NOVEL WEB Chapter 44: The general who bled
The Demonic Realm had long been ruled by fear. It was a land where strength determined law, and Khur Zhal had never once bowed in a thousand battles.
He had broken sect elders.
Crushed throne warriors.
Burned kingdoms to ash.
But he had never stood before an altar that made his bones tremble.
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1. Before the Altar
Khur Zhal stood tall.
A mountain of a man, horns rising like a crown, his dark armor crusted in old blood and newer scars. The claw marks across his chest were from a dragon of old, the broken tusk at his waist—once the pride of a giant.
He was fear incarnate.
And yet…
Before this altar, his steps slowed.
The two circling green dragons hissed low, keeping their orbit. The black mist below curled like snakes of death, the white mist above shining like a divine judgment. The altar pulsed, sensing him.
His eyes narrowed.
> "So you're the thing causing this chaos."
He raised his halberd, demonic energy flaring. Around him, the land cracked. Rocks rose. Lightning gathered.
Then—
A pressure.
It wasn't from the altar.
It wasn't from the dragons.
It was from something above.
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2. Vyren Descends
The clouds tore open.
A roar, so thunderous it made the green dragons pause, echoed through the sky. A wave of spiritual force followed, and Khur Zhal's demonic aura was suddenly suppressed.
A shadow emerged.
Then wings.
Wings wider than palaces.
A tier 7 beast descended—its eyes burning gold, its mane flowing like liquid flame, its breath thick with astral wind.
It was Vyren.
> The Sky-Flame Predator.
A creature thought to have vanished 800 years ago.
A beast that once devoured three cities in a night… and then vanished.
But now—Vyren returned, eyes locked onto Khur Zhal.
> "This altar is not for you," it spoke in a deep, growling voice that cracked the stone.
Khur Zhal raised his weapon.
> "You want a fight, beast?"
> "You cannot win."
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3. The Eagles Arrive
Before Khur Zhal could respond, two piercing cries echoed.
The skies split again—two giant eagles, each the size of a castle tower, dove from the horizon.
One black, one golden.
Tier 5 beasts, and yet their presence in the Demonic Realm was impossible. Their kind had been hunted to extinction centuries ago.
But here they were.
Both eagles spiraled around Vyren—loyal, watchful, and ready.
The sky darkened under their combined presence.
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4. The Battle Begins
Khur Zhal didn't run.
He roared, leapt forward, and struck.
His halberd clashed with Vyren's claws, and the earth exploded from the force. A thousand cracks spread from their impact.
The green dragons retreated, watching with unblinking eyes.
The altar remained still.
Vyren unleashed a breath of golden fire that melted mountains.
The eagles dived and slashed from above.
Khur Zhal countered with demonic storms, blades of blood, and waves of nether poison.
It was not enough.
The eagles struck him from both sides, tearing flesh from his back.
Vyren crushed him beneath a wing and sent him flying.
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5. The Price of Arrogance
As Khur Zhal tried to rise, Vyren landed before him. In one clean motion, it struck—
And tore off Khur Zhal's left arm.
Blood sprayed across the battlefield.
The general howled, retreated mid-air, his pride shattered, his vision spinning.
> "This… isn't over…" he spat before vanishing into shadow.
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6. Aftermath
The skies quieted.
The eagles returned to perch on the altar's edges, ever watchful.
Vyren stood guard, wings half-spread, golden eyes scanning the realm for the next fool who would dare trespass.
Inside the altar, Ash did not stir.
But the beasts now knew.
He was not to be touched.
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7. Whispers Across Realms
Back in the mortal realm…
Elders. Sages. Kings.
All felt a shift in the air.
Somewhere… in a forbidden corner of the world… a General had fallen. A predator had returned. And a boy, unknown to most, was at the center of it all.