Chapter 34: Dance of the Apex and Rose
The spiritual probe of the Imperial Dragon Knight Commander was like a spear of ice, piercing through the spiritual mist of the wild lands, homing in on Kaelen Thorne and Seraphina Vex. They had known pursuit was inevitable, but the speed and precision of the Imperial Army were formidable.
"He's here," Seraphina purred, her eyes narrowing as she looked to the sky. Her red and black robes seemed to blend with the deepening shadows of the twilight. "Commander Varkos. Empress Anya's most loyal hound. A cultivator whose Imperial Dragon Bloodline is said to be as fierce as her own."
Kaelen felt the powerful aura rapidly approaching. This was no ordinary knight. This was a peak Half-Beast Form cultivator, perhaps even verging on Blood Reforging himself, backed by a formidable elite squad. His long, dark hair whipped around his face as the wind picked up. His Apex Genesis Bloodline thrummed, ready for battle, but also keenly aware of the danger.
Soon, the sky above them filled with crimson-scaled winged beasts, descending like vengeful spirits. At their lead was Commander Varkos, a towering man in gleaming draconic armor, his own face stern, his eyes blazing with the fierce pride of the Imperial Dragon Bloodline. He radiated immense power, his aura solid and unyielding like a mountain.
"You are surrounded, demoness! And you, unknown abomination!" Varkos's voice boomed, amplified by Qi, shaking the very air. "You dared to defy Empress Anya in her own city! Surrender now, and perhaps your deaths will be swift!"
Seraphina laughed, a rich, husky sound that sent a shiver down the spines of the Dragon Knights. "Such crude threats, little dragon. You forget who you face."
Kaelen, however, chose action over words. With a controlled surge of power, he shifted into his Half-Beast Form. His body swelled, muscles coiling, shimmering azure-blue and obsidian scales erupting across his skin. His hands transformed into powerful, sapphire-clawed appendages, his face elongating, and his emerald eyes blazed with a terrifying reptilian slit. His thick, sapphire-scaled tail lashed out, digging into the earth, stabilizing him. The aura he exuded was a dense, crushing weight, a composite blend of earth, water, fire, and untamed primordial predatory might.
"This is the 'abomination', Dragon Knight," Kaelen growled, his voice now a deeper, resonant rumble. He launched himself forward, not waiting for their attack.
Varkos, startled by Kaelen's immediate and terrifying transformation, roared, activating his own Imperial Dragon Bloodline. His skin immediately hardened into thick, crimson scales, and his body swelled, becoming more muscular and imposing. His eyes glowed with fiery Qi, and faint, leathery wings sprouted from his back, though he remained on his mount.
The battle erupted. The Imperial Dragon Knights, disciplined and formidable, attacked in unison, unleashing torrents of concentrated fire-Qi and spiritual binding techniques. But they were facing a force unlike any they had encountered.
Seraphina was a whirlwind of dark grace. She moved like smoke, evading attacks effortlessly, her seductive power now weaponized. She deployed intricate illusions, causing knights to clash swords with empty air or see their allies as enemies. Her shadowy essence allowed her to flow between them, delivering precise soul-strikes that sent jolts of mental agony through the disciplined knights, momentarily disrupting their formations. Her long, wild hair lashed like dark whips, each strand seemingly imbued with a captivating, disorienting charm. She was the disruption, the chaos, drawing their attention and leaving openings.
Kaelen, meanwhile, was the unstoppable force. His Half-Beast Form, perfected through rigorous training and the integration of multiple essences, now moved with terrifying fluidity and precision. He absorbed the fire-Qi of the Dragon Knights with his inherent fiery affinity, then unleashed it back as scorching concussive waves. His obsidian scales deflected their spiritual weapons. His sapphire-laced claws tore through hardened armor. He moved with a brutal, almost artistic efficiency, his every strike carrying the weight of a primordial beast.
He targeted the winged mounts, knowing that grounding the knights would severely cripple their aerial advantage. With leaps of impossible power, he tackled the beasts, ripping through their wings with his claws, sending them plummeting to the earth. The sky soon rained with terrified shrieks of falling beasts and knights.
Commander Varkos, witnessing the devastation, finally engaged Kaelen directly. He dismounted, his crimson scales gleaming, his spiritual energy reaching a peak. He wielded a massive, dragon-bone greatsword, imbued with immense fire-Qi. "You are powerful, monster," Varkos gritted out, his voice filled with fury and grudging respect. "But you will not defy the Empress!"
Varkos attacked with the brute force and refined technique of a master cultivator. His greatsword moved like a crimson streak, each swing carrying the power of a raging inferno. Kaelen met him, his own clawed hands glowing with raw power. Their clash shook the very plateau. Sparks flew as Kaelen's obsidian scales met the dragon-bone sword. Kaelen's strikes, though Qi-less in the conventional sense, carried a primordial density that vibrated through Varkos's defenses, forcing the Commander to grunt in pain.
Kaelen quickly realized Varkos's strength. He was pushing Kaelen to his limits, forcing him to draw on all his integrated essences. Kaelen flowed like water, struck like earth, burned like fire, and moved with a shadow's elusive grace, countering Varkos's disciplined aggression with unpredictable, primal power.
Seraphina, seeing the intense duel, sent a barrage of powerful, concentrated soul-strikes at Varkos, hoping to create an opening. Varkos roared, momentarily faltering, his concentration breaking.
Kaelen seized the chance. With a final, explosive surge, he willed his Half-Beast Form to its utmost. The scales on his body seemed to pulse with an internal light, and for a split second, the faint, shimmering silhouette of a five-clawed Imperial Dragon, consumed by primordial fire, overlaid his own form, a direct echo of the essence he had absorbed. His claws glowed with a terrifying, consuming inferno. He slammed his fist into Varkos's chest, bypassing the Commander's draconic scales.
Varkos roared in pain, his eyes widening in disbelief. He felt his spiritual core tremor, his Imperial Dragon Bloodline itself recoiling from the raw, contradictory power. He was sent flying back, crashing into a rocky outcrop, his draconic armor visibly cracked. He was defeated, but alive.
The remaining Imperial Dragon Knights, seeing their Commander fall, faltered. Seraphina immediately capitalized, weaving a grand illusion of overwhelming demonic entities rising from the ground, causing panic to erupt in their ranks.
"Now, Kaelen!" she urged. "They will send more. And next time, it will be the Empress herself!"
Kaelen, his Half-Beast Form flickering, slowly reverted to his human shape, panting heavily. The raw power of his bloodline had done its work, but the strain was immense. He nodded, gathering his remaining strength.
Together, they melted into the shadows once more, leaving behind a battered Imperial Dragon Commander and the ruins of his elite force. Kaelen had faced the direct might of the Crimson Empire and emerged victorious, proving his power to himself and to a truly formidable enemy. His Half-Beast Form had been pushed to its very peak, now a refined weapon of primordial power. But the clash with Commander Varkos, and the distant, chilling presence of Empress Anya, served as a stark reminder: the world was vast, and greater challenges, and greater powers, awaited him on his path to ultimate ascension.