The Destructive Adventures of the Lovers-Chapter 61: Sunken Kingdom

Owen moved swiftly through the shadows of the castle, his boots whispering against the ancient stone as he approached the grand hall. The Sword of the Phoenix lay on its pedestal, its blade humming with an otherworldly pulse. He reached out, and as his fingers wrapped around the hilt, the sword erupted into blue flames, its fire dancing like a heartbeat, responding to his touch.

Blue and yellow wings unfurled from his back, bursting into existence like a storm's first crack of lightning. He flexed them once, the sheer force of it sending a gust through the hall, flickering torches and rattling ancient tapestries. His heart burned with a fierce determination. He had to end this. They all did.

Outside, the snowstorm raged. The Holy Land shuddered beneath Raven's power, great chunks of earth rising, twisted like broken bones, drifting into the sky. Snowflakes became knives, sharp as shattered glass, slicing through the air. They pierced armor, flesh, and stone alike, leaving trails of crimson in their wake.

Owen burst into the cold, his wings crackling with blue fire. He soared above the battlefield, his blade blazing a path through the storm. He swung it down, and a wave of searing flame tore through the ice-covered ground, melting snow, turning knights to ash, and scorching the frozen earth.

Below, Lila clashed with the ice knights, her fists spinning in sharp arcs, every strike sending cracks through the icy air. Margo, bleeding but unbroken, slashed her way through the last of the ice knights, her breath a mist, her eyes burning with defiance. Matt hurled fireballs at Raven, each one met with a flick of Raven's dark cloak, dispersing the flames into harmless embers.

Raven hovered above them, his eyes like twin abysses, his power rippling through the air. He raised his hand, and the snow beneath their feet twisted and shattered, the ground rising in jagged spikes, lifting the entire Holy Land into the sky, a floating island of chaos and blood.

"Is this all you have?" Raven's voice echoed through the storm, chilling their bones. "This world is mine!"

Owen roared, his wings flaring as he shot toward Raven, his sword a comet of blue flame. He struck, their blades meeting with a sound like the scream of metal, sending shockwaves through the floating battlefield. The snowstorm thickened, lightning crackled in the darkened sky, and the Holy Land rose higher, its edges crumbling into the void below.

Martha, still struggling with her own fear, raised her hands and hurled shards of ice at Raven, but he deflected them with a wave of his arm, sending them spinning back toward her. She dodged, rolling across the broken ground as Owen struck again, his sword blazing brighter with each blow.

"You think you can defy me?" Raven's eyes flared, and he thrust his hand forward. The air around Owen froze solid, trapping him in a shell of ice. His wings flickered, the flames dimming, and he crashed to the ground, encased in frost.

Margo screamed his name, her voice a raw, desperate cry that cut through the howling storm. She ran toward him, her own blade drawn, slashing through the last of the ice knights. Matt, blood dripping from a dozen wounds, raised his hands and unleashed a torrent of fire, melting the ice around Owen, freeing him just as Raven descended, his dark cloak swirling like the wings of a vengeful god.

Owen stumbled to his feet, his wings flaring again, the blue flames igniting with a ferocity that sent Raven skidding back. The floating land trembled, rocks and shattered buildings swirling around them in a chaotic dance.

"This ends now!" Owen shouted, his voice breaking through the storm as he charged, the Sword of the Phoenix blazing, its flames cutting through the blizzard, the echoes of battle rising around him as the Holy Land itself began to crack and crumble, suspended in the storm-filled sky. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Ella arrived at the edge of the forest, her breath sharp as the wind cut through her. She looked up, her eyes widening as the Holy Land hovered in the sky, its fractured stone and broken towers spiraling upward like the shattered bones of a fallen giant. She took a deep breath, her hands trembling, and stretched them toward the earth. Ice crackled at her fingertips, weaving itself into a jagged, spiraling staircase, glittering in the fractured sunlight. Without hesitation, she ran up, each step a desperate prayer against the biting cold.

Owen, his wings ablaze in streaks of blue and yellow, hovered above the ruined battlements, the Sword of Phoenix flaring with searing blue flames. He glanced down at Gabriel, their eyes meeting in silent understanding. Owen swooped low, grasping Gabriel by the arm. Gabriel latched on, and together they soared upward, the wind howling around them. As they neared Raven, Gabriel released his grip, propelling himself onto the dark figure. His fingers closed around Raven's throat, his teeth gritted as he tore away a swirling shroud of cloud. Sunlight stabbed through the storm, casting jagged shadows over the fractured land below.

"You are nothing but a ghost," Gabriel snarled, his voice raw.

Raven's eyes snapped open, a cold, pitiless glare. He flung his arms wide, a burst of dark energy crackling from his fingertips, throwing Gabriel and Owen back. Gabriel tumbled through the air, his limbs flailing, until Owen caught him, wings straining against the turbulent winds.

"Pathetic," Raven whispered, his voice like the grinding of ancient stones. He twisted his wrist, and the snowflakes around him sharpened into icy blades, raining down like the teeth of a frozen beast.

Ella reached the final step, her boots skidding on the frozen ledge. She raised one hand, forming a spear of pure, translucent ice. She threw it with a fierce cry, the spear whistling through the air. But before it could reach Raven, it shattered against an invisible barrier, the shards raining down like broken glass.

Raven's eyes flicked toward her, a flicker of annoyance marring his pale features. "You dare?" he whispered, and with a flick of his wrist, the Holy Land shuddered. The floating kingdom groaned as its stone foundations cracked, the towers crumbling in slow motion before plummeting toward the earth. The castle exploded outward, fragments of marble and glass spiraling into the air like the limbs of a dying beast. The surface buckled, an earthquake ripping through the floating mass, splitting the ground beneath their feet.

Gabriel grabbed Lila and Margo, yanking them back as the floor collapsed, jagged chasms racing toward them. Matt, his eyes wide with terror, seized Ella by the arm, dragging her back as a wall of stone crashed down where she had stood moments before.

The entire kingdom sank, a massive crater swallowing the land as it fell back to the earth, the air splitting with the sound of a thousand trees cracking at once. Dust and snow whirled in a choking storm around them. The cracks snaked across the ruined land, racing toward the fleeing survivors like the grasping fingers of a vengeful ghost.

They reached the center, their hearts pounding as the kingdom plunged beneath the earth, the last of its spires vanishing into the darkness below. The cracks stilled, the earth settling like the final breath of a dying beast. Silence, broken only by the distant roar of collapsing stone.

Then, a tremor. The ground shuddered and split anew, revealing a massive, yawning pit. The void seemed to breathe, its edges crumbling, pulling the shattered remnants of the Holy Land deeper into its endless maw.

Owen's wings flared again, and he shot upward, his sword blazing in his grip. He met Raven in the stormy air, slashing at the dark figure with all his strength. Raven merely raised a hand, his eyes flashing with cold amusement. A bolt of crackling, electric fury erupted from his palm, striking Owen in the chest. The winged warrior plummeted, his wings trailing smoke as his body twisted through the air.

"Owen!" Margo screamed, her voice lost in the howling wind.

Matt's fists burst into flame as he launched himself upward, catching Owen just as he tumbled toward the edge of the abyss. They hung there, trembling, wings beating against the storm, the darkness below them stretching into forever.

Raven hovered above, a dark silhouette against the shattered sky, his laughter rolling over the ruins like the final toll of a funeral bell.