Chapter 79 — The Blazing of the Sky
The throne room was now nothing more than a shattered remnant of its former glory. The broken stained-glass windows let in a burning wind heavy with ashes, while the sun, monstrously swollen in the sky, bathed everything in flamboyant orange light. In the distance, the majestic and terrifying silhouette of Flora slowly spun, her orange wings spread like two living infernos, unleashing uncontrollable waves of magic.
Alexander remained silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the star that threatened to swallow their world. When he finally spoke, his voice was grave, heavy with the weight of catastrophe.
"Flora… She wants to destroy the entire solar system."
Damian, still on his knees, jerked his head up sharply.
"You… you're joking? How is that even possible?"
Alexander took a deep breath before continuing, his eyes narrowed against the blinding light:
"If the sun continues approaching at this speed, everything will collapse in a cascade. First, the gravitational forces will become uncontrollable… The oceans will rise into tsunamis several kilometers high, drowning the continents. The tectonic plates will shatter like glass, triggering earthquakes that will raze mountains and kingdoms. Then, with this heat… The temperature will rise until the seas boil, the atmosphere is carbonized, and the Earth's crust melts like butter. And finally… the collision—what I fear most… The Earth will be pulverized in the sun's plasma. Nothing will remain. No life, no ruins, not even a memory of this planet's existence."
A leaden silence fell over the room. Kana had brought her hands to her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. Even Vulcan, still groggy, seemed to fully grasp the scale of the disaster.
At that exact moment, Flora released another wave of magic. A distant roar echoed through the sky, and the sun seemed to leap a little closer, its reddish surface swelling like an open wound.
Alexander clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"According to my calculations… we have less than ten minutes before the point of no return."
Obliranca stepped forward, her long white hair floating in the hot wind, her radiant aura contrasting with the growing darkness of the sky.
"Alexander, what do we have to do? You're planning to fight Flora…!?"
He shook his head slowly, visible pain in his eyes.
"No. I can't… right now we need to find a way to slow the sun's advance… And we must not hurt Flora—her health is fragile… I need someone to distract her for a moment."
Obliranca nodded with fierce determination, a combative smile on her lips.
"Very well. Then I'll handle it. I'll hold her back… In the meantime, find a way to push the sun back."
Alexander closed his eyes for a brief moment, his mind already racing to calculate the necessary runes and magical flows.
"A planetary-scale telekinesis spell… It's risky, but doable. It will take me several minutes of concentration. I'll need you to buy as much time as possible."
Obliranca unfurled her white wings in a burst of light and transformed into a magnificent white dragon.
"Consider it done. I'm counting on you, Alexander." Then she shot into the sky.
Kana and Damian had approached Vulcan, who was slowly beginning to stir. The dragon blinked, still lost in the mists of manipulation.
"Wh… What happened?" he growled in a hoarse voice, trying to get up.
Damian placed a firm hand on his massive shoulder.
"That thing… Almadraco was controlling you. And it was Alexander who freed you. But we don't have time for explanations. Flora is making the sun approach to destroy everything. We need to act now."
Vulcan shook his head, still confused, but the gravity of the situation was already piercing through the fog in his mind.
Without wasting another second, Alexander launched himself, flying at full speed toward the highest remaining tower of Dragonil, the one that clawed at the sky like a spear. He reached the summit in a few powerful leaps and settled into a cross-legged position at the center of the platform, exposed to the torrid, blazing winds. The sun seemed so close that one could almost feel its devouring heat on the skin.
He closed his eyes. An intense, deep red energy suddenly burst from his body, forming white and scarlet runes that spread hundreds of meters around the tower.
In the distant void of space, less than two light-years away, the sun had already covered more than half the fatal distance. Alexander stretched his hands toward the sky, the veins in his neck bulging with effort. The sun… began to recede, slowly very slowly.
At the same moment, Obliranca streaked across the sky like a golden comet and slammed into Flora head-on.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The impact was so violent that the shockwave made the entire kingdom tremble. The two Sacred Dragons began a titanic and destructive ballet in the heavens. Obliranca tried to pierce the red mist veiling Flora's mind:
"Flora! Snap out of it! This isn't you! Almadraco is manipulating you! Think of us, of your people, of everything you've protected for centuries!"
