The Crown's Fire - Chapter 251

Chapter 251: Devon’s Scream
As soon as Ezekiel arrived, he went straight to his sister Mineah at the Valcrez camp.

“I’m sorry, sister. I hate to disturb your recovery and—” He halted when he finally saw baby Alya in his sister’s arms.

“She’s so beautiful,” he gasped.

Mineah chuckled. “How about holding her in your arms?”

Ezekiel quickly nodded and carefully took baby Alya from her mother.

“I heard about the news. Nikolai is with Darius right now, coordinating how our camp can help,” Mineah informed him.

Ezekiel nodded, momentarily forgetting his urgency while staring at his new niece. “You’re a natural with babies, aren’t you?” Mineah commented.

Ezekiel chuckled as he gently swayed baby Alya in his arms. She smiled beautifully, clearly enjoying his attention.

“Why did you want to see me in a hurry?” Mineah questioned.

Ezekiel looked at his sister and said directly, “Devon’s bloodthreads are still on the loose. There are two remaining bloodthreads I must destroy, but I have no way to locate them. I was hoping you might be able to distinguish them from those with demon blood. I have the list, and—”

“King Amon,” Mineah suddenly interrupted. “He has Devon remnants in him. It’s possible that it’s the bloodthread I saw. That’s why Nikolai is now coordinating with Darius. I informed Mage Jayra about this, and they’re on their way to where Amon is.”

Ezekiel’s face darkened. His hunch was correct. “Give me Alya now and go find Amon. Leave now and see your brother-in-law this instant. And about that list, don’t worry. I’ll look at it immediately. I don’t need to expend much energy; I can see their life essence and energy so I can deal with it during this Global Summit.”

Mineah quickly grabbed Alya back from Ezekiel. “I’ll go ahead then,” he said before leaving.

On his way to find his brother-in-law, Ezekiel contacted Katelina through their bond. [Kate, I need to leave for some time. King Amon has the bloodthread, so I must go to where he is right now. I’ll see you soon.]

[Please be careful. I’ll be waiting,] Katelina answered through the bond.

Ezekiel’s face was dark with determination as he made his way to the Cordon camp. ‘I will definitely crush your bloodthread!’ he inwardly grunted. He couldn’t wait to get to Devon’s bloodthread and destroy it.

“Ezekiel, you’re here,” Nikolai commented as soon as he saw him.

“I hear that King Amon has the bloodthread of Devon. Tell me his location right now because I need to destroy it before Devon revives through it.”

“Are you going to kill Amon as well?” Darius interrupted.

“If I must, then I will. Devon will use his body for revival and Amon’s soul and spirit will perish,” Ezekiel firmly answered. There was no room for argument; he was dead set on destroying Devon’s remaining bloodthread by any means.

“No! You can’t do that. Amon is an innocent man! He didn’t deserve to die just because Devon’s bloodthread is in his blood!” Darius exclaimed.

“But as long as he’s hosting the bloodthread, Devon will revive! I cannot let Devon come back to life!” Ezekiel reiterated. Just the thought of Katelina’s trauma from Devon made him want to destroy everything that was connected to Devon without mercy. He would never take a risk and let that demon torment his wife!

“You two… Just cool down and let’s think things through carefully. Darius has a point that Amon is innocent in this matter. He’s not even aware that Devon’s bloodthread was in him. For all we know, he could be fighting Devon inside his subconscious at this very moment,” Nikolai told them.

The vampire king then turned to Darius and added, “Ezekiel also has a point. We cannot risk it, especially when it comes to Devon’s revival because that demon is chaos incarnate. Many will suffer once he revives. And from what I know… once a demon has a successful revival, it will be more powerful than before.”

There was a terse silence, and the tension among the three rulers remained, particularly between Ezekiel and Darius, the Werewolf King, who was Ezekiel’s brother-in-law and his sister Xenia’s husband.

It was Nikolai who broke the silence as he spoke, “We just need to destroy the bloodthread. My wife can easily extract this from Amon and…” He paused and looked at Ezekiel before asking, “If Mineah is able to extract Devon’s bloodthread like before, do you think you can catch it easily and destroy it? Last time, that bloodthread managed to escape and find another host.”

Ezekiel clenched his fists. “It won’t escape again. This time, I’ll make sure it’s destroyed for good.”

