Chapter 344: Hunger For Retribution
[Music recommendation: The Prince That Was Promised - Ramin Djawadi]
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Pulling back ever so slightly, Ivan whispered, "Rest well, my beloved. I will join you soon, after I turn this place into blood and ashes."
With that, Ivan caressed her hair before moving his hand to close her eyes. It was easier to watch her when she looked as if she were merely asleep, rather than staring at nothing with those dead eyes that continued to tear his soul apart.
The temperature spiked, and Alex’s instincts flared, urging him to quickly move away from Ivan. So he dashed towards the group as they continued to watch in horror.
The second Alex moved, scorching fire roared around Ivan. It extended so far into the sky that it seemed as if the heavens were pouring flame from above to promise destruction to all who had committed this blasphemy.
Then they felt the fire grow hotter and hotter before turning from orange to a deep, visceral red. It then twisted and molded in the air.
Gigantic wings spread out from that red fire. The mouth and humongous body of the beast came into view, and finally, the face of the fire dragon emerged from the pillar of flame.
Those present had once seen a dragon forged from Ivan’s flames, back when his powers first awakened in Dartmouth. But the spectacle their tear-filled eyes watched now was nothing close to what they had seen before.
This was nothing like the dragon they had seen before.
This dragon was ten times the size of the previous one, making that earlier version look like a tame imitation compared to the monstrosity in front of them. It was not only the size that had changed. The features of this dragon were much more terrifying, with huge, sharp horns and bared teeth that threatened everyone as he snarled.
A deep, thunderous rumble reverberated from the beast’s massive body before it slowly lifted its head toward the sky.
Then it roared.
The sound was so deafening that it tore through the air like a shockwave, rattling the windows of every single house in the city below.
The fiery chest of the red dragon began to swell, the heat within it surging upward in powerful waves that travelled from its chest all the way to its neck.
In the next moment, the beast unleashed a devastating breath of fire into the sky before sharply redirecting the blazing torrent towards the dormant volcanoes surrounding them.
The attack struck with catastrophic force.
The peaks of those dormant volcanoes exploded one after another in violent blasts, their tops blown clean off as molten lava burst outward. More volcanoes awakened in response, erupting furiously as rivers of lava and towering plumes of dark volcanic ash shot into the sky.
The earth groaned beneath the devastation, trembling as though it might split apart at any moment under the sheer destruction caused by a single attack. Panic rippled through everyone present, whether they stood with Ivan’s group or among the Darkrots.
Selene had fallen again after losing her balance during the tremendous shaking. As she struggled to stand, she heard the frantic voices of her comrades. "Master! What do we do? It seems the prince has gone mad. He is planning to destroy everything!"
"Master! Lord Azrath has yet to wake up completely!"
"What do we do now?" another asked in terror.
Selene gritted her teeth as her emerald eyes fixed on Ivan’s terrifying, burning form while dangerous power continued to leak from him. Then her gaze shifted to the massive dragon behind him, which continued to roar so loudly that it sounded almost like a howl in pain.
Just as her wicked mind began to scheme about how to counter the enormous dragon, something unexpected happened.
After causing numerous volcanoes to erupt, the dragon closed its jaw and bent its large head close to Ivan, who was barely the size of half its jaw. It gently nudged Evelyn’s body with the tip of its nose as if caressing its beloved.
A low, guttural, animalistic howl escaped from the beast’s chest, as though it too were asking what had happened to their soulmate.
Ivan turned towards the dragon. After kissing Eve on the top of her forehead, he carefully placed her on the trembling ground before speaking in a tone completely devoid of emotion, "Take her away from here, Kai... protect her."
Another guttural rumble escaped from the fire dragon named Kai’s chest, and it wasted no time in raising its massive paw, which was the size of the second floor of a castle.
Everyone’s breathing hitched as they saw the dragon’s paw hovering right above Evelyn’s body.
Anyone watching the scene could have sworn that the dragon was about to crush her, but instead it picked up her body ever so gently before spreading its massive wings, which seemed to cover most of the sky above them.
With two powerful flaps, it soared into the sky, releasing another furious roar that promised destruction.
They all thought Ivan might be sending Eve somewhere secluded, but instead of flying away, the dragon began circling the entire city of Zareth. As it flew, it opened its jaws and spat more fire, blasting everything in and around the city.
With Evelyn now away from the chaos Ivan was about to unleash on the ground, he finally turned his blazing eyes towards each of the sinners before him. In his eyes, every one of their hands was stained with the blood of his beloved, and the aura around him burned fiercely.
He began walking towards them, and with every step he took, the ground beneath him cracked under the force of his blazing aura.
The dark ones watched Ivan approach them with slow, unhurried steps, as though he was not even affected by the fact that he was marching towards the enemy, looking as calm as if he were merely walking through a park.
Selene’s voice thundered, "Quickly! Get your darkstones out and hold him back with all your might while I prepare the spell to counter him!"
She raised both hands and swept them through the air, causing several portals to open around them. Hundreds of darkrots poured out in staggering numbers to attack not only Ivan, but also the others who were still paralysed by the ominous events unfolding before their eyes.
Cece’s wide, dark crimson eyes continued to shed tears without her even realising it. She looked around at surroundings that were nothing short of hell.
Dark smoke and lava flowed everywhere. The ground shook beneath her feet as dark clouds churned across a crimson sky, split by red lightning. Fire was everywhere. A humongous, rampant fire dragon destroyed everything in its wake, while her best friend’s body remained cradled securely in its deadly claws.
If someone had told Cece she was still on the same planet, she would not have believed them. But most of all, her heart continued to break into millions of pieces at the thought that her kind, innocent friend Evelyn was no longer in this world.
As her eyes turned toward Ivan, seeing her brother completely breaking down and losing his mind, a part of her approved of it.
She justified it all.
His grief, his suffering, and the destruction the world was about to witness. Cece justified it all because, just like Ivan, her own grief had turned into an immense rage.
She felt a raw fury toward the dark creatures who had brought this upon them by taking away a blessing from the gods, all because of their greed and lust for power.
They had stolen Evelyn from this world. They had taken her from them, and now they would pay. Retribution burned through the pure-blood vampiress’s body, and suddenly, shadows began to hiss from her skin.
Her tears continued to stream, but her eyes turned vicious as she saw the fresh wave of the assault heading toward them from every direction.
Edward snapped out of his shock. He turned toward Cece, only to see her body hissing with dark shadows.
"Cece!"
"They took her! They took her from us! And now they will pay! I vow to have my weapon bathed in their filthy blood, just as they spilled the blood of my dear friend and my brother’s love! Raise your weapons, all of you! This is not over! Ivan needs all of you! Let them taste the wrath they have unleashed!"
Cece’s voice roared with fierce conviction as she raised her hands. Shadows hissed around her before swiftly spreading across the ground.
Just as the first wave of Darkrots rushed towards the group, the shadows responded.
Dozens of blades erupted from the darkness and sliced through the attackers in a single, merciless sweep. The strikes were so swift that the Darkrots did not even have time to react before their bodies were torn apart. Black blood sprayed through the air as their severed pieces collapsed onto the ground like fallen timber.
For a brief moment, stunned silence swept through the group.
It was the first time they had ever witnessed Cece unleash her pure blood power before them. Yet instead of fear, the gruesome spectacle ignited something within them.
A burning hunger for retribution.
