Augustus stood, his cloak torn to shreds, bones scarred from head to toe.
Before him, Krog stood focussed, green mana faintly coating his body like a thin mist. His eyes never blinked, never left Augustus, as he crouched low, axes crossed and ready.
No words.
Augustus understood the silence: this one had to be eliminated immediately. Augustus raised his arm—his short lance shot forward, then he melted back into the blood fog, and in his place, many clones formed, circling the orc. Krog dual slashed the lance and deflected it away into the blood fog.
Krog went back to his crossed axe stance and didn't move. Not an inch, as the clones circled around him. Each clone had a bone lance which they jabbed at him one after another—each strike a fake. Still, he waited. Until one blow came true. He saw it coming, both axes snapping up to block.
The force shoved him back, but he held firm.
The clones followed, tightening their circle. Krog sensed intent—trying to slice one down. But the figure dodged, head jerking back just in time. Krog pursued, his axes flashing
Augustus thrusted his bone lance, Krog slid aside, axes flipping to sever the skeletal arm at two points. But Augustus was faster, pulling back in time.
They struck again, and again. No solid hits. No clashing weapons. Just relentless strikes—purple thrusts and green hacks carving streaks of mana through the fog.
Stillness in chaos. Both reading the other, neither landing a blow. Krog, a rookie, astonishingly able to keep up with Augustus. Yet Augustus was still stronger. Much stronger. And Krog's power was halved by the hex gnawing at him.
It became a battle of attrition—one Augustus knew he would win.
Then Augustus lunged with both hands on his bone lance.
Krog read it, weaved and dashed in, slashing his skeletal arm clean off. With a shoulder barge, he drove Augustus back.
Augustus skidded further back from the force —then regained his footing quickly. His severed arm twitched on the ground beside Krog, fingers curling.
Krog panted heavily, as a mixture of dirt and sweat trickled down his face.
Even though he didn't actually hit me, just blocking that strike in our first exchange was no joke. No wonder Volka was reeling in pain when she took that hit. I can barely feel my body... but the strangest thing is this hex. I knew it came back, but I didn't realize it would continuously drain my strength. I feel so much weaker—not just physically, but internally too. This is bad.
His thoughts began to race as his face grew noticeably pale.
He threw his axes into the air and slapped his cheeks hard. "No! You can do this, Krog! You can do this! You've cut one of his arms off, just got to fight harder!"
Catching his weapons as they fell, he let out a thunderous roar and charged straight at Augustus.
But Augustus's lance stretched, longer and thicker, he slowly levelled it across his chest.
As Krog lunged in, Augustus's severed arm tugged at a ghostly tether of starlit shadow—snaring Krog's shoulder. Reflexively, Krog turned, swinging at nothing.
It was too late.
"Truly pitiful attempt." Augustus coldly hissed
The lance smashed into him, the blow sending his axes flying from his grip, breaking his focus. Krog was hurled through the fog, tumbling across the ground.
Augustus advanced slowly. His detached arm crawled after him.
Krog stirred, opening his eyes faintly. Augustus ripped off his shredded cloak and cast it aside, revealing a skeletal body now fully restored.
"I have been leeching from you this entire time… using your soul to heal myself."
Krog's eyes welled. "I lost…I'm sorry, Volka… I'm sorry everyone… I let you all down." His voice cracked with despair.
Augustus planted a foot on the orc's stomach, his arm snapping back into place. He raised the lance with both hands, the end directed toward Krog's head.
"You lost from the beginning, little orc." Augustus remarked
The lance pierced Krog's skull. Blood sprayed as Augustus ripped the weapon free.
"One more," he said, turning. His lance dripped crimson.
A black cloak of shadows coiled around him.
The blood mist parted—revealing Volka, who was still lying on the floor. Her eyes widened as she saw Krog's body lifeless on the ground, blood pooling before the fog swallowed it.
"Krog… no…" Her voice cracked. "Everyone's dead…" Tears fell down her battered face.
"Yes," Augustus said coldly. "And you're the last one."
Hooves pounded. Out of the fog emerged a blood-soaked skeletal horse, neighing softly.
