The golden wave struck first.
It came down like a sun falling, crushing the avenue beneath pure light. Stone shattered, smoke ripped apart, the heat enough to turn steel to water. Original content can be found at noveⅼfire.net
Lucian folded space wide, dragging Karl and Lucy back as the wave ripped past. Even so, the edges tore across his cloak, burning holes through it. The air itself screamed under the pressure.
Karl hit the ground on one knee, his scales steaming, his grin twisted. "That’s Omega?" His chest rose, ragged, but the fire still surged behind his teeth. "Good. I want all of it."
The Dragon King stepped down from the balcony. He didn’t leap. He didn’t fly. He walked, each step cracking the stone, golden aura spilling wide like the weight of the heavens. His eyes locked on Karl. "You are nothing but a mistake," he said, his voice calm, almost quiet. "And mistakes burn first."
Karl roared, wings flaring wide, and charged. His claws blazed molten, tearing trenches through the street. He swung with both hands, fire splitting the air.
The Dragon King raised one arm. Golden light burst, a single block. The claws stopped an inch from his skin. The recoil alone sent Karl flying backward, smashing through the wall of a ruined hall. The shockwave carried, breaking towers on both sides of the street.
Lucian moved instantly, his hand carving through the air. Space folded into a spear, sharp enough to slice mountains. He hurled it.
The Dragon King tilted his head. The spear bent mid-flight, crumpling into dust before it touched him. His gaze shifted toward Lucian, sharp as blades. "You twist space like thread. But thread snaps."
He flicked his hand. Reality itself warped, collapsing around Lucian. For a heartbeat the world went black.
Lucy was already there. Infernal Eclipse flared with black fire, her blade cutting the collapse itself. The pressure cracked apart, space opening again. She stood between Lucian and the King, eyes steady.
The Dragon King studied her, his lips curling faint. "Black flame. A curse older than you understand. Do you even know what you carry, girl?"
Lucy’s grip tightened on the blade. "I know it kills." She swung.
The blade screamed, black fire lashing high. It cut into the King’s aura, dimming it for a breath. The fire spread across his cloak, burning holes into the golden weave.
Then he raised his palm. The fire vanished, snuffed out as though it had never been.
Lucy’s eyes widened, but she didn’t step back. "Not enough," she muttered.
Karl burst out from the rubble, blood streaking down his jaw. He roared, molten wings beating once, launching him back into the fight. His claws collided with the King’s chest, fire exploding outward. This time the strike landed. Golden light split, cracks spidering across the aura.
For a moment, Karl’s grin returned, savage and wide. "Not untouchable after all!"
The Dragon King’s eyes narrowed. His hand shot forward, faster than Karl could blink. It closed around Karl’s throat.
Karl screamed, flames bursting, but the grip didn’t budge. His scales cracked, his wings shriveled under the pressure. The King lifted him high, golden light tearing through his body. "You think a dragon’s blood makes you more than a dog?" His voice cut sharp. "You are a shadow of me."
Lucian folded space, reappearing behind the King. His hand snapped forward, collapsing reality into a blade that stabbed toward his spine.
The King’s other hand reached back without looking, catching the strike midair. Space screamed, then shattered. The backlash hurled Lucian across the street, blood spraying from his mouth.
Lucy came from the side, her blade burning black. She slashed across the King’s arm, forcing his grip to loosen. Karl roared, fire surging again, breaking free. He stumbled back, coughing blood, his grin broken but alive.
The King turned his head toward Lucy. For the first time, he looked almost amused. "Bravery without strength is suicide."
He thrust his hand forward. Golden light flared, a beam ripping through the street. Lucy raised her blade, black fire meeting gold. The clash split the air, shaking the capital. Her feet slid back, her arms trembled, blood trickling from her nose, but she held.
Lucian appeared again, his hand raised, folding space around the beam, twisting its path. It bent upward, ripping into the sky instead of Lucy. The explosion lit the heavens, fire raining down.
Karl staggered forward, his body scorched, but his grin returned. "Three against one, father. Not so easy when I’m not alone."
The Dragon King’s eyes burned brighter. His aura swelled, golden light flooding the city. Towers crumbled, streets split, rivers of molten stone opening beneath them. His voice thundered above it all. "Three gnats are still gnats. You cannot touch me."
Kaelis roared above. His wings beat once, sending waves of fire over the capital. He didn’t descend. He didn’t strike. He only watched, his eyes locked on the King. The weight of his presence alone pressed against the battlefield, a reminder that something greater hovered above.
The Dragon King glanced skyward, his chest tightening. For the first time, doubt flickered across his gaze. "That dragon..." He muttered, then shook it off, his aura surging again. "No. First, the traitor."
Karl lunged again, his flames burning brighter than before, molten veins cracking across his scales. His claws struck with fury, faster, harder, his roar shaking the air. Lucian folded space around him, bending Karl’s strikes into sharper arcs, forcing them deeper into the King’s aura. Lucy slashed in tandem, black fire cutting between Karl’s blows, her blade finding cracks in the golden light.
For a breath, they pushed him back. The Dragon King slid a step, his cloak burning at the edges, his chest bleeding faint golden sparks.
The golden aura burst, a shockwave tearing everything apart. Karl was hurled through a wall, Lucy flung into rubble, Lucian slammed against broken stone. The street collapsed, a crater swallowing the avenue whole.
The Dragon King stood in the center, untouched, his golden light brighter than ever. His voice rolled heavy. "You cannot win. You do not understand what Omega means. It is not power. It is existence. You fight the world itself."
Karl pulled himself from the rubble, coughing blood, wings cracked but still burning. His grin was gone now. Only fury remained. "Then I’ll burn the world too."
Lucian staggered to his feet, his cloak torn, blood running down his jaw. His eyes burned sharp. "Even existence has edges. And I cut edges."
Lucy rose last, her blade shaking in her grip, but her eyes calm, steady. "Then we fight. Until nothing’s left."
The Dragon King raised both hands. The sky glowed gold, the city drowned in light.
Kaelis’s shadow stretched wider above, his roar rolling down like judgment.
The war for the capital had reached its heart.
And the gods themselves were watching.