Dominion of The Beast Masters

Chapter 277: The Green Light of Ruin



The world seemed to hold its breath. The distant roars of the dragons quieted for a brief moment, their looming presence overshadowed by the weight of Kallistra's words.

Eratz's eyes widened, his jaw slackening in disbelief.

"A battle?" he echoed in disbelief.

The group exchanged uncertain glances. Even Tamara, her teeth grinding against each other, looked visibly shaken. Sia muttered under her breath.

"Lady Kallistra..."

Kallistra, unfazed by their reactions, clasped her hands together, her golden patterns shimmering faintly in the dim light.

Her smile remained calm, almost serene, as she met Eratz's confused gaze.

"It has to be this way," she said softly, her voice carrying an unsettling certainty. "The two dragons' clash symbolizes the recipe for equilibrium. A battle between light and darkness is the key to open the door... and to close it."

Eratz's expression hardened, his arms crossing defensively.

"Why am I not even surprised?"

Kallistra's gaze turned upward, toward the colossal figures of the dragons circling in the sky.

Their auras flickered like opposing flames, one golden and radiant, the other dark and consuming.

She took a step forward, her posture exuding confidence as she continued.

"To be fair, everything I said happened, why not trust my knowledge now? Some of the legends I uncovered spoke of a clash between the dragons that led to their hibernation," she began, her tone measured and deliberate. "A battle that lasted an eternity. That clash shaped the very rules of the world as we know it. The more they fought, the purer their energy became, until their essence condensed into two rocks. Those rocks became the orbs you and Rex carried."

Her eyes flicked back to Eratz, narrowing slightly.

"But this time, the rocks aren't just stones. They're us. You and I. And these dragons?" She gestured toward the heavens with a sweeping motion. "They're not independent creatures. They're projections of the energy from our body."

Tamara's fists clenched at her sides, her voice cutting through the tension.

"So you're saying the only way to stop them is to make you fight?"

Kallistra's lips curled into a knowing smile.

"Precisely. The more we fight, the more energy we draw into ourselves. With every clash, their power becomes part of us, until eventually, there's nothing left of them."

Eratz's eyes narrowed, his tone dripping with skepticism.

"You're telling me that these legendary dragons are going to just... disappear because you think we're already their... Owner? I have a hard time trusting anything coming from your mouth, plus, if you wanted to stop them, why did you steal the light orb from Rex?"

Kallistra's expression remained unwavering.

"You're asking a stupid question, deary," She raised her hands slightly, the golden patterns on her skin glowing brighter. "Do you think I dream of unique beasts just to give them to anyone? I want the finest, that's all, and that's something you also practice. There's no law against that, right? No one has died yet."

Rex, still kneeling and catching his breath, looked up with wide, disbelieving eyes. "You... you are the worst. How can you lie... and look at everyone in the eyes like this?"

"Please, look at you, you were literally begging to be stole, I just gave us a favor," Kallistra said, her tone almost gentle. "But don't worry, Rex. You've already done your part. You've set the stage for this. Now, all that's left is for Eratz and me to finish it. The connection between us and the dragons is undeniable. They're tied to our emotions, our auras, our very essence. Their existence is dependent on us. If we resolve this conflict through our battle, their power will return to where it belongs: within us."

The air around the group hung heavy with tension, the distant roars of the dragons punctuating the silence like a grim reminder of the stakes.

Each clash in the distance sent tremors through the ground, as if the world itself protested the chaos.

Yet, in this moment, the dragons were the last of their worries, it was Kallistra's declaration that drowned everything.

Kallistra spread her arms again, as if presenting an undeniable truth.

"It's not just any battle. It's the battle. The clash between light and darkness. It's the only way to bring equilibrium."

Mercury, standing closest to Eratz, suddenly grabbed his hand. She was visually nervous, and her voice was unsteady.

"Eratz, no. You can't go through with this. This is definitely a trap."

He glanced at her, his red eyes softening momentarily.

"I know this sounds like a trap, but how many solution do we have?" His voice was low, almost defeated. "I'm as lost as you are, Mercury. I don't know what to do. But I do know we can't let those things keep rampaging."

The group remained silent, their gazes darting between the dragons in the sky and Eratz. The weight of the decision pressed on all of them, each feeling the growing sense of dread. Tamara finally broke the silence, stepping forward with a determined expression. "Then I'll take the black orb. If that's what it takes to stop this, I'll fight her instead. Hey, snake, tell me how we can do it with the black orb."

Kallistra's teasing smile quickly turned into a firm frown. She crossed her arms and shook her head.

"No. If it's not Eratz, then I'm not fighting. And if I'm not fighting, the dragons will keep rampaging until there's nothing left."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Tamara snapped, her frustration boiling over.

At the edge of the forest, the remaining group of finalists huddled together in disarray.

Anxiety rippled through them as the earth quaked under the dragons' relentless power. Arguments flared, their voices blending with the distant destruction.

"We need to go back and find them!" Arin's voice cracked with desperation, her body trembling as she tried to push forward.

Finn and Nyx held her back, their grips firm but reluctant.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Little A, stop," Finn said, forcing a smile. "We can't just run into that chaos. Look at the

forest! It's... it can't even choose between growing or withering..."

"Then what are we supposed to do?!" she cried, tears welling in her eyes. "We can't just leave

them!"

Erynn crossed her arms, her expression grim.

"Maybe we should focus on getting out of here before we're next. Staying here is a death

sentence."

Raya frowned, her sharp senses picking up on too many signals at once.

"What's taking them so long?"

A sudden blast of energy struck the ground nearby, sending a shockwave that knocked several

to their knees.

