Book 4 - Chapter 67 - Fury of the Master Demonhunter (2/2)
The Crimson One had no choice. This battle was inevitable, and once they were dead no one would remain who could stand in his way.
Meanwhile, Cloudhawk could feel the rising determination on both sides. Buffeting waves of energy crested around them, and with each passing second his face darkened. The old zealot meant business this time. While it was true all three of his attackers were stronger than when they fought after Fishmonger’s Borough, the Master Demonhunter was ten times – a hundred times the stronger after recovering from his old wounds.
Today there would be death, and while the outcome was not certain, Cloudhawk did know the Crimson One was far stronger than they were prepared to deal with.
The three would-be assassins wasted no more time, they attacked in unison. Three attacks landed from three different directions, yet still the golden aura held. The Crimson One raised the crosier in both hands while green fires danced above his head. All the while they’d been talking, the disparate spurts of Castigation fire had been gathering above him.
Whatever invisible dam holding it back crumbled.
Deadly green fire surged toward them like a waterfall from the depths of hell, submerging the area. Anything the fires touched was dissolved, leaving nothing but a scoured landscape in its wake. Inch by inch, the fires crept forward in an insatiable need to consume.
The old drunk called for the protection of Dawnguard. Blinding rays of light shot out like the glory of the morning sun. The three invaders were wrapped in a circle of protection.
As the tide of Castigation fire reached them it crashed against the golden light. Vulkan’s defenses dimmed almost immediately, for he was not a demonhunter specialized in mental fortitude. At best he commanded relics as well as a veteran, so how could he hope to stem the fury of a Master Demonhunter?
But it bought them enough time.
Cloudhawk summoned the power of his phase stone. Just as the golden light was overwhelmed he and his two companions blinked to a location several hundred meters away.
He found himself standing atop a nearby building looking out over the sea of fire. The spot they once occupied was engulfed in flame, along with a vast swath of the surrounding area. Towers and buildings caught in the crossfire were slowly beginning to fall apart. It was a nightmare to behold.
It was almost more than he could believe. Was this the power of a Master Demonhunter?
The endless fires rose up into the air, heedless of logic or gravity.
The Crimson One’s golden outline was barely visible beneath the torrent of Castigation Fire. Tendrils of it curled around him like angry dragons, changing directions at his whim. He was like some unimaginable horror, with whipping tentacle arms of all-consuming fire.
“Since you refuse to obey, then you will die!”
The Crimson One’s hand shot up, and in response a column of Castigation Fire rose toward his attackers. Though not overly fast and weak in appearance, no one doubted the destruction the fires could cause. Everything caught in its path, even whole buildings, was erased. To the Master Demonhunter the whole world was made from paper, eager to burn.
Plumes of fire were belched into the air and began to fall around them like fire from the heavens.
At the same time the Crimson One lashed out with several tendrils of flame. They whipped toward Cloudhawk at the others from the front and both sides, each one the size of a bull. A glance was enough to know these spears of fire could pierce even the strongest foes.
Tongues of fire descended from above, and a sea of flame raged below. All around were whipping tendrils like spears of broken jade. They were caught in a raging deluge, as though the apocalyptic war between gods and demons had been summoned once again to this place.
Nothing could bear the touch of Castigation, and whole buildings collapsed under the assault. It was as terrible as hellfire and threatened to cleanse all worldly things from reality. At the heart of the torrent was the Crimson One, sparkling in a shell of golden light and commanding a horde of green tentacles. To any who witnessed he was no different than a God or Demon.
Denizens of Fallowmoor saw the conflict from far away, witnessed their leader become an avatar of destruction. Ever soul was left breathless by the scene. He had to be one of the world’s strongest living creatures – someone who could contend against the divine and unholy with nothing but his own power!
Dawn, locked in combat with Dumont and the others, lifted her head to witness the scene. Panic crept into her pretty eyes. There was no question that the Crimson One had returned to full strength, which meant even her grandfather was no match for him.
What was Cloudhawk, Selene and that old drunk supposed to do? Against someone like this, their whole team didn’t even have a forty percent chance of escaping with their lives. Just those three? Ten percent at best.
Dawn needed to help them.
Her distracted allowed Dumont to catch her with another violent collision. She couldn’t get free, not when these enemies had her pinned down. All she could do was pray.
Cloudhawk. If you can’t beat him, you have to run. That’s what you’re best at, right? Don’t get hurt. Please don’t get hurt!
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