At the shock of Verencia's arrival, one of the men covers his mouth, his breath hot, breathing heavily into his sweaty palm. He should have seen them coming from a mile away, even through the ghostly mist that appeared with the drizzling, he thinks. Blood and carnage, the light rain not being enough to clear away the fire within the fort, weapons clashing and bullets flying, he watches as his troop is being easily demolished by the enemy seeming so superior in every way, that smile on their faces, the look in their eyes enough to shake him to his core, meeting one of them in battle, yelling as he swings his weapon, struggling against the soldier who plays with him, kicking the man through a wooden obstacle, another surprised as he looks behind at the sight of the enemy falling down stairs, it is Nahshon who sets back his focus on what in front of him, as goblins charge him, one by one, his sword meeting their flesh, their feats no match for his speed, strength, and greater knowledge, one thing alone set is on his mind, to kill as many as his desire for victory wills him to do, Ezek on the other hand, enjoying himself, consistently taunting the enemy, his bullets like piercing blaze, tearing through their bodies, most of his kills headshots that blow up their heads, manoeuvring through them like a proper acrobat, running across walls, rolling, backflipping and sliding across the floor, his reflexes seeming to be at its peak, almost like he's reacting to everything the instant it happens.

Arwyn, Victor, and many of the other warriors of Verencia, this being like another day for them, they cut through the enemy line like butter, the Jacqawin's presence a weakness to their fighting spirit already weakened by their hunger and last night's attack, as with each kill, and the bloodier he gets, the more they begin understanding their situation, there is no hope left in this world for them, their morale even more dissipated than before, one gone to their knees, their hands raised in begging for the dark knight's mercy, the others watching as he's shredded in half, then looking into the hollowness of the Jacqawin's helm, they see her, their goddess turned into their tormentor, one even dropping its weapon and running away, its head cleaved off by another it runs into, Bjørn who continues to impress his allies, many surprised by his sharp skills, Arwyn proud, happy to see that they don't have to really worry for him, looking up at one of the men of the enemy squad holding his own against the soldiers, his wit, the way he uses his magic and varies it and his combat skill seeming to give them a hard time, Arwyn being able to tell that this one was a highly experience combatant even before all of this, meeting his eyes with the man who in one swoop, blasts away the vernencian warriors with a burst of flames, all of them injured and unable to get back on their feet.

"Some of our men have fallen!! Quickly! Retrieve them and bring them behind our lines to the healers. Move!!" Arwyn commands, the injured soldiers dragged from enemy lines while getting cover from their comrades, all while he stares down the enemy captain, the Verencian captain unfazed by what is happening around him.

The enemy looks up at the main fortress in the distance behind him, returning his attention to Arwyn he sees making his way towards his position, the knight's sword gleaming in a bask of light as he cuts through the fodders before his path, taking his time in making his way to his opponent. The enemy gulps, as in the reports they were given, he remembers and recognizes Arwyn being among one of the warriors to be extremely wary of, his fists clenched, as he then sees the clear loss of confidence among his own soldiers.

"Retreat!! Retreat!! To the Fortress!! Retreat!!" The enemy captain commands, his soldiers, the goblins, quickly scurrying through the gates, the enemy captain looking at Arwyn obviously annoyed at his command, casting a slide of ice he makes his way down on, joining his fellow man in the escape.

Starved and tired, the enemies run as they know their lives definitely depend on it, chased by the Verencians, who shoot all sorts of projectiles at them; magic, missiles and bullets, and one by one, the captain sees as goblins fall around him, through elevated areas and ravines, for about thirty minutes, this chased continues, the captain noticing an opportunity as he falls to the ground, the dirt beneath him soft and loose. He gets up, turning to his enemies, he stomps one foot forward, his hands formed in fists he thrust, and beheld to the Verencian, they watch as the soil above them begins eroding, and down at them, it races. An avalanche one shouts, an adventurer's quick thinking saving the army, his palms thrust before him, and with the weight of its control, the avalanche splits in two, swerving its way around the army that has no choice but to sit still until it passes, slowed down by this tactic. And thanks to his smart thinking, the enemy captain stretched the distance between his force and theirs.

"Fuck me, great thinking, Captain Edward," the man says. "With that, we must be at least an hour away. We have to be!"

"Hm!" The captain laughs, looking up at the castle, their close, the goblins behind him famished, slowing the men down. "On your feet soldier! Once we get there you can rest and eat all you want...they at least owe us that..."

"Those bastards are tougher than I thought...even if we weren't starved, even with a higher chance, I'm sure we would still lose"

"Aye...I have to admit it as well. Not only do they have a Jacqawin on their side, but other soldiers we're gonna have to worry about as well," The enemy captain says, as along with Arwyn, were Victor, Arnaldo and others he recognized as formidable opponents with great standing behind their names. "And their resources and tech are far more advanced than ours....and their soldiers are a lot more disciplined...!"

