The wind howled through the shattered remnants of Blue Stream Village, scattering dust and ash like restless spirits. Diomede stood firm, his hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his greatsword, eyes locked on the approaching figures: Commander Ruffgaurd, Elite Knight Panagiot, and three Holy Knights of Umar. The scars of the recent explosion marked their forms—armors cracked and shattered, patches missing to expose bruised limbs and torn padding beneath.
Ruffgaurd's temple bore a deep gash, oozing dark blood that mingled with the grime on his face. His once-formidable armor was now a fractured shell, riddled with fractures and missing critical plates around his hips and legs. His left arm hung vulnerable, exposed and twitching from the strain. Panagiot, the elite, showed the worst of the damage—only tattered torso armor and shin guards remained, but his scarred body betrayed a ferocity born of countless battles. His fingers, recently regrown, flexed in anticipation.
Without hesitation, Diomede launched himself forward with explosive speed, drawing his greatsword from his back and raising his left arm in a silent invocation. The earth beneath Ruffgaurd and two of his knights erupted violently, molten rock and searing flame swallowing them in a fiery cage.
Diomede swiftly pulled an axe from his belt and hurled it toward Panagiot, but the elite was ready—he caught the weapon midair with a powerful kick, sending it spinning away. The unexpected move left Diomede suspended, exposed and vulnerable.
Commander Ruffgaurd's voice thundered, cutting through the roar of the flames:
"ONE WHO SITS ABOVE ALL, DOUSE THESE FLAMES AND GRANT ME YOUR DIVINE POWER!"
At his command, the molten inferno ceased instantly. From Ruffgaurd's outstretched hand burst a beam of blinding golden light that pierced Diomede's stomach like a scorching spear. The air rushed out of Diomede's lungs as he collapsed with a heavy thud, hitting the ground like a sack of stones. The two knights caught in the flames fell beside their commander, their bodies stiff and blistered.
Panagiot charged, roaring with savage glee. He raised his axe high and brought it crashing down on Diomede's shielded sword. The clash sent sparks flying, a brutal symphony of steel on steel.
"Good," Panagiot sneered through bloodied lips, "you still have fight left in you."
Diomede's eyes flared dark orange, a burning ember igniting beneath his skin. Panagiot's chest swelled with excitement.
"So THAT'S what you are," he growled, eyes narrowing. "I thought your kind was wiped out long ago."
With a snarl, Diomede spat directly into Panagiot's eye and drove a knee hard into his groin. The elite only laughed, the sound a cruel echo in the desolate village.
"You'll have to do better than that," Panagiot taunted, pulling back his head and ramming his bloody forehead into Diomede's face repeatedly.
Ruffgaurd watched coldly, his cracked lips twisting in a sneer as Panagiot battered Diomede relentlessly.
Finally, the elite stepped back, blood dripping from his face—none of it his own.
"Go check what remains of the office," Ruffgaurd ordered the remaining knight, voice sharp and unforgiving. "See if your friend still draws breath."
With a heavy grunt, Ruffgaurd cracked his knuckles and turned, his commanding presence chilling the air as he motioned the knight forward. Together, they stalked toward the ruined office.
A lively tune floated through the broken streets, Francisco leading the small group, his new cloak billowing behind him like a banner of hope. Kira and Lily walked side by side, exchanging amused glances as the Nesfundur's exuberance broke through the grimness. Clayton trailed at the rear, his gaze heavy as he took in the widespread devastation—the remnants of a village now reduced to ruin and ash.
They halted when Lily spotted a mound of debris partially covered by splintered wood and shattered stone. Kira felt Clayton's heartbeat quicken—a flicker of hope. As Lily and Francisco began clearing the wreckage, the top of the gultonk's corpse emerged from beneath the rubble.
"Oh," Francisco gasped, "it must've been buried by the blast."
The three continued on, leaving Clayton behind, staring down at the hulking monster's dead form. Hatred churned in his gut as his eyes fixed on the broken sword lodged in the beast's skull—the same sword that had once blinded the gultonk, the handle still jutting from its head.
Memories flooded him—how the creature had rampaged through the barracks, slaughtering his brothers; how he had stood against it, trembling yet resolute; how Diomede had spoken with the beast in that final moment.
Clayton gripped the sword's hilt and tugged. Slowly, with effort, it came free.
Lily caught his attention with a flick of a small torch.
"What will you do with that?" she asked quietly.
Clayton turned the chipped, cracked blade in his hands.
"I'll keep it as a reminder of my brothers. It was the instrument of their vengeance."
Lily stepped forward, her fingers brushing over the jagged edge.
"I once met a blacksmith who said weapons carry the spirit of what they fight for," she said softly, returning the sword.
A quiet peace settled over Clayton, unfamiliar but welcome. The four rejoined each other and pressed forward—only to halt when Commander Ruffgaurd appeared before them like a storm breaking over the horizon.
Clayton and Lily moved protectively in front of Francisco and Kira. Francisco wrapped his arms around Kira defensively. Ruffgaurd's booming laughter shattered the tense silence.
"Do you truly believe you can walk away after the destruction you've wrought?"
Anger flared in the group like lightning. Clayton's voice cracked as he shouted,
"You blame us?!"
Ruffgaurd's laughter died as his cold eyes locked onto Clayton's.
"You dare speak after betraying your country? YOUR KING?!"
Clayton drew his sword, stepping forward with fire in his veins.
"After what you did to these people?!"
