The Crown's Fire - Chapter 130

Chapter 130: Survival
“Frankly, I honestly thought you would all be smart enough not to take the bait,” Devon mocked, his applause slow and mocking. “Apparently, I was wrong. And you even took Zoran with you. For that, I thank you for removing the hassle of killing him remotely from me.”

“Devon,” Nikolai growled. “So you knew this whole time?”

Ezekiel remained silent, his glare fixed on Devon. The pungent scent emanating from him confirmed Ezekiel’s suspicions; it was the same scent he had detected on Tarah.

Despite the betrayal he felt, he couldn’t ignore the purpose behind continuing this mission. Tarah had shown him a vision where his sister Mineah broke her curse in this very scenario. Also, he was aware of the spell on Tarah, leaving her no choice but to follow whatever Devon wanted her to do.

“Of course, I did! What do you all think I am? Stupid?” Devon laughed as he rose from his chair, advancing slowly toward them.

“I’m not going to leave my castle so blatantly undefended without having an ulterior motive to it. Thankfully, you idiots proved me right. In fact, I was almost tempted to put in fake copies of the books you all currently have with you, but since you’re all not going to escape anyway, why bother with all of that effort?”

Zoran stood torn between fighting and begging for mercy, rooted to the spot where he stood. Beside him, Ezekiel looked poised for battle, while Nikolai already had his fists raised, ready for the potential confrontation.

All he could do now was wait for things to happen, all while hoping that everything would turn out alright.

Meanwhile, Nikolai took in a steady breath as he stared Devon right in the face. In truth, he already knew that this was going to happen. Tarah had told him about this vision, and for his wife to get rid of that dagger within her, it also meant that he had to follow those visions.

In the end, that also meant risking both his and Ezekiel’s life in this mission as the vision demanded that the two of them be caught during their mission for the arcane books.

“Zoran, I’ll distract him,” Nikolai instructed the wizard. “Keep trying to cast the teleportation spell and escape with the books.”

“But I just confirmed that I can’t,” Zoran pointed out. “And I can’t just leave you and Ezekiel out here, Your Majesty.”

“Zoran, this is an order,” Nikolai insisted. “I know you can pierce through whatever it is that’s preventing us from escaping. Get the books and run. Mineah will know what to do with them.”

For a few seconds, Zoran looked apprehensive before he took in another breath and nodded. Turning around, he began concentrating on his teleportation spell, attempting to pierce through the barrier that seemingly descended upon them during their attempted escape.

“Hah! Do you honestly think I’d let any one of you escape?” Devon laughed at them. “I’m not even going to leave any of you alive!”

“I’d like to see you try,” Ezekiel ground out. “If there’s anybody that will die here, it’s you.”

With a grunt of agreement, Nikolai positioned himself beside his fellow king, the two of them flanking Devon as they prevented him from approaching Zoran. This was a defensive battle, so all they had to do was stall for time until Zoran got away.

“Shall we kill this demon?” Ezekiel nonchalantly asked. Despite his promise to Tarah, the opportunity to strike at Devon ignited a fiery determination within him.

With Zoran having secured the necessary magical books, Ezekiel could eliminate Devon once and for all. The ancient dragon book held the key to performing the ritual to extract Vulcan’s soul from Ezekiel, while Mineah’s dagger could ensure the destruction of the dragon’s soul.

Ezekiel’s mind raced with the possibilities, knowing that they finally had the means to end Devon’s reign of terror.

“With pleasure, King Ezekiel,” Nikolai eagerly replied. They stood ready to defend themselves and strike back against their adversary.

With their minds made up, the two of them exchanged a nod before swiftly blitzing across the room. With fists aimed at each of Devon’s cheeks, they braced for impact, putting all their strength into their blows.

However, their efforts were in vain as a barrier materialized just before their fists could connect with Devon’s face.

“Seriously? Do you both need to learn that I’m untouchable before declaring that you’ll try to kill me?” Devon scoffed. “Clearly, a lesson needs to be learned here.”

Before Nikolai could reply, Devon snapped his fingers, causing his barrier to explode and pushing both him and Ezekiel back. Their bloodied fists bore witness to their failed attempt, but their determination remained unshaken as they faced Devon once more.

Charging forth again, the two kings coordinated their attacks, delivering blows one after the other in an attempt to corner Devon. Initially, it seemed to work as the demon found himself backed against the wall. However…

“Smart, but not enough to beat me!”

Once more, Devon snapped his fingers, and a torrent of books flew off the shelves, pelting them at painful speeds. Left without cover, Nikolai and Ezekiel raised their arms in defense, maintaining their positions to keep Devon pinned down.

“Come on, already! Give up!” Devon taunted. “It’s not that hard, right?!”

“I got it!”

Nikolai’s eyes widened at Zoran’s sudden outburst. Clearly, he had managed to pierce through the barrier. “Get out of here, Zoran!”

He didn’t even manage to see what happened as Zoran quickly left the castle with all of the stolen books in tow. Still, at least that part of the vision had unfolded as intended.

“Bah! Zoran actually escaped,” Devon clicked his tongue in annoyance. “No matter. Having two kings to play with should be more than enough to keep me entertained.”

As the onslaught of books eventually ceased, Nikolai exchanged a look with Ezekiel, conveying their mutual understanding that they were in for a prolonged struggle with no immediate rescue in sight.

They were going to have to fight their way out of the castle. If they managed to kill Devon in the process, then that would be the greatest bonus they could hope for. But for now, their primary focus was on survival.