Why were the animals acting so strange today, trying to hold him back?
Saraphiel finally understood—
Their unusual clinginess and attempts to block his path weren't just affection. They'd already sensed the chilling, dangerous aura lurking on his way home, something so terrifying it made their fur stand on end!
"Run!"
Saraphiel's voice carried an urgency and sharpness he'd never used before. He pushed at the trembling deer huddled around him, shaking with fear but refusing to leave. He pointed toward the farm, hoping they'd understand.
"Forget about me! Go to the farm! Find Dad! Find Brother Clark! Hurry—"
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted, cutting him off!
A towering ancient tree, thick enough to need several people to encircle it, was violently torn apart and toppled by a savage force!
A massive, grotesque mechanical beast, glinting with cold metallic sheen, smashed through the last natural barrier like a monster breaking free from the gates of hell, storming into the clearing!
At the same moment, the shadow lurking deep in his consciousness stirred, like a venomous snake catching the scent of blood. Its cold, slimy whisper coiled around him, dripping with sickening familiarity and urgency:
"Brother… just one thought… unleash me…"
"No need to fear, no need to tremble… we were born to dominate… these are nothing but…"
Saraphiel clenched his jaw, shutting it out.
His hands clapped together at his chest, and a blinding golden light erupted from his palms!
But it wasn't an aggressive burst. Instead, it transformed into countless soft yet unbreakable golden threads, swiftly and precisely wrapping around every animal that refused to flee.
The threads, gentle but firm, pushed the deer, snow foxes, rabbits, and squirrels—every small creature gathered around him—toward the safety of the dense forest, far from the battlefield!
A deer's antler caught on his shirt; he yanked it free. A fox clamped onto his pant leg; he gently shook it off with a pulse of air.
"Go!"
For the first time, he raised his voice at the animals, a hint of authority in his tone.
But the only response was the mechanical beast's roar!
Its right arm morphed with a grating screech of metal, reshaping into a massive, gleaming silver blade!
Without hesitation, it swung, the blade slicing through the air with a piercing whistle!
BOOM!
Trees thick enough for two people to hug were like frail stalks before the beast, snapped in half in an instant! The heavy trunks crashed to the ground, sending shockwaves through the earth, kicking up clouds of dust and wood splinters.
Saraphiel stumbled, and the cold voice in his head grew sharper, more desperate:
"Brother! Look at this abomination defiling nature! It tramples our domain, slaughters our kin!"
"Unleash me! We are one! Let these pathetic tin cans witness true power! Survival of the fittest is the world's only truth!"
"Shut up!"
Saraphiel roared, dropping to one knee. The golden light in his hands pierced the shadow like a sword.
Bang!
A radiant golden ring exploded outward from him, rippling like a shockwave!
Where it passed, trampled grass and plants surged back to life!
Thick, bowl-sized vines burst from the soil, whipping through the air and wrapping around the mechanical beast's limbs and torso, temporarily binding its massive frame!
ROARRR!
The creature let out a deafening, metallic screech, like nails on a chalkboard!
The green crystal in its chest flared, as if enraged, unleashing a blinding green light several times stronger than before! The light turned into a tangible force, slamming into Saraphiel!
He grunted, the impact hitting his chest like an invisible sledgehammer.
And worse—
The vines binding the beast withered instantly under the green light, their life force drained in a heartbeat. They turned black, crumbling into ash that drifted away!
The shadow spoke again, its voice now feverish with urgency and zeal:
"See, Brother?!"
"This is the 'protection' you cling to?! It's nothing before absolute power!"
"Brother! How long will you hold back?!"
Saraphiel gasped, looking up, his pupils shrinking.
The mechanical beast was stomping through the forest's barrier, tearing a path of destruction straight toward him!
Its newly freed right arm morphed again, gears grinding and energy humming—
Buzz—Buzz!
A massive cannon barrel, glowing with deadly green light, locked onto him!
"Brother Clark!"
Under the glow of that deathly light, Saraphiel screamed into the sky!
Bang!
The devastating energy beam was about to fire!
But the lightning-fast figure he always relied on didn't appear.
At the critical moment—
A gaunt, gray figure let out a desperate howl and launched itself from the dense bushes!
It was Old Gray, the wolf! With the last of its strength, it rammed the cannon barrel in a suicidal charge!
BOOM!
The barrel tilted slightly!
The energy beam grazed Saraphiel's hair, blasting into the rock wall behind him, sending shards slicing across his cheek.
Old Gray was flung back by the blast's shockwave, crashing into a broken tree trunk like a ragdoll. Blood soaked its gray-white fur, and it let out a pained whimper, unable to stand.
"Big Gray!"
Saraphiel stumbled toward the dying wolf, his palms glowing with the soft white light that could heal anything, reaching for the bloodied fur…
But the massive, cold metal foot cast a shadow of death, looming over him and Gray like a mountain!
Time seemed to stretch and freeze.
Saraphiel froze.
He saw deer flipped by shockwaves, a limping bear charging at the beast's joints, squirrels hurling pinecones uselessly at its armor.
The shadow boiled like ink, its voice roaring with fury and mockery:
"Brother! How long will you endure?!"
The shout thundered in his soul, and forgotten memories flooded back with the animals' desperate cries, crashing into his mind like a tidal wave.
At three, he'd healed a raven's wing, only for it to be shot down by a hunter one evening. Last spring, he'd released fish into the stream, watching them swim happily—only to find them days later, bellies up, floating in the foul, chemical-laced runoff from the town's factory.
Now, Old Gray's faint, fading breaths in his arms were like a steel needle piercing his young heart, bringing searing pain…
The cannon glowed again.
A glint of gold flashed through Saraphiel's dark hair.
When he looked up, his once-clear left eye, like a starry sky, now burned with molten gold.
The last rays of sunset were swallowed by a surging black mist.
A murmur in an ancient tongue echoed through the forest!
"Brother—"
"Call our name!"
"Primordial Spirit, the One True Dragon!"
"Breathing flame, eyes aglow with divine light!"
"King of all beasts, Lord of the world!"
"This is—"
"The Holy Lord!"