71.- The colossus and The Black rose

The echo of Kraal's desperate roar still reverberated through the depths of the Crypt of the Frozen Claw as Aurora emerged from the tunnel into the Council Chamber. The polished ice floor, once a mirror reflecting the dancing glyphs on the vaulted ceiling, now lay shattered into jagged chunks, covered in a mantle of liquid shadows dripping from her armor of pure darkness like spilled black blood. Her shadow sword, a blade that seemed to tear light from the air with every motion, hung with careless elegance in her right hand, trailing a corrosive mist that hissed against the ice. Her amber eyes, twin embers harboring galaxies swirling in a frigid void, swept the chamber with an indifference that chilled deeper than the mountain's glacial breath. Her green hair, alive and writhing like an impossible venom, twisted in the still air, casting shadows that danced like ravenous specters.

At the chamber's center, before the throne of black ice and volcanic rock, Kraal stood motionless, a mountain of scales and barely contained fury. His war axe, forged in the heart of a millennial glacier, rested in his hands, its edge gleaming with a blue so intense it seemed to burn through the gloom. Zyth's corpse lay to one side, shrouded in black roses pulsing with grotesque life, their petals gaping like toothy maws still sucking frozen blood from her broken scales, leaving crystalline pools that mirrored the chamber's dying light. The priests, kneeling before the circular altars, could barely sustain their chant—"Oh, Frozen Claw, queen of eternal chill…"—their voices trembling like broken whispers under the weight of desecration. In a corner, Skarr, the Royal Emissary, crawled among the rubble, his white wolf tunic torn and soaked with icy sweat, while his surviving mages flanked him, their staves dim and their hands clenched in raw terror.

Aurora tilted her head, a minimal gesture dripping with silent arrogance, and took a step forward. The ice beneath her feet cracked with a sharp snap that echoed like a breaking bone, and the runes carved into the walls, enduring eons of storms and wars, flickered out one by one, as if her presence snuffed out the crypt's very essence. "Let's end this," she murmured, her voice a cutting whisper that sliced through the silence like a blade across flesh, cold and indifferent, an echo of absolute power that needed no shout to dominate.

Kraal gripped his axe, his bluish-white scales creaking under the strain of his muscles like ice plates on the verge of bursting. The pain of Zyth's death blazed in his chest like a glacier aflame, a knot of rage and loss consuming him from within. His yellow eyes, glowing like furious suns in the dimness, locked onto Aurora with an intensity that could split steel. "I won't let you defile this place," he growled, his voice low but heavy with a determination that quivered in the air like a war drum. His mind raced, searching for a strategy, a sliver of hope against this invincible entity. If I can't kill her, I'll at least destroy what she guards, he thought, his fingers tightening on the axe's handle as he calculated every move, knowing each second could be his last.

With a roar that boomed like the collapse of an entire peak, Kraal unleashed his transformation. His body erupted in a surge of glacial power, tripling in size in an instant to become a colossus of ice and unbridled fury. His scales swelled, growing into thick, jagged glacier plates that armored his flesh in a living shield, each one gleaming with a deep blue that flashed like frozen lightning. His arms twisted, muscles coiling like roots of eternal ice that groaned with every flex, and his axe transformed in his grip, becoming an extension of his colossal power—a massive blade pulsing with a chill so fierce it crystallized the air around him into clouds of spikes that clattered to the floor like shattered glass. The floor beneath his feet shattered into a crater spreading across the chamber, cracks snaking toward the walls like open veins, and a primal roar tore from his throat, rattling the crypt to its foundations. The vaulted ceiling quaked, shedding slabs of ice that crushed a nearby altar in a storm of dust and debris, and the entire mountain groaned, its outer slopes splitting with tremors that echoed like a heartbeat teetering on collapse.

Aurora didn't flinch. Her amber eyes regarded him with the calm of one watching a beast trapped in a shattered cage, and she raised her shadow sword with a slow, almost bored motion. "Pathetic," she whispered, and the black sun hovering behind her pulsed with a low hum that vibrated the walls, loosening more ice chunks that fell like razor-sharp rain.