"Oi! Get up!!" The second man shouts as another goblin drops to his knees. "You fucking nonce! Should I kill any of you who falls again? I wonder if that will be enough to keep you on yer feet!! Get up then!!!"

Shouting at the goblins, the enemy Captain feels his ears vibrating, a rhythmic hum, telling his brethren to shush as he grabs him, the second man questioning what is wrong, seeing the worry in the captain's face, his heart racing at the sight of him as he's let go.

"Edward? Edward, what's wrong??" The second man demands to know, as he watches as his captain goes to the edge of the hill, looking down, seeing that they have not caught up to them as yet, looking out to the distance, the humming in his ears growing louder.

Now they begin understanding, as in their ears as well, sounds a hum, their ears vibrating, the captain then looking to the sky, cloudy and getter darker at every hour, his mouth opened wide, his intake of breath stronger, oxygen seeming to be cut off from his nostrils, as out of the clouds, he sees an object; metal and dangerous, he understands, an aircraft flying straight for them, guns and rockets at the sides of it.

"Captain! Captain!!" The second man shouts.

"Move! Move!! Move!!!" The captain commands, all now running as fast as they can, no one seeming to be hungry anymore, the goblins having no idea what that object may be, but the fear of the men enough to let them know what will happen if it catches them.

And so became the case, as raining down along with the drizzle from the clouds, are bullets that tear through their numbers, their flesh splattered to the ground like jam on a slice of bread, their parts spread everywhere, the man and Captain at the front of the frantic run for their lives, finally seeing cover they quickly jump to as the next line of fire began, the Captain watching as the aircraft passes them, circling back as scattered became the goblins, who are finished off, the captain breathing heavy, relieved he had found this cover.

"We are some lucky bastards, huh? Right?" The captain looks over at his comrade, his smile dropped, choking on his blood with his eyes bloodshot as his suffocation grows, the captain hurries over to press on his wound to stop him from bleeding out, realizing a bullet had pierced his neck, watching as the life from slowly fades, coming to end.

And there he sits, nowhere left to run as long as the aircraft is still airborne, it being the only thing he hears over and over as he holds his hands against his head, hearing as they have finally caught up to him, the soldiers he tried to bury in dirt, looking up at the castle in the distance, knowing he was so close, he then thinks back at his time before coming to Blackshore, life was simpler, he thinks as he gets up, tearing a piece of his white shirt off, tying it around a stick he finds nearby, coming to face with the Verencians still looking strong, raising his flag of defeat for them to see.

"Hm," Arwyn chuckles, a bit disappointed that he did not get to fight an opponent he thought was formidable. "He has no more will for this fight. Go and get him. We need to know what information he has on the Fortress"

"Yes, captain," A soldier salutes.

So they begin making their way to the enemy captain, the man's heart racing as he then gleams into the distance, jealous of its freedom, he chuckles at a wild beast of the land watching all that is happening from a distance, where it's safe. Thunder and lightning set off, the darker the land evolves, the louder the sound of the rain that begins crashing heavier against the land, and the men finally get a hold of the enemy. And thinking it was just the thunder, boom goes an explosion, everyone looking to see the aircraft spinning uncontrollably through the air, caught on fire as it crashes over a hill and into the ground, where the huge explosion goes off to everyone's surprise. Quick with his wits, the enemy quickly acts, softening the soil beneath him where he sends the soldiers halfway through before releasing onto them flames he scorches them with.

Arwyn meets his eyes with the enemy, everything happening like it's in slow motion, the enemy captain takes this chance to run away, Arwyn takes some steps forward, lightning crackling, giving Arwyn sight beyond the enemy captain, he sees what comes out of the darkness, the reinforcement of more men and goblins, and along with them, women of darkness and their company of atrocities that lurk near and above, small and giant, the Verencians looking up to see within the clouds as a rain of giant fireballs light up to the sky, coming down on them like the wrath of the heavens. The earth shaken, scorched, watched all by the beast from a distance, the Verencian fight for their lives, some like the healers casting shield spells, and some running for natural covers, while some have failed, losing their lives, they come out, at a complete shock to the enemies turning the table, Arwyn looking around to see many of his comrades dead, burnt up corpses, some of these soldiers he thought as his friends. He wonders if he had caused this because he was disappointed by the enemy captain's easy capture. A rage engulfs him, and in the air, he raises his sword.

"Get up and fight! Our enemies are closing in. Get up and show them this is nothing!!" Arwyn screams, every surviving man on their feet, prepared to meet with the enemies, another surprise at their heels.

