BOOK 2/75 - HOPE (2)

Ring - 1st
Realm - SOL

The rust red clouds raced over his head. So close that he could touch them. The wing beats of Ignis were so loud, like massive blasts of air. While not as fast as Stryder or Mera, Ignis was still fast enough to cross the massive terrain in minutes.

He saw the swarm first before he even noticed the horde or the city. Thorin leaned forward, his palm grazing Ignis' spiked neck.

“Let's end this."

The dragon huffed and dove. His wings flapping with doubled strength, shooting it down like a bolt from the heavens. The dot that was the city grew larger at an accelerated speed. Then with a sharp flap Ignis caught his fall, wind blasting upon the city like a blast of pressure as he soared over them and into the battlefield.

Thorin looked down, analysing the battle below. On one side were those he was here to slaughter. On the other side were those he was here to save. Golem like beings with obsidian shells and lava veins. They were not as large as Horkirk which made sense as Horkirk was the same height as Stryder, who was their shortest, due to him being a Domain guardian.

The sight below was chaotic. The Urathians rushed back to their city while those already in the city threw ranged balls of magma into the sky.

“Can you take the skies or will the swarm be too much for you?”

"Of course I can take the skies." Grumbling, Ignis turned his nose up and flapped flying high. “I'll handle the horde then." The Titan swung himself off the Dragon just as it completely crossed the city area. He dropped like a meteor, his large size quickly igniting the air as he dropped.

Above, rushing into the sky, Ignis roared. His roar sent a ripple through the realm. The swarm froze above and below the horde paused. Their eyes shook as the Dragon Roar instilled fear in them.

But it didn't last long. There was a fear greater than that which dragons instilled and it was this fear that pushed them forward, herding them like cattles.

Breaking free of their momentary freeze, they surged forward. It was too late and neither did it matter.

A blue glow merged with the blazing air as Thorin descended while golden red fire shone from Ignis maw leaking out. The dragon, multiple times larger than it should be, expelled the flame from its jaws. The fire, just as large, spread out in an area ten times what it would have covered before.

Everything began burning, adding a brightness to the realm.

In Thorin's right hand his hammer appeared. As he descended the blue glow enlarged the hammer as well. The participants of the battle below took a glance up as the land brightened. Barely any understood what was coming. The weight of both his body and hammer dropped him faster and faster. With a bright flash of light and heat, Thorin landed right in the center of the horde.

The shockwave blew the hordes in all directions, followed by a wave of heat that vaporized everything for literal miles in all directions.

A mushroom cloud formed above the landing site and in all directions the land was a charred black mark.

Then the ground shook.

The mushroom cloud burst apart, cleared as a blur shot out of the column of smoke and trailed through the sky. Thorin, a large blur as he jumped out of the crater he'd formed, raised his hammer above his head.

His jump had cleared all the space he'd wiped the hordes from. With that single massive leap he was back, landing into a mass of the hordes.

Essence filled his hammer and with a rumble he landed feet first, crouching instantly he brought his hammer down on the ground fast.

BOOOM!!!

His Essence, pure Sol Essence blasted into the air. Mixed with the force expelled from his strike the very air ignited. With a roaring blaze the realm was illuminated with a wild fire that leaked through the hordes and swept onwards.

Thorin tightened his grip on his hammer, ready to rush forward and make sure every and all the beasts were slain. But he froze, his left leg halting as it left the ground and then settling back down.

Thorin watched tiny little flakes drift from the sky. “Snow?" Reaching out in confusion with his left palm he caught a flake.

It didn't melt into his palm. Rubbing it his confusion faded and he looked up. The sky was filled with black ash. Falling like snow as Ignis burned the swarm.

The slaughter unnerved something within him. He didn't understand what it was though. Thorin sighed. Raising his hammer once more, Essence ignited it with energy. Thorin turned his gaze forward and flung the hammer forth.

