Veil of Destiny

Chapter 22 Isabella

With a resounding crash followed by a pained cry, Dorian, along with his rocking chair, toppled backward and landed heavily on the floor. Even though Dorian was tough-skinned, hitting his head first left him dazed for a while. He struggled to get up, taking a moment to dispel the stars and birds circling his head.

The vividness of the dream realm lingered in his mind.

It was unclear how long the battle had raged, but Dorian was utterly exhausted, and the golden orb of light within Sophia's skull had dimmed significantly. Yet, the zombies seemed endless.

Suddenly, a new energy orb began to form atop a black peak dozens of miles away. In Dorian's mental perception, the energy was a deep black laced with blood-red streaks, growing rapidly in power. As the energy coalesced into a massive black-and-red orb, a powerful psychic wave surged outward like a tidal wave. The weaker zombies' souls flickered like candle flames in a typhoon, extinguishing instantly. In an instant, the plain, once teeming with thousands of zombies, was left with only Sophia and a dozen zombie lords standing. Upon contact with this psychic force, Dorian felt as if he had been struck by lightning. An overwhelming hatred, destruction, and slaughter emanated from the psychic shockwave, nearly driving Dorian mad in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, the soul energy locked onto Sophia and sped towards her. Dorian inwardly cursed, praying that Sophia wouldn't recklessly charge at it. Although the true nature of the entity was still unseen, the intensity of its soul energy was far beyond what Sophia and Dorian could handle.

Sophia's scythe whirled around, sending blood-red arcs of lightning that drove back the nearby zombie lords. She glared silently at the approaching energy orb and launched a small golden psychic orb with a beautiful flaming tail. Just as it was about to hit the massive energy orb, Dorian had already prepared to cheer. However, the energy orb churned, and a dark red lightning bolt shot out, obliterating the small golden orb.

Both Sophia and Dorian were stunned.

"Run, you brainless pile of bones! You mindless skeleton!" Dorian roared at Sophia through their psychic link.

Sophia leaped into the sky, but instead of fleeing, she charged towards the energy orb.

"Oh no!" Dorian groaned.

In the air, Sophia's bony wings gently spread, now with a nearly invisible membrane between the bones. She gracefully spun around and flew off.

Dorian, however, wasn't so lucky, getting flung out mid-air and tumbling down. The zombie lords below gathered, their drooling mouths open as they looked up.

Dorian screamed, trying to leap into the air, but ended up hitting the floor headfirst.

Muttering curses at the damned Sophia, Dorian climbed up. He dared not summon Sophia to confront her directly, knowing from his experience that this was no mere dream. Having witnessed Sophia's combat prowess, Dorian knew he was no match for her. Moreover, this ruthless skeleton had thrown him out of the sky. Did she not respect her master at all?

With a sigh, Dorian swallowed his grievances. He would need Sophia in future battles, and offending her now might result in a stab in the back later. A mage in such a strained relationship with his pet was truly unfortunate.

Feeling dejected, Dorian looked at the evening sky and headed out to discuss the War God's Hammer plans with Lucian and Tristan.

As the chilly night descended, snowflakes began to drift from the sky. The Holiday Inn was brightly lit and bustling with warmth.

In a secluded room on the third floor, it was the first time in a month that the nobles and Lucian had gathered. Ryder looked noticeably heavier. His leg was still not fully recovered; injuries from battle auras were no joke, especially when a third of the flesh on his thigh had been blasted clean off.