Ashes Whisper

Chapter 79 : Fire and Ice II

The battlefield erupted in chaos as Ludmilla and Aiden gave their commands.

"Hraesvelgr - Strike!" Ludmilla voice out clear. The massive ice eagle soared forward, its wings unfurling with a powerful gust of freezing wind. Wings sent razor-sharp ice feathers raining down like crystalline spears.

"Hydra - Burn!" Aiden his voice filled with fury. The seven-headed fire serpent lunged, its writhing and snapping. One head spewed a torrent of molten flame, colliding with Hraesvelgr's icy barrage. Fire and ice met with a defeaning explosion, creating a massive burst of steam and mist.

The thick mist swirled around them, blinding, in the haze, Ludmilla barely saw the flicker of Aiden's silhouette rushing toward her.

Clang! Their swords met, sparks flying from the force of the impact. Aiden pressed forward, his strikes fueled by raw anger and desperation. Ludmilla met each blow but Aiden strength was relentless.

"You still don't understand!" Aiden began between strikes. "The Necro Sword will doom us all - it doesn't matter who wields it! the sword won't care. It'll will consume them, just like it did who came before!"

Ludmilla pushed back, her sword against Aiden. "And what's the alternative, Aiden? Let the world die? Stand by while Azathoth devours everything?  Elara isn't like us - she's strong enough to bear the burden. She's more than just an Ashes Whisper. She's hope!"

Aiden's eyes filled with emotion, his blade never wavered. "Hope? Nonsense she cannot break the curse! Ashes Whisper is a part of this world. without it our world are not balance! just like light and shadow those two always in need! Our creator created Ashes Whisper is because of us, we human always sinful, drowned in flux of sins."

Before Ludmilla could react, Aiden seized the opening. His blade through the mist, fast and merciless. Ludmilla barely brought her sword up in time to block - the force of the blow sent her skidding backward. Hraesvelgr let out aa pained cry as the Hydra's heads wrapped its wings. Flames engulfed its feathers, melting the frost and turning it into steam.

"Aiden, stop this!" Ludmilla shouted, her voice in deperation. "You're fighting the wrong battle! if we don't stop Azathoth, there won't be a world left to save - no balance, no light, no shadow. Everything will be swallowed by the void!"

Aiden let out a frustrated snarl, his sword igniting with flames. "Then you're a fool, Ludmilla. And I'll cut down that foolish hope myself!"

The Hydra roared, each of its heads breathing fire. Hraesvelgr. battered and weakened, still pushed against it with everything it had. Ice formed along its talons again, freezing the Hydra's middle head - but two others lunged, fangs bared, ready to finish the eagle.

Ludmilla she thrust her sword into the ground, the ice along its blade spreading like roots. The air around her dropped to freezing in an instant. Her voice rang out "Hraesvelgr! Rise!"

The Ice eagle's eyes snapped open, glowing with a brilliant, icy blue. With a defeaning screech, its entire body erupted into swirling tempest of frost and wind. The Hydra's flames sputtered, then died as the blizzard engulfed it. The frozen head shattered under the pressure, and the Hydra staggered backward, roaring in pain.

Aiden stood in silence, his expression hardened as he channeled more of his spirit into the Hydra. The beast roared, flames intensifying as it overpowered Hraesvelgr, slamming the ice eagle into the ground. With Ludmilla vulnerable, Aiden seized the moment, striking her with a powerful blow that sent her crashing across the battlefield.

Ludmilla, bloodied and barely able to move, stared up at him with defiant eyes.

Aiden raised his sword. "Goodbye."

The Hydra reared back, one of its heads gathering a massive fireball in its maw. It launched the blaxing inferno straight at Ludmilla - but before it could hit, a figure blurred into view. 

Zeirsulair, still in his human form, appeared between Ludmilla and the flames. With a fierce glare, he extended his arm, stopping the fireball with his bare hand, The flames sputtered against his palm, smoke rising around him as his skin burned - but he didn't flinch.

"Enough of this!" Zeirsulair his voice low and filled with fury. He glanced at Aiden, his eyes blazing with determination. "If you want to stop Elara, you'll have to go through me. I know her better than anyone - and I'm done wasting time with you!"

Dark scales began to appear his arms, his wings unfurling behind him. He surged forward with a powerful beat of his wings, closing the distance between him and the Hydra in an instant. Void energy around his claws as he formed his signature attack - a jagged spear of swirling, destructive energy.

The spear struck true - the Hydra let out a deafening roar, its seven heads writhing in agony. Flames and smoke burst from its body, and with one final, shuddering cry, the beast collapsed into ash.

Aiden stood motionless for a moment but then, to Zeirsulair and Ludmilla's surprise, he began to laugh - a hollow and bitter sound that echoed through the mist.

"I forgot just how powerful you are, Void Walker," Aiden said, his voice low and mocking. "One of the strongest dragons to ever exist... perhaps even stronger than the gods themselves. But it doesn't matter anymore. I never intended to win this fight."

Ludmilla, still struggling to stand, narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about Aiden?"

Aiden's smirk faded "Everything I've done... it wasn't to stop Elara. It was to buy time."

"Buy time for what?" Zeirsulair demanded.

"For my Lord Azathoth," Aiden said, his eyes glinting with an unnatural light. "While we fought, he's been devouring the part of Axnir within the World Tree. Oncehe consumes enough he will transcended. He will meet the Creator!"

Ludmilla's heart sank, her voice trembling. "Aiden... how could you.. Why would you side with Azathoth - the very thing that seeks to end everything?"

Aiden's chuckle twisted into a low, guttural growl. The mist around him swirled and thickened. His body began to shift, muscles bulging unnaturally as his skin darkened, hardening into crimson scales. His form expanded, horns curling from his head like a crown of twisted bone. His eyes ignited with an infernal glow, and at the center of his chest and his heart started to blaze.

"This is the gift from my Lord Azathoth - a reward for my loyalty. Power beyond mortal limits. A power that surpasses even the gods."

"Prepare to die!"