The Destructive Adventures of the Lovers-Chapter 67: Cutted Threads

Snow whipped through the air, fierce and biting, as the Savior of Creation rushed into the fray. Matt's fists crackled with fire, the heat searing through the cold. Lila spun her staff, the runes along its length glowing like trapped lightning. Ella's eyes narrowed as she whispered to the winds, ice gathering at her fingertips. Gabriel gripped his blade, its edge shimmering with a pale, hungry light.

"Stop!" Matt's voice boomed, his blazing skull manifesting behind him, its hollow eyes burning through the chaos. "King Vesh! Zeze! Enough!"

King Vesh didn't slow. His blade met Zeze's fist, the force of their clash sending a shockwave that cracked the icy ground beneath them. Zeze blurred, darting around the king like a streak of shadow, her short hair whipping in the wind, every movement precise and lethal.

Ella's voice cut through the storm. "Zeze! Don't do this!"

Zeze's eyes flicked to her for a split second, her muscles tensing, but her grin only widened. She spun, her boot slamming into King Vesh's armored chest. The king staggered back, snarling, his sword sparking against the icy stones.

Gabriel lunged in, his blade singing as it sliced through the air. Vesh parried, the clang of metal on metal ringing out, cutting through the wind's howl. Vesh's eyes burned with rage, his muscles coiled like a cornered beast.

"Stay out of this, boy!" Vesh's voice boomed, his sword carving a vicious arc. Gabriel slid back, his feet skidding across the frozen ground.

Before he could recover, Lila whipped her staff around, summoning a burst of wind that howled around them, pushing Vesh back a step. She locked eyes with Zeze, her jaw set.

"Zeze, enough! We're allies, remember?"

Zeze spat blood into the snow, her eyes wild. "Allies? We're survivors! Don't get in my way."

Matt lunged forward, flames exploding from his fists. Vesh dodged, the heat singing his cloak as he twisted, his sword flashing. He roared, the ground beneath them splitting as his power surged, shards of ice and rock exploding into the air.

Margo leaped in, her blade catching the fractured light as she spun, her strike barely missing Vesh's throat. She landed beside Gabriel, her breath misting in the cold air, her eyes sharp with determination.

"Together!" she gasped, gripping her sword tighter.

Gabriel nodded, his eyes locking with hers for a heartbeat before they charged as one.

King Vesh's laughter echoed through the storm, his blade cutting through their defenses, his strength like a mountain, unmovable and unforgiving.

But as Owen stepped forward, his wings unfurled in a burst of golden light, his sword ignited with blue flame, even Vesh hesitated. Owen met his gaze, his expression grim.

"This ends now," Owen said, his voice steady despite the chaos.

He swung his blade, the fire roaring, meeting Vesh's steel with a shattering clash that sent sparks dancing into the blizzard.

The others rallied around him, their breaths harsh, their eyes locked on their enemy. The storm raged on, the wind howling, but in that moment, their resolve burned brighter than ever.

The air crackled with tension as King Vesh's sword struck the frozen ground, splitting the earth with a fierce, metallic scream. Golden threads shot out from the fissure, coiling like living serpents. They wrapped around Gabriel, Margo, Matt, Lila, Xyrille, Owen, and Zeze, tightening with each pulse of the ground, cutting into their skin, stealing their breath.

"What... what is this?!" Gabriel gasped, struggling as the threads dug into his arms and chest, pulling him to his knees.

"I can't... move," Margo choked, her eyes wide, fear flickering in their depths as the threads tightened around her neck.

Owen's wings flared, his feathers crackling with blue fire, but the threads absorbed his power, drawing it into the earth. His teeth clenched as he thrashed against the unbreakable bindings.

"Vesh!" Zeze spat, her eyes blazing. She twisted, her speed making the threads tremble, but even her lightning-fast movements were useless against the golden snare.

King Jacob, blood trickling from his lip, staggered forward. His sword, still clutched in his trembling hand, gleamed with a fiery glow. The blade quivered, responding to his desperate will. It shot forward, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle, severing the golden threads in a single, furious strike.

The threads fell limp, curling like dying vines. Gasping, the Savior of Creation staggered back, clutching their wounds. Zeze spat blood onto the ground, her eyes never leaving King Vesh.

"You... can't break us that easily," Matt snarled, his fists igniting with furious flames. He launched himself at Vesh, his fire a roaring comet, but Vesh merely twisted his blade, reflecting the attack back. Matt crashed into the snow, steam rising from his seared armor.

King Vesh straightened, his gaze calm, almost amused. "Pathetic," he whispered, his breath misting in the frigid air. He took a step toward them, his shadow stretching across the battlefield like a dark omen.

But before he could strike, a portal ripped open behind him, the air twisting into a whirlpool of darkness. Five masked figures stepped out, their presence suffocating, their eyes glowing like embers beneath their bone-white masks.

"Enough, brother," one of them said, his voice echoing like a distant scream. It was Vaneshka, the leader of the Evil Clan, his cloak billowing like a shadow given form. "Your time here is over."

Before Vesh could react, the masked figures thrust their hands forward, shadowy tendrils lashing out, wrapping around his arms and legs, pulling him into the abyss.

"No!" Owen roared, his wings flaring as he lunged forward, but the portal snapped shut with a deafening clap of thunder, the masked ones vanishing with King Vesh into the void.

Silence fell, broken only by the distant crackle of Matt's dying flames and the labored breaths of the wounded. They staggered to their feet, their eyes fixed on the spot where the portal had closed, the snow still swirling in its wake.

"What... just happened?" Zeze whispered, her voice shaking.

Gabriel stumbled to King Jacob, who lay on the cracked, frozen ground, his breaths shallow, his face pale. Lila dropped to her knees beside him, her hands glowing with healing light.

"Stay with us, King Jacob," she whispered, her voice fierce with desperation. "We still need you."

The Savior of Creation gathered around their fallen leader, the cold wind biting into their wounds, the shadow of the Evil Clan hanging over them like a curse they could not escape.