The captain stared at Dretheir writhing in the sand as the mighty dragon glared at a spot in the air with rage. As the captain glanced up, a majestic golden eagle appeared in his view. The eagle shrieked at Drethier before hovering over the warriors on the wall.
“Ciena!” Dretheir roared as he rose back into the sky. “You shouldn’t have come!”
“And you were asked to wait!” Ciena replied as she kept her eyes focused on the dragon. “You will wait here or return to the depths! I won’t allow you to lay waste to these humans before speaking with Exile.”
Dretheir snorted as he glared at her. The captain glanced between the two majestic beings as he gulped. ‘Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad the eagle is on our side. But if these two fight, there won’t be anything left to protect.’
Dretheir suddenly roared and lunged to bite Ciena as she rose higher into the sky. The captain could only be thankful as those exchanges continued while Ciena led Dretheir back out to sea. He gave a worried glance toward the ship as it reached the coast. ‘We can only hope they wait til those two monsters finish with each other.’
Ciena nimbly dodged the torrent of water Dretheir spewed at her before clapping her wings together. A beam of golden light struck Dretheir in the face, making him roar again. ‘This old snake won’t back down easily.’ Ciena frowned as she continued to use her smaller stature to her advantage.
Dretheir became aggravated by Ciena constantly using his large body to shield herself from his attacks. Ciena swooped and dived as she raked Dretheir’s scales with her talons. Large white lines appeared on the scales as Ciena clicked her tongue. ‘He’s tougher than I remember.’
A blinding halo emanated from her body as she recklessly charged against Dretheir. The pair bit, ripped, clawed, and snarled as they exchanged a flurry of blows. However, all of Ciena’s injuries healed within moments of appearing due to her spell.
Dretheir became further enraged as the sea below them formed several pillars in an attempt to ensnare Ciena. However, golden barriers appeared in their path whenever they came too close for comfort. ‘This is going to last a while.’ Ciena groaned as she studied her opponent.
‘I have to get him to back off before the Warbeasts on the ship decide to attack the city.’ A second blinding halo appeared as Ciena’s speed sharply rose.
Dretheir cursed as he lost sight of his adversary. A moment later, he roared in agony as Ciena pecked his right eye. The globe burst as Dretheir thrashed in the air. The rain became heavier as his wrath rose to unprecedented levels!
“You asked for this!” Dretheir roared as he caught sight of a golden blur.
The sea below became eerily calm, before wave after wave appeared. Ciena wore a grim expression as she spotted a tsunami on the horizon that targeted the Skardian city. She screeched as she launched a relentless assault on the dragon while cursing his name. Slashes of solid golden light burst from her wings to trace crimson lines on Dretheir’s massive body.
The dragon summoned a sphere of water to encase himself to add further protection against Cinea’s fury as she kept tabs on the tsunami. ‘It’s going to hit before I bring him down!’ She cursed as she fired golden orbs from her wings that landed along the coastline. ‘Not yet! It’s not enough!’
She groaned as blood dripped from feathers. Ciena realised that Dretheir had hidden an attack in the rain. He was using her concern for the city to distract her and was punishing her for it. The rain sliced her body as it fell and screams carried on the winds from the city.
‘They can’t defend from an attack like this.’ Ciena grumbled as she decided to activate several of her golden orbs. They formed bright walls along the coastline as Ciena controlled them to move into the sky over the city. Her spells acted as an umbrella that protected the warriors as they ran for cover.
‘Hopefully, they can get to cover before the tsunami hits.’ Ciena eyed the approaching disaster with concern. A loud laugh sounded all around her as Dretheir gloated at her predicament.
“Little bird, little bird. What will you do now?” Dretheir chuckled as he eyed her with malice. “You shouldn’t have meddled in my business!”
“You’re the one who is meddling!” Ciena shrieked as she fired more spells in an attempt to pierce the watery sphere protecting him. “Your kind should stick to your own domain!”
