Chapter 522: Threat To His Home
But he knew it wasn't just their power that had pushed Theron to the edge. It was Erend. Somehow, Erend wasn't merely holding his own. He had driven Theron into this state of madness and desperation.
The ancient dark Mage had never been this agitated, even when Adrius and Lysander had faced him together using their all. Erend had sparked something primal in him. It look like fear, anger, or maybe even doubt about himself and that had made all the difference.
Adrius unleashed another devastating blast of elemental Magic. Fire and wind swirled together forming a whirlwind of flames that scorched the air and blasted toward Theron.
His heart pounding with the adrenaline of battle. Beside him, Lysander crackled with electric energy, the air around him sizzling as he summoned another wave of lightning again right now. They were pouring every ounce of their power into this final strike.
"Keep pushing!" Adrius shouted over the roar of the Magic.
Lysander nodded, his lightning bolts joining the attack. The huge lightning attack crackling and flashing as they struck Theron's weakened form. The harbinger was staggering now, his blood-red armor barely holding together, the once-menacing tendrils of energy flickering like dying embers.
Then, from the corner of his eye, Adrius saw it. Erend started his move.
Erend dashed toward Theron with blinding speed. His body moved like a flash of orange light. His reptilian eyes gleamed with a fierce glow. His hands now transformed into deadly claws.
Even in his monstrous state Theron saw the incoming attack. His blackened eyes widened and for the first time, Adrius could sense it. It was fear.
Theron's instincts screamed at him, warning him of the approaching danger. He who had once seemed unstoppable was now recoiling, desperately trying to summon more of his dark power to defend himself. But it was too late.
Erend closed the distance in a heartbeat. His claws stretched to the side for the final blow. The force of his charge sent shockwaves through the ground and for the first time, Theron flinched.
His voice that once filled with arrogance and rage trembled as he spoke. His words laced with a raw and desperate fear. "No… this cannot be… I am the chosen—"
Before Theron could finish, Erend's claws slammed into his chest with an impact that echoed across the battlefield. The harbinger's blood-red armor shattered like glass, pieces of dark energy and crimson shards flying in all directions. Erend's strike carried the full force of his Dragonborn power and it tearing through the dark energy that had shielded Theron.
Theron let out a final, guttural scream, a sound filled with both pain and disbelief as the light in his eyes began to dim. His once-mighty form buckled under the weight of Erend's attack, collapsing to his knees. The tendrils of energy that had once flared around him like a storm now faded and dissipating into the wind.
For a brief moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Erend stood over Theron, his chest rising and falling. His eyes still glowing with that orange light and he looked down at the defeated harbinger. His chest a ruin of torn flesh and blood, nearly obliterated by Erend's claws. Blood and dark energy seeped into the ground around them, pooling in sickening patterns. For a moment, Erend believed it was finally over.
But then, Theron's black eyes snapped open and glaring up at him. A deep chill crept down Erend's spine. The eyes no longer belonged to the man — or monster — that Theron had been. They were filled with a malevolent force far darker than him.
Suddenly, Theron's mouth moved. It was his voice yet twisted and corrupted like it came from something else. It was the Great Calamity itself. He can feel it.
"You haven't won yet, Dragonborn..." the voice rasped. "I will tear down that Elf kingdom you love and the rest of this world... After that, I will come for your world... I will devour all of it!"
The words struck Erend like a dagger. His blood froze in his veins. The threat reverberated through Erend's very soul, chilling him to his core
But then, as the shock subsided, something else surged in Erend. Rage. Pure, unrelenting rage.
"Not while I still breathe," Erend growled under his breath, his fists clenching tightly at his sides.
Then, driven by the seething anger now coursing through him, Erend dashed forward. His body moved with such speed and force that the ground cracked beneath his feet. With a roar, he brought his leg down with all his might, crushing Theron's head beneath his boot. The sickening crunch of bone echoed through the air as the harbinger's skull gave way.
But it wasn't enough. The threat, the voice, was still there. Taunting him, lingering in his mind.
Erend's eyes flashed with a burning orange light, his Dragonborn power surging to the surface. Flames erupted from his body. He raised his hand and a torrent of Dragon fire engulfed what remained of Theron.
The flames roared to life, consuming the flesh, bone, and dark energy that had once been Theron's body. Erend watched as the fire burned hotter and brighter, reducing everything to ash.
Only when there was nothing left but charred remains and drifting embers did he stop. The ground where Theron had lain was scorched black and the stench of burnt flesh filled the air.
The threat was gone, but the chill of those final words lingered in the back of his mind.
Adrius and Lysander watched in awe. They had done it. They had brought down the greatest threat they ever faced till this day. But it was Erend who had delivered the final blow, the one who had faced Theron's wrath head-on and emerged victorious.
As the dust began to settle, Adrius couldn't help but smile, a weary but relieved grin stretching across his face.
"It's over," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Lysander, his body trembling with exhaustion, glanced at Adrius and nodded. "Yeah… it's over."
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