The ground quaked as Viridion, the Withering Grove, burst from the ruins of the palace.
Its roar shook the heavens, branches of its twisted body tearing through stone and steel alike.
Kael's focus wavered for a moment as its glowing green eyes locked onto him.
Then the beast leapt skyward, summoning a rain of arrows born from corrupted roots.
Kael darted through the storm, his body moving faster than sight, every arrow exploding against the courtyard.
"Did you forget me, boy?"
Charles' voice snarled from behind.
Kael turned just as a massive fireball, glowing like a second sun, ignited in Charles' palm.
It shot forward with a roar, colliding head-on with Kael and blasting the palace into rubble.
The explosion thundered through the entire capital, echoing across the walls.
When the dust settled, nothing of the palace remained only rubble, smoke, and ruin.
But out of the drifting stone rose Kael, standing midair, his sword gleaming in his hand.
Gravity bent around him, suspending the wreckage beneath his feet.
Charles smirked, flames flickering across his body.
Viridion's steps shook the courtyard as it turned toward the ancient tree.
"Hahaha… go for the objective,"
Charles ordered.
"I'll handle him."
Viridion moved to obey, roots clawing at the earth But the air thickened.
The ground cracked.
A crushing weight filled the courtyard.
Kael's voice thundered across the ruins, cold and merciless.
"Who gave you permission to leave, insects?"
He clenched his fist.
Gravity roared outward.
Charles and Viridion screamed as they were slammed into the earth, stone fracturing beneath their bodies.
Charles' bones snapped, magma-like blood searing through his veins.
Viridion's roots writhed helplessly, crushed under invisible chains.
Kael floated above them, blood dripping down his face, soaking into his torn robes.
His eyes blazed with fury, his aura towering over the battlefield like a god or a demon.
He spread his arms, sword in hand, the world bending to his will.
"You wanted a fight?
Then let's fight!"
"You dare challenge me?
" You dare break peace in my presence?
"I will take your heads tonight!"
The courtyard itself shook as Kael's power spread outward, crushing everything within its reach.
Far from the courtyard, the royal group staggered back through smoke and rubble.
The nobles clung to the king, their silks torn, their pride shattered.
The king's half-brother walked at his side, silent and grim.
Commander Darius and Aelina stood ahead, swords drawn, eyes scanning the skies.
Commander Williams and the royal guards shielded them all, every step tense, shields raised.
Behind them, the cries of the capital carried like daggers.
"We must get to the castle!" a noble cried.
"The council must be called," another gasped.
"We'll die if we stay here!"
"Enough.
The castle will serve as our bastion.
The people must see their king standing."
"And what of the calamities?
They're already inside the capital.
Waiting will cost lives."
The king's half-brother's eyes narrowed, voice sharp.
"The army awaits your word, Aerion.
Without your order, they cannot move."
The king clenched his fist.
He knew the truth the royal army of the Air Kingdom, countless soldiers trained for war, waited in silence across the city.
One word from him, and they would flood the streets.
That word had not yet been given.
At last, the decision was made.
The king and nobles would move toward the royal castel atop the capital, to rally command and protect the people.
Darius, Aelana, and the king's half-brother would split away, descending into the city to intercept the calamities themselves.
The capital's bells tolled, a desperate warning through smoke-filled skies.
People screamed as shadows fell across the streets.
Then they came.
From the east, Obryxis, the Shattered Colossus, tore through the walls.
A mountain of stone and crystal, magma glowing inside its chest.
Each footstep split the streets, sending buildings tumbling like sandcastles.
From the west, Cryoveth, the Frozen Maw, slithered through mist, its jagged ice-hide gleaming like a glacier in moonlight.
Every breath froze streets solid, turning fleeing citizens into brittle statues that shattered as they fell.
From the south, Morvane, the Crimson Reaver, pulsed like a nightmare.
Its flesh writhed with eyes and veins, its claws dragging through marble, leaving bloody streaks.
Blood boiled in men's veins, bursting from their bodies before they even touched it.
The city drowned in chaos.
A soldier at the gates raised his spear Obryxis' fist flattened the wall and everything behind it.
A mother ran clutching her children Cryoveth's icy breath froze them solid before shattering them into glittering shards.
A merchant noble screamed for his guards to hold the line but Morvane's whispers boiled their blood from the inside, leaving corpses twitching at his feet.
Frost.
Stone.
Blood.
The jewel of the skies was reduced to ruin in moments.
The thousand-year tree swayed dangerously in the center of the capital,
Its branches clawing the clouds, its roots trembling as if it too feared the monsters.
Screams, rubble, and death filled the night.
And in the courtyard, Kael stood suspended in midair, bloodied but unbroken, facing Charles and Viridion.
His fury burned like a star as people's cries echoed all around him.
The battle of gods raged above while calamities tore the capital apart below.
The kingdom trembled.
The night of ruin had begun.
To be continued...