Stormgazer raised its colossal arms towards the night sky.
This simple action seemed to have a profound charm capable of overturning the land!
The night sky darkened even further, and the rumbling clouds above parted to reveal crackling bolts of electricity. They shot down towards the giant’s upraised hand, drawn in by some unseen force. There they danced and intertwined. Hundreds of them, no, thousands, started to converge and coalesce above the creature’s palm into a massive sphere of raw, terrifying energy!
Its appereanxe also brightened the night sky.
With the darkness gone, everyone was finally able to see what Val had long seen.
They were able to see the giant in the distance.
Some with sharp eyes were also able to see Morthos sitting on its shoulder.
The sight of the giant creating a miniature sun was awe-inspiring and terrifying.
The raw display of power was enough to cause the bravest bloodline warrior to tremble.
A scene straight out of ancient legends was unfolding in front of everyone’s eyes, a god-like being harnessing the elemental forces of nature.
Seeing that it was poised to unleash its wrath upon them, some of them wet their pants.
“The giant’s going to blow up the entire train. We need to evacuate, now.” Leroy’s voice resonated urgently in their minds through the mental link established by Martha.
Suddenly, a calm voice echoed in the minds of everyone on board the train. “You would do no such thing. By doing so, you’d only offer your lives to the beasts and walking dead lurking nearby. Don’t allow fear to blind your judgment. You would only be throwing away your life in vain by abandoning the train.”
Val’s heart skipped a beat. He recognized this voice.
It belonged to the mysterious noble, Lucious.
“So, what’s your grand plan then? Remain aboard this train and await obliteration by the Stormgazer? If it’s a choice between certain death and a fighting chance, I know which I’d prefer.” Halden snapped back, frustration and fear mingling in his tone.
“Trust in me,” Lucious responded, his voice resonating with conviction. “This train shall endure.”
“But how can you guarantee our survival?” Leroy questioned, the uncertainty evident in his voice.
The response was simple and exuded an unassailable confidence.
“Because I am here.”
These were not the words of a fool, nor were they spoken out of blind pride!
This was the arrogance of the strong!!
this was a declaration, born from absolute certainty!!!
Turning to the enemies in the distance, Lucious’s voice resounded. “Under this sky, in this world, I and I alone am unparalleled. Fate is mine to bend as I will. Destiny is mine to carve as I like. Lives are mine to claim, and even death must ask for my permission before knocking on my door. I am Lucious D. Dragon, the nightmare of Devils! Oppose me and you shall die!”
The distance between them seemed nonexistence as Lucious’s voice surged out of the train and rang throughout the wilderness.
The crowd aboard the train gasped, a collective shock radiating through them at this revelation.
“He’s a D. Dragon…” Val murmured, a strange gleam in his eyes.
Those with the surname D were known to be the closest servants of the god of light. There were two families like that – D. Dragon and D. Grace. But they were mysteriously destroyed overnight by a group of formidable devils.
Even the mighty Stormgazer, in all its monstrous glory, hesitated for a fleeting moment upon hearing Lucious’s declaration.
Morthos, however, responded with contempt. “I know your story, Lucious. How you stormed into hell to save your loved ones, only to face humiliation, torment, and death. Your bloodline was extracted, and when you refused the devil king’s favor, you were killed. I don’t know how you’re still alive, but you’re nothing special. They told me to run away at the sight of you. But I don’t see any reason why a man without a special bloodline should be feared.”
Unmoved, Morthos commanded the giant. “Kill them.”
“You dare?” Lucious’s voice roared like thunder.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Morthos scoffed.
In response, the Stormgazer, with an obedience befitting its servile stature, brought its hand down. The pulsating, brilliant sphere of electricity, akin to a miniature sun, hurtled towards the train with a force that turned the night into day!
Sebastian, expand and devour,” Lucious commanded, his voice resonating with an authority that brooked no argument.
“Aye, my lord.” The response came not from the man himself, but from a small shadowy puddle that lay at his feet.
At his lord’s behest, Sebastian catapulted through the open train door and ballooned outward.
Like an elastic shadow unfurling in the darkness, it expanded. It was eerily thin, akin to a sheet of paper, yet it ascended and broadened until it dwarfed the towering mountains.
Shortly after, a monolithic wall of darkness stood.
It was like an insatiable void that consumed the very fabric of light around it.
Gulp!
The threatening, pulsating sphere of electricity, bearing down on the train like an apocalyptic meteor, found itself swallowed whole by Sebastian. It vanished without a trace, absorbed completely into the ever-expanding abyss of Sebastian’s form.
“Cast Reverse. Put an end to this trouble.” Lucious’s voice rang out once again, powerful and absolute.
A moment of silence fell upon the scene, before Sebastian responded, expelling the once devoured sphere.
Whoosh!
The pulsating mass of electricity shot back towards the Stormgazer and Morthos, its direction completely reversed.
Both Morthos and the Stormgazer looked on in horror.
“No…this can’t be…,” Morthos stammered, his eyes widening in disbelief. 𝒩𝑂𝗏𝗅xt.𝓒𝓞𝑀
Meanwhile, the Stormgazer let out a deep, guttural growl, its eyes reflecting the brilliant sphere hurtling towards them.
Boom!
The sphere collided with the Stormgazer and exploded upon impact. A blinding flash of light filled the surroundings, obliterating the distant mountain instantly.
From a majestic mountain daring to reach the heaven, It was turned into a smoldering crater.
A result of the explosion, the surrounding woodlands vaporized in an instant, replaced by a desolate landscape in the aftermath of the detonation.