A Failed Hero's Voyage Chapter 5: Chapter 5: A Dragons Pride

Read chapter 5 of A Failed Hero's Voyage by churro on NovelPedia.

‘‘Mordor’s Perspective’’ Far beneath a vast cloud of churning dust, a colossal crimson form lay half-buried among shattered mountains, his immense body stretched across the battlefield like a fallen monument. The Celestial Dragon, Mordor, rested in silence, cracks spreading across his head where Atherius’s blow had landed, fractures rippling outward through his vast frame as though the mountain itself had been broken in two. For a moment, he remained still. Then his chest rose. A slow exhale followed, and with it came breath that ignited the dust around him, scattering sparks of crimson flame that flickered and danced within the haze. His eyes opened, sharp, measured, and quietly curious, as he shifted, his massive form grinding against broken stone while the fractures across his scales began to close almost immediately, his living armor knitting itself together with unnatural speed. Above him, beyond the dense veil of ash and debris, Atherius hovered in silent stillness, the Hero of Death, watching, waiting. Mordor observed him through the dust, holding the silence for a long moment before slowly lifting his head and opening his jaws toward the sky. A thought lingered in the back of his mind, how long had it been since he had fought without restraint? His scales began to brighten as power gathered beneath them, light pulsing outward in steady waves, and another thought followed, had he ever truly unleashed everything he possessed? His eyes narrowed. A crimson beam erupted from his mouth, tearing through the dust cloud like a lance of burning light as it surged toward Atherius and struck him directly. The sky trembled under the force of the impact, yet the man did not move, and the attack dispersed harmlessly against him. Silence followed. And within that silence came a realization, quiet, reluctant, and absolute. No. He could not win. That truth had been present from the beginning. Atherius was not merely born, he had been created, forged through divine power by a god who stood as the counterpart to Mordor’s own. Mordor was a servant, bound by purpose, but Atherius was something else entirely, a weapon, shaped and perfected by a god. And no mortal could overcome a weapon forged in divinity. Even so, Mordor did not relent. Not yet. He would continue the battle, because perhaps through conflict, the man would begin to understand. Opening his jaws once more, Mordor released a second attack, far greater than the first, as a torrent of crimson energy erupted outward, shattering the stone beneath him while the mountain groaned under the weight of its own destruction. The beam surged forward, only to split into seven streams that twisted apart like living serpents, circling through the sky before converging on Atherius from every direction. And yet, Atherius remained still, watching. Unmoving. The beams closed in, but instead of striking, they curved inward, colliding midair and collapsing into a sealed sphere of blazing crimson energy around him, a prison compressed and condensed, brimming with overwhelming force, enough to annihilate anything within in an instant. But within that sphere, Atherius simply raised a hand. Then brought it down. The prison shattered. The explosion tore through the sky, scattering clouds and unleashing violent waves of force in every direction, and at that exact moment Mordor moved. The dust below erupted as the Celestial Dragon surged forward, his six wings cutting through the air with overwhelming speed while crimson flame licked across his body and the horns circling his head burned brighter with each passing moment. In an instant, he appeared behind Atherius, his fist driving forward in a single decisive strike. The impact sent Atherius hurtling through the sky like a falling star, tearing through mountain after mountain as each peak disintegrated on contact, stone collapsing into dust beneath the force of his passage. Only when the destruction ceased did the dust begin to settle. And when it did, At