "How does it feel, seeing your people begging to spare your life, fully knowing the futility?"
The remnants of resistance faded entirely from Kira's eyes, replaced by a quiet, all-consuming despair. She released a fragile breath, her voice little more than a broken whisper. "Please… don't hurt them. They are harmless... innocent. I alone carry the burden of everything I did."
Asher's face remained a mask of chilling indifference, "You have no right to ask for rcy."
Her heart twisted painfully, terror and regret overwhelming her as she stared helplessly into his rciless golden eyes.
Yet, before she could utter another plea, Asher's voice softened slightly—though the cruelty within his tone deepened, cutting like ice.
"I should let you taste the pain and despair you brought upon millions of such innocents. My people."
Realizing he was out for blood, all her pain and anger manifested in the shape of defiance, her lips twitching, "Do it then… Finish it. You are just the sa."
Asher didn't blink but he ripped the radiant blade effortlessly from her weakened grip, tossing it gently to the ground, the radiant energy diffusing into thin air until only the hilt remained.
His voice was low and calm—but beneath that quiet was a storm, cold and lethal, his eyes returning to their original color.
"A quick death is for those who die in battle... not for monsters like you.."
Kira's breath hitched.
"You wanted the world to feel your pain. You made my people live your nightmares—To see their loved ones slaughtered, raped and enslaved…" His voice deepened, a quiet thunder rolling through the broken silence, "Now it's ti you feel ours."
He stepped even closer, towering over her like a shade of death. She tried to rise, but her limbs trembled, her mana flickering uselessly in the air.
"You will relive the pain you caused... until there is nothing left of you."
Asher's eyes suddenly burned away in a burst of ember-blackened flesh, lting into hollow sockets that flickered with a sickly, soul-consuming green light. The shadows in the ruined place thickened, curling and writhing like they too were watching.
Kira's eyes widened as the Gaze of Agony found her.
And then—
She scread.
But not in the world that others could see.
In her mind, a nightmare was born.
She stood as a child again, barefoot and trembling, at the edge of her ruined city. But it was not the past she rembered—it was sothing far worse.
The skies above the Eclipsion Kingdom burned with dark red fire…
Draconians!
The towers crumbled, not slowly, but all at once, folding into themselves as if the world was sick of them existing. The screams of her people filled the air—her people, their faces twisted in despair and betrayal as the cruel Dracoinans tore apart the n and elderly, ravaging the poor, helpless won and enslaving their children.
She ran towards them to save them.
She scread their nas.
But they only seed to get farther from her.
And then they burned as she helplessly watched.
One by one. Mothers, fathers, children, warriors—all of them died in front of her, their corpses crumbling to ash. And still, she could do nothing.
Then she saw her mother and father again.
But this ti, both of them were ruthlessly tortured before being burned alive before her.
She scread until her throat tore.
And then she saw herself—an older version—the Queen who had destroyed another kingdom, who had torn down a future to avenge a past.
This version of her sneered and turned to ash in the wind.
And through it all, one figure remained.
A blazing skeletal figure with hollow eyes, and a voice that echoed across the burning fields.
"This is what you made. This is what you deserve. May your soul rember this pain for eternity."
As the nightmare dragged on, a molten layer of dark green began to crust along her body, slowly spreading from her feet upward. It was not fire—but sothing worse.
It was the manifestation of her guilt.
Her sins.
Her agony.
Every soul that was tornted before her, their pain etched into her flesh.
For a brief mont, she realized this was the pain she had inflicted on those millions of people.
But it was too late to think and regret.
She couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak. Couldn't scream anymore.
Only suffer.
-
In the real world, her body convulsed. The green glow from Asher's sockets intensified, and with a final breathless gasp, Kira froze.
The molten green crust had consud her entire body, leaving behind a statue of agony, her mouth open in silent horror, her eyes wide with unshed tears.
Asher stared down at the husk that was once a queen.
"Now you know what it feels like."
