Chapter 52: Kaelthos
Kaelthos struck first. A bolt the size of a fortress speared down from the clouds, exploding where Zephyr stood. The ground cracked apart, stone shards flying like daggers.
But Zephyr had already moved. His body blurred, a phantom’s afterimage in the storm. His blade flickered, intercepting the bolt, splitting it into ribbons of harmless light. The system flared in his vision — Shadow Veil (Mastery Increased).
Lyra loosed three arrows at once, each glowing with moonfire. They streaked through the rain, curving mid-flight like silver hawks. Kaelthos batted them aside with a sweep of his talon, yet one found its mark, burning into his shoulder. He snarled, smoke hissing from the wound.
Darius charged, hammer raised. With a roar, he slammed it into Kaelthos’ leg. The impact thundered like falling towers, and for the first time, the titan staggered.
But Kaelthos was not merely storm; he was fury given form. He whipped his tail, the lash cracking against Darius’ chest. The warrior flew back, smashing into a shattered column, coughing blood but laughing.
"Is that all you’ve got?" Darius spat, rising to his feet again.
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The Eye of the Storm
The battle spiraled into chaos. Zephyr moved like shadowlight, weaving between strikes, each dodge a dance with death. His sword clashed against Kaelthos’ claws, sparks raining like meteors.
Yet Kaelthos’ storm grew darker, denser. The winds howled until even the air was a weapon. Rain turned to spears, lightning to whips, the battlefield itself twisting against them.
"We can’t outlast him," Lyra cried over the storm. "His strength is endless here. We need to cut through it — strike his core!"
Zephyr narrowed his eyes. Through the maelstrom, he glimpsed it: the stormheart gem embedded in Kaelthos’ chest, glowing like a violet sun. That was his anchor to this realm. Break it, and the storm would fall.