Kraal charged, his footsteps thundering like avalanches that splintered the ice into jagged shards. The ground shook with each stride, cracks spiderwebbing outward, and a stomp of his right foot blasted a section of the floor into a burst of shards that flew like shrapnel, tearing a scream from one of Skarr's mages before a fragment pierced his chest, his body crumpling in a pool of frozen blood that iced over instantly. He raised his colossal axe with both hands, his mind fixed on a single goal: If I can't hit her, I'll destroy her path. He swung it down at Aurora with a force that could cleave a nation in two, his movements fluid and precise like a master swordsman, the blade slicing the air with a deafening roar. The strike hit the floor before her, opening an abyss that swallowed an entire altar in a blast of ice and volcanic rock. Blue and black sparks erupted on impact, lighting the chamber with blinding flashes that mirrored the fury in every blow. A shockwave bellowed through the chamber, fracturing columns into chunks that crashed down with thuds like fractured thunder, and an entire wall buckled outward, tearing open a jagged hole that exposed the Frosted Mountain's slopes—now cracked and trembling under his might.

Aurora dodged with supernatural grace, her body sliding aside as if time itself bent to her will. Her shadow sword traced a black arc through the air, slicing through the wave of cold trailing Kraal's strike with a burst of dark particles that scattered like glowing ash, leaving a wake of mist that devoured the ice shards still floating in the air. "Is that all?" she said, her voice dripping with disdain as the shadows beneath her feet sprang to life, sprouting black tendrils that slithered toward him with lethal speed, their spines glinting with a venomous green that flashed in the gloom.

Kraal spun his axe in a horizontal arc, his technique stylized like a frozen breath, each motion laden with deadly precision. The colossal blade smashed into the tendrils, ripping them from the ground in a burst of dark petals and broken stems that rained down like black ash, but the swing missed its mark and crashed into a side wall. A flare of blue light erupted on contact, eternal ice and rock shattering in a deafening crunch, and an entire mountainside—a slab of frost and stone—tore free with a roar that echoed beyond the crypt, tumbling into the abyss in an avalanche of debris that kicked up a cloud of icy dust visible for miles. More tendrils sprouted instantly, climbing his legs with spines that pierced his ice plates, tearing off chunks that bled liquid ice in crystalline streams. Pain stabbed through him like needles, but he gritted his teeth, his heavy breath forming clouds of vapor that froze midair. I can't give up… not while the Claw remains, he thought, his mind battling the exhaustion weighing down his bones.

"I won't be stopped by tricks!" Kraal snarled, opening his jaws to unleash a glacial breath that roared like an unbound blizzard. The air before him froze into a whirlwind of razor-sharp crystals, a living storm that hurtled toward Aurora with the force of an avalanche that could bury kingdoms. The crystals gleamed with a vivid blue, shredding the tendrils into fragments and uprooting shadows from the floor, while the ground quaked under the pressure. The chamber shuddered, the vaulted ceiling collapsing in slabs that crushed two priests beneath a wet crunch, their bodies bursting into red smears on the shattered ice, while the outer walls split, letting in gusts of frigid wind from the broken slopes.

Aurora raised her sword with a fluid motion, and the black blade swallowed the glacial breath as if consuming a dying star. A dark shockwave erupted from the clash, the storm vanishing into a vortex of mist that swirled around her, blinding Kraal with a haze that clouded his yellow eyes and filled the air with an acrid stench that seared his throat. He roared, swinging his axe in a blind strike that cleaved a column in two, the pillar toppling with a crash that echoed like fractured thunder. Blue and black sparks lit the chamber, the impact sending a wave that shattered another wall section, hurling a chunk of the mountain outward, the ice and rock plummeting with a roar that shook the ground as if an earthquake were tearing the earth apart.

"Die!" Kraal bellowed, charging again with a fury that made the entire crypt tremble. His steps carved craters into the floor, each one rumbling with a tremor that split the polished ice into shards that flew like shrapnel, one spearing a mage of Skarr's through the skull with a wet crack that sprayed frozen blood against the wall. He raised his axe in a vertical arc, his technique precise as a swordsman dancing with death, the blade slashing the air with a roar that seemed to split the heavens. The strike missed Aurora by inches, slamming into the ground and opening a chasm that swallowed the remnants of an altar and part of the throne in a blast of ice and volcanic rock. A burst of blue and black light flared on impact, particles glowing like fleeting fire before dissipating. The chamber rocked, cracks spreading like broken veins, and a ceiling slab the size of a house crashed down with a boom that crushed another priest, his body bursting into a pool of guts and scales that froze instantly.

