Tyris wasn’t affected by either spell and could move freely whereas it was only a matter of time before he would be squashed like a bug between Fire Titan and Castle of Light.
Fenagar released all the spells he had at the ready, attacking the construct from the inside and from the outside at the same time. Castle of Light started to crack, letting precious water in, when Tyris’s claws dug deep into his scales, ravaging the Leviathan’s flesh with thunder and darkness.
“Do you want water? Let’s see how much of it I can squeeze out of your blood!” Tyris pinned him down while her beak worked its way through his neck. Fenagar writhed and struggled with all of his might, never losing control of his spells.
Even with all of her fury and skill, Tyris failed to deal a lethal blow and with each passing second, more water entered the sealed space, restoring the Leviathan’s strength.
Only when the construct emerged from the ocean and all the precious liquid that he had fought so hard to accumulate fell through the very cracks he had opened did Fenagar accept his fate.
“I yield.” That was all he said after ceasing his pointless struggle.
“Yet I’m far from done!” Tyris couldn’t care less if Mogar had to find a new Guardian, her rage demanded satisfaction.
As she ripped through bone and muscles, a silver pillar descended from the skies and pierced through the ocean until Kolga could see the moon for the first time since it had been founded.
The consciousness of all Guardians and even of those who bore a white core was forcefully dragged to the battlefield where the unliving and the undead fought for their right to exist.
***
Lith knew that a world tribulation wouldn’t do him any good by itself, but its activation gave him all the means he needed to turn the tide of the battle.
He had experienced enough tribulations to know that even if for a brief second, the sudden surge of world energy around him would be so dense that it would push all the enemies surrounding him away.
As the silver and black pillars sent the Kolgans flying, all of Lith’s seven eyes opened, yet the last two still lacked the power of the elements. At the same time, his body grew its wings, tail, and horns until they were fully developed.
Lith exploited that moment to use Invigoration and restore his strength. He took just one short breath, but one imbued with world energy so dense that it carried Mogar’s consciousness.
The Guardians didn’t like their show being interrupted during its climax, but what replaced the fight between the Griffon and the Leviathan seemed to be equally interesting. They munched their salty snacks, eager to discover what the anomaly had in store for them.
‘What the fuck?’ Silverwing didn’t know whether to be angry or happy for it. ‘That thing can undergo world tribulations as I did? If he fails, Epphy can’t blame me for his death and maybe she’ll follow me of her own will.
‘Yet if he succeeds, he might reach heights where not even I can follow him.’ She crossed her fingers and wished for the best. Her own, of course.
The members of the Council were so shocked by the appearance of the silver pillar that they almost forgot about the streak of natural disasters that closed in by the second.
Almost.
No matter how much they wanted to investigate the phenomenon, one moment of hesitation would mean losing everything that they had fought so hard to preserve, turning Jiera’s west coast into a graveyard.
“What does that mean? When I’ll be able to do the same?” Between Night’s shock and Orpal’s envy, he had managed to break free from her control.
“It means everything and nothing at the same time.” Baba Yaga replied. “As for your second question, only in your dreams, if you’re lucky.”
Lith knew that his proto-Guardian form was just for show and that a single breath of Invigoration wouldn’t last long under the effects of the Forbidden Sun, yet all he needed were a few seconds.
Now that both sets of wings and his tail were fully developed, he had seven limbs capable of grabbing the Kolgans around him at the same time. Instead of releasing the Demons of the Darkness on the outside as he had done until a moment ago, Lith made them part of his own body.
The Demons spawned solely from his Abomination side, but it was his own Spirit Magic that gave them substance, providing him the means to control them. Each Demon sucked their respective Kolgan dry, taking back the mass and life force that was rightfully theirs.
Being part of Lith, they couldn’t dart toward the sky and were forced to add their essence to that of their master. Each one of them had now a mana core and mass that fueled Lith making him grow in size and power.
It allowed him to reach almost 4.3 meters (14 feet) without his body getting any weaker.
‘To double my size, I need eight times my volume. My only issue is that soon War will become smaller than a kitchen knife for me.’ Lith exploited the fear of his enemies to collect more victims.
Seven Demons of Darkness meant that he had now one mana core in each of his limbs and two in his abdomen. Not only did they shield him from the negative effects of the Forbidden Sun, but they also used it to empower Lith’s spells.
‘Don’t worry about me, Master.’ The sudden surge of world energy and mana from Lith allowed War to speak its first words. ‘I know what I have to do to serve you.’
Lith didn’t have the time to be surprised by the change in the angry blade when another volley of high tiered spells came his way. The silver pillar only made him an easier target now that its density had decreased, and growing in size didn’t help him either.
His Scalewalker armor didn’t have enough metal to cover his body anymore, forcing Lith to split it between his heart, neck, and brain to keep his vitals protected. Everything else he could fix with Invigoration or healing magic.
Lith Blinked farther than he ever did before, crossing hundreds of meters at once thanks to his eight mana cores. He trusted War’s words and struck at his enemies with the blade that looked like a short sword while held by a giant.
Even though the silver pillar betrayed his presence, knowing the Wyrmling’s position was pointless to those who couldn’t react to his speed. Lith’s limbs gobbled six more victims while War reaped three, bringing Lith up to 17 times his original mass and tripling his height.
Now that he was 6,5 meters (21 feet) tall and empowered by 17 mana cores, his black scales became unaffected by all spells below tier four, allowing him to focus on the offense.
His claws tore through his enemies’ enchanted armor as if they were made of paper, and by giving substance to the spirits of the dead that haunted every single Kolgan, Lith only needed a graze to kill them.
Black tendrils would erupt from his body on contact, wrapping around his victims and sucking them dry.
