THE DEMON WHO DEVOURED KINGS

Chapter 44

The Demon Who Devoured Kings

The creature stepped fully out of the Black Gate.

The earth groaned beneath its weight.

Its six arms stretched toward the sky, each ending in claws longer than ancient oak trees. A crown of black bone rested upon its head, and four burning crimson eyes scanned the battlefield with terrifying intelligence.

Where its feet touched the ground...

Life withered.

Grass turned to ash.

Trees crumbled into dust.

Even the air became heavy with death.

Thousands of warriors instinctively stepped back.

General Kael tightened his grip on his sword.

"What... is that thing?"

Queen Selene's face lost all color.

"I prayed history had forgotten its name."

Aria looked at her.

"You know it?"

Selene nodded slowly.

"Its name is... Varkor."

"The Devourer of Kings."

---

Long before wolves ruled the kingdom, Varkor had descended from the Void between worlds.

It fed on kingdoms.

On hope.

On royal blood.

Every king it defeated made it stronger.

The Wolf God had sacrificed nearly all of his divine power to imprison the monster beneath the earth.

For a thousand years...

No one had spoken its name.

Until now.

---

Varkor's booming laughter echoed across the valley.

"So few of you remain."

"The mighty Wolf Kingdom..."

"...has become nothing more than frightened children."

Its gaze settled on Ethan.

"The younger prince."

Then on his brother.

"The elder prince."

It smiled.

"I remember the taste of your father's blood."

Rage exploded inside both brothers.

The First Prince charged first.

"You monster!"

His crimson sword carved through the air with unbelievable speed.

A slash powerful enough to split a mountain struck Varkor's chest.

CLANG!

The blade stopped.

It hadn't even pierced the creature's skin.

Varkor looked down almost lazily.

"Finished?"

With one swing of its enormous hand, it struck the First Prince.

The impact sent him crashing through three mountains before disappearing in a cloud of dust.

"Brother!" Ethan shouted.

---

Without hesitation, Ethan leaped forward.

The Fang of Kings shone like a falling star.

Silver energy erupted around him.

For the first time, Ethan released the full power of the King's Blessing.

The sword sliced across Varkor's arm.

A thin line appeared.

Black blood dripped onto the earth.

The battlefield erupted in cheers.

"He wounded it!"

"It can bleed!"

Varkor stared at the cut in surprise.

Then...

It smiled.

"Excellent."

"I was beginning to fear this era had produced no worthy opponents."

The wound closed instantly.

As though it had never existed.

The cheers died.

---

Aria refused to stand by and watch.

She lifted the Moon Crown high above her head.

The silver moonlight answered her call.

Thousands of glowing wolves made of pure light appeared around the battlefield.

"Moon Spirit Legion!"

The spectral wolves charged as one.

They struck Varkor from every direction.

Explosions of silver light shook the valley.

When the light finally faded...

The monster was still standing.

Unharmed.

Varkor exhaled.

A wave of black mist swept across the battlefield.

Every spirit wolf vanished.

Aria staggered, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Her magic had been erased.

---

The High Chancellor laughed.

"You still don't understand."

"Varkor cannot be defeated by strength."

"He feeds on power."

"The more you attack..."

"The stronger he becomes."

The warriors froze.

Every strike...

Every spell...

Every ounce of power they had unleashed...

Had only made the monster stronger.

---

Suddenly, a loud whistle echoed across the battlefield.

Everyone looked up.

A massive shadow circled overhead.

Then it descended.

A giant silver eagle landed beside Ethan.

On its back stood an elderly man wrapped in blue robes, carrying a staff carved from crystal.

Queen Selene gasped.

"No..."

"It can't be."

The old man smiled.

"It has been a long time, Your Majesty."

General Kael immediately knelt.

"The Grand Sage..."

"The last Guardian of the Sacred Library!"

The old man climbed down from the eagle and looked directly at Ethan.

"I finally found you."

Ethan frowned.

"You know me?"

"I knew your father."

"And I know how to kill Varkor."

Every eye turned toward him.

Hope flickered once more.

But the Grand Sage's expression remained grave.

"There is only one way."

"And the price..."

He looked at Ethan...

Then at Aria...

"...is greater than either of you can imagine."

Before anyone could ask what he meant, Varkor raised one of its six arms.

A gigantic sphere of black fire formed above its palm.

It was larger than the entire palace.

The monster smiled.

"Let's see..."

"...if your hope survives this."

The sphere fell from the sky like a second moon.