Nine Hot Therians and Their Only One Queen novel Chapter 448

**When She Opened the Door to the Life She Was Afraid to Live by Nora Vale Kingsley**
**Chapter 448: The Marshal’s Gambit**

“What in the world?!”

Calum’s thoughts raced like wildfire as he beheld the chaos unfolding around him. He had stepped away from the camp for what felt like a mere heartbeat, yet here was Lucien, spiraling into madness, a tempest of destruction. What had triggered this descent? Was it the weight of returning home that had driven him to the brink of insanity?

His sharp gaze swept across the tumultuous scene: the golden phoenix, a creature of legend, flapping its wings with a wild ferocity above him, while below, his steadfast companions, Drake and Marcus, struggled like warriors in a futile battle, desperately trying to reinforce the ice walls that were crumbling under the pressure of the impending disaster. “What are you two doing? Constructing an ice palace for him?” he shouted, frustration dripping from his words like venom. “What’s next—turning this into some kind of fire-and-ice spectacle for our entertainment?”

His voice sliced through the howling wind, reaching the ears of the wolf and dragon below like a clarion call. Marcus paused mid-attack, a frown deepening on his brow. “What the hell does that mean?”

Drake, too, turned his massive dragon head, confusion etched on his face, his scales glinting ominously in the chaotic light.

“It means,” Calum snapped, his tone sharp as a blade, “that he’s about to explode from his own power, you fools!” Before they could respond, Calum surged forward, his form transforming into a streak of brilliant silver light as he propelled himself towards the raging phoenix overhead.

He moved with the speed of a lightning bolt—swift, precise, and utterly relentless.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion echoed through the air as silver collided with gold, unleashing a tempest of radiant energy that illuminated the darkened sky like a supernova.

The phoenix’s enraged cry sliced through the clouds, reverberating with fury as it redirected its wrath towards the solitary figure that dared to challenge it. Golden fireballs rained down upon Calum like a torrential storm of destruction, each one a testament to the creature’s wrath.

Yet, with an agility that seemed almost otherworldly, Calum danced through the onslaught, his silver aura flickering in and out of visibility. Despite the chaos surrounding him, he appeared almost unfazed, even finding time to shout down at the wolf and dragon below. “Are you just going to stand there like statues? When he scorches a hole right through Central Planet, you’ll both be looking for a cozy corner in interstellar prison!”

Every dodge, every flicker of silver light was deliberate. Calum was not merely avoiding the phoenix’s fury; he was deftly steering its rage, guiding its fiery attacks away from the vulnerable city beneath.

“What do we do then?” Drake asked, momentarily at a loss for words. They couldn’t harm Lucien, nor could they contain him.

“You stop wasting your energy on those damn ice walls—they’re utterly useless! They won’t hold!” Calum shouted back, twisting midair and narrowly evading a fireball the size of a millstone. The flames grazed his sleeve, leaving a charred mark that made him click his tongue in irritation. “You two—left and right! Drive him toward the Pantheon Battlefield!”

Pantheon Battlefield?

Marcus and Drake exchanged a knowing glance, comprehension dawning in an instant.

Calum activated his comms to Silas, urgency lacing his voice. “Evacuate the area and clear a path. I’m taking him off Central Planet—straight to the Pantheon Battlefield.”

“Already on it,” Silas replied, his tone steady despite the mounting tension. “Civilians will be cleared in five minutes. Hold him until then, Marshal.”

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