The fireball began its descent—slow and steady, like a dying sun pulled to earth.
Screams rose across the settlent. People scattered in every direction, so stumbling, others frozen in place. Chaos churned under the burning sky.
The salamander didn’t move. It stared up, grinning as the sphere of fla neared. Its laughter echoed across Ironhold, thick and cruel.
Then, a flash.
A fist struck the fireball from the side, hurling it across the sky.
It crashed in the distance with a blinding explosion. The blast shook the earth. A wall of fla rose over the far hills, high enough to swallow cities.
The crowd fell silent.
The creature’s grin vanished.
It turned.
Kael stood at the crater’s edge, steam rising from his shoulders, a wall of fire curling behind him. He smiled.
The air rippled around his body.
Ash blinked.
’What is he doing?’
Alex moved forward, ready to join the fight—but a wall of fire burst up between him and the battlefield, cutting off his path.
Kael didn’t look back.
"Don’t step in,"
he was voice calm.
"This one’s mine."
His smile widened.
"Finally. A real fight."
The salamander narrowed its eyes.
It didn’t speak.
It moved.
In a blink, it appeared in front of Kael and drove its fist into his chest. The ground cracked beneath him as his body slamd into it.
Dust rose.
For a breath, it seed over.
But the flas answered.
Kael shot out of the crater wrapped in fire, his body blazing as he streaked through the sky toward the creature. He threw a punch that split the wind.
The salamander leaned, avoiding the strike, then grabbed Kael’s arm and spun.
Stone shattered as Kael was thrown through walls of buildings, his body breaking it apart like paper.
Ash’s heart pounded in his chest.
Kael slamd into the ironhold wall, brick and stone exploding around him. He crumpled to the ground, coughing.
The salamander landed a few steps away, its voice grating.
"You not strong at all."
Flas burst from beneath its feet—Kael’s fire, coiled in wait. The creature hissed, jerking back as the fire scorched its legs. It snarled and turned.
"You fire strong. ... stronger."
It stepped toward Kael, each footfall crushing the stone.
" is fire god. Not you."
Its foot slamd down on Kael’s chest, pushing him deeper into the broken wall. Another step crushed the stone behind him. Kael grit his teeth, but said nothing.
The creature leaned in. Its clawed hand gripped Kael’s head like a fruit.
" destroy you now. Only can burn brightest."
Its jaw opened.
Lava poured.
But it rolled over Kael’s face and chest without effect. The molten stream slid down, harmless. Kael’s skin didn’t even blister.
The salamander’s eyes widened. It growled.
Then it roared.
The grip on Kael’s skull tightened as it slamd him into the wall again. Then again. The stone cracked. Dust and blood followed. The creature dragged him across the ruins, scraping his body like a rag over shattered rock.
Kael scread.
Ash moved.
"[Skill: Phantom’s Stride.]"
"[Skill: Storm Vein.]"
"[Skill: Static Surge.]"
He vanished—then reappeared in a blur of smoke and light beside the creature. Lightning danced along his arms.
His fist burned.
"[Skill: Scorch Palm.]"
The fire surged. His punch arced toward the creature’s side.
But it didn’t land.
The salamander’s arm snapped up, catching Ash’s wrist in midair.
Ash’s eyes widened.
’It’s fast. Too fast.’
The fire in his palm flickered, then died. Snuffed out like a candle.
The salamander still held Kael in its other hand, body limp and bleeding.
Ash clenched his jaw.
He had never seen Kael like this.
Never this helpless.
The creature tilted its head.
"You fire too?"
Its mouth opened again.
The heat swelled.
Lava.
Ash vanished just as it spilled out.
The salamander turned, but the space where Ash had stood was empty.
Then it looked to its side—
Kael was gone too.
The air buzzed with silence. For the first ti, the fire god hesitated.
Far from the burning ruins, Ash laid Kael on the cracked earth. Smoke curled from Kael’s wounds—embers dancing over his skin as his body began to stitch itself together.
Ash crouched beside him.
"You’re an idiot. That thing’s Tier 7. Pride’s going to get you killed one day."
Kael coughed, blood on his lips.
"I just need... a minute," he whispered. "I can still beat it."
Ash didn’t answer. He looked back toward the fire on the horizon. The air trembled with heat. He could already feel the settlent’s bones giving in.
There was only one choice left.
Get the others out—before they all burned.
————
Max stood in the chaos, gaze locked on the creature in the sky. The flas painted its body like a god of ruin.
He pressed a hand to his wristband.
From above, the sky split.
Diamond-tipped poles rained down like falling stars, each one humming with force.
The salamander looked up—and smiled.
It rose to et them.
Fire burst from its body, a rolling wave of heat and power. The diamond spears hissed as they passed through the blaze, lting midair, falling as droplets of molten crystal.
It flew through the storm like it was nothing.
Max’s eyes darted to the sky.
His jaw clenched.
"The ship—"
A punch from the creature sent shockwaves through the clouds. Its fist tore into the massive airship above, ripping through the hull like it was paper. tal scread as the engines gave way.
The ship tilted.
Fell.
Max tapped his wrist again.
"Divert the ship. Get it away from the settlent."
Above, the wreckage shuddered and turned, thrusters barely responding. It veered, just enough, before slamming into the far hills in a blinding explosion.
The blast lit the sky like a second sun. Fire rolled over the earth.
Max stared through the smoke. The creature floated above them all, unmoving, eyes closed. Its hand rose slowly, as if reaching for sothing unseen.
The flas around it danced like petals in the wind.
It should’ve looked beautiful.
But it wasn’t.
It was the end.
And they had nothing left to stop it.
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