Chapter 59: Chapter 59 : King Carius of Eldoria!
As the two spells collided mid-air, the clash unleashed a tumultuous wave of energy that echoed across the skies. The raging wind, caught in the explosive aftermath, morphed into a colossal fan, fueling the inferno. Within moments, the entire wind column transformed into a massive flaming hurricane.
The swirling flames spiraled with ferocious intensity, consuming everything in their path. The crystal dragon, with its shimmering scales glinting in the blaze, was quickly engulfed by the searing heat. Its roars of defiance were drowned out by the roar of the inferno.
Carius, who was stationed on the dragon's head, was similarly caught in the fiery maelstrom, his figure silhouetted against the blazing hurricane before being swallowed entirely. His screams and cries of agony were muted by the fire's roar.
Below, all over the kingdom, the people of Elodoria watched in stunned silence. Eyes wide with fear and awe, they gazed up at the sky, where the heavens was now marred by the colossal flame vortex.
Children clung to their parents tighter, while elders muttered prayers, hoping for the safety of their lives. The townspeople's faces were illuminated by the flickering light of the flames. The magnitude of the spectacle left the citizens breathless, their hearts pounding with a mix of dread and anticipation.
As the spell's energy waned and the roaring flames began to subside, the sky gradually returned to a state of eerie calm. The once raging hurricane of fire dissipated, leaving behind wisps of smoke that curled and drifted lazily in the air. The remnants of the clash shimmered briefly before fading into nothingness, as if the violent spectacle had been a fleeting dream.
As the smoke cleared, Elias could see the charred and battered form of the dragon, the dragon still remained intact. From the way the dragon beat his cracked wings with less enthusiasm and the now dull color of its incomplete scales, while it still remained in the sky, it was clear that it wasn't unharmed.
Elias' eyes traced to the top of the dragon's head. Where Carius once stood was now occupied by a protective crystal sphere, In the last moments of Elias' attack, he erected the construct to protect him from the raging flames.
The crystal sphere cracked and shattered with a loud sound akin to glass breaking on a concrete floor. As the wind carried the shards away, Carius' form came into view. As Elias set his eyes on him, a wave of guilt washed over him.
Although Carius protected himself from the flames with his crystal sphere, he couldn't fully shield himself from the flames, as the heat alone has almost boiled him. Patches of his skin were taut and shiny like the stretched hide of a drum, while others were scalded and uneven. His hair was singed beyond repair, melted into his scalp.
His left cheek bore the most severe scars, a web of thick, raised tissue that twisted and contorted his features into a permanent grimace, his old scar had been washed away— burnt way. His eyebrows were sparse and uneven, the hair had melted into his skin, and his lips were slightly misshapen, one corner pulled upward as if in a perpetual half-smile
He spread out his shaky hands, feeling the winds on freshly burnt skin, pain had become nonexistent to him, his eyes were white as milk and he opened his mouth to speak,
"Elias Ashdown, you have failed to kill me. That was your mightiest attack was it not? Yet I'm still standing, I'm standing above the Kingdom that will soon be mine.
I can imagine it already, 'King Carius of Eldoria!' The masses will chant as I parade the lifeless body of their useless king around the townsquare.
I can feel it, I can hear it, hear the cries of the non Flare people as I force upon them the suffering that they forced upon me and my kind," He said, laughing madly between sentences as he began foaming in the mouth
"It's over Elias Ashdown, there is nothing you can do now. Even you cannot possess the strength and mana to keep fighting after all those spells you used. Die!" He screamed, saliva and foam flew out of his mouth as he commanded his dragon to charge at Elias for the final time
Elias watched silently as the dragon approached, "Do you know that crystals become brittle after being exposed to fire for a period of time?" He asked
Carius ignored Elias, or perhaps he was incapable of comprehending him. He continued his fast approach.
Elias gave Carius one last look of pity before steeling himself. He pulled out his gleaming silver sword from his inventory and a with all his might, he cleaved a flawless arc at the dragon.
"[Slash(Basic)]"
Elias felt no resistance as he sliced away the dragon's wing.
Having lost one wing, the dragon spiralled out of control, not giving the dragon breathing space, he appeared below the dragon and drew another arc,
"[Slash(Basic)]"
This time he cut the dragon cleanly into two equal parts, both halves fell in different directions, and Carius' body plummeted toward the arena.
Below him, Carius was a rapidly falling speck, his limbs flailing helplessly as he plummeted towards the unforgiving earth.
The gap between them closed quickly, as Eliss pushed himself to the limit, he stretched out his arms, fingertips brushing Carius's outstretched hand.
With a final burst of speed, Elias wrapped his arms around Carius's torso, pulling him close. Their combined weight made Elias strain under the added load. He fought to steady their descent, but the ground rushed up to meet them with alarming speed.
They hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud, rolling through the dust and debris. Pain exploded through Elias's body as he shielded Carius from the worst of the impact. The world spun around him, his vision blurring from the force of their landing.
When they finally came to a stop, Elias gasped for breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he grredily took huge breaths of air. He looked down at Carius, who lay unconscious but still clearly breathing.