The snowy battlefield descended into utter chaos as Xander and Eldrigan fought with every ounce of strength they had left. The snowstorm raged on, draining their energy with each passing second but neither of them wavered. This was do or die.
Eldrigan surged forward first, his shield raised high as an avalanche the size of a city block came roaring down toward them.
"Xander, move your ass!"
Eldrigan slammed his shield into the snowy ground and bracing himself. The sheer force of the impact sent tremors through the earth, the icy mass shattering around him like glass but the strain was visible in the way his arms shook.
Behind him, Xander moved like a silver blur, his longsword already drawn. With every swing, the air cracked and howled, silver arcs of energy exploding outward from the blade and tearing through the snow like it was paper. The ground beneath his feet fractured and crumbled under the sheer force of his strikes, massive trenches forming as his sword slashes gouged the earth.
"Keep those damn avalanches off me, Eldrigan! I'm not slowing down for anything!"
"You focus on that oversized icicle!"
Eldrigan shouted back, gritting his teeth as another avalanche bore down on them. He slammed his shield into the ground again, the weapon glowing with a fiery red light as he summoned a barrier from his energy to absorb the impact. Ice and snow exploded around him, shards slicing into his armor and tearing through the exposed skin on his arms and face, but he didn't falter.
Xander took advantage of the opening, launching himself forward with an earth-shaking leap. His blade sang through the air, another silver energy slash ripping free and carving a deep trench through the snowfield. The shockwave that followed was deafening, causing a thunderous boom that sent ice and debris flying in all directions.
A distant mountain, caught in the path of his attack, was split clean in half.
"That's how it's done!" Xander growled, his breath coming in heavy gasps as he turned back toward the golem. The massive ice construct hadn't moved an inch, still sitting there.
Eldrigan stumbled toward Xander, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead where an ice shard had nicked him.
"You're tearing up the landscape, but that damn thing isn't even flinching!" He snapped, shoving Xander forward with his shield. "Keep moving! If you stop, we're both dead!"
Xander nodded, his jaw clenched as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
"Then let's give it something to flinch about."
They moved in perfect sync. Eldrigan stayed close to Xander, his shield raised high to block the relentless avalanches that came at them from every direction. Eldrigan's boots slid against the icy ground, his muscles straining as he absorbed the brunt of each attack.
Xander, meanwhile, was an unstoppable force.
His sword swung in wide arcs, each strike unleashing a storm of silver energy that flattened everything in its path. The shockwaves created by his attacks sent waves of snow cascading away from them but the effort was taking its toll. His knight armor was scratched and dented, frost clinging to the edges as the cold sapped his stamina. Blood dripped from a deep cut on his shoulder where a shard of ice had pierced through, but he didn't stop.
"Stay focused!" Eldrigan barked, blocking another surge of snow with a well-timed shield bash. "If you let up for even a second, we're done!"
"I know!" Xander shouted back.
He planted his feet firmly, channeling his strength he had into a single, devastating swing. The silver slash that erupted from his blade was larger than any before.
The ground trembled under the force of it, another mountain in the distance splitting apart as the shockwave rippled through the battlefield.
But the golem still didn't move, the glowing core in its chest pulsing faintly like a mocking heartbeat. The storm around it grew fiercer, the avalanches more frequent and more deadly. It was as if the entire battlefield was alive, working against them, draining their will to fight with every passing moment.
"Where the hell is Farrynelle?!" Eldrigan shouted, his voice barely audible over the howling wind. "We can't keep this up forever!"
A crack of thunder rolled through the storm. Both men glanced upward, their eyes widening as they saw the sky above them begin to shift. The dark clouds were swirling faster now, flashes of lightning illuminating the storm in brief, blinding bursts.
"She's up there," Xander muttered, a grim smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "She's gathering energy."
"Then we just have to hold out until she's ready," Eldrigan said despite the blood dripping from his chin. He raised his shield again, stepping in front of Xander as another avalanche roared toward them. "No matter what, we're not going down here!"
Xander nodded, gripping his sword tightly as he prepared for the next attack. "Let's make this count."
All they had to do was survive a little longer.
The storm reached its crescendo as Farrynelle's voice roared through the chaos, cutting through the howling winds and avalanches with the force of a battle horn.
"NOW!"
Xander and Eldrigan locked eyes, no words needed between them. This was it.
Eldrigan's shield slammed into the ground with a metallic clang, frost and blood dripping from his battered frame as he materialized it into a spiked mace. The weapon radiated a deep, crimson aura, almost alive with the energy he was pouring into it.
"Xander, don't hold back. We either die swinging or we finish this bastard!"
Xander grunted in agreement, raising his sword high, the longsword trembling under the sheer force of the energy coursing through it. Silver essence spilled from the weapon like a living flame, crackling and swirling around him as if the very air bent to his will. His muscles screamed in protest, veins bulging against his skin, but he gritted his teeth and roared;
"Let's end this!"
Eldrigan was the first to move. His boots dug into the icy ground as he charged forward, each step a thunderous stomp that sent chunks of snow and ice flying. The spiked mace in his hands glowed with a fiery intensity, sparks erupting from the weapon as he swung it in a wide arc.