And with a quiet flick of his hand, he let her corpse collapse to the ground.
It shattered.
Not into ash. But into pieces of glassy, dead stone—a monunt to vengeance fulfilled.
"NO!" Father Zu's heart-rending scream filled the valley, echoed by a chorus of despair from the gathered vulpins. Tears stread down their cheeks as they helplessly watched their queen's corpse transform into a molten statue and then shatter as if she was nothing.
They couldn't understand how she died, but from the spine-chilling
screams they heard from her earlier, it felt like her very soul was tortured for soone strong like her to scream like that.
Slowly, deliberately, Asher raised his gaze to et the horrified eyes of the vulpins, their bodies trembling uncontrollably in grief and fear. Most of them seed like they had never seen blood being shed before their eyes, few even already unconscious under the stress.
"This is the price your queen has paid," he declared coldly, voice resonating through the silence. "For destroying my kingdom. For spilling the blood of millions who had nothing to do with your suffering. Mark my words clearly:..if I see any one of you instigating any plans for revenge or vengeance against my people, I will sure as hell wipe out each and every one of you. There won't be any rcy. This is a promise."
His words carried a bone-deep chill that froze their souls, causing them to tremble visibly. Zu pressed his forehead even deeper into the dirt, weeping uncontrollably, voice hoarse with grief and guilt.
"We would never dare, Your Majesty! This old one swears upon his soul—we will never again offend you or your people! Please…spare us this one rcy!" Despite the grief and pain flooding his veins, Zu understood how imnsely rciful the Immortal King was being, considering what happened.
If it was soone else, they would have surely wiped them out right now or worse.
Asher stared impassively at the old vulpin, offering no further words. With a sharp turn, he faced away, robes fluttering dramatically around him as he launched himself upward.
The ground cracked and split beneath the trendous force of his departure, thundering shockwaves following in his wake, leaving the vulpins frozen in despairing awe and terror.
It was as if a devil god left after delivering his punishnt.
After a long, numb silence, Father Zu and the others hurried to Kira's shattered corpse, their cries of grief and heartbreak echoing mournfully across the devastated clearing.
—
Not long after, beneath skies thundering with crimson lightning, Asher streaked across the horizon toward a distant, dangerous island encircled by an angry sea of molten crimson lava. He descended swiftly, landing atop scorched earth that trembled faintly beneath his feet.
Before him lood a massive cavern entrance, towering over two hundred ters high, a maw of darkness leading into the heart of the fiery isle.
From within its shadowy depths, two massive crimson eyes slowly opened, glowing nacingly.
A guttural, rumbling growl erupted, shaking the earth and causing the surrounding lava to erupt in violent, fiery fountains.
The creature within exuded ancient nace and primal power. Its presence alone commanded terror and respect. Yet Asher stood completely unmoved, his expression indifferent.
With narrowed eyes, he calmly raised his voice, resonating with authority, "Hear , Drogor, descendant of the great Drakaris. I am Asher Drake, king of the Bloodburn Kingdom, here to beco your new master. Bow, or prove yourself capable of killing ."
A deep, rumbling voice thundered forth from the abyssal darkness of the cave, each syllable reverberating with a primal strength that made the very earth quake beneath Asher's feet. "You possess remarkable audacity to speak to with such disrespect, boy. Yet, knowing who you truly are, I also see you possess the power and authority to back your arrogance."
Asher wasn't surprised that such an intelligent and powerful beast could speak. He narrowed his eyes, confusion briefly flickering across his hardened expression. "You know ?"
A deep, resonant chuckle emanated from the cavern, echoing like distant rolling thunder. "I've waited for you, watching closely. Becoming a Soul Tyrant in such a short span—the Old One has taught you well indeed."
Asher's gaze sharpened instantly, realizing Drogor seed fully aware of Skully's existence.
