Chapter 858: Purifying Flame
“Aaaargh—” The agonized roar of pain echoed across the sky, but Kazul reacted instantly, letting out a low, guttural growl.
“Go to Death!”
In an instant, he unleashed his breath at point-blank range toward Kai Xiusu. A deep, seething light poured from his throat, rushing forward like a devouring wave—aimed to swallow the Emperor of the Ashen Flame whole.
The two colossal beasts were less than a hundred meters apart. If the Apocalypse Breath had struck true at such a distance, Kai Xiusu would either perish or be rendered completely unable to fight.
Seeing the danger, Kai Xiusu didn’t hesitate. He opened his massive maw, filled with blood and divine energy, and unleashed the power coiled within his core. This time, it wasn’t just fire—it was a torrent of crackling lightning, too. The sky itself lit up in dazzling brilliance, casting a blinding glare that forced distant onlookers to shield their eyes, their faces pale with shock.
“Boom!”
The two titanic forces collided in the heavens, creating a sphere of energy a hundred meters wide. A storm erupted—raging with fire, lightning, and ash—so powerful it flung both Kai Xiusu and Kazul hundreds of meters apart, despite their mountainous forms.
As the battle raged, the energy sphere continued to expand—growing from a hundred meters to hundreds, then reaching an astonishing thousand meters in diameter. Within that radius, all matter—down to the limbs of the dragons themselves if they dared to touch it—was utterly annihilated.
This time, Kai Xiusu’s breath proved superior. Fire and lightning intertwined in a vast, red-and-white flood, sweeping through the churning Apocalypse Embers and scattering them like dust.
Kazul’s wings, already reformed by the ceaseless ash, now folded tightly—spanning over a kilometer. He wrapped his entire body within the vast, dark expanse, transforming into a floating island suspended in the air, or a massive, obsidian cocoon. From within, something ancient and terrifying seemed to stir.
With the heavy, rhythmic pulse of the Heart of Tiamat, a crushing wave of divine pressure radiated outward. Ash-formed black mist surged like a tidal wave, lashing against Kai Xiusu’s body. Each surge burned away the outermost layer of his scales, reducing his flesh to ash.
Now, Kai Xiusu was like a rock battered by relentless waves—eroded, worn down, slowly vanishing.
A pain like a thousand ants biting at once filled his body. He knew—he knew—he couldn’t afford to let this go on. With a roar, he unleashed the full might of the Power of the Storm Sovereign, summoning thousands of lightning bolts that arced through the sky like a silver forest. They frenziedly destroyed everything that approached him.
“Boom!”
“Boom! Boom!”
In the storm of thunderbolts, bolts of lightning tore down from the heavens, striking Kazul’s cocoon-like form. Where they struck, the dragon’s wing membranes were torn open, scorched and shredded, leaving behind a sight both grotesque and horrifying.
But Kai Xiusu knew—this wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. It wasn’t enough to shatter Kazul’s defense, let alone end his life.
This ancient red dragon was too vast, too resilient. His regeneration was terrifying, and he bore Tiamat’s divine favor, not to mention thousands of years of combat experience. One moment of respite, and the consequences would be catastrophic.
With that thought, Kai Xiusu raised his left claw. The ten thousand lightning bolts swirling around him converged into a single, impossibly dense spear of crackling energy—blinding, spiky lightning that roared like a storm god’s wrath as it formed. The air screamed with thunder, clouds writhed, and the sky itself seemed to tremble.
But it wasn’t over.
He extended his right claw. The power of the Sun God surged through his body, coursing through complex basal vessels toward his throat. As it reached his palm, it condensed into miniature suns—tiny, blazing orbs of light and heat that warped the air around them.
These suns compressed and merged, forming a radiant golden longsword—Sun’s Judgment Sword, blazing with divine light.
With a single motion, Kai Xiusu hurled the lightning spear and swung the golden blade. Thunder and fire clashed in a devastating storm, a tidal wave of destruction roaring toward Kazul.
