Chapter 495: Breaking the Heart Crest
"Ready?" Bethiv asked, his gaze meeting mine.
We stood before the imposing gates, two hundred soldiers arrayed behind us. Their souls radiated intense mana, so concentrated that it made the air shimmer like heat rising from the ground. I couldn’t remember ever seeing so many powerful souls gathered in one place, their combined energy illuminating the courtyard.
They all waited for my command, their faces a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. But I was frozen, my tail stiff and my hands trembling. With a single word, it would all begin—my final battle to save Elise and destroy the Circle. It had taken years to reach this point, years of hardship, tears, and suffering. Was I truly ready to face the man who had orchestrated so much of my pain?
Fable’s soft growl reverberated through me, the warmth of his presence a comforting anchor in the storm of my emotions. I was about to face the Circle, but I wasn’t alone. Not anymore.
"Do it," I whispered, steeling my resolve. "Let’s get this over with."
Bethiv nodded grimly and stepped forward, raising his sword high. Light gathered on the blade, growing blindingly bright until it forced me to avert my gaze.
"Break!" he roared, swinging his sword downward in a powerful arc.
A brilliant wave of mana erupted from the blade, slashing horizontally through the gates of the inner courtyard. The enchantments woven into the wood and steel groaned and buckled under the force of the attack, then shattered completely. A tense silence hung in the air as both sides held their breath.
Then, the gates exploded, sending fragments of wood and steel flying like deadly shrapnel. Screams erupted from the other side as the soldiers within were peppered with debris.