Bahamut Tempest Pov
Mana surged through my every pore, rejuvenating my mana-starved body. Bending to my will the mana stopped draining from me as if a floodgate closed. Chains snapped and shackles sheared away as I rose to my feet.
"Bahamut's Escaping!" The mana-enhanced shouts of the guards panicked. The voices reverberated like a shockwave, losing caked dust from my hair and stonewall alike.
The cavern darkened. A cyclone of churning black wind swirled malevolently raining down a shower of black spikes, and soulfire burst from the cloud like javelins.
Storm mana and Aether amassed in my hand before purple bolts exploded outward like a cascade of thunder. The aetheric bolts burst on impact, expanding space at their epicentre pushing the rain of javelins away.
The prison trembled as the black spikes slammed into the walls, some punched into the walls or drilling through the barriers above. Boulders and stalagmites fell from the walls, and bridges crossing the area above me while flakes of the shattered shields rained down like scattered papers.
Drawing Aether to the wound Agrona left on me I watched as It faded away in a blaze of violet flames, burning away every last trace of the cursed wound.
Guards strung dozens of bridges crisscrossing the chasm I was isolated in the middle of, relishing in awe-stricken gazes learning down at me I focused on the Vritra at the forefront of the rest. the one who had insulted my clansmen throughout my imprisonment.
"You should have killed me while you had the chance. For insulting my kin I will slaughter you like I did the djinn," My voice boomed, as Aether clung to me like a second skin.
Dispersing into aetheric lighting I crossed the distance in a flash and reappeared before him. Hammering my fist into his nose, his head snapped back blood trailing from his nose. Planting my foot between his own my hand thrust like a spear, storm mana surged like a monsoon ripping open his chest.
Only the shattered remains of his mana core remained in the hole through his chest as he fell dead on the ground. Looking to either side of me Vritra lined up by the dozens ready to attack. With an angry scream, they rushed towards me, weapons and spellfire hungrily reaching for my throat.
Ashen winds rolled over my body surrounding me in storms, I turned to the right exploding off my back foot. I was on him instantly, spinning on my heel my fist slammed into the guard's shield. Shards of blood and iron scattered away like broken glass shattered from the blow.
He flew backwards, smashing through the guardrail of the bridge. Hearing the armour-clad approach of the next Vritra I flashed to the left dodging his axe, cracks splintered out from the strike like a spiderweb.
My palm slammed into his elbow, shattering bones and sending him reeling in agony. reaching overhead layer upon layer of ice gathered into a greatsword, Bringing it down to finish him. Black spikes shot up to block my slash, I knew it would shatter my blade leaving me open to a counterattack.
Twisting my body I threw my blade towards the Vritra on my right, decapitating him. turning back Soulfire boiled out of me, engulfing the axe wielder in flames leaving nothing left of him.
The hair on my neck stood on end, I spun around, three of them snapped forward at me in their true forms. Reaching out I grabbed the middle snake's fangs stopping him in his tracks, then ripped his fangs out.
Reeling back in pain, poisoned venom spewed forward at me, flicking my wrist gales of wind threw it back blinding all three of them; Thrusting a fist forward spikes of Ice shot, punching through their barriers crucifying them to the earthen walls.
The guards surrounding me on all sides taking a step back, hesitating who to send to their deaths next. Storm magic pulsed to my outstretched hands before lashing out in an electrified frozen mist. Thunder arced out like a spiderweb through the grey mist, jumping from Vritra to Vritra.
A draconic shout tore through my throat enhanced with mana as loudly as I could muster. Their hands blurred to their ears crying out in pain as backend blood leaked from their burst eardrums.
Gaps in their defences as they fell to their knees arcing with storm magic and burst eardrums. Not wasting a moment mana surged to my legs kicking off the ground as if I was thrown by a trebuchet. Blurring into a mass of thunder and black fire I ripped limb from socket, severing heads from bodies.