“Boom!”
The lightning spear struck, unleashing a torrent of thunder that tore open Kazul’s dark wings. The black membranes split apart, scorched and torn.
Then came the golden sword—its fire so intense it seared through the air. It drove straight toward Kazul’s chest, piercing through his thick scales and flesh, aiming to strike the heart of this ancient red dragon.
But at that moment, Kazul’s eyes snapped open.
His tattered wings exploded outward in a frenzied hurricane, blasting Kai Xiusu backward dozens of meters.
Then—hundreds of obsidian, bone spikes erupted from his chest, stabbing forward with terrifying speed. Each one, sharp as a spear, was tipped with a terrifying, destructive divine light.
Kai Xiusu’s pupils contracted to pinpricks. He whipped his wings, twisting midair to dodge.
But the distance was too short. Even as he shifted, there was no escape.
As the bone spikes advanced, Kai Xiusu gritted his teeth. He poured every ounce of effort into the Chrono Dragon Imprint embedded within him.
Time Stop!
The sky froze. Thunder, fire, and dark clouds hung motionless. But the ash—endless, swirling ash—still churned.
Kazul grinned, his mouth stretching wide in a grotesque, mocking smile. He was untouched by the time stop. Worse—those bone spikes accelerated, becoming faster than ever, like a hundred long spears tearing through space—through the frozen moment—straight toward Kai Xiusu.
Kai Xiusu’s heart sank.
Of course. Against an existence nearing divinity, time magic was useless. As a Dragon of Divine Ascension, he himself possessed Time Resistance.
There was no choice. He braced for impact, redirecting his body to avoid vital organs, and used the Dragon Oath Mage’s Instant Casting ability to summon a dozen layers of protective spell shields—absorbing the blow with sheer will.
“Spines—!”
A sharp, cracking sound echoed as the bone spikes pierced Kai Xiusu’s wings, shoulder, and abdomen. Scalding dragon blood erupted. The wounds burned instantly, flesh visibly incinerating before his eyes.
Pain lashed through him like a storm. It felt as if his very body were being torn apart by a force beyond comprehension.
The destructive divine power tore through his wounds, eroding the surrounding flesh. Numbness spread with terrifying speed. Every shred of muscle destroyed, every bit of tissue burned—each loss a torment that reached deep into his soul, a scream of despair.
This was the End—the ultimate divine power that erased all traces of life, bringing total annihilation and forcing the world to begin anew.
But Kazul wasn’t done.
With a roar, he swung his massive claw—a limb hundreds of meters long, trailing thick ash smoke—ripping through space itself as it lunged toward Kai Xiusu’s head.
Kai Xiusu stared at the incoming claw, grinding his teeth. His chaotic thoughts cleared. Resolve hardened.
“No more of this!”
“This ‘Dragon of the Apocalypse’ is too destructive. To keep defending is to surrender completely—only to be destroyed.”
“So if that’s the case… then it’s time to fight to the death!”
“Come on, Kazul!” Kai Xiusu roared, unleashing his full might. The Heart of Karex within him surged to life, beating like a thunderous engine.
The chaotic, frenzied divine power of The Utter Null surged through his basal vessels, gathering in his spew sac. From deep within his throat, a torrent of deep red dragon flame erupted—dark, consuming, unstoppable.
In myth and legend, Karex would periodically descend upon the Prime Material Plane, unleashing the world-burning fire to cleanse the world of corruption—destroying the old so that new life might rise.
This was Karex’s World-Burning Fire, bearing the same World Destruction trait. Its power was no less than Kazul’s Apocalypse Breath—perhaps even more terrifying.
“Boom—”
The crimson flame shot forth, meeting Kazul’s descending claw in a cataclysmic explosion.
The massive dragon claw was instantly consumed by the fire, reduced to ash in an instant, falling apart as charred remnants from Kazul’s body.
Kazul shrieked in agony—but his face twisted into a euphoric grin.
“Just as I thought, Kai Xiusu… you are the madman’s chosen puppet!”
