The Destructive Adventures of the Lovers-Chapter 59: Protect the Mankaynd!

Snow whipped through the shattered gates, swirling around the chaos of the battlefield. The air was a storm of ice and fury, the ground a jagged, frozen wasteland. Phoebie rose from the shattered ice, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her muscles screaming with cold fire. She locked eyes with King Vesh, his armor gleaming with frost, his blade already drawn. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"You will not take this kingdom," he snarled, stabbing the ground. Golden threads shot from the earth, spiraling toward her, each line humming with ancient power.

But Phoebie grinned, the sharp edges of her teeth catching the pale, ghostly light of the snowstorm. She swung her massive ice blade down, cleaving the threads in a single, brutal arc. The ground beneath her cracked, splitting open like a wounded beast. She kicked off the frozen earth, sliding through the air, her feet leaving a trail of jagged ice behind her.

King Vesh stumbled back, his eyes narrowing as she barreled toward him. He brought his blade up just in time to meet hers, the clash of steel ringing out like a crack of thunder.

"I will not fall to you!" he roared, his eyes burning with a defiant, desperate rage.

Phoebie just laughed, the sound sharp and cold as the storm itself. She twisted her blade, shattering the golden threads that tried to bind her. She ducked under his swing, spinning on the icy air, her blade flashing in a deadly, beautiful arc.

Above them, Raven floated, his dark cloak billowing like storm clouds, his eyes glowing with a cold, cruel light. He watched the battle unfold below, his mind swirling with ancient memories, bitter and sharp as broken glass. He remembered the Creation World—once lush, once alive, now a barren, twisted wasteland, its people reduced to ash and shadows.

The rage flared in his chest, bright and consuming. His eyes darkened, and the ground beneath him trembled. Cracks splintered outward, racing toward the gates. Entire chunks of frozen earth broke away, the walls of the castle groaning and shattering under the force.

Martha stumbled, her icy shield flickering. She spun, her eyes wide with shock, as the very ground beneath her feet heaved like a living thing. She thrust her palm forward, and a wave of snow surged toward Raven, freezing him mid-air, encasing him in a jagged cocoon of ice.

"Stay down," she hissed, her breath fogging the air.

But the ice cracked. Raven's eyes snapped open, blazing with dark fire. The frozen shell shattered, and he rose again, his cloak unfurling like the wings of a vengeful spirit. He reached out, his fingers curling into a claw, and the earth itself groaned. Mountains in the distance trembled, rocks splitting, their snowy peaks crumbling. The largest peak broke away, the massive hulk of stone and ice hurtling toward the battlefield.

Martha's eyes widened as the mountain crashed down, smashing through the frozen forest, sending shards of ice and splintered wood flying like shrapnel. She barely had time to raise her shield as the debris struck, the force sending her skidding back, her feet digging deep ruts into the ice.

King Vesh roared in defiance, his blade flashing as he broke free of the ice creeping up his legs. He slashed through Phoebie's next attack, their blades sparking, the ground splitting beneath their feet.

Raven's cold, echoing laugh filled the air, drowning out the clash of metal and the screams of dying knights. His mind burned with fury, his power twisting the world around him into a nightmare of jagged stone and howling wind. He floated higher, his eyes fixed on the battlefield below, his fingers twitching as the very earth began to rise, mountains tearing themselves free of their roots, crashing toward the ruined gates where King Vesh and Martha still fought, their blades flashing in the storm-torn air.

Smoke choked the air as the mountain crashed into the earth, splintering trees and crushing stone. Villagers scrambled through the debris, their desperate cries rising into the swirling, icy winds. Some were caught beneath the falling boulders, their final screams drowned by the roar of cracking earth. Others fled, slipping through narrow alleyways and over crumbling walls, their breaths freezing in their chests.

Raven hovered above the chaos, his dark cloak billowing like the wings of a great, malevolent bird. He extended a gloved hand, fingers twitching. The ground beneath him rippled like the surface of a disturbed lake, and with a sharp snap of his fingers, the shattered remnants of the mountain lifted once more, floating high into the storm-laden sky.

"Run!" a young woman shrieked, clutching her child as the ground split beneath her, sending cracks racing toward the Holy Land's gates.

Raven's eyes gleamed beneath his hood as he snapped his fingers again. The stones, trees, and bodies hanging in the air plummeted back to the earth, crashing into the remains of the Holy Land with a deafening thunder. Dust and ash erupted into the air, swallowing the cries of the dying.

Meanwhile, Gabriel, Margo, Matt, Lila, and Owen rode hard toward the Holy Land, their horses' hooves pounding against the frost-covered earth. The knights of Lavera flanked them, their armor clinking like distant church bells.

"Faster!" Owen shouted, his blazing blue sword cutting through the bitter wind. "We must reach them before it's too late!"

Lila tightened her grip on her reins, her eyes narrowing as the snow whipped against her face. "What is that power?" she whispered, her breath steaming in the cold. "I've never felt anything like it."

Gabriel's jaw clenched. He recognized the dark figure in the distance, the one tearing the Holy Land apart with just a wave of his hand. "Raven," he murmured, his heart sinking. "The ruler of the Creation World."

As they reached the Holy Land's gates, they saw the carnage firsthand. The once-proud walls were shattered, their stones scattered like broken bones. Villagers stumbled through the smoke, their faces streaked with blood and ash. Some clutched loved ones, others staggered alone, their eyes wide with terror as the sky above twisted and darkened.

"There!" Margo shouted, pointing toward the floating figure above the chaos. "That's him!"

Raven's head turned slowly, as if hearing her over the roar of destruction. His dark eyes locked onto them, and for a moment, the air itself seemed to freeze. He raised his hand, and the storm above them intensified, the winds howling with a fury that sent the horses rearing back in fear.

Owen's sword ignited, its blue flames flickering wildly as he dismounted, his boots crunching against the snow-covered ground. "Go!" he shouted at the others, his eyes blazing. "I'll hold him off! Get the villagers out of here!"

Gabriel hesitated, his fists clenching, but Margo grabbed his arm, her eyes fierce. "We can't waste time! Trust him!"

With a final glance at Owen, Gabriel turned and led the others toward the heart of the Holy Land, their breaths coming in sharp, panicked gasps as the storm closed in around them. Behind them, Owen raised his sword, its flames crackling like a living thing, and charged at the dark figure above, his battle cry echoing through the shattered remains of the Holy Land.

"Raven!" he roared. "Face me!"

Raven's cloak billowed as he turned to face Owen, his eyes narrowing beneath his hood. He extended his hand, and the very ground beneath Owen's feet trembled, cracking open like a beast's maw, ready to swallow him whole.