Chapter 328 – "Ashes of the Hollow"
The clash of monsters ripped the world apart.
Kael's blade, wreathed in shadows and fire, clashed against the Orc Overlord's mountain-sized axe, sparks scattering like shooting stars across the battlefield. Each blow shook the valley, a drumbeat of ruin that reverberated through the bones of every soul present.
And as their duel raged, the Hollow—the home they had bled, built, and dreamed into being—began to crumble.
The Hollow Burns
The shockwaves tore through the fortified walls, splintering wood and stone alike. The great watchtower, symbol of the Hollow's strength, toppled under the force of a single missed strike, its timbers collapsing into a smoldering heap. The central plaza, once alive with laughter and markets, split apart as Kael's tail lashed in fury, scattering stonework like children's toys.
Houses burned. Bridges cracked and fell. Everything they had made together—their sanctuary, their home—was torn apart by the chaos of the battle.
Lyria's scream rose above the roar of combat, her voice ragged and desperate. "Kael! Stop! You're destroying everything we built!" Her pleas broke into sobs as she watched their world unravel.
But Kael wasn't listening.
The Beast Unleashed
Blood ran down his scales, his once-polished sword now chipped and cracked under the constant onslaught. The Overlord's laughter boomed like thunder, cruel and exultant, echoing through the ruined Hollow.
"Pathetic!" the monster roared, slamming Kael down with a shoulder charge. "All your power, all your fire, and still you kneel!"
Kael snapped.
His jaws unhinged in a roar so primal it shook the heavens. He lunged, no longer with the precision of a warrior, but the feral fury of a beast. His teeth sank into the Overlord's shoulder, tearing flesh and spraying black blood across the ground. His claws raked through armor, gouging deep furrows in the overlord's chest. His wings battered, his tail lashed, his entire body a storm of violence.
For a heartbeat, it seemed as though he might win through sheer savagery.
But the Orc Overlord only laughed louder.
"You call this rage?!" the beast thundered, spitting blood onto Kael's face. "Then I will break you like the animal you are!"
Pinned in Chains of Flesh and Iron
The Overlord surged forward, slamming Kael onto his back with earth-shattering force. The valley floor caved beneath the impact, dust and blood clouding the air.
Kael roared, his wings thrashing, his jaws snapping wildly—but the Overlord's strength was monstrous, his massive hands forcing Kael's head and chest to the ground. He pinned the dragon's wings beneath his knees, driving his axe haft across Kael's throat. The pressure bent Kael's neck back, his scales cracking under the force.
Kael's molten eyes widened. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't rise.
The world narrowed to the sound of his council's voices.
"KAEL!" Lyria's scream tore at his heart, her voice breaking with despair.
"FIGHT, DAMN YOU!" Rogan roared, his fury reverberating like thunder.
"Please, Kael!" Azhara sobbed, her fists slamming against the unseen bonds until they bled. "Please don't leave me!"
Even Fenrik, ever-cynical, broke, his voice hoarse and cracking. "You bastard… you can't die… not before me…"
And beneath them all, Zerathis' voice rang like cold steel: "Get up, Kael. If you die here, then everything dies with you."
But Kael couldn't rise. The Overlord's axe pressed harder, the edge biting against his throat, sparks dancing as it ground against his scales.
The Council Breaks
With a primal roar, Rogan ripped against the bonds of Kael's chaos magic. His muscles bulged, his skin splitting as blood streamed down his arms, but with one final scream he shattered his restraints.
"KAEL!" he bellowed, his body trembling with the need to throw himself into the fight.
Zerathis followed, his shadows coiling tighter around him before bursting apart in a surge of raw will. The chains dissolved into nothing as he stepped forward, his eyes locked on the battlefield.
But neither moved closer.
They couldn't.
The horde of orcs had closed in, encircling the duel in a wall of flesh and steel. Tens of thousands stood shoulder to shoulder, their chants rumbling like an earthquake, their weapons raised high. The sheer mass of bodies formed an impenetrable barrier. To move forward would be suicide—not battle, but slaughter.
Rogan snarled, his eyes burning with helpless rage. "Damn it! He's dying and we can't reach him!"
Zerathis' face was stone, but his voice was sharp, edged with a frustration he rarely let show. "We intervene, and the horde swallows us whole. All we can do is watch… and pray he survives."
The Blade at His Throat
The Overlord pressed harder, his tusked grin widening as Kael's scales cracked and blood welled from beneath the axe's edge.
"Any last words, little dragon?" he rumbled, his laughter low and cruel. "Whimper for me. Beg. And I may let your people die quickly."
Kael's body trembled, his claws digging trenches into the dirt as he fought against the weight. His vision blurred, his chest heaved, and the voices of his people—his family—echoed in his skull.
You can't fall. You can't leave them.
The axe bit deeper. The world grew dim.
Then, with a roar that tore his throat raw, Kael surged.
The Escape
His entire body flared with black fire, shadows and chaos bursting outward in a violent explosion. The Overlord was forced to recoil, the sheer force of the blast burning and shoving him backward. Kael rolled free, his massive form skidding across the battlefield, gouging the earth with his claws until he dragged himself upright.
Blood streamed from his wounds. His wings shook. His body heaved with every breath. But he was alive.
The Overlord wiped blood from his mouth, his tusked grin stretching wide. He raised his axe, pointing it toward Kael as the orc horde roared in unison.
"Better," he growled. "Much better. Show me everything, little dragon. Let me break you at your strongest."
Kael's molten eyes burned as he staggered back into his stance, his blade igniting once more with black fire. His voice was ragged, but his defiance rang clear.
"You'll have to kill me to break me."
The council's voices rose again behind him—hope and despair mingling into one.
And the battle of titans raged on, as the Hollow crumbled into ashes around them.