“I’ve been so eager to see the terror and despair in your eyes when The Utter Null replaces you!”
As he spoke, the ash surged forward—coalescing.
The chosen one?
A chill ran through Kai Xiusu’s mind. But even so, he grabbed the black bone spike still embedded in his shoulder and, gritting through the searing pain, ripped it out.
“Spines—!”
Blood sprayed—but he paid no mind. With a second breath, he unleashed the Purifying Flame, this time aimed straight at Kazul’s face—faster than thought.
“Not bad… for Karex’s fire. Truly terrifying,” Kazul murmured, then opened his maw wide. From within, a dark, hollow light poured out.
“Boom!”
Two forces of world-ending power collided—entangled, negating each other. A massive, gravity-defying black hole formed in the sky, sucking in everything around it with merciless force, consuming all matter without hesitation.
Both combatants were caught in the backlash. Kazul’s half-wing and Kai Xiusu’s right claw were torn away, vanishing into the abyss.
Yet within just a few breaths, the divine energy surged through their bodies. Flesh crawled back into place. Bone regrew. In plain sight, the two giant beasts healed—whole, once more—and clashed in melee combat.
“Fear me, Kai Xiusu?” Kazul sensed the flicker of panic in his opponent’s eyes and struck without mercy. “You’ve grown too fast—faster than even you can believe. You fear there’s no conspiracy behind it, don’t you? That one day, everything you’ve built… will be taken from you in an instant?”
“Swish—”
The massive dragon claw came down again, trailing torrents of black ash and destructive divine light, tearing through space as it slammed toward Kai Xiusu’s head.
“Think more about yourself, Puppet of Tiamat!” Kai Xiusu roared, flapping his wings with all his might. He soared thousands of meters into the air, evading the attack—then, with every ounce of strength, he twisted his body like a whip, slamming his thick, purifying-flame-wreathed tail into Kazul.
“Boom!”
The impact thundered through the sky. The tail struck with crushing force, cracking Kazul’s thick scales, burning away the dark divine radiance that coated his body. The sheer power twisted his muscles, forcing him back hundreds of meters. He roared in fury, flinging his massive wings in a dark storm of divine force.
“Why do you oppose me?!”
The storm tore through Kai Xiusu’s fire barrier. Kazul charged forward—his massive, fearsome body like a black mountain, overwhelming, unstoppable.
Kai Xiusu tried to use his speed to dodge—but the divine storm had already sealed his surroundings, cutting off escape.
“Boom!”
The impact sent Kai Xiusu flying, blood and shattered scales scattering through the air. His bones cracked, pulverized. Where they collided, the ground blackened with divine radiance, cracking and burning again.
But Kai Xiusu didn’t stop. Mid-air, he twisted, contorting his body into a grotesque arc. With a roar, he swung his claw, wreathed in purifying flame, aiming straight for Kazul’s head—specifically, his eyes.
“Aaaargh!”
The scream tore through the sky. Blood erupted from Kazul’s eye sockets—but the heat vaporized it instantly. Half his face was consumed by flame, revealing pale bone beneath. His visage was now a horrifying skull dragon, as if summoned from a decayed grave.
Yet even then, Kazul roared, spewing forth waves of black light—frenzied, desperate, attacking with his very life force.
“For this throne… I’ve waited thousands of years! I sacrificed my dignity as a dragon—became the most loyal dog of the Dragon Queen! I gave up everything!”
“Boom!”
The black light struck Kai Xiusu’s left shoulder, instantly erasing everything it touched. A gaping, horrifying crater opened in his side—nearly tearing his entire body in half.
Kai Xiusu twisted away, trying to push him back with the Purifying Flame—but Kazul’s assault only grew wilder, more desperate. He was fighting not just to win, but to die in battle.
“And you?” Kazul spat, his voice dripping with scorn. “I’ve investigated you, Kai Xiusu. Your life force is fleeting—no more than a few decades. What right do you have to stand against me?”
(End of Chapter)
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