But Flora, her eyes completely empty and consumed by blind rage, answered with a primal roar. Torrents of pure orange flames erupted from her crown of fire, turning the sky into a true inferno. The two sacred dragons clashed without restraint: plasma explosions, claws tearing through mountains, waves of heat capable of melting the ground millions of degrees below.
Alexander, concentrating with extreme focus, was gradually pushing the star back. The sun retreated, meter by meter, but the effort was titanic. Sweat poured down his face.
Suddenly—
SHLAAAAAAAAACK!
A viscous, pink-black, glistening tentacle whipped through the air at terrifying speed. Alexander dodged it at the last instant, rolling to the side.
Dominus landed with sensual grace on the edge of the tower, her hips swaying slightly as living tentacles caressed her thighs. Her smile was ecstatic, almost loving.
"Finally… Alexander… My dear Alexander. I've been waiting for you for so long. You're even more beautiful when you fight."
Alexander rose slowly, remaining calm despite the surprise.
"Who are you? I don't think I've met you before."
She giggled, running her tongue over her plump lips.
"Oops, silly me, that's right—I haven't introduced myself. Call me Dominus… I am the sixth pillar of the Illuminati… the pillar of Lust, and soon I will be your wife."
Alexander narrowed his eyes, his voice cold and measured.
"Illuminati? So they're the ones behind all this… She said she's the sixth pillar…!? That means there are others…!!?"
Dominus burst into a suave, almost melodious laugh while undulating her tentacles.
"I'll do you a favor and confess something. We're looking for the Draconic Power Stone that's in this kingdom. It's an original artifact of great value, my darling… As for you, Alexander… your power would be invaluable. Join us. Willingly. I can show you pleasures you can't even imagine."
Alexander replied without the slightest hesitation, his gaze hard:
"I refuse."
Dominus's expression changed. Her smile became strange, possessive, almost dangerous. A sickly gleam shone in her eyes.
"You will come… willingly or by force, my love. And believe me, I'm very persuasive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The tentacles lunged at him.
Meanwhile, in the devastated throne room, Damian and Kana exchanged a determined look.
"We can't just stay here waiting. Let's go find Alma—she must be somewhere in the underground passages," Damian declared.
Vulcan, who had finally regained his footing, stood up with a deep growl. His body began to grow, transforming with the cracking of stone and magma. He became a gigantic colossus, a Dragon of Earth and Lava, whose mere presence made the ground tremble.
"I'm not going to sit around twiddling my thumbs. I'm going to fight. Noël, get on my back… we're going to stop those dragons."
Noël climbed nimbly onto his back. Together, they took flight into the chaotic sky.
All across the kingdom, dozens, then hundreds of dragons corrupted by Almadraco's remnants howled and attacked anything that moved. A first wave of about fifty dragons charged at them in wild formation.
Vulcan opened his massive maw and unleashed a terrifying roar that vibrated the air.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAR!
A supercharged torrent of incandescent lava erupted like a river of destruction, sweeping across the sky and sending several dragons crashing to the ground, stunned or burned. Noël leaped in freefall from his back, landing among the fallen dragons. His hands glowed with purifying light as he dispelled the corruption one by one. Vulcan roared in satisfaction.
"Well done, Noël! But that was only the beginning… There are still thousands… more than ten thousand dragons across the entire kingdom. We'll have to purify every corner of the territory!"
At the same moment, at the exit of the shadowy underground passages, a staggering silhouette emerged into the reddish light of the fiery sky.
Alma. Her body was covered in deep wounds; Caster's poison spread like black fire through her veins. She had held on as long as she could, but her legs finally gave out. She collapsed heavily onto the stone steps, breathing short, vision blurred.
"I… I can't anymore…"
Her eyes slowly closed.
A massive, indistinct shadow then appeared in the sky, descending silently. It landed near her without a sound, huge and imposing. The shadow gradually contracted, taking on a human form.
A young boy with snow-white hair slowly approached the unconscious Alma. His deep, calm blue eyes fixed on her face. He wore a dark blue vest and carried a long sword on his back. He stepped closer without saying a word, observing her features with a strange, almost nostalgic intensity.
Who was this mysterious boy? is manipulating
To be continued...