Lightning roared and surged punching holes through their armour leaving only seared flesh and molten metal. The survivors pushed themselves to their feet slowly, healing their wounds with their mana arts of choice.
My core ached half empty even with the efficiency of storm magic enhancing my body and scarce use of ranged spells. "I don't have time to waste on you all, I have to protect my grandson," I murmured aloud, flying at breakneck speeds higher and higher.
Soulfire gathered into a devouring shield in front of me devouring every wall in my path as I punched through to the surface, looking down hundreds of metres of rock and metal decayed away below him.
"It would be bothersome for you to interrupt." Storm shroud converged to my hand palm before bursting in a beam of lighting, collapsing the mountaintop into the subterranean prison.
The ground blurred below as I took flight, cities passed below like fleeting raptor squirrels and rivers flashed by like drops from a waterfall. seconds blurred into minutes before becoming hours as I flew towards Alexander's mana signature, I barely recognized it from what it had been before I gave him Storm soul, as now his mana signature was nearly identical to my own.
The horizon changed in the distance, A blackened churning storm died crimson with the scorched and burned land below it. As if the night sky was being consumed by a firestorm that blew black snow. I held out a hand, catching a snowflake. Its colouration was like ash but the material was like obsidian, the flake was volcanic glass that was infused with storm magic from the bombardment the ground received.
I knew all too well what mana art caused this, I was taught this from my mentor. A primordial storm dragon named Adun who could conquer all of Epheotus himself, but this mana art was merely his Breath.
"I told you to never use this spell, Alexander. This doesn't just obliterate the enemy's fortress, It scars the land beyond repair for hundreds of years... You know well that the World Eater Technique causes shorter-term damage than this," I cursed beneath my breath.
Passing over the horizon into the western domain of Vechor I saw the damage my spell had caused. Molten earth hardened into volcanic glass, any signs of life that survived the initial bombardment were long since gone.
At the epicentre of the burning sky was a dragon floating in the air like a wraith. A body equal in size to myself was lined with fierce jagged scales lining its body shone white and black. Four hulking wings bigger than my own that beat in tandem to support his bulky frame. Seven heads looked around searching for anything to destroy, something to kill. Its hungry eyes locked on my own with a palpable bloodlust I hadn't felt anything like in centuries.
"What has happened to you, Alexander?" my voice was but a whisper lost to the wind. What did he experience to force himself into a situation where he became this amalgam of Asura and mana beast.
A scream both sorrowful and seething with rage tore out of all seven heads at once, dozens of pillars of ice shot out of his wings puncturing the dead Vritra bodies below him. Their corpses torn to shreds by the raw power he possessed as a storm dragon.
From the residual mana in these Vritra he killed It was clear they weren't fighters or even assassins, they were just scholars that were in Alexander's way. That being said, to kill this many being only a child by our clan's standards...
Suddenly all seven heads snapped towards me, Spinning in the air I barely dodged torrents of crimson thunder, narrowly missing their mark.
The smell of electricity hung heavily in my nose as I swung my arm, bolts of thunder jumped from my arm like comets.
He whirled back howling in pain, blackened blood leached from between the shattered and flaking scales falling off across his body.
"I'm sorry but I must end this rampage before my Brother comes for us," his eyes changed to royal blue at my words, Runes of the same colour flowed over his scales lined with onyx black, To use my own Storm Soul against me...
"No matter how much your rage is deserved I am sorry my grandson. Heed my call, Balmung," At my words, a silver greatsword manifested in my hand. The familiar rough voice echoed in my head with disbelief. "Bahamut!? I thought you were dead."
"We will be soon if we don't stop Alexander before Agrona comes for us," I felt him nod mentally at me as storm magic hummed up the blade thrumming with a thunderclap.
The world turned monochrome with the mana glowing softly as Balmung linked his senses to my own, 'The sight of the world under the influence of Realmheart is breathtaking as always,' I sent to my weapon.
