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“Then let’s end this charade. No more words, no more pretense of diplomacy. I will crush you, your realm, and everything youhold dear. And when I’m finished, there will be nothing left but ash and flame,”the Sun King said, his gaze hardening, the light around him intensifying until it was almost blinding.
“You’re welcome to try,” I spat, the shadows swirling around me, ready to strike. “But know this—Helheim will never fall to the likes of you. Not while I still draw breath.”
With a final, wordless snarl, we both launched forward, the distance between us closing in an instant.
CHAPTER 18
Helheim
Aria
My heart lurched as I watched the two dragons lunge at each other up high in the sky.
They collided with a force that shook the very ground beneath me. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, and I could feel the power of their clash deep in my bones. The sky lit up with violent energy, sparks of light and shadow dancing across the heavens like a deadly firework display, and I held my breath.
Hades struck first, his dark flames roaring out of his mouth and engulfing the Sun King in a torrent of searing heat. But then the Sun King countered with a blast of his own fiery breath, a brilliant beam of light that cut through the darkness, meeting Hades’ flames head-on. The two titans collided in midair, creating an explosion of fire and shadow that sent ripples of energy cascading through the sky.
They broke apart, circling around each other. Hades twisted in the air, his massive wings propelling him upward with terrifying speed. He dove down at the Sun King with a vicious snarl, his claws extended with the sole aim to tear through those gleaming golden scales.
But the Sun King was ready for him. With a powerful beat of his wings, he shot upward, avoiding the attack and countering with a swift turn of his body. His tail, glowing with the heat of a thousand suns, lashed out, striking Hades across the side with a force that sent him reeling.
Hades roared in fury, righting himself in the air, his eyes blazing. He charged again, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye, and their massive bodies collided once more, claws and teeth tearing at scales, wings beating furiously as they grappled in midair.
Hades snapped at the Sun King’s neck, his jaws closing around one of the sun dragon’s wings. He bit down hard, and I saw blood, dark against the golden light, spill from the wound.
The Sun King retaliated with a burst of searing light, his flames scorching the air around them. The heat was so intense I could feel it from the ground, and I had to shield my eyes from the blinding glow. Hades released his grip, pulling back to avoid the worst of the attack, but I could see the burn marks on his scales.
He’d been hurt.
They separated again, each dragon taking a moment to assess the other, their breaths coming in heavy, smoke-filled bursts.
Then, with a roar, they charged at each other once again. Hades’ dark form moved like a shadow, swift and lethal, while the Sun King blazed with the intensity of a supernova. They collided ina brutal clash, their bodies tangled together as they tumbled through the sky. The more I watched, the more I saw a writhing mass of scales, claws, and teeth.
It was utterly terrifying.
The ground beneath me trembled as their battle raged on above me, and my heart pounded in my chest. I could hardly breathe as I watched them fight.
“Hades,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the roar of the flames. “You have to win. You have to.”
I couldn’t just stand there and watch though. Not when the battle on the ground was just beginning too.
In an instant, I was swept up into the middle of it, my heart pounding as I dodged the swing of a blade one moment and narrowly avoided being trampled by a charging soldier the next.
Suddenly, a massive shape loomed beside me, and I whipped around, expecting to face another enemy. But it wasn’t a man or a beast of Sungard that had approached me—it was a hellhound. The creature’s blazing eyes met mine, and for a moment, I hesitated, unsure of whether or not it was going to kill me.
It was enormous, its body covered in dark, matted fur, with flames licking at the edges of its mouth. But instead of attacking, the beast lowered its huge form to the ground, its eyes locking onto mine with an almost expectant look.
I didn’t have time to think. Instinct took over me, and I scrambled onto the hellhound’s back, gripping the thick fur at its neck for balance. With a powerful surge, the beast rose to its full height, and I felt a jolt of adrenaline as I clung to its back. The world seemed to blur around me as the hellhound boundedforward, its powerful legs propelling us through the chaos of the battlefield.
From my new vantage point, I could see the battle unfolding in all its brutal intensity. The Dark King’s men fought desperately, their swords clashing with those of the Sun King’s soldiers in a deadly dance of steel, sweat, and blood.
The hellhound carried me swiftly through the chaos, weaving between the warring soldiers and leaping over fallen bodies with ease. I gripped its fur tighter, my heart pounding in my chest as I steeled myself for what was to come.
I was part of this war now, whether I wanted to be or not.
One of the Sun King’s soldiers came at me, his sword arcing through the air toward my leg. I barely had time to react, ducking low and slashing upward with the dagger. The blade found its mark, slicing through the gap in his armor and sending him stumbling back, blood spurting from the wound. He fell to the ground, his sword clattering beside him, but there was no time to celebrate the victory because another soldier was already closing in.
The hellhound snarled and lunged at him, its jaws snapping shut around his arm. The soldier screamed, his weapon falling from his grasp as the beast shook him like a ragdoll, tossing him aside as though he was no heavier than a bag of feathers. I barely had time to catch my breath before a third soldier charged, his eyes locked onto me with murderous intent.