The force of the swing created a vacuum, the snow directly in front of him exploding outward in a straight, clear line. Sonic booms echoed across the battlefield, the sheer power of his strike sending shockwaves rippling through the storm.
The snowstorm seemed to hesitate for a fraction of a second, the destructive wall of avalanches parting in the wake of his attack. Eldrigan didn't stop, as he swung again and again, each strike carving deeper into the frozen landscape.
Xander followed close behind, his armor gleaming faintly through the chaos as he lifted his sword high. With a deafening battle cry, he brought the blade down, unleashing a torrent of silver energy that tore through the battlefield. The slash moved like a tidal wave, carving a path straight toward the golem. The ground beneath it split apart, massive fissures spreading outward as the force of the attack caused the earth to quake.
The golem, for the first time, faltered. Its massive form trembled as the silver energy collided with its icy body, the glowing core in its chest flickering like a dying flame. It swayed unsteadily, its balance disrupted as it struggled to maintain its overwhelming presence.
Another strike sent a shockwave racing toward the golem, the ground beneath it cratering under the impact.
Xander poured every ounce of strength he had left into his next attack, his arms shaking violently as he channeled the last of his essence into his sword. The blade burned with an almost blinding light, the silver energy coiling around it like a serpent ready to strike. With a final, desperate roar, he unleashed the energy in a devastating slash that carved through the air like a falling star.
The golem reeled, its icy form cracking and splintering as the combined assault tore into it. But it wasn't enough. Not yet.
That's when Farrynelle made her move.
A blinding flash of blue lightning lit up the storm, the sound of thunder so loud it felt like the sky itself was breaking apart. Farrynelle descended from the heavens, her body a streak of light and electricity as she plummeted toward the battlefield. In her hand, one of her white chakrams glowed with an otherworldly energy, crackling with blue lightning that danced along its edges like a living storm.
"Out of the way!"
Xander and Eldrigan didn't hesitate, throwing themselves to the side just as Farrynelle reached the golem. With a fierce cry, she hurled the electrified chakram straight at the core of the monstrous construct. The weapon spun through the air, a blur of white and blue that left streaks of light in its wake.
The chakram struck the core dead center.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, the world erupted.
The golem's core shattered, releasing a torrent of energy that exploded outward in a massive shockwave. The force of the blast flattened everything in its path, the frozen city of Volxane reduced to rubble and snow in an instant. Lightning spreadthrough the storm, striking the ground and splitting the earth as Farrynelle's Ascended Form unleashed its full power.
The sky lit up with a blinding light, the blue and white of the lightning mingling with the silver and darkness of Xander and Eldrigan's attacks.
The snowstorm was gone, evaporated in the final attack. The frozen landscape of Volxane was unrecognizable, the ground scorched and torn apart by the overwhelming power of their final attack.
As the light faded and the dust settled, Farrynelle stood at the epicenter of the destruction, her chakram spinning lazily in her hand as arcs of electricity danced across her body. Her chest heaved with exertion, her usual grin replaced by a look of grim satisfaction.
The golem was nothing more than ash and the entire island of Volxane was obliterated into a fallen ancient battlefield.
The three of them collapsed onto the crater's jagged, uneven floor, their bodies barely holding together after the all-out assault.
Farrynelle sprawled on her back, her chakram discarded at her side, faint traces of blue electricity still crackling weakly along its edge. Her entire body screamed in protest with every slight movement, her muscles on fire.
"Okay… not doing that again anytime soon…"
Xander lay a few feet away, his sword buried in the ground beside him. His arms hung limp at his sides, completely immobile. He tried to flex his fingers but gave up after a pathetic twitch.
"My arms… yeah, they're done. Totally useless. Can't even pick my nose if I wanted to."
Eldrigan, lying face-down in the dirt, groaned loudly. His spiked mace was nowhere to be seen, lost somewhere in the wreckage. His entire body was paralyzed, every muscle locked up in painful stiffness. Even speaking seemed like a monumental effort.
"I think… I'm dead. Pretty sure this is what death feels like…"
Farrynelle turned her head to look at him, her eyes half-lidded from exhaustion but still carrying a glimmer of her usual sass.
"If you're dead, then I must be in hell, 'cause I can still hear you whining," she shot back, though the lack of energy in her voice dulled the bite.
Eldrigan let out a dry chuckle, or at least tried to, before groaning again.
"Hey… Eldrigan."
"What?"
"You remember what Peroncerea said? About what she'd do to you if he survived?"
"Oh, please don't remind me..."
Xander, despite his pain, let out a hoarse laugh.
"Well, at least you'd finally meet someone who can keep up with your mouth."
"Ha. Ha. Hilarious."
Before the conversation could continue, a shimmering light appeared above them, cutting through the smoky haze. The three of them blinked as a holographic notification materialized in the air, its letters glowing with an ethereal brilliance.
[Epoch Cycle: Completed. Victory Achieved. Prepare for Ascension to Divinity.]
Silence fell over the group as they stared at the words, their battered minds struggling to process what they were seeing.
"We passed?" Eldrigan asked weakly, disbelief heavy in his voice.
Farrynelle's eyes widened, the exhaustion momentarily giving way to shock.
"Wait… are they saying we're gonna be Divines?" She asked, her voice rising slightly despite her fatigue.
The three of them exchanged stunned glances, the weight of the revelation slowly sinking in.