The Demon King's First General
Chapter 161: Claws Against Talons

Chapter 161: Claws Against Talons

Large chunks of rock cast deep shadows towards the empire’s heart. It caused great panic that loomed over the citizens, though some were amazed, having to witness such a phenomenon while the rest looked at the four meteorites descending from the sky, their eyes gleaming with anxiety and fear.

"How in the world... Fleeing is impossible," said a man while staring above, waiting for the impending disaster to strike.

Each one had a diameter enough to cover the imperial palace, and having four of them would definitely erase the whole city from the map of the Plain of Fantasies.

It was only a matter of time before the meteorites landed. As it struck the atmosphere, the giant chunk of rock crystals were set ablaze, lighting up the sky.

Augustus came back to his senses as one of the knights tapped him on the shoulder.

"Your Majesty, you must escape. We’ll try to delay its momentum," the knight said.

Then, without waiting for the emperor’s order, he lunged upward along with the rest of the knights; they gathered their whole strength and tried to lift the meteorites. Their faces started to turn blue as they pushed themselves to their limits while their armor burned from the heat emanating from the large thing.

"For the Embercrown Empire!" They yelled, their eyes gleaming with hope.

However, despite pouring their best effort, the meteorites didn’t even slow down.

"Crushing humans is just like stepping on ants! Fools! Your resistance is futile!" The black dragon grinned in amusement.

The next second, he let out a frightening roar that reverberated across the sky, sending shivers down the spines of all the people present in the vicinity.

The emperor stared at his knights, his hands clenching into fists. He was lost in his thoughts, contemplating the best course of action, when a sudden sparkle of hope bloomed above.

"Get out from there!" Augustus yelled at the top of his lungs.

Four large magic circles with intricate carvings appeared beneath the meteorites. All of them were glowing in white light. The next second, a young man with burnt auburn hair appeared next to Augustus.

"I believe I wasn’t late, Your Majesty," the man said, smiling while flipping the pages of the silver grimoire floating in front of him.

Augustus closed his eyes and shook his head as he replied, "No, you’re just right on time, Seth."

The young man chuckled upon hearing the emperor’s comment. Afterward, the smile on his face vanished as his eyes squinted, and then the runes inside the magic circles shone brighter than before.

However, a ball of dark energy compressed in the form of a laser beam was fired out towards the grand mage, interrupting his spellcasting.

Seth had no choice but to evade, and the moment he moved, the floating magic circles lost all of their radiance, though they didn’t vanish completely from the sky.

"Not so fast, young man!" The black dragon growled while still pointing one of his fingers in the human’s direction.

With a sharp-looking gaze, he looked at Seth, and the next second he appeared right before him, making him widen his eyes in surprise.

"Seth!" Augustus yelled.

He was about to charge towards the young man’s position, but the black dragon pointed his finger at him, and another compressed layer of black energy was unleashed, aiming at him. The black dragon didn’t even take a glance at Augustus, but his last attack was more than enough to convey a message.

"A mere ant dares to imitate a dragon’s magic," Blackwell sneered, his eyes looking straight to Seth.

"Know your place, foolish human!" He added before moving his arm, catching the mage inside the palm of his hand.

Seth tried to free himself from the dragon’s clutches, but despite exuding a portion of his energy to create a defensive wall, it kept on shattering upon contact with the dragon’s scales. He even cast a teleportation spell underneath him; however, the dragon just smashed it with his massive hand, shattering his last option to escape.

’I’m doomed,’ Seth thought, clicking his tongue.

Upon seeing this scene, Augustus looked at his son; no words escaped from their mouth, but their eyes already did the talking. Without further ado, Kreigster unleashed his Legacy.

A monster-like creature appeared above him. Its majestic wings that span several meters were burning with purple flames, while its long, blazing tail danced in the wind.

Kreigster’s Legacy was truly a sight to behold; its breath-taking howl reverberated in the open sky, capturing the attention of all the existence present in the scene. Even Blackwell diverted his gaze from Seth to the legendary bird.

