Chapter 258: The End Of The Rope

BOOOOM!!!!

The explosion tore through the centre of the chamber like a dying star.

Golden fire and white-gold wind collided in a blinding sphere of destruction, sending shockwaves rippling outward in every direction. The remaining pillars cracked. The ceiling groaned. Chunks of stone the size of houses rained down from above, crashing into the floor and raising clouds of dust that made it hard to see anything.

When the light finally faded, Tobias and the Clan Leader were still locked in combat, but the difference between them was obvious.

Garuda’s wings were spread wide, each feather glowing with compressed wind energy. The massive bird moved through the air with terrifying grace, dodging the Golden Dragon’s claws and teeth with ease.

Every time it flapped its wings, a hurricane erupted, pushing the dragon backwards and forcing it to fight for every inch of ground.

The Golden Dragon, on the other hand, was struggling.

Its molten scales were cracked in a dozen places, golden blood dripping from wounds that refused to close. Its wings were torn, its tail was limp, and its eyes, once burning with confidence, now flickered with something that looked like fear.

"You’re weakening," Tobias said, his voice calm. "Give it up. It’s over."

The Clan Leader’s face twisted with rage.

"Never!!" he screamed. "I will never give up!! I am the Clan Leader!! I am the strongest!! I am—"

"You are a coward," Tobias interrupted. "A coward who hides behind power because he is too afraid to face his own failures. A coward who let power corrupt him from within."

The words hit harder than any attack.

The Clan Leader’s face went pale.

"You don’t know anything," he whispered. "You don’t know what it takes to lead. You don’t know what it takes to keep this clan alive. You don’t know the sacrifices I’ve made. You left the clan in shambles. I was the one who brought it up again, I—"

"I know enough," Tobias interrupted. "I know you tortured your own daughter. I know you stole her bloodline. I know you turned this clan into a weapon for your own ambition. And I know that none of it was for the clan. It was for you."

The Clan Leader’s hands shook.

"Shut up," he whispered. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!!"

He raised his hand, and the Golden Dragon roared.

Golden fire erupted from its mouth, wide enough to swallow the entire chamber. Looking at his mental breakdown, Tobias felt nothing but pity for him. He simply raised his hand, and Garuda responded.

A hurricane of wind erupted from the bird’s wings, colliding with the fire in a blinding explosion.

The two forces pushed against each other, neither willing to give ground. The chamber shook. The floor cracked. The walls groaned under the pressure.

And then, slowly, Garuda began to push forward.

The Clan Leader’s eyes widened.

"No," he whispered. "No, no, no. This can’t be happening."

Garuda’s wind blades cut through the fire, slicing deeper and deeper into the Golden Dragon’s body. The dragon roared in pain, its flames flickering as it struggled to maintain its attack.

"You’re finished, so give up right now," Tobias said quietly.

The Clan Leader’s face went white.

"No," he whispered again. "I won’t accept this. I won’t."

He raised both hands, pouring every last drop of his power into the Golden Dragon.

The dragon’s body glowed brighter, its wounds starting to close as it drew on the Clan Leader’s life force.

"You want to take everything from me?!" the Clan Leader screamed. "Then I’ll take everything from you!!"

The Golden Dragon’s eyes turned completely white.

Its body began to swell, growing larger and larger as it absorbed the Clan Leader’s power.

Tobias’s expression changed.

"You, what are you doing? That’s forbidden arts. You are throwing your life away!!" His voice was horase. "I forbid you!! Stop it. Stop it right now!!!"

The Clan Leader laughed, a sound that was half-madness and half-desperation.

"You think I care?! If I can’t have this clan, then nobody can!! I’ll destroy everything!!"

The Golden Dragon opened its mouth as a sphere of golden fire formed inside it, growing larger and larger with every second.

Tobias’s face went pale as he looked at the growing ball of destruction in the dragon’s mouth.

"That attack will destroy everything for 20 kms," he said, his voice tight. "Everyone from the clan has gathered here. They will all die!!!"

The Clan Leader smiled with a full toothy grin as he spoke each syllable.

"EX-ACT-LY."

Tobias’s eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"You would kill your own people? Your own clan?? For what? For this worthless pride of yours?!!"

"They’re not my people," the Clan Leader spat. "They’re tools. I am the sovereign leader. They should follow and bend to my will, just like a good tool. And tools that refuse to obey deserve to be destroyed."

Tobias’s expression hardened.

"Then you are not fit to lead. I’ll rectify my own mistake and take care of you myself!!!"

He raised his hand as Garuda responded.

The massive bird’s wings spread wider than ever before, and wind gathered around its body in a vortex so powerful that the space itself began to distort and bend.

"Garuda," Tobias said quietly, his voice full of sorrow and determination. "One last time. Let us show him what we learned that day and what true power looks like. Maybe only then he’ll stop."

"SKREEE!!!!"

Garuda cried out in agreement as a tremendous amount of wind started to gather around him, accumulating itself on his wings.

The wind around it condensed into a single, massive blade.

It was easily a hundred metres long, glowing with white-gold light, and it cut through the air with enough force to split the space itself in half!

The Clan Leader’s eyes widened.

"No," he whispered. "No, no, No, NO!!! I WILL NOT LOSE EASILY!!!"

"It’s all a futile effort, go Garuda, show him the true power."

As soon as Tobias finished speaking, the blade descended from above, its sharpness creating sharp lines in the air as it cut through the space itself.

The Golden Dragon felt the threat of his death for the first time, so he opened his mouth and unleashed its sphere of fire, which left a golden burning trail in the air as it collided with the wind blade in midair.

BOOOOOOM!!!