Augustus paused, hand resting on its mane. "Arcaeus."
She closed her eyes in defeat.
Suddenly—Everything slowed down in blue.
Volka, still lying hurt on the ground, opened her eyes in confusion.
Twitch manifested beside her, cross-legged and laid back.
"Why are you just laying there? As if I'm not right here with you?"
She pushed herself to sit up, she was speechless as she looked into twitch's eyes.
He squinted. "Why so quiet? You end up biting your tongue in that last fight?"
He wiped her tears and smiled softly
"What's this all about Volka, you're not the crying type."
She stayed speechless.
Twitch continued talking as he started to spark with electricity.
"Alright lets get to the point. Volka... do you know who I am? What am I?"
"N-No?"
"Obviously you don't, because you never listen. I am grand fay, the highest authority of fay there is in this world. Second only to the supreme, adding on to that I am the only lighting grand fay"
"Whats your point?"
"My point is understanding that who you have on your side right now is a being: B and A ranks only dream about."
"Ok i understand, now get to the point twitch."
Continuing: "Volka, what do you notice about those two undead?" He pointed to Augustus embracing Arcaeus both frozen.
"How's that going to hel—"
Snapping his fingers and shaking his head, he said, "Answer the question. Time is running out, Volka."
"Uh... uh... they... they seem... to like each other?"
"Eh... close enough. Now compare that to you and me."
"We are the opposite?"
He nodded, then brought up his finger. "Keep looking at them. The key here is trust. This whole battle, they have trusted each other. Before you defeated them and after, they continued to trust each other no matter the outcome."
"So... you want me to trust you?"
"Precisely. All it's ever been about"
Twitches feet touch the ground for once as he stops floating
"I want you to accept me fully into your soul." He holds out a hand. "So the question is: can you trust me, Volka VenderBush?"
Volka hesitated. "Just this once, Twitch the Grand Fay."
They shook hands. Twitch smiles crazily, lightning sparking around his large grin.
"Now close your eyes and don't fight against me. Let our mana flow as one."
"It's all trust."
Time flowed as normal.
The clouds shifted to a darker colour and began to swirl into a hole.
As thunder and lightning brewed.
Electric static buzzed in the air causing ripples in the very atmosphere.
Mana surged from Volka's body and rocks broke around her, as she floated with her eyes closed.
"What's this now?"
Sensing the danger
He jumped on top of Arcaeus readying
Their mana syncs.
Becoming one
Augustus reddish pink socket turning crimson.
Thunder comes from the sky and clapped down on the Volka's body
Arcaeus steps back.
The ground shook as thunder struck, its force expanding outward, evaporating and pushing all in its path.
"Two souls unite in one last symphony!" there voice buzzed
The lighting instantly stopped, and the smoke was blown away by immense power.
As Volka and twitch formed as one floating.
Over a massive crater in the square.
They continued to float over it until they reached solid ground.
Surging with electricity.
Eyes filled with power there claws, feet, hair.
They now have markings on their hair, their eyes bags covered with lighting
They held their sword.
Coating it with thunder they threw it like a thunderous bolt
It was so fast Augustus and Arcaeus couldn't dodge so they brace themselves instead.
Augustus thrust his lance.
Clashing with it
The pressure breaking the ground and causing great calamity on the whole battlefield.
Blowing away some of the blood fog by the mere pressure.
"This is going to be tough!" Augustus shouted
With all their power they pierce it right through splitting it in two.
Then he turned around running away from Volka and Twitch.
"Can't fight head on" Augustus shouted
His other socket once blue soon shifted to crimson.
"and time seems to be up too!"
Twitch and Volka appeared beside them, chasing both Augustus and Arcaeus
As two-line streaks go along town causing big explosions behind them
Striking as they ran.
Ground broke as they fought
I can't keep up, so I have no choice…
Augustus sockets bursted a darker crimson along Arcaeus
"But just to go fully berserk!"
Arcaeus and Augustus roared in unison, the sound pushing Volka and Twitch back.
But none of it affected them as they lunged back in.
Clash.
Volka and Twitch's merged form unleashed devastating claws wreathed in lightning, sending crackling bolts across the battlefield. Thunder illuminated the carnage in stark flashes of white and blue.