He gripped his sword with both hands, pulled it back, and charged.
Ruffgaurd met him with a roar, their blades clashing in a shower of sparks. The commander's counterstrike came swift and brutal—a downward slash aimed at Clayton's head. Clayton ducked, pivoting low on his knee and driving his blade deep into Ruffgaurd's right leg.
A sickening pop echoed as Ruffgaurd's knee dislocated, tendons snapping like frayed ropes. The commander roared in pain, backhanding Clayton hard across the face, sending him sprawling backward. Blood trickled from Clayton's lip as he scrambled to his feet.
Clayton was unsuccessful, he was met with a right hook from the knight that followed behind Ruffgaurd. The knight unleashed blow after blow onto Clayton.
From the shadows, Lily summoned the shadow of her father—a massive aberration shimmering like smoke and steel behind her. She drew her great axe and leapt with furious grace, crashing down onto Ruffgaurd's wounded leg.
Ruffgaurd's left hand shot up, summoning a shield of radiant light that collided with Lily's axe in a burst of blinding energy. Undeterred, she hammered the shield with relentless blows.
Just as she prepared a crushing strike, the shield vanished. Ruffgaurd sidestepped and grabbed her axe, his head lunging forward for a brutal headbutt.
But Lily's father's shadowy form clasped the commander's head, holding him fast. Struggling against the phantom grip, Ruffgaurd's one good eye gleamed with rage. Lily twisted free her axe, driving it deep into his left shoulder. Blood poured from his mouth as he spat dark crimson onto the earth.
Ruffgaurd's grip tightened around Lily's throat, cutting off her breath. Her face flushed from the mounting pressure—red deepening to purple as her vision blurred and darkness crept over the edges of her sight.
Francisco's hand shot to his bag, producing a small drum. His steady beats sent a sonic wave crashing into Ruffgaurd and Lily, forcing them apart. Lily gasped, clutching her throat as she rolled onto her side. Her father's shadow hovered protectively above.
"Get up, Lily! Your foe is not finished!"
Ruffgaurd struggled to rise, the axe still embedded in his shoulder. He bellowed an order to the knight pounding on Clayton,
"Stop wasting time! Kill the bastard!"
The knight turned toward Clayton, blade raised. Seizing a desperate chance, Clayton reached beneath the helmet, gouging wildly for the knight's eyes. A scream tore through the air as blood poured from the wounds. Clayton shoved the blinded knight away and scrambled to his feet, kneeing his opponent mercilessly.
Ruffgaurd tried to stand but collapsed, his damaged leg buckling beneath him.
Lily seized a jagged rock and advanced on the fallen commander.
"Go ahead," she spat, voice cold as steel. "Kill me if you dare. But now, they will hunt you down."
Ruffgaurd sneered, blood dripping from his mouth,
"And you, boy... the One Above All will punish you for your betrayal. Mark my words."
Lily grabbed his gray hair and slammed the rock repeatedly into his skull. The commander's eye popped from its socket, dangling grotesquely as his head caved in with a sickening crunch. His body thudded to the ground, lifeless.
Kira knelt beside the corpse, satisfaction hardening her features. She then saw Clayton standing over the groaning knight, sword raised.
"Wait!" Kira called out sharply.
Clayton turned, confusion flickering across his face.
"Wait? Why?"
Kira approached the knight, moving Clayton aside. She removed his helmet, revealing a battered face swollen shut, eyes sealed in darkness. Placing her hands gently over his bruised features, she closed her eyes.
Fear and pain radiated from the man like a dark cloud, seeping into her very soul, causing her own eyes to ache with empathy.
"Why would you help him after what he did? After all the lives he took?" Clayton demanded, voice raw with emotion.
Kira met his gaze steadily.
"Because my heart cries out for me, too."
Rage flared in Clayton once more as he stepped forward, sword raised. Lily intercepted him with a firm hand on his chest. Their eyes locked—both fierce and pleading.
"Everyone, breathe. Relax," Francisco said softly, stepping between them. "You've just faced a war hero of Umar. Your adrenaline is overwhelming."
Clayton's breath came ragged as he began to pace. Kira turned back to the wounded knight.
"I suggest you leave. Now."
The knight, bewildered and beaten, looked between the Nesfundur and the woman who had felled Commander Ruffgaurd—both watching him like predators circling wounded prey.
"I… I don't understand," he stammered.
"Go while you still can," Kira warned, her voice low and firm.
The knight, feeling the weight of their stares and the cold bite of the village's ruin, stumbled to his feet and fled toward the river.
Clayton's voice cut after him,
"You let him go? He'll report everything!"
Kira's words came like a soothing balm,
"Have faith, Clayton. Sometimes things turn out better than we expect."
Clayton exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders.
"Alright. Let's find the old man," he said, turning toward the direction Diomede had gone.
Francisco nodded, his cloak swirling behind him.
"Yes. Let's."
The four moved down the broken road, the ruins whispering tales of loss and endurance. Suddenly, a shadow swooped overhead, followed by a heavy thud and low groans.
Diomede landed behind them, battered and bloodied. His face was torn, revealing bone beneath shredded flesh.
"What happened to him now?!" Lily gasped.
Kira's head snapped up as the silhouette of Panagiot emerged from the gloom, walking toward them.
"How is he still alive?" Francisco breathed.
"I don't know," Clayton growled, eyes blazing with renewed fury, "but we're putting him down now."