Chapter 21: The Rising Tide
---
The battle raged on, each blow of thunder and flame reverberating through the earth. The air was thick with the smell of burnt ozone, the sky cracked with lightning, and the earth trembled with every step the Dragon Lords took. Despite their formidable power, Michael stood resolute, his Thunder Dragon Trident crackling with the full might of his heritage. But the danger was far from over. As powerful as Michael had become, these were no ordinary foes. The Dragon Lords were ancient, primal beings, tied to the very elements of the world.
The Wind Dragon Lord, a fierce, ethereal being of air and tempest, had swept Seraphina off her feet with a single blast of gales. She struggled to maintain her footing, but the force of the wind pushed her back. "You think you can control the air?" the Wind Dragon Lord mocked, his form shifting into a hurricane. He swirled around Seraphina, sending jagged shards of wind hurtling toward her. "I am the storm that devours the skies."
Seraphina's eyes flashed with determination. With a deep breath, she summoned the Cyclone Surge, a counterattack that created a massive whirlpool of wind to match the fury of the storm. Her ability to summon and control wind was her strength, and it met the Wind Dragon Lord's aggression with unmatched force.
But the true challenge was the Fire Dragon Lord. Despite Michael's powerful strike with his Thunder Dragon's Wrath, the Fire Dragon Lord rose from the ashes, his body covered in a thick layer of molten magma. His rage was palpable as he advanced, his eyes glowing like coals in the heart of a blaze.
"You think you can defeat me with a little lightning?" he roared, slamming his molten fists into the ground, sending a wave of lava toward Michael. "I am the embodiment of destruction! No storm can quench my flames!"
Caden, the Fire Dragon Host, narrowed his eyes, his own flames intensifying as he stepped forward to meet his nemesis. "You underestimate the power of fire," he said. "My flames are not like your wild, uncontrolled blaze. They're forged from within." With that, Caden summoned his ultimate attack: Inferno's Fury, a swirling vortex of fire that converged on the Fire Dragon Lord with a blistering intensity.
The Fire Dragon Lord tried to defend himself, but Caden's flames overpowered his own, surrounding the beast in a ring of infernal heat. The battle between them was a clash of powers so intense that it threatened to consume everything around them. Michael could feel the weight of his team's struggle, and though the Fire Dragon Lord was momentarily distracted, he knew the battle was far from won.
"Hold your ground!" Michael shouted to his friends. He turned back to the heart of the battlefield, where the Earth Dragon Lord stood like a living mountain. His stone body was cracked from the earlier strike, but he was far from finished. The Earth Dragon Lord's eyes glowed with a malevolent light as he raised his fists, preparing to crush anything in his path.
But before the Earth Dragon Lord could strike, Emberlyn, the Soul Dragon Host, appeared from the shadows. She had been quietly preparing for this moment, her connection to the soul realm giving her an advantage. Her body was enveloped in a mist of ghostly energy as she stepped forward, her voice like a whisper in the wind. "I can see your fear," she said, her eyes locking onto the Earth Dragon Lord. "I can see what hides beneath your stone. Let me show you what true power is."
With a flourish of her hands, Emberlyn summoned the Soulbind Gale, a torrent of ethereal energy that enveloped the Earth Dragon Lord's massive form. The force of the attack began to break apart the stone of his body, exposing the vulnerable core beneath. The Earth Dragon Lord howled in pain as his form shattered, but he was not easily defeated.
"Foolish human," the Earth Dragon Lord growled. "You may have chipped away at my body, but I am the earth itself. I cannot be destroyed so easily."
Despite the Earth Dragon Lord's boast, Michael knew the battle was reaching its climax. They had managed to weaken the Dragon Lords, but their final defeat still felt far off. A new, greater power surged within him—the power of the Thunderstorm Dragon. Michael raised his Thunder Dragon Trident, and as the storm clouds darkened above, he called out, "Let the storm rage!"
Lightning flashed across the sky in response to Michael's command, and the Thunderstorm Dragon within him roared to life. The power of thunder and water swirled around him, lightning crackling from his very fingertips as he prepared his most devastating attack.
"Thunder God Annihilation!" Michael shouted, and with all the strength in his body, he thrust the Thunder Dragon Trident into the sky. The heavens themselves seemed to respond, as a massive surge of electricity shot from the clouds and converged on Michael's trident. The ground cracked beneath his feet, and a terrifying blast of thunder struck the battlefield.
The Thunder God Annihilation tore through the Dragon Lords with overwhelming force, striking each of them simultaneously. The Fire Dragon Lord, scorched by the raw power, staggered backward. The Earth Dragon Lord, his body shattered, crumbled to the ground. The Wind Dragon Lord was hurled back into the air, his winds disrupted by the force of the blast.
But it was the Water Dragon Lord, the final Dragon Lord to appear, who proved the greatest challenge. His massive form, made entirely of liquid and ice, rose from the ocean, towering over the battlefield. He looked down at Michael, his icy eyes narrowing.
"You are the one they call Thunder Dragon, the son of Varmax?" The Water Dragon Lord's voice was a chilling whisper, but beneath it lay a current of immense power. "You are still too weak."
With a wave of his hand, the Water Dragon Lord summoned a tsunami, crashing toward the group with the force of a thousand storms. Michael barely had time to react, but as the water surged toward him, he raised the Thunder Dragon Trident, calling upon the very heart of the storm.
"Thunder Dragon's Final Wrath!" he roared, unleashing the last of his energy in one final blast of lightning. The two powers—thunder and water—collided in a massive explosion, sending a shockwave across the battlefield. The Water Dragon Lord howled in agony as the electric energy surged through his watery form, vaporizing much of his essence.
For a moment, everything fell silent. The Dragon Lords had been defeated. But as Michael stood there, breathing heavily, he knew that this battle was not truly over. There were more threats on the horizon, and with each battle, he could feel himself growing stronger.
But for now, the storm had passed.
---
End of Chapter 21
---