As the demon swung its massive axe, the blade sank deep into Liora's chest with a sickening crunch.
Blood burst from the wound, spilling across her armor and pooling beneath her on the ground.
Liora gasped, pain etched across her face. Crimson tears streaked from the corners of her eyes as her body trembled.
From a distance, Thalira's heart shattered. She screamed, her voice raw and broken."Stop! Please—spare her!"
She tried to move, to crawl toward Liora—but her limbs wouldn't respond. She was frozen, helpless.
The demon let out a low, mocking laugh as he looked down at Liora's fading eyes."Humans… always so fragile. Unlike the elves. Or dwarves."
Gripping the axe with both hands, he began to twist it, driving it deeper.
Liora's eyes rolled back, her breath coming in faint, ragged gasps—
Then, in a flash, a blur of steel and fury struck the demon with incredible force.
The monster was hurled backward, crashing and rolling across the battlefield.
Eldric stood in his place—barely.
His sword clattered to the ground from his trembling hand. Blood poured from cuts along his arms and face, his armor dented and scorched.
Falling to his knees, he pulled Liora into his arms.
With shaking fingers, he grabbed a potion from her belt and poured it gently between her lips.
The wounds on her chest began to knit slowly, flesh closing over broken bone.
But her eyes remained closed.
Her breathing was shallow. Her pulse… fading.
Slower.And slower.And slower still.
Deep within the forest...
Ren lay on the ground, face-down in the dirt, his body trembling. The pain in his ribs throbbed with every breath.
With a groan, he pushed himself up, clutching his side. His clothes were torn, soaked in blood and sweat.
Still, he stood.
Still, he moved—step by slow step—dragging his feet as he headed south.
Back on the battlefield...
Eldric gently laid Liora's body on the scorched earth. Her pulse was barely there.
He stood slowly, eyes fixed on the demon.
His fists clenched.
His rage surged.
Without a word, he started forward—then broke into a run, a roar building in his throat.
The demon raised a hand and hurled a fire blast.
Eldric didn't flinch. The flames slammed into him—but he burst through, smoke trailing from his armor as he charged.
The demon's eyes widened in panic.
Far away, Ren paused—his eyes narrowing.
He could feel it.
The flow of mana in the air had increased—tenfold. It rippled through the earth like a storm coming alive.
Back in the fight, Eldric struck first—a blazing punch charged with light magic.
The demon responded with its own.
The two fists collided—
BOOM!
A thunderous shockwave exploded from the impact, shaking the very ground.
Then—blow after blow—
They traded punches, each one faster, louder, heavier.
The battlefield became a blur of light and fury.
Golden light coursed through Eldric's veins, his entire body glowing with raw mana.
Each strike from both fighters grew more devastating, more furious.
Their screams echoed like battle cries of gods.
Winds howled and spiraled around them, ripping through tents, lifting broken weapons into the air.
The blood on the ground began to boil—then evaporate into crimson mist.
Bodies of fallen soldiers were flung across the field as the two forces collided again and again—light and darkness locked in brutal, divine combat
As the two titans collided, fists crashing like thunder…
Thalira stirred.
Her body barely responded, but she began to crawl—inch by inch—toward Ashara's massive form lying nearby.
Blood matted her hair. Her limbs trembled. But she kept moving.
Reaching Ashara's saddle bags, she fumbled through them with weak fingers until they closed around a vial.
A healing potion.
With effort, she popped the cork and drank it down.
Warmth surged through her chest. Bones began to knit. Torn flesh sealed. Her breath returned.
But then—her vision blurred.
Her knees buckled.
And the world went white.
She opened her eyes…
A vast, glowing white expanse surrounded her. Everything was silent.
And standing before her—
Her mother.
Gentle. Radiant. Familiar.
Her mother placed a hand on her head and smiled softly.
"You've done well, my brave girl," she said. "But now… it's time to finish what you began."
Thalira's lips quivered. Tears welled in her eyes.
"I failed," she whispered. "I let Liora die…"
Her mother shook her head gently. "You are stronger than you know, my dear. And she still needs you."
Suddenly, voices echoed behind her.
She turned.
The rest of her fallen party stood there—heroes she had bled beside, laughed with, fought for.
A towering warrior stepped forward, his face shadowed by light. He reached out and pulled her to her feet with one strong hand.