Darius sighed, reluctantly agreeing. “Alright, let’s do that then.”

Nikolai placed a hand on Ezekiel’s shoulder. “We’ll work together on this. Mineah can handle the extraction, and we’ll ensure that the bloodthread is contained and destroyed before it can escape or cause further harm.”

Ezekiel’s face softened slightly. “Thank you. I appreciate your cooperation. Let’s move quickly; time is of the essence.”

As they prepared to head out, it was decided that Mineah and Ezekiel were enough for this journey. King Darius and his sister Xenia would help maintain the security of the Global Summit alongside the Sorel Guild.

Meanwhile, his other brother-in-law Nikolai was sulking because he didn’t want Mineah to go without him.

“Are you sure about this, Mine?” Nikolai asked, clearly unhappy.

“Yes, look after our daughter Alya instead. We’re not sure what Devon’s followers are planning, so it’s safer if you stay with her,” Mineah replied.

Ezekiel chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, my sister is with me. Are you perhaps doubting my ability to protect her?”

Mineah laughed and added, “Look, you’re offending my big brother, Lai! Stop sulking and just look after our daughter instead.”

Nikolai had no choice but to shrug as he took baby Alya from Mineah’s arms.

“Make sure you bring my wife back without a single scratch on her,” Nikolai reminded as Ezekiel and Mineah walked out of the tent.

“I’m happy that everything ended well with you and Xenia’s arranged marriages. Your husbands treat you well, but if they ever don’t, or if you have a problem with him… tell me instantly, and I’ll deal with that vampire,” Ezekiel commented.

Mineah hugged his arm as they walked to a clearing where another mage was waiting, someone who knew the exact location of King Amon. “You don’t need to worry because I have the best husband in the world, big brother! I’m very happy and content right now!” Mineah reassured him, and that made Ezekiel truly grateful.

They reached the clearing, and the mage created a portal, which Ezekiel and Mineah quickly entered.

“We’re here!” he announced, Mineah trailing behind him as they arrived at their location. “Where’s Amon?” he quickly asked.

“Here!” A woman who he assumed as Amon’s wife all but screamed as she presented her dying husband to them. “Please save him!”

Without another word, Mineah nodded and swiftly made her way to Amon’s side. She looked at him, signaling him to get ready. Ezekiel nodded, and Mineah’s hands began to glow as she cast a spell on Amon’s body.

“Stand back,” Mineah warned. “Things might get dangerous from here.” Ezekiel braced himself, ready to catch the bloodthread and destroy it.

The woman hesitantly backed away as Mineah completed her spell. For a brief second, the light in Mineah’s hands disappeared, and silence settled around them. Suddenly, a bright red light erupted from Amon’s chest, casting an eerie glow around the clearing.

“Now, Ezekiel!”

At Mineah’s command, Ezekiel lunged at the bright red light that slowly turning black, his hand piercing through the searing glow. He could feel the dark energy pulsating beneath his fingertips as he grabbed hold of the bloodthread. It was a vile, writhing mass of dark energy, twisting and resisting his grip with every ounce of its malevolent force.

With a grunt of effort, Ezekiel pulled the bloodthread from Amon’s chest, the sickening tendrils of dark magic clinging stubbornly to their host. As the thread emerged, it let out a spine-chilling screech, the sound reverberating through the air like nails on a chalkboard. The bloodthread twisted and lashed out, trying desperately to escape Ezekiel’s grasp.

The light dissipated, leaving the thread exposed in Ezekiel’s hand. It writhed and twisted, a living embodiment of Devon’s malevolence. Summoning all his strength, Ezekiel channeled his power into his grip, feeling the energy surging through him. He used not just the dragon energy in him but also the divine power in his body to destroy it. His fist began to glow with a fierce, crackling light as he tightened his hold on the bloodthread.

With a final flex of his fist, Ezekiel crushed the bloodthread, the dark energy imploding with a blinding flash of light. A surge of power exploded from his hand, sending shockwaves through the area. The remnants of the bloodthread disintegrated into nothingness, leaving behind only a faint echo of Devon’s scream of pain.

The air around them calmed, and the oppressive weight lifted, signaling the end of the dark threat. Ezekiel let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“It’s over,” he declared. “Devon won’t be terrorizing King Amon’s body anymore.”

‘One more to go…’ Ezekiel thought. He had to find that last bloodthread immediately.