NOVPUBAs soon as Lysander's body went limp in his grasp, Alden wasted no time. Without a second thought, he flung the lifeless form over his shoulder and ascended rapidly toward where King Alexandria stood in midair, his imposing figure looming over the battlefield like a god overseeing the mortals below.
As for Elena, she was currently dazed with fright as she slumped to her knees while she watched her father the father who levitated in the air as she thought. 'Dad.... Why are you doing this?'
The moment Alden arrived, he knelt before his father, presenting the corpse with neither reverence nor remorse. King Alexandria regarded Lysander's lifeless body with cold, detached eyes, as if inspecting an expendable tool that had served its purpose. He extended a hand, his fingers brushing against his son's still-warm face before he withdrew, showing no outward sign of emotion.
"Throw it into the fissure," he commanded, his tone as emotionless as ever.
Alden smirked. Without hesitation, he lifted Lysander's body and tossed it downward. The lifeless form plummeted through the air before vanishing into the abyssal crack that now dominated the sky, swallowed by the expanding rift. The moment the body disappeared into the depths, an unnatural, suffocating force erupted from the fissure.
A wave of oppressive energy burst forth, blanketing the entire coliseum. The transformation was immediate. What was once an overwhelming aura had now evolved into an all-consuming force, pressing down on everything and everyone in its vicinity.
Vice Chancellor Reeves, Kaelen, Forbes, and Kelvin instantly felt it. Their breath hitched, their limbs grew stiff, and an inexplicable weight bore down on their very souls. They had faced many powerful beings in their lifetimes, but this… this was something else. The sheer presence of it made them feel as though they were mere ants beneath a divine force they could not hope to oppose.
'What sort of pressure is this?'
Kaelen clenched his fists, his body trembling as he fought against the pressure. Forbes gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the rising fear that threatened to consume him. Kelvin, still burning with fury, now found his entire being struggling against an invisible force that sought to crush him into nothingness. Reeves, despite his vast experience, could not hide the growing dread that clawed at the edges of his mind.
As for Kael Dragonyx, he remained unaffected. Standing before them with his aged right-hand man at his side, Kael watched the fissure with a calm, unreadable expression. The moment he saw Lysander's body disappear into the abyss, a knowing smirk graced his lips.
"So it's finally time," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, yet carrying a weight that sent chills down the spines of those who heard it.
And then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Before Reeves, Kaelen, Forbes, or Kelvin could react, Kael and his right-hand man vanished from their sight, only to reappear next to King Alexandria in the sky. His presence beside the king cemented what everyone had feared—Kael Dragonyx was not merely a bystander to this madness. He was part of it.
King Alexandria glanced at him with a sideward look, his eerie grin widening slightly. "You've waited long enough, haven't you?"
Kael chuckled lowly. "Indeed. And now, everything will come full circle."
Below them, the chaos in the coliseum reached a fever pitch. The once-grand arena had become a war zone, filled with screams of terror, the clash of battle, and the ominous hum of something unfathomable stirring within the fissure.
And as the sky darkened unnaturally, as if heralding the end of an era, one thing became certain—this was no longer just a battle. This was the dawn of something far, far worse.
And the reason for such a thought began when King Alexandria suddenly looked at the dead bodies of Valir and Kent that lay flatly on the arena cold floors. And without any hesitation, he suddenly vanished from the spot he stood in the air and reappeared right beside them.
And as King Alexandria stood beside the lifeless bodies of Valir and Kent, his expression became unreadable. The air around him crackled with an ominous energy, as if the very world itself recoiled from his presence. With a flicker of motion, he reached down, placing a hand on Valir's chest, his fingers curling slightly as if he were grasping at something unseen.
At that moment, Castenada and Lockwood, having just eradicated Griffo and his comrades in the sky, turned their attention downward. They immediately spotted King Alexandria looming over the fallen, his regal robes still remained partly neat despite the carnage he had orchestrated. Without hesitation, Castenada's voice rang out like a blade slicing through the thickened air.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" he bellowed as he and Lockwood propelled themselves towards King Alexandria, their magic flaring violently. The sky above trembled under the sheer force of their combined might, fire and wind intertwining as they shot forward like vengeful gods.
