Alaric slowly stood up on top of the dead bone. He breathed heavily. He was completely naked from the waist up, his heavy armor and tunic nothing but ash and cooled slag. He lowered his sword and looked down at the courtyard.
His two stone gargoyles were just piles of melted rock and broken boulders. He had spent 12,000 MP on them, and they were completely ruined.
"System," Alaric said, wiping a thick layer of black soot from his forehead. "Can I repair them?"
The blue screen flashed instantly.
[Fallen Summons can be restored.]
[Repair Cost: 50% of original base price (3,000 MP per unit).]
Alaric let out a short, tired breath. "Good to know."
But the fight wasn't over. A low, deep rumble vibrated through the dead bone under his boots. He looked down into the deep crater left by the collapsed throne room. The violent green light of the wildfire was still glowing in the dark cellars, waiting for the thirty-minute suppression timer to run out.
The green light deep inside the crater started to pulse faster. The deep rumbling noise grew louder, shaking the loose stones around Alaric's boots. The thirty minutes were up.
Alaric looked down at his bare, soot-covered chest. He opened his interface quickly.
"Buy a set of clothes. And repair both Sentinels right now."
The blue screen flashed twice.
[6,050 MP deducted.]
A folded black tunic materialized in his hands. Alaric quickly pulled it over his head. It felt cool against his hot, soot-covered skin.
Around him, the piles of melted rock began to move. Chunks of broken stone floated into the air and snapped together with loud cracks. In seconds, the two thirty-foot gargoyles stood tall again, gripping their giant axes.
But the ground beneath them gave a massive jolt. The green light in the crater turned blinding. The thirty-minute timer was completely done. The wildfire was blowing right now.
"Knights!" Alaric yelled. "Get to me!"
The six Blood Knights who had backed away earlier stopped. They turned and ran hard, their heavy boots pounding on the melting cobblestones. They reached the crater and slid down the dirt bank, gathering close around Alaric and the stone giants.
Alaric opened the System store. He scrolled past the weapons and units, looking for defense. He found it near the bottom of the list.
[Aegis Dome: Tier 4 Spatial Barrier. Blocks all physical and magical damage. Duration: 5 minutes.]
[Cost: 10,000 MP.]
Alaric hit confirm.
[10,000 MP deducted.]
A thick, clear dome of blue energy snapped into place. It covered Alaric, the gargoyles, the knights, and the dead dragon skull they stood on. It looked like a giant glass bowl turned upside down.
A split second later, the deep cellars exploded.
There was no sound at first, just a flash of solid green light that erased everything else. Then the noise hit. It was louder than thunder, loud enough to rattle Alaric's teeth even through the magical barrier.
The entire foundation of the Red Keep blew upward. Millions of tons of dirt and castle stone vaporized instantly. A massive pillar of green fire shot straight into the sky, tearing right through the hole the gargoyles had made in the clouds.
The blue dome shook violently. The green fire washed over it like a tidal wave, completely burying them in roaring flames. Alaric stood his ground, gripping his sword. The Blood Knights raised their heavy shields, even though the energy barrier was taking the hit.
Outside the dome, the world was just green destruction. The fire was hot enough to turn solid rock into liquid, but inside the blue shield, the air stayed perfectly cool.
The explosion blasted upward for a full minute. Because the Red Keep sat on the highest point in the city, the blast acted like a chimney. The force pushed straight up into the sky rather than spreading out into the crowded streets below.
Slowly, the roaring noise died down. The green fire thinned out and faded into thick, dark smoke.
The blue dome flickered and vanished.
Alaric looked around. He coughed, waving the dust away from his face.
The Red Keep was gone. There were no walls, no towers, no courtyards. Aegon's High Hill was now just a massive, flat crater.
The dirt and stone had melted into smooth, smoking green glass.
Alaric stood right in the center of the glass crater. He was completely unharmed.
He walked to the edge and looked down the hill. The lower city was still there. The houses and streets were covered in a thick layer of grey ash, but they hadn't burned. The people running through the streets had stopped, turning around to stare up at the missing castle.
Alaric checked his interface.
[Current MP Balance: 34,820.]
Alaric let out a slow, tired breath. He wiped a thick layer of grey ash from his face with his sleeve. He turned around and walked back toward the center of the smooth crater.
He climbed up the side of the massive, dead dragon skull. He sat down near the empty eye socket, crossing his legs and resting his sword across his lap. He leaned forward, brushing some of the dark soot off his new black tunic.
Alaric sat on the dead dragon's skull for a long time. The metal of the Red Eclipse rested cool and heavy across his lap.
He didn't move. He just watched the ash settle over the ruined hill. The heat slowly bled out of the green glass crater, turning the air thick and wavy. Below him, the massive city was completely paralyzed. Nobody screamed. Nobody ran. They just stared up at the empty sky where the Red Keep used to be.
The sky above was still choked with thick, ugly smoke. The single beam of sunlight that had saved him was starting to fade as the dark clouds shifted and closed. The air smelled like burning sulfur and rotting bones.
It was suffocating.
Alaric opened his interface. He tapped his finger against the blue screen.
The screen flashed.
[Environmental Purge: Atmospheric Cleansing.]
[Cost: 3,000 MP.]
Alaric didn't hesitate. He hit confirm.
[3,000 MP deducted.]
[Current MP Balance: 31,820.]