The King Of Warriors novel (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 5533

"It's a fire unicorn—an impossibly rare fire unicorn!" another man blurted, excitement cracking his voice.

"Do you realize what we're staring at?" One-Eyed rasped, licking his cracked lips. "A celestial beast—and still a cub. Capture it, lads, and we're set for life."

Greed flared in their eyes. One man rubbed his palms, stepped forward, and flashed a wolfish grin at the blazing creature. "Easy, little one. Follow us and you'll eat well, drink better. Beats starving out here, doesn't it?"

Sensing danger, the fire unicorn's fur bristled. Flames roared along its mane until it glowed like a miniature sun.

With a shriek, it spat a beam of fire, the white-hot jet racing straight for the advancing raider.

Caught off-guard, the man stumbled back, heat washing over his face like an open furnace.

He regained balance, fingers weaving frantic seals. A translucent sheet of water materialized before him, hissing where sparks bit into it.

"Pathetic whelp," One-Eyed snarled. "That trick won't save you."

One-Eyed barked and swept his arm. "All of you—now! Do not let it escape!"

Lightning arcs, thorny vines, and jagged ice shards erupted from every hand, converging on the solitary, blazing cub that now stood alone between the marauders and the mysterious tower.

"Swords wrought from spiritual steel burst from every direction. Each blade glittered like winter ice and carved a silver arc across the sky before diving at the little fire unicorn. Elsewhere, the other cultivators lifted their hands. A gale thundered into the grove, its spiral of air intent on blowing the creature's scarlet flames into ash.

The young fire unicorn darted left, then right. Though its living fire threw off part of the barrage, sheer numbers pressed it hard. The flames dulled, and every leap came slower than the last.

Just as one cultivator lunged, fingers closing around the fire unicorn's tail, a shadow streaked from the underbrush like black lightning.

The fire unicorn, heartened by its ally's arrival, flared bright once more. Hope ignited in its ember-colored eyes. Seizing a gap, it barreled into the nearest attacker, horns first. Armor crunched; the man shot backward like a rag doll and coughed blood into the evening air.

Now the two beasts moved as one. Celestial Devourer deepened its pull, dragging enemies off balance, boots skidding over churned earth.

Each time a foe rocked on unsteady heels, the fire unicorn darted in, wreathing them in fire or slamming them aside with its iron skull.

One-Eyed bellowed, "All of you, stop playing around! Pour everything you have into this. Those two pups do not leave this clearing alive!"

Snarling, he flashed through a rapid series of hand seals. Above him, a colossal black hand—woven from eldritch shadow—coalesced, then hurtled downward toward both beasts. A crushing pressure flooded the grove, but Celestial Devourer countered by widening its vortex even further, wind shrieking like a living thing.

Beside it, the fire unicorn's mantle of fire surged into a serpent-shaped dragon and streaked headlong toward the descending palm.