Chapter 9: The Siege of Kora
The Royal Capital did not look like the jewel of the kingdom anymore. It looked like an altar.
As Leo and Elara reached the final ridge overlooking the city, they saw four massive Necrotic Towers rising from the corners of the noble district. They weren't just siphoning mana anymore; they were projecting a violet dome over the inner city, leaving the sprawling outer slums—where the commoners lived—completely exposed to Malakor's approaching shadow army.
The False Savior
The sky was choked with Malakor's Ghouls of the Border, flying on wings of golden light. Below them, the Magic Knights were being pushed back, their spells flickering out as the towers drained the ambient mana from the air.
"They've abandoned the commoners," Elara whispered, her eyes wide with horror. "The Council... they're using the towers to protect the nobles and letting the rest of the city burn."
The Return of the Ghost
Suddenly, a streak of black-red light tore through the purple clouds.
Leo didn't land; he struck. He hit the center of the battlefield like a falling star, the shockwave of heat incinerating a hundred Ghouls instantly. As the smoke cleared, the soldiers on both sides froze.
"Is that... Number 502?" a wounded knight gasped.
"It's the Hellfire Host! He's alive!"
Leo stood in the crater, his dragon-scale mantle tattered, his eyes glowing with a steady, terrifying amber light. He wasn't hiding anymore. He wasn't a "contingency." He was a force of nature.
The Two-Front War
"Leo!" Captain Mara swung down from a nearby rooftop, her shadow-threads frayed and bleeding. "You shouldn't have come back. The King has the Solar Eclipse seal ready. If you use too much power, he'll trigger it and take you—and half the city—with it."
"He can try," Leo said.
He raised his hands, and instead of a chaotic explosion, he performed a feat of absolute control. Hundreds of Black Briars surged from the cobblestones. They didn't just attack the Ghouls; they formed a living, thorned wall between the commoner district and the shadow army.
But as the vines grew, the Necrotic Towers began to pulse. They were draining Leo's life force through his magic.
The Betrayal of the Light
High atop the Royal Palace, the Magic King stood with his council. He watched as Leo saved the citizens he had abandoned.
"He's too strong," a noble councillor hissed. "Look at him. He's not fighting like a boy. He's fighting like Lucifero. If he survives this, the people will follow him, not us."
Alaric's face was a mask of grief and iron. He raised his golden staff. "The boy is a malfunction. Activate the Solar Eclipse. Target the Hellfire signature."
The Sky Turns Black
A beam of pure, white light shot down from the heavens, striking Leo directly. It wasn't meant to kill him—it was meant to invert his magic, turning the Hellfire inward to implode his heart.
Leo screamed, falling to his knees as his own flames began to turn black and crawl back into his skin.
"Leo!" Elara ran toward him, but the pressure of the seal was so great it cracked the ground for miles.
In the distance, Malakor watched from his bone throne, a cold smile on his face. "Yes... show him, Alaric. Show him that his 'home' is his executioner. Give me my King."
Leo looked up at the palace, then at the terrified commoners he was protecting. The "Certainty" he had found at the towers finally crystallized. He stopped fighting the seal. He stopped fighting the fire.
He stood up, the white light of the King's seal beginning to crack against the sheer heat of his resolve.
"You want a monster?" Leo's voice echoed across the entire city, amplified by the fire. "I'll give you a King."