"By the gods..." One says, looking over the enemy lines at long poles, nails in their hands and feet are held innocent civilians, crucified; men, women, elders, and children lit a flame, their scream hollowing through the land, a tactic that scares many now understanding how cruel their enemies are.

"Bastards! There were children too!" Arnaldo grunts, his fist smashing into the ground.

"What monsters..." Victor clenches his fist, his book of magic levitated into the air.

"Fucking lunatics," Ezek says, his eyes shaking while Nahshon and Bjørn like many others are left speechless about what they've just experienced, their fallen comrades crumbling like broken statues in front of their eyes, Nahshon shuddered at the sight, questioning his choice of why he joined, if this was all worth it as he knows he has not found his answer even up to this point, questioning whether he'll die if he continues.

Back on their feet, onward the Verencians into hell, a silence happening occurring, the warring companies then clashed, man at man, arsenal at arsenal, mount at mount, the chaos induces them into a rage and fear all integrated, it's effect running through the land; its black surface, low green grass and the stream of water that run through the battle, bloodied by soldiers being lost on both sides, the Verencian now pressured by the variety of monsters caught on the land and of hell that oppose them; soldiers being pulled into the air by six armed creatures, their tattered wings flying high before dropping, screechers blowing up the heads of those caught in their screams, and creatures of pure blackness, a skull as their heads spending against their preys, ripping them in half with their pure strength, drinking their blood, some of these beasts having up to six men to themselves just for it to go down, of course bringing some with them before they fall. Fear behind his blade, Nahshon fights for his life, bloodied by the mess of not only goblins but the demons that have joined as well, saved by Ezek whose missiles blow up a handful of them in his way, both of them finding cover nearby, a cast of fire racing towards them, with a soldier appearing beside them.

"Chimera slayers! Orders from our chain of command! You boys will join by the east, We need a flanking position to rain down hell on these fuckers! Go on then, move!!"

The boy nods, running from cover to cover, hiding from stray magic and man-made projectiles alike, cutting down the enemies as they make their way, joining around 50 other warriors in this mission along with a tank at front, all of them encompassing a military truck hosting ballistic missiles, a TEL.

"Chimera slayers! I am a fan! I am Captain Isak!" He shouts over the heavy noise around, blood on his beard. "I am glad you could join us!"

"Yeah!" Ezek nods, Nahshon gripping his sword, heavy breaths, his nostrils like a tunnel releasing hot air.

"Alright!! Ladies and Gentlemen!! Our mission is to get the truck to its vantage point. Protect it with all your strength!! Look out for one another, but also know, it's every lad and lass for themselves! Yeah?!"

"Aye!!" They all agree.

"Tank unit! Ballistic unit! Onward!!" Isak commands, his sword pointing for them to move forward.

With a band of 50, so they advance, through heavy fire and destruction, they clear their path of enemies through a valley they venture into, leaving their trail of enemies dead. And with thunder sounding above them, stronger and stronger, they've reached the foot of a hill, stronger the force of the enemy becomes, goblins shooting down at them, they have the high ground as their advantage.

"Push!! Kill them all!!" Isak roars.

Magic and man-made projectiles fly through the air, The band of 50 pushing up the hill, a grenade thrown by a goblin, infliction upon the bond, killing a couple within their squad, Nahshon's saliva dry as he gulps, watching as their parts fly, but persistent he continues to be, refusing to give in to his fear, summoning swords of lighting that race up the hill, Ezek by his side, machine gun in hand, both of them going cover to cover along with the band, kill by kill, they move further and further up the hill, and at last, the last of the enemy in the way is cleared.

"Great job, ladies and gentlemen!!" Isak says, looking down at the enemies, killed, and the fallen soldiers blown to pieces. "Agh...Onwards!"

Climbing the hill, they reach the top, the soldiers relieved at the peace they now have. Just a little more, the Captain says, pointing over to the destination just minutes away, and down the slope, they begin pushing, tank at front, an explosion is let off with heavy smoke fuming through the air, blowing away some of the soldiers caught in the impact, wounded with one even losing their leg, screaming in agony and distress of their limb torn off.

"By the gods, what happened??!" One soldier frantically asks.

"A mine..." Ezek recognizes, the soldiers comprehending that the tank has demobilized from the explosion being set off right underneath it, a devastating act, the tank caught on fire with the nose being the only thing moving.

"Gods...we won't be moving anytime soon until this is out of the way!!" Isak comprehends, the narrow path a difficulty for their ballistic to just drive around. "Alright! I need the strongest ones of you soldiers to move it away"

Breathing down, Nahshon nods, confident in his ability to help move it out of the way. And with three other soldiers, he sets himself to the task. They stop, a vibration felt through the black land, instantly recognizing its rhythm, the demobilized tank turning its nose, a direct hit on its shell from the right, another tank intercepting their mission, blowing up their own, another man lost. Quickly they all move to cover, Isak cursing them out, this tank a gift in exchange for the hostages that were retrieved, the soldiers throwing whatever they can at it, bullets seeming to be futile, grenades and other explosives just being tanked by its hard shell, and not even magic being a better choice as well.