****

Two streaks of fire, like shooting stars, crossed the skies. Their destination was made clear upon arriving over a city besieged with hordes of creatures. Above, a swarm flew past. Some regarding the city while most barely noticed it.

Mera came to a halt floating right in the swarm’s path.

“Horkirk?"

The Pyroclastic golem now burning with the same energy as his Lady floated to her side. “My Lady."

“Clear the hordes. I'll wipe this swarm out and join you." The wide grin on her face and glint in her eyes told the golem just how excited she was.

Without a word he turned, letting himself plummet head first to the ground. Mera, noticing him fall without taking her gaze off the swarm raised both hands over her head.

Golden, yellow and red Essence flowed from her body and gathered between her palms. Without stopping they surged out and gathered with the mass of energy getting condensed in her palm.

A bright sun flared into existence between her hands but Mera didn't stop feeding it Essence. Unlike the others, she'd learned to carefully use her Essence cores without losing the utility of her palms for even a second. Having them spawn between her breasts was a good spot to hold the core and still maintain contact with her skin.

Something that Mera wouldn't have minded if not for the empty cores she had to fish out later.

The sun in her palms grew wider and wider till it was wider than her.

Mera flung it forward, straight for the swarm still flying forward.

The ball of energy burned through the swarm, its heat burning those far off, incinerating those close to ashes and vaporizing those that directly touched it to nothing.

The ball of energy even as it burned through the countless tide of flying creatures didn't lose energy. It moved from the start to the end of the swarm in the horizon before Mera could even blink. “It moved so fast that it wiped the swarm in the speed it would take Stryder to move.” Excited, she tugged on the sun dragging it back to her.

Below, Horkirk smashed into the tide of creatures trying to scale the walls of the Pyrsion city. The energy, heat and fire blazing off him turning the creatures to a crisp.

The golem moved, faster than it should be. Energy trailing behind it pulverized creatures in all directions. Above, the Pyrsions took back their walls, throwing the hordes off now they lacked reinforcements.

Horkirk snorted as he retrieved his fist from a creature’s corpse. The energy burning off the fire and blood. The creatures close to the wall were gone, but he still had those charging for him.

Horkirk blasted forward fist raised. He was about to pulp the first monster's head when the world turned white. He stumbled, feeling the creature crash into him. Instinctively he grabbed and tore it apart. The light was still there.

Then a wave of pressure hit him as the light dimmed, following right behind was heat. The air ignited and blazed all the way to him.

Horkirk stared speechlessly as things calmed. The fight was over.

Floating above the city, Mera dusted the imaginary dirt off her palms.

****

The shattering sounds of stone getting pulverized spread through the Iralian territory. Twin peaks once known as the Dragon Fangs dropped to the ground. Their mid sections were obliterated by two Colossus.

The path was not wide enough for two creatures of such size to traverse and the Fangs were destroyed to create space.

The land shook as the Colossus stomped forward. Ahead, already embroiled in battle, were the Iralians, defending their city from the horde.

It was evidently a losing fight. For every creature slain, two took its place. Not to mention the untouched swarm flying over their heads.

If not for the chaos and the boiling need to survive and protect their kin, the rest of the Iralians would have accepted just how daunting the battle was. When there was death breathing right down their neck, surrender wasn't an option.

Then the ground shook harshly. Footings were lost and embedded claws rattled free. Even the Colossus staggered.

Then right before anyone could stabilize, long black and sharply pointed pieces of metal, crystals and even gems shot out of the ground. Like spears of death several tiny and larger ones impaled the beasts. Some directly killed off those on the walls with the Iralians, others shooting out the walls front killing those climbing and even on the ground.

Two large spire looking gems impaled the two Colossus. Several tinier ones stabbing into their legs and arms.

It wasn't the end, the metals retracting and leaving behind corpses. More shooting out and spreading ahead into the horde getting funneled into the valley.

The Iralians that had just been facing certain death found themselves in frozen shock as they stared at the corpses of their foes littered before them. Their eyes trailing the destruction as spears of death turned the horde into swiss cheese.

