"Last born, find a way to free Elijah. Kael, Ivy, Kole, buy me some time… That horn is a problem. I'll have to break it," Valen commanded, his voice sharp with urgency.
"Don't order me around. I'm only assisting," Lilith retorted, her tone laced with defiance. "After this, it'll be your turn."
"That's for later. Right now, you can't afford to hold back that power. Look who we're up against."
Lilith huffed, a hint of rudeness in her expression, as if she expected him to have already noticed.
Then
With a sudden focus, her long hair shimmered, transforming into pure silver. A surge of immense power erupted from her, and a third eye opened on her forehead, intricate patterns radiating across her skin from its center.
Kael, Kole, and Ivy gasped, finally understanding the true extent of her abilities. She had been holding back, toying with them.
"That's more like it," Valen acknowledged, a grim satisfaction in his voice.
Together, they lunged towards Palmer, who still held the struggling Elijah captive. Palmer watched their advance, his expression devoid of emotion.
As the five charged, a crushing force slammed into them, pinning them to the ground. Palmer had amplified the gravity in their immediate vicinity, rendering them immobile.
A blinding bolt of lightning crashed down from the raging thunderclouds, striking the ground beside Palmer.
He extended extra limbs that materialized from his being, one of them seizing the raw energy. The lightning forming a crackling blade, a weapon forged of pure thunder.
He swung the blade, unleashing a barrage of thunderbolts upon the five prone figures, each strike inflicting significant damage.
From the dust and debris, Valen, Ivy, Kole, and Kael exploded forward. Palmer, his expression unchanged, scanned their formation, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes as he noted Lilith's absence.
Kael launched a desperate punch, only to collide with an invisible, unyielding barrier. A strangled gasp escaped him when he noticed his hand twisted, bones audibly cracking.
"Tsk, telekinesis, huh? Just what being were you harboring inside you, you tooth for brain?"
Before he could recover, a swift kick from Palmer sent him hurtling towards the roof, crashing through the aged tiles.
Ivy and Kole struck simultaneously, their combined force sending Palmer flying backwards. He twisted in mid-air, landing with unnatural grace. Before he could react, they vanished, only to reappear moments later, unleashing a relentless flurry of punches.
But it wasn't enough. With his spare hands, Palmer caught their fists, his grip like iron.
He met their gazes briefly, and for a fleeting instant, his eye seemed to flinch, his hands trembling almost imperceptibly, as if an internal struggle raged within him. Then, his momentary hesitation vanished. With a flick of his wrist, he telekinetically launched two iron rods, piercing Ivy and Kole from behind, flinging them away like rag dolls.
Kael caught them mid-air, landing them with surprising gentleness.
"Did you see that, Kole?" Ivy gasped, wincing as she pulled the rod from her side.
"Yeah, I did," Kole replied, his voice strained. "He's fighting back. Palmer is."
"For a moment, I thought it was over… Then his expression changed," Ivy murmured, a dawning realization in her eyes.
A voice echoed through the ravaged space, resonant and powerful. "You three are a bother. Why do you try to save that which tried to eliminate its creator?" The entity finally spoke, its tone majestic yet laced with deadly menace.
Their breath hitched.
"Isn't that the promise? To protect the ones we hold dear?" The entity turned its gaze towards Valen and Lilith, who were attempting a surprise attack from behind. "Is it not, Valen?"
Valen froze, shock etched across his face.
"Forgive our comrade there. Despite everything, he still consider that lost cause a brother." Valen replied
"Hey!", Lilith purred like a cat as the trio held her back.
"You all know nothing. Even though he summoned me himself, he still resists. Even though his own brother tries to kill him, he still believes in redemption."
The entity's grip tightened on Elijah, lifting him higher. "Look how far he's willing to fall just to oppose his brother."
The entity's brows furrowed in disdain. "Pitiful," it spat. "The king must not die. Any threat against the king, I must eliminate." It stretched out its hand, and the jagged lightning blade flew back into its grasp. "Even family will not be spared."
A collective gasp filled the air, horror dawning on their faces.
"Now!" Valen roared.
A silver blur tore through the air at impossible speed.
"Let go of Elijah!" Lilith, appearing as if from nowhere, delivered a devastating punch that sent the entity skidding across the estate, smashing through walls.
Valen followed, snatching the fallen lightning blade. The raw power of the thunderbolt seared his flesh with each step, but he pressed on, driven by a desperate resolve. With a final, straining effort, he brought the blade down, severing the entity's horn.
He tossed the crackling sword to Lilith, who used it to sever the arm clutching her brother, finally freeing Elijah.
"It's not over!" Valen screamed. "Hold him down before he recovers!"
Lilith and Elijah grabbed the entity's face, slamming it against the floor, pinning it. Kael, Ivy, and Kole lunged, seizing various parts of its body. Then, a grotesque fusion began. Dark veins erupted across their skin, their crimson eyes turning a stark, unsettling white.
"Don't stop until we bring him back," Valen urged, his voice strained. "Or we'll lose him completely."