Chapter 18 - Battle of the Central Courtyard
Within minutes, the central courtyard of the Inner Citadel transformed into a fortress under siege. The silver storm dragon, now fully alert and radiating a powerful electrostatic hum, stood protectively in front of Mira as the massive iron gates shuddered under the heavy battering rams of Kaelen’s forces.
Crash!
The iron portcullis gave way, and General Kaelen marched into the courtyard at the head of fifty elite rogue paladins, their swords gleaming with the same volatile, orange glow of stolen dragon distillate.
"King Evander!" Kaelen bellowed, raising his broadsword high. "Surrender the dragon and the witch, and your lives will be spared! Resist, and this entire citadel will be reduced to ash!"
Evander stepped forward from the colonnade, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Mira. He didn't draw his sword immediately. Instead, he unclasped his leather gauntlets, letting them drop into the mud at his feet.
"You fight for a corpse, Kaelen," Evander’s deep voice echoed across the courtyard, carrying an absolute, terrifying calm. "The temple’s tyranny died with Malakor. Put down your weapons, and you will receive a fair trial."
"We need no trial!" Kaelen sneered, signaling his men to charge. "Burn them!"
The rogue paladins rushed forward, their weapons blazing with intense thermal energy.
Evander met the first attacker head-on. With his bare hands gripping the paladin’s sword blade, the volatile distillate energy surged into his skin. But instead of burning, Evander channeled the raw thermal force through his body, absorbing the destructive heat and transforming it into a blinding arc of pure, defensive blue lightning.
CRACK-BOOM!
The lightning bolt erupted from Evander’s hands, sweeping across the courtyard and disarming half the charging battalion in a single, concussive wave.
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At the same moment, Mira raised both hands toward the sky. The silver crest on her wrist flared with brilliant light. The lunar eclipse overhead seemed to fracture as Mira drew upon the infinite atmospheric power of the storm dragon. Heavy, cool rain instantly poured down from the sky, hissing as it quenched the burning distillate on the enemy swords and neutralizing their artificial fire.
Caught between the king’s lightning and the queen’s rain, Kaelen’s forces dropped their smoking weapons, falling to their knees in utter defeat as the royal guards swarmed in to secure them.
