Chapter 127
Chloe's POV
The moment Xavier stepped into the canyon, I could feel the air itself igniting.
With each step he took, the ground charred beneath him, leaving deep black footprints in his wake. He wore crimson war armor, flames dancing around his body in a living aura of fire. The oppressive presence alone was enough to suffocate, and Tyler's honor guards and beast tamers had already fallen to their knees, unable to even lift their heads.
I lay sprawled on the ground, too weak to even stand, forced to watch helplessly as this legendary Crimson Flame Warlord approached. He was taller and more terrifying than I'd imagined, those golden eyes burning with flames that would never die.
Connor and a few young warriors tried to resist. They shifted into wolf form, growling as they attempted to charge, but in a single exchange, the heat wave sent them flying backward to crash heavily on the ground. The power gap was absolute—this wasn't a battle, it was annihilation.
Xavier stopped and surveyed the scene. His voice was deep and cold, each word like a pronouncement of fate.
"I come by order of Alpha Louis," he said. "To claim the elemental spirit. The lightning element should not fall into the hands of the incompetent."
His gaze locked onto Flashwing.
Though the elemental spirit was weakened, still tangled in the remnants of chains from the shattered formation, it held its head high. Lightning and flame collided in the air, erupting in blinding light. I could feel Flashwing trembling—not from fear, but from rage.
Alpha Tyler struggled to his feet, trying to say something. "Lord Xavier, we can discuss—"
One look.
With just one look, Tyler's mouth snapped shut, his entire body going rigid.
Negotiate? In the face of such absolute power, negotiation was nothing but a joke.
Flashwing struck first. It threw back its head and howled, lightning tearing across the night sky with devastating energy aimed straight at Xavier. That bolt could have split a mountain, but Xavier merely raised his hand. A barrier of flames formed before him, easily devouring all the lightning.
He sighed, as if regretting something.
"Thunder and flame—both among the most violent of the Five Primordial Elements," he said, his voice carrying a trace of regret. "But now, you've exhausted too much strength. You're no match for me."
Flashwing roared in defiance, transforming into a bolt of lightning that moved at incredible speed, launching attacks from all directions. Lightning rained down like a storm, each strike capable of piercing steel, but Xavier simply stood his ground. The flames moved as if alive, automatically intercepting every attack. He was like an immovable guardian deity—no matter how Flashwing attacked, he couldn't be shaken.
My heart sank. Flashwing had given everything, but the gap was simply too vast.
Xavier finally got serious. He formed hand seals, flames gathering in his palms before erupting violently.
"Dragon's Breath!"
A dragon formed entirely of pure flame roared as it lunged toward Flashwing. The dragon's body writhed with fire, the air itself distorting in its wake, the temperature so high it was impossible to look directly at it. Flashwing was driven into a corner, its lightning shield crumbling under the dragon's assault, letting out strained cries.
I wanted to help, but I didn't have the strength to move even a finger. Flashwing whimpered weakly inside me—she was just as powerless.
In the face of combat at this level, everyone could only stand aside and watch.
The fire dragon coiled around Flashwing, the intense heat beginning to dissolve its lightning form. Xavier walked forward slowly, pulling from his chest a red crystal stone covered in runes, glowing ominously in the firelight.
"Elemental Cage," he said. "Prepared specifically for you."
Flashwing struggled weakly, but its gaze remained fixed on Ivan within the thunder barrier. It was the look of a guardian—even facing death, unwilling to abandon the one it protected.
Xavier followed its line of sight, noticing Ivan seated within the thunder barrier. He frowned, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes.
"What is that?"
Just as the crystal was about to touch Flashwing, an unprecedented pillar of silver-blue light erupted from the thunder barrier, shooting straight into the sky.
The entire canyon trembled in that radiance.