Chapter 1227: Iron Rings in Eden
On the other side, deep in the lush mountain forest, there were animals everywhere—so many different kinds it was almost ridiculous.
Feylora looked genuinely happy. She brought Auri down to the ground, letting her scamper around while she admired the energy crystals embedded between the leaves. Every few steps, she’d crouch and gently pet some little creature poking its head out of the grass. Even Auri, for no clear reason, felt her mood lift. She stuck close to Feylora, eyes sparkling as she looked around, her steps turning light and bouncy.
They didn’t stop until they reached the space between several towering mountains—then they had no choice.
The terrain ahead rose sharply. A few narrow paths were blocked by massive boulders, and thick trees shoved their branches out of the cracks in the rock, almost sealing the way entirely. Seraphina scanned the area, then looked at Feylora.
The meaning was obvious—she could transform, grow to full size, and just carry everyone over.
Feylora nodded, agreeing. Then she reached out and rubbed Idra’s back where the little one sat on Seraphina.
"Come down. I’ll hold you."
Idra took tiny, quick steps, hopping off Seraphina’s back and into Feylora’s arms. Feylora had barely gotten her settled when a horrifying goat scream tore out from the distant gap between the mountains.
It was sharp and rough at the same time, echoing back and forth between the peaks. Birds exploded out of the trees in a frantic storm of wings, and the small beasts in the grass scattered in every direction. A heartbeat later, a fiery-red goat burst out of the crack between the mountains, charging straight toward them.
Its body looked like magma was flowing under its skin. As it ran, its hooves scorched the ground, leaving wide trails of burning black. Heavy iron rings were locked around its massive horns, and every jolt sent out a dull, brutal clang.
Ethan arrived at the same time.
He turned into a streak of white lightning and flashed into place right in front of the crimson goat. After dealing with one earlier, he’d immediately sensed something wrong and rushed over—only to find the exact same situation here.
And right now, Auri was still playing around with Feylora, completely unaware that death was sprinting at them.
"Daddy! This place is so fun!"
The moment her words fell, Feylora’s expression snapped cold.
The little animals nearby reacted first—fur bristling, bodies tensing. The few small beasts that had been quietly hanging around suddenly arched and backed away. The easy, relaxed feeling in the forest got ripped apart, replaced by a hot, razor-sharp pressure that made the air feel tighter.
Danger.
Feylora immediately formed a barrier around herself, shielding Auri beneath her. Gentle energy spread from her palm, expanding low along the ground into a half-dome that covered both Auri and Idra.
Up front, Ethan formed a white barrier too.
Transparent lightning crawled across its surface, weaving into layered, interlocking defenses. At the same time, Seraphina transformed—her body surging larger in an instant until a gigantic red dragon dominated the space beside Ethan. She lowered her massive frame, claws lifting, muscles pulled taut like coiled steel, ready to meet the impact head-on.
The red goat hit right on schedule.
As it charged, an even larger fiery goat phantom condensed behind it. The phantom’s two horns burned like they were lit from within, and it came with a wave of scalding air that slammed toward their line. Just before it collided, an oval, pale-red shield formed in front of the phantom like it had been waiting for the moment.
Seraphina’s enormous claw slammed down.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Claw and pale-red shield collided again and again, throwing sparks everywhere. Each hit made the shield flare with huge ripples of red light, heat rolling outward in waves that forced the surrounding grass and brush flat. Ethan’s white barrier held in front, lightning shaving down the shockwaves—but Seraphina was still the one taking most of the pressure.
The power of the Dragon God kept pouring out of her, steady and endless.
Seraphina opened her jaws and blasted dragon breath straight ahead. The searing force smashed into the pale-red shield, bored into its center, then spread outward. The defense, which had looked unbreakable, started to give way—punctured bit by bit—until a clear crack split open into a visible gap.
The dragon breath poured through that opening and began eating into the goat phantom.
The phantom’s legs kept running like it refused to accept reality, but its upper body twisted under the burn. Magma-like energy streamed downward from its chest, and in seconds the top half of the phantom melted into a puddle of boiling molten sludge.
Andona arrived to clean up.
She lifted a hand, and holy light washed over the area around Ethan, Feylora, Auri, and Seraphina, pressing the leftover heat outward. Along the path where the goat had charged, the ground hissed continuously—charred soil still venting white steam.
That wasn’t damage from normal flames.
That was magma.
Magma at an extreme temperature.
Andona rose into the air, golden light spilling from her as it pushed forward along the route the goat had carved out, slowly "purifying" the still-smoking scorch marks. Where the holy radiance touched, the magma-like energy got suppressed little by little, and the choking heat finally began to fade.
The goat’s screaming died away.
Ethan bent down and helped Feylora back to her feet. Auri, who’d been protected under Feylora the entire time, blinked up with a blank, confused look—like none of it had registered.
Feylora picked Auri up and leaned in close with Ethan. Auri immediately grabbed Ethan’s clothes and climbed with both hands and feet, ending up sprawled against his chest as she looked up.
"Daddy... what happened?"
Seeing that her daughter didn’t even realize how close it had been, Feylora’s chest loosened for the first time since the scream. Relief hit so hard it almost made her knees weak.
Everyone else gathered around Feylora one after another, checking her over to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Seraphina shifted back into human form, dusted off her hands, and walked to Ethan’s side.
"You okay? Any injuries?"
Ethan shook his head.
He was about to follow the path the goat had opened deeper into the mountains—
and then he froze.
The sky had gone dark.
A massive hammer-shadow dropped from above, like an entire mountain flipping upside down as it slammed toward their position. Seraphina transformed again into the Dragon God, but even with her gigantic body fully spread out, the shadow of that hammer swallowed her whole.
Andona unfurled her golden wings and shot upward, turning into a blazing sphere of light. She raised her blade and slashed at the iron hammer coming down from overhead. Golden radiance collided with the fiery aura around the hammer’s outline, exploding into red-and-gold sparks.
At the same time, Seraphina’s claws began to gather power.
A white sphere rapidly formed between her talons, compressing an intense concentration of Dragon God force. She launched off the ground, rocketing into the air, and hurled the white sphere straight at the enormous hammer.
The sphere broke the sound barrier with a shriek.
As it tore across the forest canopy, the shockwave ravaged the plants below all over again. Branches snapped in masses, grass flattened sideways, and the earth itself ripped open into a long gouge.
Auri saw what was happening to the forest and took psychic damage on the spot.
She buried her face into Ethan’s clothes, clinging to him like if she couldn’t see it, it wasn’t real.
In the sky, three forces slammed together, forming expanding rings of two different colors.
The bright gold of holy light and the pale-golden pressure ring born from Seraphina’s power spread out beneath the hammer in widening waves. Around the hammer-shadow, faint red lights flickered like embers—sometimes flashing deeper crimson. Every time the rings expanded, the sky shuddered, and a heavy echo rolled through the depths of the mountains like something huge was waking up.
Comments