Chapter 526: A Lightning Phoenix!
Chapter 526
"Move!" Thalos suddenly roared as he bolted forward, and in a second, he was beside Grey. Without wasting time, he shoved the lad away just in time for a lightning bolt to smash directly where Grey had stood, scorching the ground and drilling a hole deep into it. The impact sent cracks spiderwebbing through the earth, smoke rising in dark tendrils.
"The fuck?!" Grey thundered in shock, his voice sharp with disbelief as his gaze never left the sky. His eyes locked onto the monstrosity that had unleashed the bolt.
From within the huge storm clouds, something echoed.
SHRIIIEK!
It was an ear-piercing shriek, sharp enough to make Grey’s ears ring, and then the creature finally came into full view. Seeing it, Grey’s heart dropped while Thalos’s grip on his sword tightened until his knuckles whitened.
The beast was enormous, easily dwarfing any bird Grey had ever seen. Its wings stretched wide, radiant and blinding, each feather forged from crackling arcs of pure electricity.
Sparks danced across its form with every beat of its wings, leaving trails of luminous lightning in their wake that split the heavens with thunderous roars.
Its eyes glowed a searing white-blue, so intense they were painful to look at, and its talons shimmered with condensed lightning, capable of reducing anything they touched to ash in a single strike.
Instead of flames, its body pulsed with storm energy. Its plumage shimmered like a sky torn apart by endless bolts of lightning. When it cried out again, the sound wasn’t a song of fire but a deafening thunderclap that rattled their bones and shook the very earth beneath their feet.
Wherever it flew, storm clouds thickened, winds howled, and bolts rained down as if the wrath of nature itself bent to its command.
"A phoenix? One with lightning attributes instead of flames?" Thalos mumbled under his breath. His master’s journals flashed through his mind, records that had spoken of mythical creatures beyond imagination. And among them had been the phoenix.
At least, the fiery one.
But this was no phoenix of fire. Hovering above, wings crackling with stormlight, it wasn’t wreathed in flames like the legends. It was draped in lightning.
"Fuck, fuck," Grey cursed beneath his breath as he pulled his sword from his pendant. His hand trembled slightly as he held the blade, his gaze locked on the beast above them.
"Grey!" Thalos barked suddenly. He yanked the ring from his finger and tossed it toward the Supreme Magus, who caught it effortlessly before slipping it into his pendant.
Instantly, Thalos’s body swelled, his form rising and expanding until he towered at a size five times the height of a man. His transformation was monstrous, the very air quivering under his presence.
His body became carved from pure obsidian, smooth in some places, jagged and cracked in others, as if volcanic stone had cooled mid-eruption. Despite his stillness, Grey felt the suffocating pressure that rolled off him like a storm. It wasn’t just strength — it was a warning.
His eyes glowed gold, not merely reflecting the light but radiating an unnatural, divine luminance that made Grey’s skin crawl and prickle with unease. They weren’t lifeless gemstones. They were alive, focused, and glaring at the phoenix above, waiting for its next move.
Clutched in its massive clawed hands was a towering greatsword, its blade the color of freshly spilled blood. The weapon pulsed faintly, as though it, too, were alive and eager for battle. The jagged surface of the blade was lined with ancient runes, etched as though it had been forged in a storm of hatred and fire.
The gargoyle’s hands themselves were encased in gauntlets, the same blood-red hue as the blade. They were thick, rune-carved, and humming with restrained power.
It wasn’t as though the creature wielded the sword and gauntlets. They seemed like an extension of him, as if both had been created for the sole purpose of merging into one being.
Black like the void. Red like fury. The armor seemed almost ceremonial, yet entirely built for destruction, war regalia fit for a dark monarch. Every plate gleamed ominously, each spike and jagged edge radiating an aura of violence and unshakable dominance.
"You would need my help to take care of this beast. It’s powerful," Thalos added, his voice rumbling like distant thunder. Another loud shriek from the beast drew their attention, cutting through the storm itself, and instantly it unleashed a dozen bolts of lightning toward the duo.
Quickly, Grey shot into the air, his body twisting as he narrowly avoided the searing strikes. Bolts streaked past his face, the heat of them blistering against his skin as they tore through the ground behind him, exploding into massive craters. Dust, smoke, and debris erupted skyward, blotting out half the battlefield.
Thalos, however, remained on the ground. His stance unshaken, he lifted his greatsword vertically in front of him, its blood-red blade humming with restrained power.
As the lightning barreled down on him, he whacked the bolts aside with the flat of his weapon, each clash producing deafening thunderclaps. Sparks rained across his armor as the redirected attacks tore into the ground, exploding like bombs around him.
’Lightning abilities, huh? Should I?’ Grey thought, his mind racing as energy stirred faintly within his core. His grip on his sword tightened, the temptation of releasing his hidden strength gnawing at him.
"I know what you’re thinking. Don’t do it, because I assure you — you won’t survive," Thalos scoffed. Without another word, he stabbed his massive sword into the earth.
The ground shook under the force, cracks snaking outward as he punched his fists together. Instantly, the embedded gauntlets on his arms flared to life, glowing so brightly they looked as though molten fire and blood had been poured into them.
With a roar, Thalos swung his fist upward, and a loud bang split the air as something fast and unseen shot toward the phoenix.
Feeling the sudden shift, the phoenix reacted. Shimmering light began to encase its body, arcs of electricity twisting around it like divine chains. In the blink of an eye, the creature vanished from sight, the gargoyle’s attack smashing into empty air with a deafening ring that sent shockwaves across the mountain.
A shimmering white light then reformed elsewhere, drawing Thalos’s gaze a fraction too late. The phoenix materialized directly behind Grey, arcs of lightning crawling along its vast wings.
"Oh shit!" Grey muttered, his instincts screaming. He spun around at the last moment, raising his sword in front of his face.
The beast swung its electrified wings at full speed, and the strike connected. The force behind it was monstrous.
Lightning coursed over Grey’s body as he was hurled downward like a cannonball, his body crashing into the ground with terrifying velocity. The impact was catastrophic, a deep crater blooming under his body as dirt and stone exploded outward in a storm of rubble.
All the hairs on his body rose. His muscles spasmed uncontrollably as electricity raced through his veins. Blood spilled from his lips in thin sprays as he coughed, struggling to rise from the wreckage.
SHRIIIEK!
The beast screeched again in annoyance, arcs of lightning gathering at its beak until a blinding sphere was born.
A huge ball of condensed lightning shot forward at frightening speed — faster than Grey could comprehend, almost like the speed of light itself. His eyes widened in horror. He couldn’t react.
But then...
SWOOSH!
BAM!
BANG!
BOOM!
A streak of red and black armor cut in front of him. Something massive swooped down like a falling star. Thalos, glowing with destructive might, swung his greatsword with both hands.
The blade smashed into the ball of lightning, redirecting it with a roar of steel and fury. The sphere was hurled upward into the skies where it detonated, exploding into a cascade of blinding sparks that turned the heavens white.
When the light faded, Thalos stood firm. His red armor gleamed against the storm’s glow, his towering figure radiating menace and unshakable strength.
He stood directly in front of Grey, a guardian of war, his form a shield of obsidian and blood. His golden eyes burned with cold fury, silently declaring that nothing — not beast nor god would lay a hand on the one behind him.