Aurora reappeared to the side, unscathed, her form hovering just above the wrecked floor like a specter immune to the chaos. "What a waste," she murmured, and the shadows beneath her erupted into a tide of shadowy wraiths—tall, thin figures with dagger-like claws and red eyes blazing with voracious hunger. They lunged at Kraal, their slashes carving his ice plates with blue sparks that lit the gloom, while black roses climbed his legs, their petals unfurling to reveal toothy maws that gnawed at his glacial flesh, tearing off chunks that fell in crystalline pools darkening upon contact with the shadows. A claw raked his thigh, leaving a deep gash that bled liquid ice, and Kraal grunted, the sharp pain lancing through him like lightning. Not yet… I can still fight, he thought, his heart pounding with a mix of fury and desperation as his body quaked under the weight of his wounds.

Kraal roared, his axe whirling in a tempest that shredded the wraiths into wisps of black mist that dissipated with shrill screeches. His stomps crushed the roses, the ice beneath him exploding in a shower of shards that pierced a mage of Skarr through the gut, his body dangling from a fragment like a broken puppet before collapsing in a pool of blood and frozen entrails. But the shadows reformed instantly, their claws rending his plates with lethal precision, leaving deep gashes that bled liquid ice in streams that splattered the shattered floor. The tendrils climbed higher, coiling around his arms and tugging at his axe with a force that made him stagger, the weapon groaning under the strain as if about to snap.

"I won't fall so easily," Kraal growled, his voice quavering but thick with a resilience that defied the pain burning through every muscle. He tore the tendrils free with a roar that sent another blast of glacial breath toward Aurora. The whirlwind of crystals sliced the wraiths apart, freezing the air into a cloud of spikes that hurtled at her like a living tempest that could level cities. A flare of blue light erupted as it clashed with the shadows, the ice striking with a boom that shook the chamber, the outer walls collapsing in sections that fell outward with roars echoing like avalanches, leaving jagged gaps through which the frigid wind howled like a lament. A ceiling slab crushed the last priest, his skull bursting in a spray of blood and bone that froze midair before hitting the ground, while the mountain's slopes shattered into chunks that plummeted into the abyss, sending tremors rippling across the earth beyond the crypt.

Aurora raised her sword again, and her armor's darkness swelled, swallowing the glacial breath like an insatiable void. A dark shockwave burst from the impact, the mist swirling around her and forming a shield that repelled the spikes, turning them into black dust that rained silently to the floor. With a flick of her free hand, the black roses erupted into a web of stems that snared Kraal's legs, immobilizing him with a dry snap that rang like a breaking bone. The wraiths lunged again, their claws slashing his plates and tearing off chunks of ice that thudded to the ground, while the tendrils climbed his torso, their spines piercing his glacial flesh in jets of blue liquid that splashed the broken floor like spilled paint.

Kraal fought, his axe hacking the tendrils in a frenzy that filled the air with dark petals and broken stems falling like blood-soaked ash. His stomps opened craters that fractured the floor into jagged chunks, and a desperate swing of his weapon struck a wall, splitting the rock and eternal ice in a blast that sent another slab of the mountain tumbling into the abyss, the collapse roaring with a force that shook the outer slopes as if a god had struck the earth. But the shadows overwhelmed him, the roses climbing his neck and coiling around his face, their spines piercing his scales with a wet sound that echoed grotesquely through the chamber. "I won't surrender!" he roared, his voice breaking as exhaustion weighed on him like a slab, but his spirit burned with a determination that kept him upright. For Zyth… for the Claw… I must hold on, he thought, his yellow eyes blazing with a fury that defied the inevitable collapse.

"You won't… take… our soul," Kraal rasped, his breath ragged as the tendrils pinned him completely. His yellow eyes flared with one last surge of fury, and with a roar that shook the entire mountain, he unleashed a suicidal assault. He released his axe, letting it crash to the ground with a boom that carved a lake-sized crater, the blade shattering into fragments that flew like shrapnel, one spearing a mage of Skarr through the torso and pinning his twitching body to a wall in a pool of frozen blood. Kraal charged at Aurora barehanded, his colossal form wreathed in an aura of eternal ice that crystallized the air around him into a storm of spikes slashing everything in its path. His fists rose, each punch a hammer that could raze nations, and he unleashed them at her with a force roaring like an unbound avalanche, his technique precise and fluid like a final dance of defiance.