"Huh?"
Meanwhile, down below, Reeves and those beside him had also taken notice of what was transpiring. Their gazes landed on the cold, motionless body of Valir, and for a brief moment, time seemed to slow. Among them, Forbes stood frozen, staring at the lifeless form of his friend. His hands clenched at his sides, his nails digging into his palms, but the pain did nothing to ground him.
"Is that.... Valir?"
A silent tremor ran through his frame before, without warning, a colossal surge of energy erupted from his body. The force of it sent shockwaves rippling through the air, forcing Kaelen, Kelvin, and even Reeves to brace themselves. It was an aura unlike anything they had ever felt from him before—raw, untamed, and driven by pure, unfiltered wrath.
'Since when did Forbes have such a power?' Kaelen thought with a shocked look on his face.
As for Forbes, his head snapped up, his eyes burning with a fiery intensity as they locked onto King Alexandria. His breathing was ragged, his chest heaving with the force of his emotions. The world around him seemed to fade as only one thing consumed his mind—retribution.
"You… will pay," Forbes growled, his voice dripping with venom. "In double fold for what you've done to Valir."
His magic flared wildly, the air distorting as immense pressure built around him. The ground beneath his feet cracked under the sheer force of his power, and then, like an arrow released from a bowstring, he launched himself forward, his entire being honed to one singular purpose—annihilation.
And then, the battlefield trembled under the weight of surging powers, yet King Alexandria remained unnervingly composed. He bent down slowly, his regal hands gently lifting the lifeless bodies of Kent and Valir as if handling fragile treasures. His eerie tranquility only fueled the raging inferno in Castenada, Lockwood, and Forbes, who had fully transformed into a force of destruction.
A war cry erupted from Castenada, his gale magic twisting into violent, jagged spears of wind that could slice through mountains. Lockwood's flames roared, turning a furious white as they burned hotter than any natural fire. Forbes, now something unrecognizable, moved in absolute silence, his presence exuding a void-like menace as he advanced with his sword, a black phantom of vengeance.
Yet, before Castenada and Lockwood could close the distance, the First Magi appeared before them, his very presence warping the surrounding space. With a single wave of his hand, an unfamiliar, mind-bending force surged forth. It was neither elemental nor divine—an eldritch, incomprehensible power that defied understanding. Castenada and Lockwood were flung back like ragdolls, their attacks unraveling mid-air as if erased from existence.
Forbes, however, remained undeterred. The hatred emanating from him was tangible, an abyss of fury that even the First Magi chose not to meddle with. But just as he prepared to lunge at King Alexandria, Alden appeared in his path, a sneer painted across his face. "You'll go no further," Alden declared, his aura flaring. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Forbes didn't respond. He didn't need to. The moment Alden stepped forward, the space between them blurred. Alden's confident smirk turned to sheer horror as Forbes's blade, as silent as death itself, passed through him. A perfect, clean cut. Alden's body remained frozen for an eternal second before splitting in two, his upper half slipping off in a grotesque display. Blood sprayed, painting the ruined ground, but Forbes had already moved past him, never sparing a glance at the corpse.
Victory was momentary. A split second later, an immovable force intercepted him.
Kael Dragonyx.
Forbes's sword met resistance that felt like striking an entire world condensed into one being. Kael's hand, fingers wrapped around the blade, stopped the killing stroke with effortless grace. A deep, ancient power radiated from him, primal and overwhelming.
"This is as far as you go," Kael stated, his voice as unshaken as the heavens themselves. His grip tightened, and with a mere push, Forbes was sent staggering back, the overwhelming difference in strength undeniable.
Forbes growled, his rage flaring even brighter, but he was no longer facing mere men. He was now up against legends who had shaped the world itself.
"Now, now. Why are you guys in a rush? The true fun is about to begin" King Alexandria suddenly said as went up into the air and closer to the fissure with ease despite the two bodies that is in him and the aura emanating from the fissure. And in the next moment, he tossed the two bodies into the fissure
And so, the battlefield, which was once a chaotic warzone, had now become a stage for only the greatest of warriors. And in that moment, a realization settled in the air—something strange and eerie is about to occur.