"A phoenix?" He mumbled, surprised.

Then, like a child who saw a newfound toy, he clenched his fist, causing the grand mage to experience excruciating pain. Afterward, Blackwell tossed him into a corner, making him cough a mouthful of blood as his body slammed and crashed several establishments.

Upon witnessing this, Kreigster gritted his teeth due to anger; he was not on good terms with Seth, but seeing the state he was in, he couldn’t help but feel enraged. With a wave of his hand, he ordered his Legacy to charge towards the black dragon.

It flapped its wings and soared above the sky before doing so, leaving a burning trail as its embers scattered, drifting into the air.

As a response, Blackwell didn’t wait for the phoenix to reach him; he leaped into the air and welcomed it with wide, opened arms. Claws against talons, burning feathers brushing into the hardened scales. A creature from the legend and the monster sitting on top of the food chain, dancing, swirling beneath the clouds while meteorites were up there, hanging from the sky, casting deep shadows over the heart of the empire.

Only a matter of time before it fell and destroyed the whole city. The knights who tried to stop the rocks from falling were now looking at them with saddened expression.

’It’s over,’ they thought.

However, contrary to their expectations, the blurry magic circles underneath the meteorites regained their radiance all of a sudden, and as the runes inside it shone once more, the large chunks of rocks vanished without a single trace.

. . . . .

Seth threw up a mouthful of blood as he freed himself from the debris that burried him underneath. His body was in a complete mess; his limbs burst, leaving most of his bones broken. Even his ribs were fractured, but despite this, Seth gathered his remaining strength, and his grimoire appeared right beside him.

’Should I heal myself first?’ He pondered while looking above the sky.

But upon realizing that it would only be a matter of time before the meteorites fell down, he didn’t even bother to check his own injuries; instead, he focused his mind and uttered the incantation.

"P-Path beyond the boundaries of time," Seth stammered, coughing another mouthful of blood.

His breathing became rough as the sudden cough made his chest tighter, his fractured ribs almost puncturing his heart.

But despite all of this, Seth still continued his chant.

"Open up, forge a distinct line... Connect thy space, make these two dimensions align," he said, and the magic circle above regained its lost radiance.

However, the moment he finished casting the spell, his eyelids started to feel heavier.

’Now, it’s all up to you, old man,’ he said inside his mind before closing his eyes.

. . . . .

Meanwhile, near the entrance of the city, the Grandmaster of the Magic Tower was standing on a roof with a serious expression on his face. He was staring at the two creatures fighting head-on when he let out a sigh of relief.

"Well done, child," he uttered, and a slight upward curl could be seen on the edges of his lips.

The meteorites were now nowhere to be seen, but the danger was still present. The next second, he stretched his arms and inhaled a deep breath before conveying a question out of nowhere.

"Are you here to cause trouble as well?" He asked while his eyes were still staring at the fight.

A few distances away from his right side, a woman with ash-colored hair was sitting on the roof. Her entrancing eyes were looking at the fight with a hint of disdain.

"Why? Are you going to stop me?" The woman replied, asking.

Then she picked up the umbrella resting beside herself and stood up. She tucked her disaligned hair behind her ear and looked at the old man. Her eyes were sharp, but not a single trace of emotion was present on her face.

"I’m not an easy opponent, though," she added with a tone full of pride.

Upon hearing this, Deus shook his head and faced the woman.

"I am well aware; I may be old and no longer in my prime, but..." he paused for a second, and when two grimoires materialized on both of his sides, he continued speaking. "Keeping you, the Enchantress of Time, in check is still within my scope."

Celestine blinked a few times upon hearing the old man’s statement, and a sweet smile blossomed from her lips.

"Then the pleasure is mine," she stated, and the colors around them lost bit by bit as the surroundings turned into a grayscale world, taking away everyone’s freedom to move.

. . . . .