Chapter 171: Blood Brothers
Karl’s claws burned hotter with every strike. His flames no longer just trailed behind him — they clung to him, wrapped around his arms and chest like armor of molten metal. The stone at his feet cracked under the weight of his aura, heat spilling across the quarter like a living tide.
Kael’s golden light was still there, steady, but it flickered now. His fists glowed, his movements sharp, yet slower than before. Each block left him skidding further back. Each counter seemed to drain him more than it should have.
Karl noticed. He always noticed.
"Not so calm now, brother," he snarled, lunging. His claws slashed across Kael’s chest again, tearing through the light. Blood sprayed, sizzling in the heat.
Kael staggered, caught himself, swung back with a hard right. Karl took the blow on his shoulder, grunted, then laughed through the pain. "That all you’ve got?"
His next strike was merciless. A clawed hand caught Kael’s jaw, slamming him sideways into the half-standing wall of a ruined house. Stone exploded, rubble burying the street. Kael’s body hit the ground hard, dust clouding the air.
Karl stalked forward, fire dripping off his arms, teeth bared. "I waited years for this."
The rubble shifted. Kael pushed himself up, golden aura weak but still burning, his face streaked with blood. He raised his guard again, calm as ever. That calmness — it made Karl’s rage boil hotter.
"Stop looking at me like that!" Karl roared. He charged, his claws hammering into Kael’s defense. Left, right, left — each blow heavier than the last. Kael blocked two, parried one, but the fourth caved his guard in. Karl’s claws ripped across his ribs, the smell of scorched flesh filling the night.
Kael gasped, staggering back, but Karl didn’t let him breathe. He grabbed his brother by the throat, lifting him from the ground. Flames burned against Kael’s skin, searing golden light into black scars.
"You killed her!" Karl’s voice cracked, fire spilling from his mouth with every word. "You took everything from me!"
Kael’s hands gripped Karl’s wrist, golden aura flaring in resistance. His voice was strained, but steady. "She made her choice."
The words hit harder than any strike. Karl’s rage exploded. With a roar, he slammed Kael into the ground, the impact splitting the road in two. Dust and fire burst upward, shaking the broken city around them.
He didn’t stop.
Karl dragged Kael up by the collar, his claws stabbing into his chest, then hurled him down the street. Kael’s body tore through stone, rolling in sparks and rubble until he finally skidded to a stop.
Karl was already there, flame-wings carrying him in a blur. He landed on Kael’s chest with both feet, the crunch echoing like thunder. Kael coughed blood, golden light sputtering around him.
Karl bent low, eyes blazing red-gold, face twisted in fury. "Say her name! Say it and beg!"
Kael’s lips were bloody, but he only met his brother’s eyes in silence. Calm. Defiant.
Karl snapped. His claws tore into Kael’s shoulder, ripping through flesh and light alike. Kael’s scream finally broke the air, raw and jagged. Karl grinned through the sound. "That’s better."
He raised his other hand, claws blazing, and drove it into Kael’s stomach. The road shattered beneath them, shockwaves racing out in fiery ripples. Kael’s body convulsed, blood dripping down his chin, but still he tried to lift a hand, to strike back.
Karl caught the fist mid-swing and crushed it against the stone. "You’re not stronger," he hissed, pressing closer, his breath hot as fire. "You’re just stubborn."
He dragged Kael upright, claws still buried in his stomach, and slammed his head into the wall of a ruined house. Stone cracked. He pulled him back and slammed again. And again. Blood streaked down Kael’s face, golden light dimming with every impact.
Still, Kael’s eyes refused to break.
Karl hated it.
With a roar, he hurled his brother across the street. Kael hit the ground, rolling lifelessly until his body slid to a stop against a broken pillar. His chest rose and fell, ragged, shallow, blood pooling beneath him.
Karl stalked forward, flames licking higher, his claws dripping red. Every step cracked stone, every breath hissed like a furnace. "Where’s your calm now, brother? Where’s your golden discipline?"
Kael tried to push himself up. His arms trembled, his body screamed in protest, but he forced himself to his knees. Golden light flickered faint, barely holding. His face was bloodied, swollen, but his eyes... his eyes still carried that maddening calm.
Karl stopped just short, his chest heaving, rage boiling. "Stop looking at me like that!" he shouted again, his voice breaking. "Stop pretending you’re better than me!"
Kael coughed blood, his voice hoarse, almost a whisper. "I don’t pretend."
Karl’s vision blurred with fury. He struck, claws slashing across Kael’s chest in a brutal arc. The golden armor shattered. Flesh split. Kael collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing as blood spilled across the broken road.
The night went silent.
Karl stood over him, his flames dimming slightly, his chest rising and falling like a beast’s. His claws dripped red, his breath ragged. Kael lay broken, beaten, his golden light nothing more than sparks on the wind.
Karl stared down at him, his hands trembling, not with weakness but with the sheer weight of rage. "You should have died instead of her," he whispered, his voice raw. "You should have been the one they buried."
Kael’s body shifted faintly, his lips moving, his voice a faint rasp. "And still... you’ll never be her."
The words struck deeper than claws.
Karl roared, his flames surging again, his claws raised high — but he froze. For the first time in the fight, he hesitated. His chest heaved, his vision swimming with blood and memory. Her face. Her laugh. The way she had stood between them, the way she had chosen.
He shook his head violently, flames lashing around him. "Shut up!"
But Kael was already gone, unconscious, his body slumping against the broken stone.
Karl stood there, his flames raging around him, his breath ragged, his claws dripping. He looked down at his brother, battered and broken, and for the first time, the victory felt hollow.
The high road lay in ruins, fire consuming what little remained of the quarter. The city still burned in the distance, towers collapsing, soldiers scattering. But here, in the silence, only the two brothers remained. One standing, one broken.
Karl tilted his head back, roaring into the night, his voice raw, shaking the flames themselves. It was not triumph. It was not joy. It was rage unending, grief unhealed.
When his roar finally faded, he looked down again at Kael’s body. His claws lowered slowly, the fire dimming around him. His face twisted, caught between fury and despair.
"You took her from me," he whispered, his voice almost breaking. "And I’ll never forgive you."
He turned away, his flames curling close, his steps heavy as he walked into the burning quarter. Behind him, Kael’s body lay motionless, golden sparks fading into the ash.