Solomon's heart missed a beat at the sight of the skeletons—and the massive figure lurking behind them in the shadows.
A strange force surged through him.
His emerald-jade watch glowed brighter than ever before.
"Guys…" he whispered.
The air around him turned freezing cold. Frost spread across the ground in sharp patterns as his body slowly began to rise above the earth.
"Guys, look… I'm flying!"
Ethan, Liam, and Sylvara looked up in shock.
Solomon floated higher, icy energy spiraling around him like a storm. The glowing symbols on his watch pulsed rapidly as his power continued evolving.
The temperature dropped instantly.
Trees froze.The grass hardened into ice.Even the air itself felt sharp.
Then—
Everything stopped.
The entire skeletal army froze solid beneath him, trapped in thick layers of glowing ice.
Only his friends remained untouched.
Ethan's eyes widened. "This is our chance—attack now!"
Their weapons reappeared instantly in flashes of emerald light.
Ethan stepped forward first. Lightning streaked wildly through his eyes as flames wrapped around the Jade Sword.
Thunder exploded from the sky.
BOOOOM!
A massive bolt of lightning crashed directly into the frozen skeletal army, shattering dozens of enemies instantly. Ice and bone scattered everywhere.
But Sylvara was already moving.
The wind spiraled around her body as her jade katanas gleamed sharply under the moonlight.
She vanished.
Then reappeared inside the frozen army.
Her movements became almost invisible—too fast for the eye to follow.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Frozen skeletons shattered apart one after another as she moved through them like a storm.
In only seconds, entire rows collapsed.
Liam stared in amazement. "Okay… that was insane."
Sylvara smirked slightly. "Your turn."
Liam grinned. "Gladly."
He lifted both hands.
The ground trembled violently.
Two enormous rocks tore free from the earth and floated high above him. Cracks of emerald energy spread across their surface as his necklace glowed brighter.
"Let's finish this!"
With a roar, Liam slammed the rocks downward.
CRAAASH!
The remaining frozen skeletons were crushed instantly beneath the impact.
Silence followed.
Solomon slowly descended back to the ground, breathing heavily. The icy aura around him faded as he dropped to one knee.
Ethan quickly moved toward him. "You okay?"
Solomon nodded weakly. "I think… my power just evolved."
Before anyone could respond—
A deep roar echoed through the forest.
The trees shook violently.
Liam's face dropped immediately. "Oh crap… we almost forgot about that big guy."
From deep within the shadows, two massive crimson eyes slowly opened.
Heavy footsteps followed.
The darkness itself seemed to move aside as the creature finally revealed itself.
It was enormous.
Its body looked like a twisted fusion of shadow, bone, and armor. Jagged horns curved from its skull, and chains dragged behind it as green fire burned from within its chest.
The air around it felt corrupted.
Sylvara's expression hardened instantly. "That's not a normal monster."
Solomon looked up slowly, his voice tense.
"That's… a Dreadmaw Titan."
The creature let out another roar powerful enough to shake the frozen trees apart.
But then—
Something even worse happened.
Behind the titan, a second figure emerged.
Tall.Armored.Crowned in blackened bone.
Its eyes glowed with cursed green fire.
And behind it marched countless more skeletons.
Liam swallowed hard. "Please tell me that's not who I think it is."
The figure stepped forward slowly, raising a massive skeletal blade.
"The living…" it growled.
"…have returned the Jade relics."
Ethan tightened his grip on the Jade Sword.
"The Skeleton King," Solomon whispered.
The Skeleton King's hollow gaze locked onto Ethan and the glowing sword.
"You carry power that belongs to death."
The Dreadmaw Titan roared again as dark energy exploded outward from its body.
Then suddenly—
The emerald-jade stones worn by Ethan, Liam, Solomon, and Sylvara began glowing violently.
"What's happening?!" Liam shouted.
Cracks spread across the stones.
Energy burst from them uncontrollably.
The group's powers surged wildly.
Ethan's flames turned brighter and hotter.Liam's floating rocks multiplied around him.Winds spiraled violently around Sylvara.Frozen energy exploded around Solomon.
Then—
CRACK!
All four emerald-jade stones shattered into pure light.
The energy rushed directly into their bodies.
The bracelet on Ethan's wrist vanished.Liam's necklace dissolved.Solomon's watch disappeared.Sylvara's tiara shattered into glowing particles.
For a moment, silence filled the battlefield.
Ethan looked at his hands as lightning crackled naturally around them.
"The stones… they're gone."
Sylvara narrowed her eyes. "No."
Wind spiraled around her fingers effortlessly.
"They became part of us."
The Skeleton King laughed darkly.
"Excellent."
The Dreadmaw Titan charged forward.
Ethan raised the Jade Sword instantly. "DOUBLE COMBO!"
Liam slammed both fists into the ground. Massive stone pillars erupted upward while Ethan unleashed a storm of fire and lightning through them.
The pillars exploded into flaming thunder shards that blasted toward the titan.
At the same time—
Sylvara launched herself into the air using powerful winds while Solomon created dozens of icy blades around her.
"NOW!" Solomon shouted.
The blades spun around Sylvara like a storm as she crashed downward at impossible speed.
The battlefield exploded with wind and ice.
The Skeleton King watched silently from the shadows.
And for the first time…
He smiled.