Chapter 67: In the world watched by the Warden
Holdrake’s eyes went bloodshot as he felt the 17th Warden holding his life in his firm palm.
He’s merely a fragment of will! How can he possibly be this strong?
With chains of darkness coiling around him like snakes, a single wrong move would have utterly ended Holdrake’s existence right there and then. He was so close to achieving his ambition, yet the ties between dragons and wardens ran far deeper than anyone expected, for them all. The realization vexed him. He desperately wanted to fight and thrash against the chains, but something inside urged calm. It was an inner voice of reason coming from the ’human’ part of him.
After all, Jett was the star of this test. Soon he would be tried by the 17th Warden, and, with enough effort, he could defeat the 17th Warden’s scheme and would consequently free Holdrake. It felt as if his life was finished, yet it truly wasn’t, and Holdrake finally grasped that truth. Meanwhile, Jett focused on the 17th Warden, whose darkness further blanketed the skies. The man slowly faded into the background. The entire world grew dark and seemingly over.
Without hesitation, Jett raised his hand above his head. "CERVEN!"
His Crimson Lightning Bolt gathered from countless arcs, stretching into a spear whose brilliance lit the space around Jett. Next, he summoned more clouds that spread like the Milky Way around him in every direction. He then struck the clouds with Cerven, its form spidering through them like a dog marking territory. Countless roars boomed from the masses, each roar paired with a flash that heralded the Crimson Storm.
"Very well," the 17th Warden’s voice echoed across the heavens. You reacted quickly and refused to plunge into my dominion. Every living being, even those who dare call themselves demons or undead, fears my reign of night and shadow. Mortals falter beneath darkness, all the more when it comes from the Ruler of Night and Shadows. Your lightning, however, is truly formidable.
Jett’s lightning scoured away the boundless colors of night, staining everything around him crimson in a truly wide radius. That alone earned praise from the 17th Warden. Yet within the dominion, gaps opened like Swiss cheese, and the 17th Warden’s shadows slithered through them toward Jett, threatening his life.
I can already sense him closing in on me, Jett thought, Cerven detonating within his swirling white clouds to counter the other Warden’s power. He found those gaps so fast and nearly reached me that I can’t relax at all.I still haven’t located him precisely. The longer I keep the clouds active, the more mana I burn away. I must finish this quickly.
Just then, a hand suddenly punched through Jett’s back, blasting a hole in his chest. He spat a mouthful of blood and glanced down, spotting the black glove of the man he faced directly now.