Karmak clenched his jaw, shifted his stance slightly, and hurled all the power inside him outward in a violent burst.
The chaotic energy tore away from him like a storm breaking loose, scattering into the air and leaving a montary calm in its wake. Without missing a beat, he crossed his arms and conjured a barrage of razor-sharp energy blades. Each one pulsed with savage force, slicing through the air like a volley of arrows aid straight at Queen Elowen.
"Boom!"
"Rumble—!"
The blades ripped through the sky with a deafening roar, the shockwaves so intense it felt like the very air might collapse.
Queen Elowen didn't flinch. Her expression stayed cold, unreadable. As her aura tightened, a massive Frost Phoenix materialized around her, its wings unfurling with a blast of icy wind. With a single beat, it surged forward, slamming head-on into Karmak's attack.
The impact was colossal.
The sheer force of the collision sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield, knocking back both armies and carving out a massive vacuum between them.
All eyes locked on the clash above, the tension so thick it felt like the world itself was holding its breath.
Karmak let out a low, bitter laugh. He'd never faced an opponent like Queen Elowen before. A flicker of frustration and unease flashed in his eyes.
"Your power cos from pure Fairy God blood," he said, voice laced with both temptation and threat. "Why waste it on these weaklings? Co with to Narlost. That's where you truly belong."
He ant every word. Her strength was unlike anything he'd ever encountered. If she joined him, Narlost would be his for the taking.
But Queen Elowen only gave a cold, dismissive smile.
Her gaze didn't waver. Without a word, she unleashed another surge of frost energy. This ti, she summoned a second Frost Phoenix, its form blazing with icy power as it dove straight at Karmak.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Each strike landed with thunderous force, the explosions echoing across the sky. Waves of frost burst from the phoenix's wings, hamring down on Karmak's defenses and driving him back.
He staggered under the relentless assault, unable to mount a counterattack. The cold pressed in from all sides, crushing him under its weight.
His face turned ghostly pale, fury and desperation twisting in his eyes.
Queen Elowen didn't hesitate. Sensing the opening, she surged forward, her power spiking. A massive blade of ice ford in her hands, gleaming with lethal intent. With a sharp cry, she brought it down.
The blade struck like a falling star, slicing clean through Karmak's body.
"AAAHHH!"
His scream tore through the sky, raw and piercing.
Even with his body enhanced by unnatural modifications and layered with strange defenses, he couldn't withstand her blow. The ice blade cut through him like lightning through paper, shattering his protection with terrifying ease.
And it wasn't over.
Queen Elowen pressed on, her frost energy pouring out in a relentless tide. It surged over Karmak, engulfing him completely. Her power felt endless, a blizzard with no end in sight.
Karmak's body froze solid in an instant—then shattered.
Chunks of ice burst apart, scattering into powdery fragnts that vanished into the wind.
The battle was over.
Queen Elowen hovered in the air, barely upright. Her face had gone pale. Even with the support of the ice-veined mineral channels in her body, the poison she'd endured and the brutal fight had drained her to the brink.
Her strength was nearly gone. Every breath felt heavier than the last.
Seeing her falter, Ethan rushed forward and caught Queen Elowen before she could collapse.
She leaned lightly against his shoulder, her eyes clouded with exhaustion. "We need to rest," she murmured, her voice low and heavy with weariness.
Concern flickered in Ethan's eyes, but he knew this wasn't the ti to relax. He turned sharply, barking an order to the Erald Castle forces. "Full counterattack—now!"
A roar of battle cries erupted across the field. The soldiers, fired up by the shift in montum, surged forward with renewed fury.
The Narlost army began to crumble.
With their leader gone, their morale shattered. They couldn't even mount a proper defense. The tide of battle flipped in an instant, and within minutes, the enemy was completely wiped out.
Once the fighting ended, Ethan brought Queen Elowen back to the Erald Castle's main keep. He made sure she was given a place to rest and that her people were properly cared for.
They might've looked fragile, but Ethan knew—given ti and training—they could beco a force to be reckoned with.
As they stepped into the castle, Queen Elowen froze.
She'd never seen anything like it. The towering walls, the sheer scale of the fortress, the disciplined, powerful army—it all left her stunned.
A strange feeling stirred in her chest. If she'd had a place like this, if her world had been this strong… would she have ended up so alone?
Ethan noticed the shift in her expression. His voice was gentle. "This is your ho now. Rest as long as you need." He personally arranged a room for her, doing everything he could to make her comfortable.
Just then, Kaelira appeared from down the hall.
Her eyes swept the room—and landed on Queen Elowen. Her face lit up with shock and joy. She hurried over, voice bubbling with excitent. "Elowen! I can't believe it's really you!"
Queen Elowen blinked, stunned to see Kaelira here of all places.
Surprise flashed in her eyes, quickly followed by emotion. She reached out suddenly, grabbing Ethan's wrist, her grip tight with gratitude. "Thank you, Ethan. Kaelira and I… we were best friends, long ago. Even though our powers kept us in separate worlds, I never thought we'd et again like this."
Ethan paused, caught off guard. So they had that kind of bond?
He didn't fully understand the history between them, but seeing the raw emotion on their faces, he felt a quiet warmth settle in his chest.
"Better to know each other than not," he said with a smile, though his mind was already racing. If both of them stayed here, if they fought alongside him… the strength of Erald Castle would skyrocket. This could be the turning point.
Just as Ethan was about to head off for so much-needed rest, a researcher ca sprinting toward him, breathless and wide-eyed.
"Master! We did it! We've successfully replicated the chanoid—and it's even stronger than before!"
Ethan's interest snapped to full attention. His eyes lit up. "Seriously?" he asked, already turning toward the door. "Show ."
The researcher led him out of the castle and toward a remote valley.
The place had once been a barren wasteland, ignored for its lack of energy signatures. But after the Kormaldor scientists arrived, Ethan had cleared it out, fortified the area, and built a makeshift fortress. Beneath it, they'd dug out a sprawling underground lab.
When Ethan reached the valley, he stopped in his tracks.
The transformation was staggering. Strange, futuristic structures now dotted the landscape, humming with energy.
But what truly caught his eye were the new models of Powered Combat Armor and Sky Fortress prototypes lined up in formation. And in the center of the plaza stood a massive figure—the original chanoid they'd captured.
Beside it, a brand-new War Machine lood even larger. Its fra was bulkier, its armor denser, forged from a stronger alloy than the original.
The energy radiating from it was unmistakable. Ethan could feel its power just by standing near it.
His eyes narrowed as he spotted sothing else—embedded in the War Machine's chest was a glowing core of compressed golden energy.
They'd cracked it.
They'd mastered the compressed energy tech and pushed it to a whole new level—condensing it to an extre density and successfully integrating it into the War Machine's core systems.
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