Cannons blasted their fiery shots, tearing through the blood spears as they flew toward the ships.
The spears shattered on impact, breaking apart into mist-like pieces that faded away.
The sound of the blasts echoed, shaking the airships, but the golden-white beams and cannon fire continued to strike the oncoming storm. All the blood spears were destroyed.
But the ships weren't done.
A volley of radiant mana lanced out, aimed straight at Kaelen and the Castle.
Golden-white beams streaked across the sky—sharp, fast, relentless. In response, Kaelen raised his arms, crimson mana surging from his body.
A thick red barrier erupted outward, enveloping the entire castle.
The radiant blasts struck in rapid succession—flashes of golden light colliding with red. The sky turned violent, caught between two overwhelming forces.
The barrier flared.
Trembled.
But it did not break.
Then—silence.
The attacks ceased.
In the bridge of the Lux Invicta, the glow from the last volley shimmered outside the command deck windows, slowly fading against the blood-red barrier below.
Tension thickened the air.
"Direct hit confirmed. Target's still standing," an officer muttered, his eyes wide as he stared at the pulsing red shield.
"He... he blocked the entire volley. Every beam."
"That was a full charge—from all cannons, from all three ships," another said, disbelief heavy in his voice.
"That barrier—whatever it is—it should've cracked. How the hell is it still holding?"
Then, without warning, the barrier vanished.
"The barrier... he dropped it?" an officer asked, confusion in his tone.
Kaelen hovered high above the castle, arms still raised, crimson mana flowing from him like a tide.
Thousands of blood-spears formed once more, swirling in the air around him.
Warning lights flashed across the deck.
"He's charging for another strike—bigger than the last!"
"Cannons still cycling—twenty seconds to full recharge!"
Officers scrambled—layering shields, stabilizing mana cores, preparing for impact.
Theron didn't move.
He stared through the viewport, his gaze locked on Kaelen—the eye of the crimson storm. His eyes narrowed. He didn't blink.
Then he turned to his comms officer. His voice cracked through the silence like ice through glass.
> "Send word to the other ships. All formations begin the assault. No delays.
Target the castle and every surrounding sector. Annihilate all on site.
Spare no soul.
Leave the demon alive. I'll end it myself.
Anyone who kills him without my command... will answer to me."
He stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back, watching the bloodstorm swell above the forest.
The comms officer swallowed hard and nodded.
"Broadcasting now, Your Majesty."
Suddenly, along the side of one of the airships, a side hatch hissed open with a sharp metallic groan.
Alric—a towering figure, massive and armored—leapt from the still-flying ship.
His hammer gripped tightly in both hands, he plunged through the shimmering golden barrier, falling like a meteor.
Mana surged around his body as he reeled his weapon back and hurled it toward the Castle.
The hammer screamed through the sky like a comet.
Kaelen, still surrounded by blood spears poised to launch, narrowed his gaze.
He turned his head slightly, eyes tracking something below.
He muttered a single word.
> "Ivan."
The hammer whistled toward him—deadly, deliberate.
Kaelen didn't flinch.
With a single, effortless motion, his raised hand moved—catching the hammer by the anvil, stopping it mid-air with impossible ease.
Below, Alric crashed into the forest like a living bomb.
Trees shattered.
Dust billowed.
Then he rose from the rubble.
Without pause, he dashed forward—swift and precise, cutting through the trees like a blade.
High above, Kaelen's eyes remained locked on the ground.
> "Is he the one who led them here?" he muttered. His fingers curled around the hammer's anvil, then released it.
He tossed it aside.
Alric paused, then looked up. Without hesitation, he crouched low and launched himself skyward—catching his hammer mid-air. A trail of energy flared behind him as he rocketed toward Kaelen.
The blood spears around the king began to vanish, dissolving into mist.
Kaelen started to shift—but froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
Alric had reached him.
He was no longer below.
He was beside him—in the air, hammer raised, ready to strike.