Chapter 122 – The Retaliation of Embers

The retaliation came swift.

Within hours of the Titan's fall, the skies over the lower realms boiled red. Fire rained down—not natural flame, but divine wrath refined through centuries of suppression and obsession.

The Flame Court's retaliation wasn't subtle. It wasn't diplomatic.

It was a declaration of war.

Southern Reach – Mortal-Aligned Territory, Border of the Emberfold

A crimson vortex split the sky as three flame-touched colossi descended. Not Titans—no. These were Ashborn, divine-forged juggernauts imbued with the will of Flame Sovereigns themselves. Less machine than embodied destruction, each one trailed volcanic stormclouds in their wake.

Villages burned. Mountains cracked. Divine temples loyal to Chen's alliance flickered and dimmed as ley lines were disrupted.

"Deploy the Ashborn," came the Flame Court's decree, spoken from braziers in all loyal temples.

"Crush his heresy."

Back in the Floating Sanctuary

Chen stood with his team in the war chamber, eyes locked on the scrying crystal that showed the carnage from orbit.

Ye Yue's fists trembled. "They're not just retaliating. They're trying to break morale. Scare the lesser courts into retreating."

"They're targeting places we helped," Sarina added, voice tight. "Mortal realms we cleansed of their influence."

"Then we intercept," Chen said coldly. "Not just with power—strategy. Precision."

He turned to Lanmei and Mei. "Take your squads. Focus on evacuations and disruption. We buy time."

"And you?" Sarina asked.

"I'm going after the commander."

Hours Later – Emberfold Front

Chen descended like a comet.

He hit the battlefield in silence, landing between two armies. The Ashborn commander, a creature wreathed in molten plate and crowned with living fire, turned to him in silence. For a moment, the world held its breath.

Then they charged.

Clash of Flame and Soul

Fire met Soulflame.

The Ashborn's blade—a greatsword of obsidian wreathed in solar flame—met Chen's hand-formed weapon, shaped by will and divine essence. Chen's Soulflame pulsed in time with the heartbeat of the goddess's feather still embedded in his core. Each movement shimmered with not just power, but purpose.

Behind him, mortals and minor divinities watched as two titans collided.

Chen took a direct hit—was sent skidding—but twisted mid-air, redirected the momentum, and retaliated with a rising strike. Soulflame erupted from his hand, blooming into an ethereal phoenix.

The Ashborn staggered.

A cheer erupted from the defenders' side.

In the Skies – Ye Yue and Lanmei's Maneuvers

High above, Ye Yue danced through flame and lightning, her spear trailing celestial water. Lanmei blurred through teleportation circles, cutting down flame-touched generals before they could cast their blessings.

Mei coordinated evacuations on the ground with Sarina, whose stolen Flame Court seals twisted the enemy's spells mid-incantation.

For once, they weren't just surviving the retaliation.

They were winning.

End of Battle – One Ashborn Falls

With a final, devastating blow of fused Soulflame and goddess-light, Chen shattered the Ashborn commander's mask. The fire within flickered… and then extinguished.

The colossus crumbled.

And the battlefield went silent.

Back at the Sanctuary – Nightfall

Chen stood, armor cracked, skin burned—but victorious. Around him, his allies returned one by one.

"We hit back," Lanmei said, voice low but fierce.

"They'll escalate again," Sarina warned.

Chen nodded. "Then we escalate smarter."

Ye Yue stepped closer. "You've just proven something else again—no longer reactive. You're shaping the war."

He met her gaze. "It's time we force the Flame Court to defend for once."