Augustus and Arcaeus responded with primal fury—lunging, thrusting, bucking, swiping. Dark curses spilled from Augustus's maw as Arcaeus stomped and trampled, their combined berserk power breaking the ground and scorching the earth beneath them.
The battle became a symphony of destruction. Slowly, steadily, the entire town crumbled into ruins.
Buildings crashed. Structures crumbled. Neither side showed remorse for the surroundings.
They kept fighting, streaks of lightning cutting through the air. Each clash of their powers sent visible shockwaves rippling outward, heard even through the bloody fog that was literally dissipating under the intensity of their battle.
Then they appeared on opposite sides of the square.
Volka stood battered and bruised, lightning still crackling around her form.
Augustus and Arcaeus were completely worn. Bones cracked, some broken, others charred black. Only their berserker rage kept them upright, kept them moving.
They rushed at each other with full force.
Augustus and Arcaeus were fully committed to this final clash.
But the twitch and Volka had other plans.
Just seconds before the clash happened, they gave Arcaeus a devastating jab to his skull, breaking part of it open.
Then kicking him off to the side far all the way to the town wall crashing with a large dust cloud exploding on impact in the distance.
Augustus getting pushed back by the force falls backwards rolling and tumbling until he managed to roll backwards, and stumble on to his feet.
On his feet he panicked, his sockets now a weak blue.
Sending soul flame bolts hurriedly toward Volka and twitch but they merely walked through them as they were instantly put out by their surging aura alone.
Augustus was so shocked at his situation, he tried everything he sent his tiny orbs to her but it just dissipated in her presence.
He tried conjuring black roots but they couldn't even manifest, under the sheer might of her power.
She's too strong!
He sent another orb her way, but she merely tapped it with her finger making it pop.
"Damn right I am!"
She read? My mind!
Volka appeared in Augustus face, smiling crazily.
"That's right I did!"
Augustus, stunned, stepped back, but before he could react, Volka vanished and reappeared. Her feet were level with his head as she booted him away with both feet, a cruel smile on her face.
She was enjoying this too much.
Augustus tumbled along the ground until he hit a large fallen rock. As he slammed up against it. He was slumped against it like a dead corpse, bone fractures running down his whole skull, jaw hung open.
Volka walked toward him, smiling crazily, lighting sparking around her.
"I'm finished for good this time..." he said under his cold breath.
"You were finished from the beginning, little undead." Her voice buzzed through the atmosphere like static.
Augustus almost gave up. Everything that had happened up until now flashed through his mind.
Then he saw it—Zero's smug face.
One of his sockets instantly ignited with blue determination.
A great blood fog gathered under him, vaulting him backward up into the air.
"I won't fall to you as I must obtain my victory!"
He mustered all the mana he had left.
"SOUL CHAINS..."
Hundreds of soul chains appeared all around her..
"OF THE ABYSS!"
Volka merely smiled as she rushed through all of them, dodging and weaving as the chains chased, trying to trap her
Augustus landed on the ground hard, bone pieces falling off as he crashed and tumbled along it. He finally managed to find his footing, rolling onto his feet and catching himself from tumbling any further.
As he tried to catch his breath, Volka reached him.
Smiling crazily, claws out, sparking with great ferocity.
Augustus looked stunned. "How?... How did I lose?"
—A nightmarish screech came from the side.
Arcaeus bursted forward with explosive speed, intercepting them.
Volka's body locked up for a second as Arcaeus, in his necrotic charge with his head down, hit her. Her body contorted as he struck her. Then, with cursed crimson mana which surged, as he reared his head up, sending her spiralling upward high into the sky while screeching.
She was knocked completely out of her form and fell to the ground, landing in a pile of rubble far into the town.
Augustus stood victorious.
Arcaeus stood too victorious
"Thank you, my friend... you saved me this day." He petted Arcaeus's mane in great relief.
Then someone knocked on his head.
"Good job, knucklehead! Haha!"
He looked to his side and saw him.
"Hey there!" the boy said, waving cheerfully.
Zero. he thought seriously