Questions surged through his mind, clouding his thoughts montarily. "Waited for ? Then…were the rumors of your despair after losing your previous master just lies?" Did this an that Drogor let his kingdom perish on purpose? Asher was beginning to realize that Skully had manipulated things more than he ever realized to the point of even making the strongest dragon, supposed to be loyal and protect the Bloodburn Kingdom, go into hiding!
He knew why Skully did it, but that didn't quell his anger and frustration about what had happened.
More so, he was disappointed that the descendant of Drakaris did nothing to protect the kingdom his ancestor had sworn protection to.
At least in Valeria's case, she was bound to Skully's words. But he never thought even Drogor would bow down and forget his pride to heed Skully's words.
A low growl shook the island, molten lava roaring upward in geysers of crimson fire. The hidden creature spoke slowly, a dangerous finality edging into his tone, "It no longer matters. You stand here to command — the Supre One's blood. So I will try to kill you and see for myself if you are worthy."
The darkness inside the massive cavern stirred ominously, accompanied by an oppressive, steadily growing killing intent. Drogor's eyes, massive slitted orbs of burning crimson, narrowed nacingly, his intentions clearer with every passing second.
Asher stepped back slightly, raising his hand calmly. Five ring blades, blazing with dark green flas, burst forth around his palm. They spun rapidly, rging with a blinding burst into a single imnse ring blade—its dark flas roaring with formidable, terrifying power.
"Then co," Asher said coldly, voice steady yet echoing with authority. "Let's see how much strength you possess after hiding here while my kingdom burned."
"You think I wasn't affected by it, boy?!" A thunderous roar shattered the silence, shaking the entire island violently.
Massive claws erged first, each easily the size of towering buildings, their dark scales glistening like steel, reflecting crimson flas from the lava streams around. Slowly, Drogor erged from the cavern, stepping forward with imnse, ground-shaking strides.
As Drogor revealed his full form, even Asher montarily felt awe clawing at his heart. And this was the only peak Soul Tyrant dragon!
No wonder the draconians never dared to attack his kingdom in long past.
Towering over one hundred ters tall, Drogor's massive dragon form was a sight that could crush the spirits of the bravest warriors.
His body, over three hundred ters in length, rippled with muscles like mountains of sculpted stone, his skin armored in steel-black scales that shimred under the blazing sky. Each scale was edged faintly with crimson, as though dipped in eternal fire.
His imnse wings unfurled slowly, their colossal span casting the entire island into shadow, mbrane veins pulsing with fiery crimson light, resembling intricate lava flows against dark volcanic rock.
His long, sinuous tail thrashed against the earth, creating shockwaves that split the stone, causing rivers of molten lava to burst upwards.
His head, majestic yet terrifying, was crowned with massive, razor-sharp horns curving aggressively back, burning with fiery veins of crimson mana.
Drogor's mighty jaws parted slightly, revealing rows of blade-like teeth glinting nacingly, each fang long enough to impale a giant beast with ease.
Crimson fire surged and flickered around the edges of Drogor's maw as his rumbling voice bood forth again, carrying an ancient, majestic authority. "You have the right to be angry. But you don't have the right to judge what I did. Now, if you wish to ta the raging flas of my blood…prove yourself and let the fires of judgnt decide your fate!"
With another thunderous roar that cracked the sky above, Drogor unleashed an ocean of blazing crimson flas from his imnse jaws.
The molten inferno surged forward like a devastating tsunami, lting the very stone and air in its path, illuminating the entire island with a fiery crimson brilliance.
Asher, undaunted by the cataclysm surging toward him, leaped into the air, propelled by an eruption of shadowy energy. His long black robes billowed violently, moon-white hair whipping around his fierce, determined expression.
The massive blazing ring blade in his grasp roared louder, dark green flas spiraling outward, radiating imnse power that t Drogor's own boundless aura head-on.
Ti seed to slow as Asher soared high above the volcanic inferno, his glowing dark yellow eyes locked onto the titanic dragon below, his heart surging with a chilling thrill of anticipation.
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