Chapter 327 – "The Chains of Helplessness"
The valley shook with the clash of titans.
The Orc Overlord's war-axe descended in a brutal arc, carving through the air with enough force to split the earth. Kael met it with his magisteel blade, shadows and black flame wreathing the steel. The impact thundered like the heavens colliding, a shockwave ripping through the battlefield and sending dust, blood, and broken weapons flying.
And all the while, the council could do nothing but watch.
Bound in Shadows
Lyria strained until her muscles screamed, her elven body thrumming with raw mana. She had torn herself bloody trying to shatter the shackles of Kael's shadows, but the chains held fast. She screamed his name into the carnage, her voice breaking with desperation.
"Kael! Don't you dare fall! Don't you—don't you dare leave me!"
Her chest heaved with sobs that turned to fury, tears streaking down her dirt-smudged cheeks.
Beside her, Azhara collapsed to her knees, pounding her fists against the unseen bonds until her knuckles split and bled. "You selfish bastard!" she cried, her small body wracked with sobs. "You promised me—you promised us you wouldn't do this alone!" Her voice cracked into a broken scream. "Why do you always take the weight by yourself?!"
Rogan thrashed like a caged beast, veins bulging in his neck as he roared, straining with all his monstrous strength. "LET ME FIGHT!" His fury echoed over the battlefield, his teeth bared in a savage snarl. "Kael, you damned fool! Don't rob me of this fight!"
Fenrik's eyes were wide and wild, his voice low and guttural as he spat curses into the dirt. "He's… he's going to die. He's going to throw himself away. Damn you, Kael…" His head snapped back, veins bulging as he roared in resistance. "DAMN YOU FOR LEAVING US BEHIND!"
Even Zerathis, ever-calm, showed cracks in his mask. His silver eyes flicked between Kael and the overlord with cold calculation, yet his lips pressed tight with unease. His voice, soft and sharp, cut through the others' cries. "Even dragons bleed. And even dragons can fall. This path… may consume him."
Thalos said nothing. His face was stone, but his fists trembled against the restraints.
The Clash of Monsters
The Overlord swung again, his massive axe striking like a mountain falling. Kael twisted aside, black fire roaring as his cloak of shadows lashed out. The tendrils whipped around the Overlord's legs, pulling taut, but the beast only laughed, tearing through them with raw strength.
"You are strong, little one," the Overlord rumbled, his tusked grin splitting wide. "Stronger than any human has a right to be."
"I told you," Kael snarled, his chest heaving as his blade flared with fire. "I'm not human."
He surged forward.
Black fire ignited, his form shifting, bones cracking as wings of flame and shadow burst from his back. Scales shimmered across his skin, horns curling from his brow, his eyes glowing like molten void. The ground trembled beneath the weight of his transformation.
Kael's dragon form.
The council fell silent, awe and terror crashing over them. Even bound, they felt the pressure of his unleashed power—the oppressive weight of his mana that bent the battlefield to his will.
"By the gods," Rogan whispered, his fury momentarily silenced. "He really… he really is…"
Azhara's tears turned to hope, her hands trembling as she stared. "Kael…" she breathed, her voice breaking. "You're… you're magnificent."
But then the Overlord laughed.
"Dragon!" the beast bellowed, his voice shaking the valley. "You think your scales and fire make you my equal? You are but a hatchling—a shadow of the true might of your kind!"
The axe came down. Kael met it with his blazing blade, the force of the impact shaking the ground, sending cracks spidering through the earth. His wings lashed out, hurling orcs aside like leaves, his claws raking across the Overlord's armor.
But the monster only grinned wider.
"Show me more!" the Overlord roared. "Show me the fire of your dying race!"
Witnessing the Struggle
The council's hearts broke as they watched.
Every strike Kael landed was answered with one heavier. Every surge of his flames was met with the Overlord's monstrous resilience. The two titans moved faster than eyes could follow, the battlefield itself quaking beneath their fury.
And yet—it was Kael who bled.
A brutal backhand from the Overlord sent him crashing through a line of orcs, splattering blood across the earth. His wings beat once, twice, forcing him to rise again, but his body shook with strain. His blade trembled in his grip.
"No," Lyria whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her voice cracked into a scream. "No, no, no! Kael, get up!"
Azhara sobbed so hard her voice fractured. "Please… please don't leave me… not like this…"
Rogan bellowed until his throat tore, his voice hoarse with rage. "FIGHT, DAMN YOU! FIGHT!"
Even Zerathis' calm broke, his voice sharp with an edge of panic. "He's faltering. By the gods, he's faltering…"
The Overlord laughed again, towering over Kael as blood ran down the dragon's arm. "Is this all, little hatchling? All your power, all your pride, and still you kneel before me!"
Kael spat blood, his molten eyes burning with defiance. "I kneel… to no one."
The Council's Helplessness
The council strained against their bonds, their rage, grief, and love spilling into the air.
Lyria's screams became prayers in her tongue, half-song, half-plea, begging any power to shield him.
Azhara beat her fists bloody, her voice raw with heartbreak as she cried his name again and again.
Rogan tore at the shadows, his massive muscles bulging until they threatened to rip free of his skin.
Fenrik howled, a beast's cry of anguish and fury.
Zerathis whispered a single word, soft but cutting: "Fool."
But none of them could move.
All they could do was watch.
The Edge of Despair
Kael staggered as the Overlord's axe slammed into his chest, his scales cracking beneath the force. He roared in agony, his wings folding as he fell to one knee, the ground shattering beneath him.
The Overlord raised his weapon high, laughter booming like thunder. "This is the end, little dragon! The forest will burn, your people will die, and your Hollow will be ground into ash!"
The council screamed as one, their voices rising in a chorus of grief and rage.
"KAEL!"
And in that moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.