Chapter 71
Ella's POV
The moment Ignis and Seraphina locked eyes, the air seemed to freeze.
I could feel the boiling fury within Ignis, that pure, primal hatred threatening to consume my sanity along with it.
That bitch, she roared in my mind, she's one of the accomplices who got our father killed!
Seraphina's ice-blue eyes gleamed with the same hatred.
She was larger than I'd imagined, her shoulder height nearly matching mine, and that scar slashing from her left eye down to her jaw made her look even more vicious.
She struck first.
The white wolf lunged like an arrow released from a bow, so fast I barely had time to react. I dodged instinctively, her claws grazing my flank and tearing away flesh.
Pain shot through me, but Ignis's roar drowned it out—Fight back!
I spun around, snapping at her hind leg, but she leaped away nimbly. Seraphina clearly had the advantage in combat technique, each of her attacks precise and lethal.
I could feel her pressing me, forcing me to retreat constantly, each evasion tearing my wounds deeper.
But Ignis's raw power was not to be underestimated. When Seraphina lunged again, I abandoned evasion and charged straight at her. The two massive wolves collided mid-air with a dull impact. Her weight advantage pinned me beneath her, but I sank my fangs into her foreleg, piercing deep into her flesh.
She howled in pain and slammed her other paw hard against my head.
The blow left me dizzy and I released my grip. She seized the opportunity to leap away, blood dripping from her foreleg. We faced each other, panting heavily, seeking the next opening to attack.
Then I felt that scorching power within me begin to boil, like a volcano about to erupt.
Ignis growled in my mind: Show her what real fire looks like!
I opened my jaws, a crimson fireball condensing deep in my throat. At the same time, Seraphina opened hers, a dark purple flame forming in her mouth.
We released simultaneously—crimson and dark purple flames collided in mid-air, exploding in blinding light.
I could feel the two forces locked in stalemate, forming a constantly rotating fireball in the air. Heat waves crashed over me.
But soon, we gained the upper hand.
The pure power of the primordial flame began suppressing the dark fire. That dark purple flame gradually dimmed before the crimson blaze, as if being purified, disappearing bit by bit into the air.
A flash of panic crossed Seraphina's eyes—she clearly hadn't expected my flames to be this powerful.
Now! Ignis roared.
I took a deep breath, pouring all the fire element within me into the fireball. The crimson flames swelled violently, completely devouring the dark fire before roaring toward Seraphina.
She tried to dodge but was a step too slow.
The fireball grazed her side, leaving a charred mark on her white fur.
I prepared to pursue, but heard another wolf's howl behind me.
Turning, I saw a silver she-wolf charging at me. She was slightly smaller than Seraphina but faster. I recognized her—Aurora, Victoria's wolf.
Damn it, Ignis cursed, two against one, these cowards.
Aurora's addition brought tremendous pressure. This mother-daughter pair coordinated perfectly, one attacking head-on while the other struck from the flank, forcing me into a frantic defense.
Aurora bit into my flank, Seraphina's claws raked across my hind leg, blood staining the snow beneath my feet.
But was a fire elemental wolf spirit's reputation built on nothing?
I could feel Ignis's rage, her unwillingness, her hatred for her father's death—all transforming into pure flame.
My body began to glow, crimson fire seeping from my pores, forming a ring of fire around me. I threw back my head and howled, flames erupting violently. With me as the center, a massive shockwave of fire spread outward. Where it passed, snow melted instantly and stones glowed red-hot.
Seraphina and Aurora were sent flying by the force, tumbling through the air before landing, their fur singed in patches.
But the expected scene of them collapsing grievously wounded didn't occur.
Seraphina struggled to her feet. Around her chest hung a necklace with a blood-red canine tooth embedded in it.
That tooth glowed with an eerie light in the firelight—the flame shockwave I'd just released had been absorbed by that small canine tooth.
My eyes widened in shock.
"That's Red Claw General Mia Gonzalez's necklace!"
Brian's voice came from the distance, filled with disbelief and horror.
A Seven Claws General's necklace?
Ignis explained quietly: That's a treasure the Crimson Flame Warlord gave to his seven strongest warriors. Each necklace can nullify elemental power. Your father used these to protect them, making them unstoppable on the battlefield.
So Seraphina had obtained one from Nicholas?
My heart sank.
If she could nullify my flames, how could I defeat her?
"Nicholas!" Gregory's furious roar interrupted my thoughts. "What did you do to Mia?!"
I followed his gaze to the man standing on the war chariot—Nicholas. He wore silver armor, a mad smile plastered on his face, his eyes gleaming with sickly light.
"Those who won't submit to me," he said slowly, his voice carrying undisguised cruelty, "can only die."
Brian and Gregory roared in unison: "We'll make you pay!"
They shifted into wolf form and charged at Nicholas.
At the same time, the fire element absorbed by the red canine tooth necklace was suddenly released back toward me. The force was even stronger than when I'd released it, twisted with a kind of madness.
I hastily raised a flame barrier, barely blocking the backlash.
The flames crashed against the barrier with a piercing hum. I could feel Ignis struggling to maintain it, her power being drained bit by bit.
Through the flame barrier, I saw Brian and Gregory pressing Nicholas while keeping an eye on me, clearly wanting to help.
"Focus on your opponent!" Nicholas's voice rang out mockingly. "Brian, Gregory—I'm your real enemy. Don't be distracted."
As his words fell, two wolves suddenly appeared beside him.
One was pitch black, its eyes flickering with eerie black mist; the other was white as frost, but its gaze equally clouded and vacant.
Black fog-like thorn chains extended from each of their bodies, stretching back to the Blood River camp like puppet strings.
"Black Claw Matthew Gonzalez," Brian's voice carried pain. "White Claw Brandon Gonzalez..."
Gregory stared at the two wolves in disbelief. "What... what happened to you?"
The two wolves didn't respond. Their eyes held no consciousness, only empty black mist.
They mechanically assumed attack positions and lunged at Brian and Gregory.
"Matthew! Brandon!" Gregory tried to wake them. "It's me! Gregory! We fought side by side!"
But only claws and fangs answered him.
"Didn't you just ask what happened to Mia?" Nicholas laughed maniacally. "She was a test subject for the control. You know how it is—experiments sometimes fail. She failed, so she died. But these two succeeded."
"You madman!" Gregory was consumed with rage.
Nicholas, Black Claw, and White Claw—the three wolves formed the Seven Claws Generals' attack formation.
My heart tightened—I'd seen this formation before.
It was a terrifying coordination that any three of the Seven Claws could form, each position and movement honed through countless battles into a seamless, impenetrable whole.
Nicholas's lips curved into a cruel smile. "Shall we begin then?"