A Journey That Changed The World

Archer clapped his hands together, readying his mana for the next attack. The three strands collided and combined. Light exploded outward, forcing Sera, who was standing beside him, to shield her eyes. When it cleared, several spells hovered in front of him: missile-shaped mana projectiles, each one made up of a different element, bound by a lattice of raw will.

The Terravian God sensed the threat. Its shield, already spider-webbed and bleeding divine light, flared with desperate brilliance. Stone golems along the perimeter lurched to life, but he didn’t spare them a glance as they would be destroyed soon, and the spell charged up even more, absorbing mana from his body.

”Now,” he muttered.

Archer thrust his hand forward, forcing the projectiles to carve a screaming trail of chaos toward the shield. The barrier met it with a shriek as the strange mana flared, but it was useless. For a heartbeat, the spells hung suspended, elements warring against the enemy god’s will.

Moments later, several explosions echoed out. A ring of violet fire erupted first, devouring the shield’s outer layer. Lightning followed, lancing through every fracture in a web of blinding white. Finally, it bloomed, black petals unfurling in perfect silence, eating light, sound, and power alike.

The shield didn’t break. It unraveled, threads of divine energy torn loose and scattered like ash on the wind. The Terravian God bellowed, a sound of rage and pain that shook the earth. Its form flickered, edges fraying as the loss of its barrier carved wounds into its soul. Archer staggered, knees buckling.

Sera caught him before he hit the ground, her arms surprisingly strong for her petite size. ”Easy,” she murmured, pressing two fingers to his throat.

Mana pulsed from her touch, cool and steadying; it brought him back to reality as she gave him some of her energy. He coughed, tasting copper. ”Did we get it?”

The redhead looked up with her big ruby red eyes, scanning the results of Archer’s attack. Where the shield had been, nothing remained, as the surrounding land was burning. Beyond it, the god’s aura loomed, weaker but unbroken. ”Not yet,” she said, smile sharp. ”But it’s bleeding.”

Archer pushed himself upright, wiping blood from his lip. ”Good. Bleeding things can die.”

Without waiting, he summoned the Swarms, ordering them to attack the fortress. ”Kill everything inside! Leave the leaders to us!”

Just then, the Broodmaw Hunters burst forward, sprinting at the last Terravian bastion in their once thriving realm. When the monsters got close, explosions erupted as the defenders fought back, but it was useless. Venomwings swooped down, taking out many on the ramparts as the other creatures joined the battle.

Sera watched this with excitement, her head snapped in his direction. ”Can I join?” she asked.

”Go for it, but be careful,” he replied.

Following that, Sera summoned her wings, taking off, leaving behind a sonic boom as she rushed toward the fortress. Some of the Terravian Mages tried to attack the Dragoness, but Archer extended his Anti-Magic to her, causing the spells to fizzle out and vanish before they even touched her.

She slammed into the gate in full Dragon form, a crimson meteor of scale and fury. Iron buckled like parchment; the enemy vanguard vanished beneath her impact, pulped into the flagstones. Spells flared against her hide, bouncing off ruby scales, until a lance of violet-white force punched through, carving a smoking furrow along her flank.

Archer listened to Sera roar, tail the size of a siege tower whipping in a single arc. Stone cracked, bodies flew, and the gate’s archway collapsed in a storm of dust and screams. His Swarm entered the breach, slaughtering any Terravian that came near. He slowly walked toward the destruction, excitement exploding thanks to the incoming fight.

While doing that, an aura exploded outward, sending his monsters flying, but it rushed in his direction and tried to punch him. Archer caught the Terravian God’s fist, smirking as he sensed the enemy was even weaker than he expected. Without warning, he lunged forward, biting down on the foe’s shoulders.

Fangs sank into the humanoid’s shoulder. He wrenched his head sideways and tore. The arm came free in a spray of blood. The enemy’s scream echoed out, pure agony. Moments later, Archer’s tail lashed against the being’s body, and a thunder-crack echoed out. It caught the deity across the chest and hurled it.

The God flew backward, trailing ichor, and punched through the fortress wall like a cannonball through parchment. Stone erupted in a blooming cloud; half the bastion was wiped out of existence. From above, Sera’s laughter rang, bright as breaking glass. ”Save some for me, love.”