Then, all of them—together—spoke as one:
"Go. Kill him."
Thalira blinked.
And the white faded.
She was back—on the battlefield.
The wind still howled. The ground trembled beneath her feet.
Eldric was still standing, fists blazing, matching the demon blow for blow.
But Ashara was gone.
Thalira stood tall.
The pain was gone.
Her resolve—sharper than ever.
And with fire in her veins, she turned toward the storm
Meanwhile…
Ren pushed forward, every step a struggle.
Branches whipped at his face. Thorns tore at his arms. But he didn't stop.
The air was thick with mana—almost blinding.
He shoved through the final layer of bushes—
And froze.
Before him stood a massive gemstone—jagged, dark purple, humming with raw energy. It pulsed like a heartbeat, waves of mana radiating from it in all directions.
Ren staggered closer, one hand clutching his side, the other dragging along the trees for balance.
Finally, he reached it.
He leaned against the stone, breathing heavily.
Then—his eyes widened.
Inside the gemstone, barely visible through the swirling violet mist—was a black heart, suspended in the center. Beating. Alive.
Ren's lips curled into a weak, determined smile.
"Found your weakness," he muttered.
Slowly, he bent down and pulled a small knife from his boot—hidden all this time in his sock.
Without hesitation, he raised it.
And began to strike the stone.
Back on the battlefield…
Thalira gripped her sword tightly, planting her feet into the scorched earth.
Mana surged into the blade—fiery, golden, and volatile. Sparks danced along the edge as the sword began to glow, humming with raw energy.
Nearby, Eldric was still trading savage blows with the demon. He slammed a punch into its stomach, and the creature reeled—launched backward from the force.
Eldric didn't stop.
He leapt into the air, caught up with the falling demon mid-flight, and drove it back down into the ground with a thunderous punch.
BOOM!
A crater split open beneath them. Dust and fire exploded outward as Eldric landed on top of the demon and rained down blow after blow—fists blazing, relentless, divine.
Meanwhile, Thalira's sword blazed brighter, her entire body surrounded in a radiant aura.
The battlefield warped.
Blood evaporated in the heat.
The corpses of fallen soldiers melted into ash.
Stones around her cracked—then turned to molten magma.
Eldric glanced up, sweat and blood pouring down his face—and saw her.
He understood.
With one final grunt, he grabbed the demon by its neck, and with a roar, hurled it into the sky.
Elsewhere…
Ren felt it.
Thalira's power surged through the air like a tidal wave of light.
He clenched his jaw, forcing his shaking hands to move faster—striking the gemstone again and again as cracks continued to spread. The black heart within spasmed in panic.
On the field…
Thalira's body vanished—a blur of light.
She shot forward, ripping through flame, smoke, and ruin, burning everything in her path.
She reached the demon midair—its eyes wide in fear—
And with a single, radiant slash, she swung her blade.
A flash.
A roar.
The sky split open.
As Thalira's blade closed in—
The demon's eyes widened.
"They think they can kill me? I've ruled for a thousand years…"
But in that instant—
CRACK!
Far away, Ren's knife pierced the black heart inside the shattered gemstone.
The demon froze.
Mana exploded through its body like lightning. Its core twisted in agony.
"Damn you—!" it roared, but the words barely left its mouth.
Because in that same breath—
Thalira's sword struck.
FLASH.
The sky split in two.
Light devoured the heavens. The air turned white.
When the brilliance faded…
The battlefield lay silent.
The demon's body was crumpled on the ground—smoke curling from its form, pieces of it already turning to ash.
Its limbs dissolved. Its eyes dimmed.
And as death closed in, memories surfaced.
Long ago…
A battlefield soaked in fire and blood.
A woman layed before him—splitted in half,
Thalira's mother.
The demon remembered.
"Why?" he had demanded. "You could have finished me."
She'd only smiled, her voice calm through the flames.
"Those children will mean more to this world than I ever could."
"One day, they'll save it."
Back in the present...
The demon's crumbling form trembled as dust took him.
A quiet chuckle escaped his lips.
"I see it now…" he whispered.
"She was right. These children… they've become powerful."
"Demon King… it's time you stop running from death."
And with that—
He turned to ash.
Carried away on the wind.
Gone