Chapter 2
Cade grunted as a flurry of punches slammed into him.
"So heavy…" he thought, narrowing his eyes.
Katie struck again.This time with enough force to send him flying through a tree, away from the hospital.
She watched as Cade emerged from the debris, a grin on his face. He wasn't even scratched.
"Is that all you've got, Lightning Queen?" he taunted.
Katie glared at him. "I won't hold back. Holding back against you is a death sentence."
In an instant, massive wings spread from her back. Blue scales covered her face and skin, her lips darkened, though her hair remained unchanged. Cade let out a low whistle.
"Her power… no joke. Her Core—amazing," the Dragon King thought. She wasn't on the same level as him or Allen, but she was no ordinary dragon.
Katie vanished and reappeared behind him in a blink. Cade's eyes widened—before he could react, her palm pressed against his back.
A thunderous blast of lightning erupted through his chest. Cade coughed blood, pain etched across his face.
Without hesitation, Katie launched him into the air, appeared above him, and delivered a crushing axe kick. Cade crashed into the ground, a sickening crunch echoing through the forest.
Katie didn't wait. Lightning built up in her lungs before she unleashed a swirling vortex of electric destruction—a Lightning Dragon's Breath.
Cade screamed in agony.
"Damn it!" he cursed. He had underestimated her. The leader of the Fire Dragons now realized the Queen wasn't just strong—she was dangerous.
Katie collapsed to one knee, her dragon form vanishing. Normally, she could sustain it for hours, but she was out of shape. Still, she'd held her own. She just had to stall—Allen would come. He had to.
The dust cleared.
Cade lay mangled, broken… until the blood beneath him began to flow back into his body. His bones snapped into place with sickening precision.
Katie's eyes widened.
"Already healing? His regeneration… it's just like Allen's."
Cade rose with a twisted grin. He walked toward her, flames gathering around his arm.
Katie gasped.
In an instant, he thrust his hand forward—fire pierced through her chest, searing a hole straight through her. The flames spread inside her body. She screamed.
Pain coursed through Katie's body, every nerve ablaze as Cade's flames tore through her from the inside. She dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"Allen… please," she whispered, voice trembling. "Help me…"
Cade loomed above her, a cruel smirk on his lips.
"Your hero won't come for you, Dragon Queen," he said coldly. "You're all alone."
Katie's vision blurred. The pain was unbearable—but worse than the pain was the thought of never seeing him again.
'Allen… please protect our baby. I love you…'
And then, everything turned white. She exploded into ash, her last thoughts carried away on the wind.
Cade exhaled coldly.
"One down."
—-Meanwhile—
Allen crashed through a skyscraper, blasting clean through both walls. A crowd quickly formed around the impact. He was motionless, a deep wound on his torso.
"Was that… an animal attack?"
"How did he fall from the sky?"
Then the wound began to close. Blood reversed its flow. Allen's eyes snapped open electric blue and burning with fury.
"Wait… isn't that the Lightning Dragon King?"
Whispers and gasps spread through the crowd. Everyone knew of the eternal war between the dragons. If Allen was injured, whoever he faced must be a monster.
"Sir, are you okay?" a small girl asked.
Allen slowly stood. He looked at her, then to her family. His expression hardened.
"Get out of here."
"The enemy's still out there?"
He nodded grimly.
"He's extremely dangerous. I can't guarantee your safety if you stay."
"Who could do this to you? Was it…?"
Allen clenched his fists. "Cade Jones."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"The Fire Dragon King?! Draco is here?!"
"We're doomed…"
"Please be safe, my lord!"
Allen nodded, but his eyes suddenly widened.
"No…" he whispered. Katie's Core… it's fading.
Lightning surged from his back as wings formed. He launched into the sky.
"Sorry I have to go! Get out of here while you still can!"
"Yes, m'lord!"
Back at the battlefield
Cade looked at the scorched ground where Katie had once stood.
"Well… that was anticlimactic."
He turned as black-clad men surrounded him—SWAT.
"Cade Jones! For the lives you've taken, you'll pay with your own!"
Cade laughed. "Really? You brought guns to fight a dragon?"
"Men, fire!"
Bullets ricocheted off Cade's body—several even bounced back and struck the officers. Cade smiled darkly as spears of fire formed in the sky.
Screams filled the air as flames rained down, piercing hearts.
"Fools. Bullets won't work on a dragon."
Moments later, Allen landed nearby. His gaze swept over the carnage—and then stopped. His chest tightened.
He couldn't feel her. Katie's Core was gone.
The guilt hit like a wave.
"If I'd been faster…"
"Cade!" Allen roared, rage overwhelming him.
Cade turned and smirked. "You're a bit late, aren't you?"
Allen didn't answer.
Lightning surged around him. The ground trembled. His eyes turned to slits. Blue scales replaced his skin. Electricity cloaked his body. A glowing crown of lightning formed above his head.
Cade matched him. Red slitted eyes, flames instead of lightning, a burning crown of his own.
Two Dragon Kings. One battle cry.
They charged.