“And your kind should just die already!” Dretheir snorted in response. “Your sisters died long ago. You are the last one who remains. Your daughters can’t match your might.”
Ciena revealed an ugly expression at Dretheir’s pointed words. She knew he was right, but she hoped her presence was enough to keep the rest of the dragons from resurfacing. However, it seemed like they already knew of the weakened condition of her kind.
“Don’t you want to see them again? Why don’t you give up on this cursed life?” Dretheir chuckled as he studied her reaction. “Your god is long gone. You have no one to keep fighting for! Let me end your suffering.”
Ciena glared at the dragon before deciding to bet everything on her next spell. Light burst forth from Ciena’s body that took a humanoid shape. If Exile were there, he would think he was seeing the Titan form of an old god.
The light grew to 100m as the transcendent beauty of the female Titan glared at the dragon. Four majestic golden wings burst from the Titan’s back as its four arms wielded different weapons. Dretheir roared in outrage as Ciena commanded the titan to attack the dragon while she dealt with the incoming tsunami.
A hammer, axe, whip, and sword crashed on the watery sphere, flinging it and Dretheir into the depths of the ocean. The titan dived into those waters to chase its prey while Ciena cast more golden orbs. She trembled as pain wrought havoc in her body. Even though she had healed the wounds, the pain had remained behind.
‘Come on!’ She cursed as she felt her strength dwindling. She knew she had used too much energy to summon the titan. However, it was the only play available to her in that situation. Suddenly, she flew up into the sky to avoid the tsunami. She had run out of time to prepare, and now she could watch and see if she had done enough.
Her orbs lit up as a golden wall that matched the size of the tsunami rose up from the coast. Ciena watched with bated breath as the disaster crashed against her spell. The wall seemed to hold under that pressure as the Skardians in the city stared at the scene. Praying it would hold.
Crack!
Ciena’s eyes narrowed as a web of cracks spread outward along her spell. ‘It’s not going to hold!’ Ciena sighed as she closed her eyes. Offering her prayers for those who were about to die. .𝘤𝑜𝑚
The tsunami suddenly faltered. Its pressure eased up as the giant wave collapsed back into the sea! Ciena heaved a sigh of relief as she turned her gaze to the surface of the sea. ‘He had to release his spell to defend himself. The question now is whether he’ll run or keep trying to put up a fight.’
Moments later, the giant figure of her titan was thrown out of the deep waters! The titan crashed against the shore, and Ciena could see three of its arms and a wing had been torn off. Dretheir slithered out of those dark waters, allowing everyone to see his battered state.
The titan had ripped entire patches of his scales from his body as his blood flowed like a river from his injuries. Dretheir no longer wore an arrogant expression, nor did he seem in the mood to talk. Ciena felt like the air had become charged with energy as the dragon glared at her and then at the city.
The tension in the atmosphere rose as the pair stared each other down. Each one trying to decide how much energy the other still had. The pair imagined how the battle would go if they continued. However, neither of them could reach a satisfying conclusion.
In Dretheir’s case, he would not have the energy to flatten the city if he focused on Ciena. But if he made another attempt on the city now, he would expose himself to Ciena’s attacks.
Queen Ciena had reached the same outcomes in her mind. Her only choice now was to wait and see what Dretheir decided to do. However, moments later she revealed a grim expression as she sensed Dretheir gathering the remainder of his energy.
‘He’s decided to focus on me.’ She sighed as she realised she was unlikely to survive the next exchange. Battles on their level always used an ungodly amount of energy. But that usually meant they did not last long either.
Ciena prepared the best defensive spell she could muster in that situation. Her breathing had become ragged as Dretheir seemed to brim with overwhelming power. Nine serpents made of water rose from the sea to bare their fangs at Ciena. A quick glance told her that spell would defeat her own as she took a deep breath and steadied her resolve.
She released an ear-piercing screech as thunder rumbled and lightning lit up the sky. ‘Let’s end this.’ She thought as Dretheir launched his spell…