Archer spat divine blood, wiped his mouth with the back of one clawed hand. ”Plenty left. It’s still breathing.”

Following that, the god dragged itself from the rubble, one-armed, granite skin sloughing like wet clay. Gold ichor hissed where it touched the ground, eating craters into stone. Its remaining eye, a dying star, fixed on him. ”You dare,” the Terravian God rasped, voice cracked.

Archer rolled his neck. ”Dare’s a strong word. I’m finishing.”

Behind him, Sera landed in a gust of wind, folding wings tight. Scales smoked where the lance had kissed her; the wound already knit, ruby edges glowing. She flicked her tail, scattering Swarm like startled crows. ”Left me the fun part,” she said, amused. ”How generous.”

The Enemy God raised its stump. Light condensed, a second arm trying to regrow, slow, stuttering, the color of old blood. Archer didn’t wait and decided to act. He stepped in and put a stop to it as he murmured. ”Dragonfire.”

Violet petals bloomed from his body. He pressed them to the enemy’s chest. They sank into the humanoid’s body. The Terrvian convulsed, trying to pull away as the pain intensified thanks to his mana seeping into the being’s chest, causing it to grit its teeth; Archer held fast, fingers buried to the wrist in divine flesh.

Sera circled high above. ”My turn to show you what I can do.”

She exhaled and seconds later, a lance of pure dragon-roar, shaped like a spear. It punched through the enemy’s knee. The joint exploded outward in a spray of stone and light. The deity toppled, crashing to one knee, shaking the earth. Archer leaned in, mouth to the god’s ear. ”You kept slaves. Burned cities. Called it an order.”

His voice dropped to a whisper. ”Order’s over and the rise of the White Dragon continues.”

He twisted the pure mana. The orbs spread, racing up the God’s torso, across its face. Where they touched, divinity unraveled into nothingness, but his body pulled in the energy, boosting his power to new heights. The enemy’s scream became a whimper. Its shrank, until what knelt before them was barely man-sized: cracked stone over a flickering core of light.

Sera’s claw settled on its shoulder, gently. ”Any last words?”

The core pulsed once as it answered. ”Mercy.”

Archer’s laugh was soft. ”Wrong story.”

He closed his fist. The dragonfire contracted, causing the Terravian to implode, folding inward until only a fist-sized shard of starlight remained, hovering, trembling. Sera plucked it from the air. It dimmed between her fingers ”Souvenir?” she asked.

Archer wiped his hands on his coat. ”Trophy. Mount it above the throne back in the palace.”

Around them, the fortress burned. Swarm feasted. The sky, for the first time in centuries, belonged to no god. Sera bumped his shoulder. ”Drinks?”

He grinned, fangs still gold-flecked. ”First round’s on the corpse.”

Following that, the Terravian Realm began to fall apart, allowing them to escape after he summoned the Swarms back to the Domain alongside the bodies, leaving nothing behind as they reappeared on the floating island. The Dragoness glanced around, seeing mounds of monster bodies piling up all around them.

Archer grew curious and sent out a pulse of mana only to realize that these were the last enemy creatures left in the real world. Sera sighed in relie, grabbed his arm, and dragged him toward their mansion. The Draconians rushed outside to loot the bodies after Elara gave the command.

After ten minutes, the duo arrived at the mansion, where the others were waiting for them after their hard-fought battle. When stepping inside, Brooke collided with him, wrapping her arms around his shoulder before giving him a passionate kiss. After she was finished, the older woman backed away, green eyes full of love.

”Well done, handsome,” she praised. ”We felt the Terravian’s power vanish from here. Thanks for coming to help.”

”You’re welcome, Brooke,” Archer replied, returning the hug. ”But I’ll rest here for a while, need a break from the fighting.”

”Come on in!” Nefertiti exclaimed, a bright smile lighting up her face. ”We’ve just baked some delicious food that you can try for us.”

Archer noticed the other women nod in agreement, who dragged him toward the nearby lounge as Alexa and Nala went to grab the food. He slumped down in a comfortable chair and clased his eyes, relaxing as his stomach rumbled thanks to the aroma drifting through the air.