Chapter 380: Final Act of Dawn (2)

CRASH-KABOOM!

The massive, enchanted ice ceiling of the royal court exploded inward. A devastating shockwave of debris, frost, and dark mana swept through the grand hall, sending the chandeliers swinging wildly and extinguishing half the braziers.

THUD.

Kael landed in the center of the throne room, his dark robes billowing around him, the Shadow Veil dissolving to reveal his cold, silver-flecked eyes.

"Good evening," Kael said, his voice echoing in the sudden silence. "I hope I’m not interrupting anything important."

King Bjorn shot to his feet, his massive ten-foot frame knocking his throne backward. CRASH! "WHO DARES?!"

Before the King’s royal guards could even draw their weapons, the court turned into a slaughterhouse.

SCHLICK! SPLURT!

Lord Shiro, Lord Harrow, and a dozen other nobles—their eyes hollow and devoid of emotion—suddenly drew hidden blades from their sleeves. They turned on the loyalists standing beside them, driving daggers into throats and hearts.

"AHHHH! WHAT IS THIS TREASON!"

"MY LORD, WHY?!"

Screams echoed through the hall as the mind-controlled nobles ruthlessly butchered the un-controlled courtiers. Blood splattered across the pristine ice floors.

King Bjorn stared in absolute shock, his jaw dropping. Even Queen Astrid, who knew the demon was coming, was stunned by the sheer scale of the betrayal and how far this young man’s influence had spread.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The King’s elite shadow guards—twelve figures clad in black, radiating the auras of Mid to Peak Spirit Soul cultivators—burst from the hidden alcoves. They immediately set upon the traitorous nobles, their blades cutting down three of Kael’s puppets in seconds.

But before the slaughter could continue, the heavy main doors of the throne room were blasted off their hinges. BOOM!

Garrick, Selene, Caelum, Ferris, and Soren charged in, their auras blazing.

"Your fight is with us!" Garrick roared, his massive greatsword CLANGING against the shadow guards’ blades.

CRASH! BOOM! A massive melee erupted just outside the throne room’s inner circle as the Pillar Knights intercepted the elite guards, locking them in a brutal stalemate.

King Bjorn ignored the chaos. His furious, bloodshot eyes locked onto Kael.

"You..." Bjorn rumbled, his voice shaking the room. He stepped forward, his massive body radiating a terrifying pressure. His mana cultivation flared at the Peak Spirit Soul realm, but the sheer density of his physical aura marked him as an Early Tier 6 Body Cultivator. The ground cracked beneath his boots.

SCHING!

He drew his greataxe—a massive, brutal weapon carved from the tusk of a Frost Dragon.

"I don’t know who you are, boy," Bjorn snarled, "but I will wear your skull as a drinking cup!"

FZZZZT!

Bjorn activated his Frost Rule: Absolute Stagnation. A terrifying blizzard erupted within the throne room. The temperature plummeted to absolute zero. Kael felt the air around him thicken into molasses, his movements slowing down as the frost rule power tried to freeze the very mana in his veins.

"Die!" Bjorn roared, charging forward with terrifying speed.

WHOOSH! A massive, fifty-meter axe of pure, condensed aura materialized above Kael, descending with the force of a falling mountain.

Kael’s eyes narrowed. His rule power is already at the fifth step too and his aura is far denser than mine.

He raised his hand, a pitch-black sphere of compressed gravity forming in his palm.

Pulsar.

BOOM!

The Pulsar shot upward, colliding with the aura axe. The resulting explosion shattered the axe into fragments, sending a shockwave that cracked the walls. Kael was pushed back a few feet, his boots skidding across the ice.

I can’t use the Third Form, Kael thought, his mind racing. The three-minute time limit is too risky. Bjorn’s Tier 6 vitality means this will be a war of attrition. I need the sustained power of the Second Form.

Kael formed a hand seal. "Shadow God Transformation. Second Form: Archfiend."

FWOOSH!

The shadows in the room violently converged on Kael, solidifying into a sleek, seamless set of abyssal armor. A crown of black flames materialized above his head, and his eyes turned into pools of absolute void with only a dot of silver in them. Twin, curved horns extended from his temples, and his dark hair flashed to pure white. His aura amplified by 200%.

Bjorn’s eyes widened. "A transformation technique? You think that will save you?!"

Kael smirked. BZZZT! He unleashed his Rule Powers. Lightning, Gravity, and Darkness blazed around him simultaneously.

"THREE RULE POWERS?!" Bjorn gasped, his charge faltering for a split second.

But Kael wasn’t done. FWOOSH! A fourth rule power blazed—a terrifying, violent flame rule, fused with his demonic mana. The purple-black flames of the Demonic Asura Lotus Flame roared to life, swirling into a massive torrent of Asura Hellfire that launched at Bjorn.

Bjorn’s eyes flashed with absolute greed. "An Earth Flame?! No, a heavenly flame on this backwater planet?!"

He didn’t retreat. Instead, he planted his feet and threw a devastating punch. "Frost Titan’s Fist!"

CRASH-BOOM!

A massive fist of condensed frost and aura collided with the Asura Hellfire. The explosion was apocalyptic. The hellfire was scattered, but the residual flames lashed onto Bjorn’s arm. HISS! He immediately coated his body in a dense layer of physical aura, violently scattering the flames before they could burn through his flesh.

"Who are you?!" Bjorn demanded, his breathing slightly heavier. "No mere Spirit Soul cultivator should possess a Heavenly Flame!"

Kael didn’t answer. He swung his Shadow Slayer blades. "Dark Slash."

SWISH-SWISH-SWISH!

Multiple crescent waves of pure darkness shot forward. Bjorn roared, swinging his greataxe and unleashing blasts of frost aura to scatter them.

"Frost Rule: Glacial Annihilation!" Bjorn bellowed, thrusting his palm forward.

FZZZZT! A massive beam of absolute zero frost rule power shot toward Kael.

Kael countered by firing a Lightning Fang infused with his Lightning Rule Power. CRACKLE-BOOM! The two attacks collided in mid-air, creating a massive explosion that tore a gaping hole in the side of the palace. Kael was pushed back by the sheer force, his feet leaving deep grooves in the ice.

He’s tough, Kael thought, gritting his teeth. I need to change tactics.

Kael activated his Gravity Rule Power, floating into the air. He waved his hand. WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Dozens of massive, three-meter-long dark spears materialized in the air above him, their tips glowing with corrosive darkness.

"Rain of the Abyss."

The spears descended like a torrential storm. Bjorn’s eyes widened. He swung his greataxe wildly, shattering several spears, but there were too many. SHLICK! SPLURT! Three spears bypassed his defense, piercing through his shoulder, his thigh, and his side.

"ARGH!" Bjorn roared in pain, dropping to one knee. Black blood oozed from the wounds, the corrosive darkness eating at his flesh.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the throne room, Queen Astrid watched the battle with trembling hands. She was locked in a fierce exchange with Soren, their blades CLANGING rapidly.

He’s too strong, Astrid thought, her eyes darting to Kael, who was hovering above the injured King like a dark god. The demon is going to kill him. And then he’ll kill my children.

In a desperate, final gamble, Astrid parried Soren’s strike and kicked him backward. She reached into her sleeve, pulling out a small, glowing, blood-red crystal.

She crushed it in her palm. CRUNCH.

A silent, invisible pulse of energy shot through the palace, deep into the hidden catacombs below.