As the dust settled, two figures emerged from the shadows of the impact.

Victoria and Leonidas.

The group froze, their tension giving way to a mixture of relief and confusion. Victoria's gaze swept over them, her expression softening slightly when she saw they were safe.

But as she scanned the crowd, her brow furrowed.

"Where are the others?" she asked.

Her voice carried authority, cutting through the noise of the aftermath.

Kaida stepped forward hesitantly.

"Rex said Eratz was helping him look for the others. They should still be..." Her voice trailed

off as she glanced toward the forest, or what remained of it.

Victoria's jaw clenched, her teeth grinding audibly.

"The forest..." She turned to the group. "Head back to the town. I'll find them myself."

The finalists erupted into protests, their voices overlapping.

"You can't go alone!"

"We should go together!"

"It's too dangerous!"

Leonidas's voice cut through the chaos, calm and condescending.

"Why waste your breath?" He walked closer, his presence imposing. "You're arguing over a force you can't even comprehend. Two living legends have manifested before our eyes. Do you understand what this means? The change it will bring to the world?"

The group stared at him, uncertain. Leonidas's lips curled into a smirk. "Face it. The people inside that forest are probably dead. There's no place in this new world

for weaklings. It's survival of the fittest now. And those who remain will bow to the strong."

Milo, trembling with a mixture of fear and fury, stepped forward. "You're wrong! They're not dead! Stop saying that!" His voice cracked.

Leonidas glanced down at him, his smirk widening. He placed his hands in his pockets and

tilted his head mockingly.

"Kids should stay out of adult matters. Why don't you run along and get your little ass

somewhere else?"

Before Milo could retort, a hand gently rested on Leonidas's shoulder. An oppressive aura rolled through the air, freezing everyone in place.

Leonidas stiffened, his smug expression faltering as he slowly turned his head.

Victoria stood behind him, her calm demeanor belying the deadly intent in her eyes.

"If every condition is met to create your dream world," she said, her voice chillingly quiet,

"I'll personally make sure you don't live to see it." Victoria's unyielding pressure forced Leonidas to straighten, his smugness slipping.

Even he knew better than to provoke someone both Kallistra and Tamara deemed stronger

than them. Her voice was calm but firm, brooking no argument.

"Everyone else, leave now. Head back to the town. This ragdoll and I," she motioned toward

Leonidas without sparing him a glance, "will enter the forest and search for the others. We'll

meet..."

Before she could finish, the earth beneath them groaned. A deep tremor rattled through the forest, the vibrations more sinister than before.

Victoria turned sharply toward the forest, her face momentarily losing its composed mask.

Her wide eyes betrayed terror, and her voice dropped to a whisper.

"No... It can't be."

The forest shook violently, not from the dragons' distant battle but from a new, unmistakable

source of energy. A familiar force, one Victoria knew all too well.

Back on the rocky peak, Kallistra's aura began to expand, its reach creeping slowly yet

inexorably over the landscape.

It wasn't an overwhelming burst of color or a dramatic shift in the air, it was a quiet, insidious weight pressing down on everyone's shoulders.

Her oppressive presence grew with each passing second.

She looked at the group with a smirk, her hands elegantly clasped behind her back. "You have no idea what I've done to get here," Kallistra said, her voice smooth but laced with

an unrelenting resolve. "The lengths I've gone through, the choices I've made, the twists I've bent to reach this moment. I've put everything on the line to see this outcome. Now, with my

chances right here before me..." Her voice dropped to a chilling calm. "I'm not going to wait any longer. Like it or not, we'll do it, Eratz."

The earth began to quiver. It was faint at first, but it rapidly escalated into a violent quake.

Eratz flinched, his instincts kicking in.

"Everyone, get out of here!" he shouted. His voice was sharp with urgency as he turned to Rex.

"Rex, use your power to get them out! I'll deal with her!"

Mercury snapped, stepping forward, her hand grabbing Eratz's arm with determination.

"You're not staying here, you idiot! We leave together!"

Eratz sighed, trying to calm her.

"Even if we leave, if these dragons are still there, it's pointless..."

"No! You listen!" she interrupted, her voice rising with emotion. "You think you can just send

me away while you fight this thing? I'm staying!"

Eratz's jaw tightened.

"No, this won't happen! You know your condition, Mercury. This isn't a tournament anymore.

From here, you withdraw."

She opened her mouth to argue further, but Eratz's voice cut through, firm and unyielding.

"You're not talking your way out of this. You can't take more risk now, there's not only you this time."

Colin clung to Eratz's other arm, her eyes wide with fear.

"Please... please, don't stay behind Eratz!"

Before anyone could argue further, Kallistra's voice echoed directly in their minds, smooth

and unwavering.

"Let me give you a solution."

A brilliant green light erupted from beneath the rocky peak, its intensity forcing everyone to

leap away as the ground beneath them cracked and crumbled.

The rocky summit fractured with a deafening roar, the ground splintering into massive

boulders that fell into the abyss below.

The group scattered, leaping from rock to rock as the peak crumbled around them.

The air was filled with dust and debris, illuminated sporadically by the flashes of light from the dragons' distant clash.

Eratz landed on a precarious ledge, his eyes darting around to ensure everyone was still moving. As he prepared to jump again, something caught his eye amidst the chaos. Beneath the collapsing peak, revealed by the falling debris, was a figure. Its surface was smooth and obsidian-like, a dark form glistening in the dim, chaotic light. Eratz's body froze for a brief second as he stared, the strange figure holding his gaze.

Then, Kallistra's voice echoed again, ringing through the air and their minds alike. "Star Eater."