The first punch slammed into the floor where Aurora had stood, opening a chasm that swallowed the throne's remnants and part of the central altar in a blast of ice and rock that thundered like fractured lightning. Blue and black sparks erupted on impact, lighting the chamber with flashes that mirrored the desperation on his face. The impact sent a shockwave that shattered the remaining walls, the mountain's outer slopes collapsing into chunks that plummeted into the abyss with roars that trembled the earth beyond the crypt. The second blow struck a column, splitting it in two and sending a ceiling slab crashing down that pinned Skarr against a corner, his legs snapping under the weight with a wet crunch that drowned his scream in silence. But Aurora dodged each strike with a fluid dance, her sword tracing black arcs that sliced the icy aura into shards, the spikes raining to the floor in a clatter of broken crystals.

The black roses climbed faster, coiling around Kraal's arms and halting his charge with a brutal yank that dropped him to his knees, the ground quaking with a crater beneath his weight. "Finish it," Aurora said, her voice flat and cold as she raised her sword. The tendrils tightened, their stems glowing with a venomous green, and with a final snap, they encased Kraal in a prison of shadows that petrified him. His colossal form turned into a statue of black ice, his yellow eyes fading in a last flicker of defiance before darkness claimed him utterly. The shattered axe vibrated on the floor, its fragments falling like frozen tears, and a sepulchral silence filled the wrecked chamber.

Aurora walked to the central altar, where the Frozen Claw rested on an obsidian pedestal, its surface gleaming with a deep blue that pulsed like a dying heart. She extended a hand, her fingers brushing the artifact, and a gust of glacial energy roared through the chamber, cracking the floor and shaking the few walls still standing. The Claw dissolved into her palm, absorbed by her shadow armor with a flash that lit the chamber for an instant before fading into gloom. No visible change marked her—no gleam in her eyes, no shift in her presence. Just the same glacial indifference, as if the Claw were a mere echo beneath her infinite power.

Ignoring the trembling Skarr, who crawled through the rubble with gasps of relief, Aurora raised her sword and traced a circle in the air. A grotesque portal opened before her, a vortex of liquid shadows and black petals spinning like a ravenous eye, its hum filling the chamber with a promise of void that cut into the soul. She stepped toward it, her form vanishing into the darkness without a backward glance, leaving the chamber in a silence broken only by the crack of fractured ice and the distant groan of the shattered mountain.

Skarr dragged himself forward, his hands shaking as he clutched a shard of altar, his nails scraping off bits of obsidian in his desperation. "Finally… finally safe," he stammered, a nervous smile twisting his pale face beneath his silver scales, his glassy eyes shining with a mix of terror and broken hope. His mages surrounded him, their faces streaked with frozen sweat and dust, their bodies quaking as they stared at the spot where the Claw had been, now an empty pedestal riddled with cracks. But then, a black glint caught their eye—a few steps away, where the broken ice lay in shards, a small black rose sprouted from the ground, its petals glowing with a green pulse like a living heart, its tiny stems snaking across the wrecked surface like veins.

"What… what's that?" one mage whispered, his voice quavering as he raised a dim staff, his clenched fingers shedding a dusting of ice that fell to the floor. Skarr frowned, his relief curdling into a stab of dread that twisted his guts. Before he could answer, the rose exploded.

A blast of pure darkness roared from the chamber's center, a wave of shadows and black petals that devoured ice, rock, and air in an instant. The walls disintegrated in a deafening crunch, the vaulted ceiling collapsing in a rain of debris that dissolved into nothingness before hitting the ground. Skarr screamed, his voice drowned by the explosion's roar, as he and his mages were swallowed by the black tide—their bodies vanishing in a flash of silver scales shattering like glass, their frozen guts splattering the air before being consumed by the darkness. The entire mountain quaked, its slopes fracturing into chunks that plunged into the abyss in a thunder that echoed like the world's end, and when the dust settled, only an immense crater remained—a dark, silent void where the Crypt of the Frozen Claw had stood for centuries. No survivors, no echoes, just the mark of the black rose that had annihilated everything in a final breath of devastation.