Balmung felt weightless in my palm as I flourished the blade, I felt my magic grow stronger as the air around me distorted into a thundering haze. 'Lady Tempest is going to be furious at us Bahamut,' he sighed out mentally.
'So he's wedded already? What is she like?' I raised a brow, as I swatted away a wall of white fire he breathed towards me. 'she is... quite like your late wife, Tiamat.'
"If that's the case I'm more concerned for him than myself." I tightened my grip on blaming as all 14 of his eyes locked on me with a baleful gaze; Radiating enough inate bloodlust I felt my grip tremble for a moment.
There are only three ways to stop our clansmen's rage, for them to kill the target of their malice, cause a stronger emotion than the rage they felt; or the use of overwhelming force to defeat them.
Taking my half-dragon form, my scales spread over my body as wings sprouted from my back and my tail extended from my lower back. with a flap of my wings, I was in front of him. His eyes went wide as aether rolled over him like a second mesmerising skin.
A wave of void black lightning erupted from my hand engulfing him and the ground below him. The ground shattered for miles as he impacted the ground, the air forced from his lungs.
The air around me bloomed in swarms of hellfire, igniting the sky like a star-filled night sky. His spells melted into the air against my scales like a gust of wind. Falling from the sky I slammed into his chest with a mana-enhanced stomp, the ground below us turned to dust as his bones shattered.
Grabbing his intact scales I threw him towards the ocean, hurtling towards the water he skipped off its surface like a stone. The Aether carried me to him in a bust of thunder once again.
Pointing Balmung towards him the ocean waves turned to walls of spikes, flicking the tip of Balmung they all slammed into him. Pushing him higher and higher into the sky, punching holes in his wings and riddling his body with wounds.
Falling from the clouds he was back in his human form, his eyes glazed over red, as his black hair leaching white at the roots fluttered in the wind. His body was covered in countless wounds bleeding a viscous black fluid.
Drifting closer to him I outstretched my arms to catch my unconscious grandson, soulfire ablaze ready to mend his wounds. Suddenly every hair on my body stood on end.
His eyes snapped open burning with a silver gold light, Sending a shiver down my spine. My body felt weak as he hung in the air unmoving and just staring at me. I knew this feeling well, it was one I hadn't felt in millennia. Fear.
A ring of golden lightning spun around his head like a crown of flowing lightning, not a stray bolt shot off as it flowed more akin to water than lightning; Blinding white runes flowed over his body before expanding into graceful flowing white robes.
The sky grew overcast in an instant, blotting out the sun completely turning day to night across the entire dominion. The only light was from the halo on his head and the arcs of golden lightning in the storm overhead.
Raising a hand up a maelstrom of golden light bombarded his hand, as starlight outflowed from his palm churned together before condensing into a javelin. The wind flowing around it was a multi-coloured aura of pure energy, I could see the aether being pushed away from it like it was afraid.
Winding his arm back the javelin distorted the world around us, the shattered earth was pulled up towards us as tornadoes raged in distorted forms, ocean waves flowed backwards, and the air around him snowed with volatile flakes.
I couldn't see his arm move as he threw the javelin. Then the world seemed to freeze. Alexander's eyes turned a glacial blue that held more power in them than Storm Soul or the previous gold ever could.
"To think Alexander's rage could hold me back long enough for him to conjure one of my thunderbolts," He laughed aloud, before turning back to look at me.
"I am the God of Storms and Ice, Boreas Tempestas. Please, take care of Alexander when he wakes up. He forceable awakened my Divine will before he could tolerate its power," his voice echoed, as he moved the bolt to miss me by a wide margin.
Suddenly with a flick of his wrist, we were impossibly high in the sky, looking down the entire planet below us as the storm cleared over Alacrya. Then the bolt struck in a blast of blinding gold, scorching my eyes as if they had been in a fire.
The wound in the land it caused spread coast to coast filling with water from the ocean, but as it did It was apparent this was no lake he had created. It was an Ocean.