The ground trembled again and everyone turned to see a large form burst out of the earth. Wide eyed no one moved as they watched the creature ascend and stretch itself to the heavens.

Blaze, standing on the Worm’s head, didn't wait for it to try reaching higher. He knew this was its limit. The Titan jumped high shooting into the sky. From nothing a long plate of dark metal formed below his feet. With it he ascended higher and higher.

The clang and rattle of chains as they unrolled from his arms was drowned within the beating wings, roars and screeches of the swarm. Below, the horde was getting erased. Blaze exhaled and with a sharp spin on the metal plate he spun. It was time to clear the swarm as well.

Chains swung from down and went up. Sparks of flames riding the links to the tip of the chains. To the right the first chain struck and with a flash of fire obliterated everything in its path and around its path. To the left the other chain repeated.

Those unlucky simply ceased to exist. Those unfortunate became ashes, and others rained down like projectiles, dead, or dying and on fire.

Two more swings with his chains going far into the distance was enough to clean up the rest.

Blaze watched as the rest of the horde was ended by his spears.

****

Ishtra screeched as she appeared on the battlefield. Below was a tide of darkness meeting Light. Like a classic battle between good and evil.

Hellion understood Ishtra’s screech and nodded in agreement. The Titan stood on the Phoenix's back and dashed forward, racing up her neck and unto her head.

His hand grabbed his sword handle as he dove downwards. Ishtra screeched once more and with a powerful flap that both threw Ishtra up and pushed Hellion faster she struck the swarm.

Her body made of literal fire and light turned everything she crossed to ash. Under her claws she formed balls of heat and destruction lobbing them into the swarm.

Hellion's battle was less spectacular. He lacked Thorin's strength, Stryder's speed, Mera's destructive power and Blaze's control over the earth.

The Titan formed a panel of light below him, kicking off it he shot forward, like a streak of light hurtling for the Colossus.

Essense flooded his sword and with a swing, a crescent slash of white light split the first Colossus in two. Forming another light panel below him to stop his speed he dashed off it and descended below.

Dropping below like a missile, Hellion sheathed his blade and spun so his feet were pointing below.

Right before he struck the ground a large panel of light stretching as far as the eye could see formed below his feet. Its edge stopped just before the pitiful mortals besieged.

BOOOOOM!!!

He landed. The pane shattered into pixels of light and faded into nothing.

Everything below had been squashed into paste. Hellion crouched, grabbing his sword again. Above, Ishtra made sure nothing fell to the earth. Every creature turned to ash and blew into the wind.

Hellion exhaled. “Let's try that."

Pouring more Essence over and over into the sword, several cores turned useless as he emptied them only to channel them into his blade.

The crack on the black sword was wider than ever, the light and energy spilling from it so thick and bright that it resembled a star.

Then Hellion swiftly changed the direction of the Essence, flooding his legs, torso and arms.

With a grin, Hellion moved. The ground below him shattered. Wind blasted everything behind him away, which was fortunately just blood paste. Midway in his move, Hellion Light stepped, becoming an additional blue of light.

With almost five times the speed, he appeared at the edge of the blood paste and in front of the horde still charging forward.

He didn't stop himself, rather twisted so all the energy from his momentum flooded his arms. The Essence had burned from his legs from the motion and was left in just his torso and arms. With all that power he swung.

From right to left Hellion's arms moved. His sword seemingly teleporting from the start to the end of his swing.

The air trembled then froze.

His body halted, all the momentum stolen. There was no sword slash, no wave of destruction.

His body stayed in position after his slash, the realm frozen. Hellion exhaled, sliding his sword back into its sheath. The Horde was frozen even as he rose to his full height.

The moment he turned away the first signs of his attack finally appeared. There was another explosion, no mushroom clouds.

The moment he took his second step the land behind him, from the tip of the horde and beyond became a sea of flames. The horde was gone and if one looked well enough they'd notice that the land had been slightly sheared off. Like the clean slice off the surface of a cake.