NOVEL NEXT Chapter 439: Surrender or Face Justice
Warlock Ch 439. Surrender or Face Justice
Damian let out a long breath. He swayed, just slightly, the adrenaline leaving his system and reminding him of every injury he'd sustained. But his friends were there.
"You okay?" Evelyn whispered softly, her voice still trembling with relief.
"Never better," he said quietly, a faint smile ghosting over his lips.
Cassius snorted lightly. "Liar."
Damian huffed, laughing quietly through the pain, the stress, and the disbelief. "Maybe."
Yet just as he dared let himself relax, the air around them shifted again, charged and heavy. Damian's instincts screamed at him, mana pulsing through his veins as he snapped his gaze upward.
A cluster of senators—Ralvek's loyalists, still stubbornly clinging to the now-exposed lies—had rallied together, their eyes dark with fury and fear. It was clear they'd been cornered; desperate men and women who refused to accept defeat. Their hands sparked with raw mana, powerful yet dangerously uncontrolled.
A younger senator, barely older than Damian himself, stepped forward. His robes were immaculate, the silver trim catching the fading sunlight sharply. His eyes glowed with barely restrained anger, jaw clenched tight.
"You think this is over?" the young senator snarled. "You believe you can humiliate the Grand Tribunal and walk free, Kaelan?"
"I never humiliated anyone," Damian said quietly, his voice steady despite his exhaustion. "All I did was show you the truth."
"Lies!" the senator shouted, rage blazing brighter in his eyes. He lifted his hands sharply, and raw mana crackled between his fingers, unstable and volatile. "I won't let you deceive them again!"
Before anyone could react, mana surged forward, a torrent of wild, crackling lightning hurtling toward Damian and the exhausted group behind him.
Time slowed. Damian could feel the mana racing towards him, see every spark and twist of energy. He raised his hands, using his skills.
But before he could do it.
A sudden rush of wind.
A blur of gold and blue.
And a massive shadow slammed down in front of Damian, blocking the attack completely. The lightning dispersed harmlessly, fizzling out against solid, gleaming scales.
Lysandra stood tall, arms spread wide, her eyes glowing dangerously. The smoke and dust settled around her, revealing her in full dragon form, armor shining, scales glinting like precious gems under the twilight sky.
"I thought we made ourselves clear," she growled, her voice resonating deep and powerful, carrying across the ruined plaza. "Damian Blackthorn is under the protection of the Dragon Tribe."
The senator's expression shifted from fury to fear, stumbling backward. "Y-you… You shouldn't be interfering, General Frostfang. The dragons—"
She narrowed her eyes, wings flaring slightly, each scale glinting like polished steel. "The dragons have already joined this war," Lysandra said firmly. "We bled alongside vampires and fae to defend Haven. And now, we will end it. Stand down."
But the senator refused to back off, his pride outweighing his common sense. "Your interference is against the accords—"
Lysandra's eyes flashed with dangerous amusement. She tilted her head slightly, and a faint, sharp whistle slipped from her lips, echoing eerily over the broken ruins.
A powerful wind stirred, sweeping away the dust and smoke.
The crowd froze, eyes widening as the shadows overhead darkened rapidly, growing larger, louder, heavier. The faint fluttering of wings became a thunderous roar, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Then dragons—real, magnificent, massive dragons—descended from the sky, landing heavily around Lysandra, their scales gleaming vividly in the fading sun.
They towered over the senators, wings stretched wide, fangs bared threateningly.
"General Frostfang," one of the dragon captains, a massive red-scaled beast named Barek, rumbled deeply, bowing his horned head respectfully. "We're at your command."
Lysandra smiled slightly, eyes locked firmly on Ralvek's loyalists. "Secure the perimeter," she ordered calmly. "Ensure these traitors don't escape. It's time we cleared up the confusion they've sown."
Barek nodded sharply, barking orders to his fellow dragons. The senators paled visibly, several stepping back in instinctive fear.
"W-wait!" the young senator stammered, panic rising rapidly in his voice. "This is a misunderstanding!"
Lysandra narrowed her eyes coldly. "A misunderstanding? You spread lies that vampires and fae attacked this city. You manipulated innocent civilians into believing Damian was the enemy. You created chaos to mask your crimes. And now you have the gall to claim misunderstanding?"
Another senator, older but no less defiant, stepped forward with forced bravado. "You have no proof—"
Barek stepped forward, his massive foot shaking the ground as it crashed down, cutting the senator's bravado short. His deep, rumbling voice echoed through the city ruins.
"We watched from above. We saw who unleashed that monstrosity. Who endangered this city. It was not vampires or fae."
He turned his burning amber gaze to the gathered crowd of civilians behind Damian.
"And it was the dragons who straightened the misunderstanding—who warned the people not to turn their blades on the warlock who fought for them. If we hadn't, you would've attacked your own savior the moment he fell."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Heads turned. Some people looked down in shame. Others stared at Damian, wide-eyed, finally realizing the narrow line between salvation and disaster they had walked.
Barek's voice dropped into something deeper, quieter, but even more dangerous.
"We bore witness to everything. And we will bear witness to your judgment."
"It was you," Lysandra finished coldly, her gaze piercing them like blades. "You and your fellow conspirators."
The air was thick with tension. Soldiers of the Tribunal hesitated, uncertain. Whispers ran through the crowd of civilians. Those who had once doubted Damian began murmuring amongst themselves, questioning, their trust shifting with every word Lysandra spoke.
The younger senator visibly trembled, his voice faltering. "We—we only followed orders. Ralvek promised—"
Lysandra's gaze sharpened fiercely. "Ralvek was a traitor. You willingly followed his orders. You are no better."
The senators visibly wilted beneath the dragons' overwhelming presence. Even their strongest mages and warriors were no match for dragons ready for battle.
Lysandra straightened, authority radiating from every scale. "I offer you one chance: surrender peacefully or face justice here and now."