As I soared into the sky, my heart pounded with a thousand emotions—fear, determination, love for the city below. The Fire Dragon's wings churned the air, turning morning into a hellish dusk. Its tail coiled, eyes burning with gold as it fixed on me.
Beneath us, chaos ruled. Flames spread from street to street, leaping from shattered homes to the merchant district. The city's defenders scrambled, guiding terrified civilians away from the north. Children were bundled into carts, elders carried by strong arms. Shouts and cries mixed with the deep roar of burning timber and the crash of collapsing stone.
"Hold your ground!" I called, voice amplified by spirit energy. "Earth evolvers, reinforce the walls—form new barriers on the main avenues! Water users, douse the flames and heal the wounded! Air users, drive the smoke away from the escape routes!"
My orders rippled through the city like a wave. Men and women, many barely recovered from the night's siege, found strength in purpose. Elemental power crackled across the city's veins.
The Fire Dragon circled, searching for a weakness. When it spotted the largest knot of refugees at the mouth of Scholar's Street, it dove—claws outstretched, jaws glowing.
I dove to intercept, calling wind and fire. With a sweep of my arms, I conjured a burning gale, hurling it into the dragon's face. The flames met—mine orange-gold, the dragon's a blinding white. Heat exploded in every direction. The stone beneath us melted, boiling water from the street's drainage.
The dragon's tail lashed. I barely dodged, flipping through the air, slamming a shield of earth and water between the beast and the refugees.
With a furious snarl, the dragon landed—its sheer weight cracking the avenue in two. Buildings on either side sagged, beams catching fire.
"Why do you struggle, Human?" the dragon's voice echoed in my mind and bones. "This city is nothing but fuel for my flame. Stand aside, and I may spare your kin."
I bared my teeth, chest burning from the effort. "As long as I live, you touch no one here."
From the city's side streets, a squad of elementalists surged forward—Tie Lao with her war hammer, Ye Rong weaving water into ice, Lian with a tornado at her heels. Others joined—earth evolvers slamming their fists into the ground, raising stone barricades in front of the refugees.
"Together!" I shouted. "On my mark!"
The team responded without hesitation. I hurled a jet of wind, amplifying Ye Rong's ice, while Lian sent a tornado spinning at the dragon's exposed flank. Tie Lao, her hammer blazing with spirit fire, leaped up and struck the beast's leg.
The Fire Dragon roared, shaking its scales. For the first time, I saw it falter. Ice formed along its claws, wind drove embers from its wounds, and earth tried to anchor its limbs. It thrashed, sending broken stone flying, but for a heartbeat, the city's defenders held it back.
"Impressive," the dragon hissed, flames curling from its nostrils. "But you are insects before a storm."
It flexed its massive wings, fire billowing outward. Ice evaporated, stone cracked, and our ranks broke. I leapt forward, deflecting a swipe with a shield of stone, but the impact rattled my bones. My spirit energy thinned, sweat pouring down my face.
All around, the battle raged:
On Sun Square, water evolvers conjured tidal waves to douse the market's burning stalls.
Along Blacksmith's Row, earth users braced buckling buildings, shielding smiths and apprentices as they carried the injured south.
In the sky above the Great Library, air evolvers wove powerful currents, scattering flaming debris before it could rain on the crowds below.
My brothers, Ye Xuan and Ye Rong, darted through the chaos, one guiding children with controlled gusts of wind, the other freezing a burning bridge to create an escape path.
But for every victory, new disasters unfolded. The Fire Dragon's flames found gaps in our defense. Walls crumbled. The north quarter became a sea of molten stone.
So many lives… I have to hold on…
I pushed aside fear, dove in front of a collapsing inn. Air carried a grandmother's scream as the roof caved. With earth and water, I raised a barrier just in time, shielding a family of four.
A small boy stared up at me, eyes wet. "Will we live, Uncle Ye Caiqian?"
I smiled as bravely as I could, though my heart was cracking. "You will. Run, and don't look back."
Above, the Fire Dragon reared back, wings crackling with lightning, breath burning the very clouds.
"Enough games, little king! See the power of a true Sovereign!"
It beat its wings once—twice—then unleashed a hurricane of fire and wind. The north wall, already battered, shattered entirely. Chunks of stone rained down into the city. Streets that had survived the beast lords were swept clean by the blast, leaving only scorched earth.
I countered with everything I had—fire and water, wind and earth, weaving a lattice of spirit energy between the dragon's wrath and the people below. The two forces clashed with a sound like the end of the world. Pain lanced through my skull. My legs buckled, but I refused to let go.
The wall crumbled beneath my feet. I fell, rolled, righted myself atop a new pile of rubble. My hands were bleeding, my robes torn and smoldering. Still, I faced the dragon.
In that chaos, I saw Tie Lao go down, struck by a flying stone. Ye Rong darted to her side, water energy already working to heal. I saw Lian collapse to one knee, spirit power nearly drained.
I leapt to them, slamming a boulder aside with a burst of earth. "You can't stop now!" I cried. "The city still needs us!"
Tie Lao's eyes burned with the stubbornness of a lifetime. "Don't worry about us, Ye Caiqian. Fight for the future. That's what you promised."
My heart clenched. Around me, defenders—many too exhausted to stand—dragged themselves upright, forming a last line between the dragon and the city's heart.
The dragon circled overhead, eyes locked on me. "Is this what you call strength, Human? You bleed and suffer for mortals who will die anyway. How foolish."
I bared my teeth. "Maybe I am foolish. But I am not alone. And I will never yield."
With a screech that split the heavens, the Fire Dragon changed. Its scales burned brighter, turning nearly white-hot. Magma pulsed beneath its flesh. Its wings shed feathers of flame, which rained down upon the city, igniting new blazes.
It's evolving. Drawing on the world's spirit energy, just like a cultivator…
I staggered back, awed and horrified. The dragon's aura doubled, then tripled—now every breath it drew seemed to pull spirit power from the very stones.
I forced myself to think. If it finishes this transformation, not even my full power will be enough.
Desperation clawed at my heart. I reached into my core, past pain and fatigue, gathering every fragment of spirit energy left. The world seemed to slow. I felt every soul in the city—fighters and children, friends and strangers—bound to me by hope and need.
I called them with my spirit, my voice, my will: "Elementalists, all of you—lend me your strength!"
Through the haze of smoke and flame, I saw faces turn to me—wounded, weary, but determined. From every corner, evolvers raised their hands, channeled their remaining energy into the city's leylines, sending it spiraling toward my core.
Fire, earth, water, air—every element answered.
The Fire Dragon swooped low, claws extended, preparing to end me. I stood tall, a vortex of elemental power swirling at my command.
With a roar, I met the dragon head-on. My own flames surged, wind sharpening them into a lance. I struck at the dragon's chest, finally driving it back. Earth burst beneath its claws, tripping it. Water exploded in a geyser, dousing its wings.
But even wounded, the dragon refused to fall. It lashed out, catching me across the chest with a swipe that sent me tumbling through a burning marketplace. Agony flared, but I forced myself to rise.
I looked into the dragon's eyes. Its gaze, for the first time, flickered with uncertainty.
"Human," it rumbled, "your fire is strong. But you are only human."
I spat blood and grinned. "Sometimes, that's enough."
The sun was rising—the dawn of a new day, the promise of hope.
And as the dragon gathered itself for a final, world-shaking assault, I prepared to answer with everything I had.