Chapter 28: A
The Sky-Reaper hung in the air like a wounded predator, its brass hull groaning as it fought against the unnatural frost. From the glass observation deck, the Sun-Weaver descended. They did not use a ladder or a rope; instead, they stepped onto a bridge of solid, shimmering light that materialized beneath their feet.
The Weaver's robes were made of a strange, iridescent silk that shifted from burning orange to blinding white. Unlike the heavy metal of the Vanguard, this enemy looked weightless, their very presence causing the air to ripple with a distorted heat haze. As they landed on the frozen stone of the pass, the ice beneath their boots turned instantly to steam.
You have made a grave mistake, Shadow-King, the Weaver said, their voice sounding like a thousand crackling flames. The Queen's sun is not just a light; it is a law. You are a violation of that law.
Clevatess stood his ground, the gold embroidery on his midnight-black tunic glowing with a fierce, steady violet light. He did not reach for a weapon. He simply adjusted his raven-feather mantle, his eyes locking onto the Weaver's glowing silhouette. I was here before your laws were written, and I will be here when the ink has faded to dust.
The Sun-Weaver raised their hands, and the air around them ignited. They didn't throw fireballs; they wove the light itself into jagged, glowing threads that spun into a web of pure solar energy. With a flick of their wrists, the threads lashed out like whips, cutting through the stone of the canyon walls as if it were butter.
Alicia moved to intercept, her blue aura flaring as she deflected a stray beam, but Clevatess held up a hand to stop her. This is not a battle for steel, he said quietly.
He took a single step forward, and the temperature didn't just drop—it vanished. The violet mana flowing from Clevatess expanded in a silent dome, a field of Absolute Zero so intense that the Weaver's light threads began to slow down. The glowing whips, once moving at the speed of thought, became sluggish, turning into brittle, glowing glass that shattered before they could reach the King.
The Weaver's eyes widened behind their shimmering veil. Impossible. Light cannot be frozen!
Light is just energy in motion, Clevatess countered, his stride unbroken. And in my presence, all things come to rest.
He reached out and grasped the air. A spear of pure, solidified darkness materialized in his hand, humming with the power of a thousand winter midnights. With a single, graceful thrust, he sent a shockwave of cold toward the Weaver. The heat haze was extinguished instantly. The Weaver's iridescent robes turned dull and gray, coated in a layer of frost that even their solar magic could not melt.
The Weaver fell to their knees, their light flickering like a dying candle. The Sky-Reaper above let out a final, metallic shriek as its main core froze solid, sending the massive vessel tilting toward the far side of the ridge.
The night does not argue with the sun, Clevatess said, standing over the fallen foe. It simply waits for it to tire.
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