"Anti-mana plating!! We'll be here all day!!' Isak informs them. "We need to flank!! The only weakness on these beasts are their undersides and their rear"

And so they understood, Ezek chuckling, two brave soldiers running up to the tank, the others quickly acting on their tactic, moving to flank it. Seeing most of them going one side, the tank keeps its attention on their advance, machine gun showering bullets towards them, the two soldiers finally face with the enemy, blasting a fireball towards it, another attack it just eats. They get its attention, smiles on their faces, quickly raising their hands towards it, bullets flying their way, protected by their shields they cast with their mana, the two of them together being able to tank its machine gun firing, each bullet impact carrying a heavy weight, its attack enough to push them back with every shot, both of them having to mind their balance, while the others make their way to the flanking position.

And abruptly, halted is the attack of the tank, the two soldiers chuckled at their plan working, numerous shockwaves suddenly burst out of the enemy vehicle, their smiles dropped, but their hearts even lower, Nahshon looks at his hand, seeing the lighting coursing atop growing weaker and weaker. A second time, the vehicle lights them up, this time it's bullets tearing through their skin with their magical shields drops, a rocket to its rear, Ezek takes the shot, relieved he had already summoned his launcher, no longer being able to summon any other weapon with his mana nullified.

"Listen up!! That was an anti-mana surge! Our magic will return! 12 minutes!! Survive for 12 minutes and we'll be restored! And we will need to defeat it in thirty before its anti-mana surge is back up!" Isak informs them, getting by Nahshon's side, handing him two grenades, to the boy who has only a sword and his pistol he's unable to summon from his bracelet, and Ezek now having to be extra careful picking his shots, as his way to refill his ammo and missiles was his very mana. "A couple more of those rockets, Chimera slayer, and it's done..."

The tank moves at its next victim, the ballistic missile truck that tries to back out, it is met with a powerful cannon that even transforms the landscape itself, as the missiles are also set off, the land caught aflame, swerving through the heavy wind and rain, rubbles of rock falling towards the band that shields themselves, Nahshon cut by the metallic debris off the trucks, his arm bleeding badly, the boy grunting in pain that throbs through his arm, Isak quickly tearing a piece of the boy's shirt, tying it to slow the bleeding. The tank turning to protect its rear, it begins to fire at the band, the tank careful of their movements, keeping itself in a rotation, constantly out for their blood, like a metallic beast, this battle of surviving for twelve minutes becomes hours for them, the tank even charging at them, ramming its way through boulders and other hindrances like a bull, its metallic sound like a roar as it catches two more soldiers, crushing them into the wall of rock behind them.

Another damage to its rear, Nahshon being the one to hurt its mobility with a grenade, seeing as it paid more attention to Ezek, the boy quickly runs for cover, its machine gun set off like an enraged attack of a frustrated predator, the tank taking another hit, Ezek sending off another missile, this one barely missing its weak spot as he did it to take the heat off his partner. And feeding off its fear, this cornered beast, the soldiers continuously bomb it with grenades, an order from their captain, confusing its engagement, another to its rear, Ezel demobilize the metal beast, one rocket left in his launcher, everyone else out of grenades to throw, as unfortunately, its nose remains still active. And it knows, it knows the others have run out of grenades, and it marks Ezek being the only one with an explosive, its nose right on him, not paying the others any mind as only a fool would face it, it knows this, even in its messy state.

"What do we do? The bastard knows we're out of grenades. It's tracking him like an eagle," A soldier challenges, a silence surrounding them, hearing the bigger war in the distance, the soldiers are amazed, as it is Nahshon who steps out, blood trickling down his arm, he throws a stone at its face. "This kid's crazy"

Where is this sudden rush of bravery coming from, Nahshon ponders, seeing captain Isak behind cover, nodding their heads to one another. To the boy's analysis, he had no choice but to come forward, as within this holdup, most of the soldiers he sees are held in the line of the tank's firing, throwing another rock at it, his hand shaking, no longer trying to question this madness he has put on himself, as slowly the nose of the beast begins to move at him, Nahshon gulping, sweat getting in his eyes, the saltiness burning as he wipes it away, not wanting to put himself at any disadvantage. He fidgets, his eyes flashing, blowing down, as the tank triggers to fire a cannon, the damage done to it a cause by its failing gears. So it fires away at the boy with its machine gun, Ezek quickly jumping over his cover, his rocket set on its rear, yelling as he fires, Nahshon dodging the bullets that come his way, their trajectory slow, as just in time his mana returns, his speed to its eyes mirages as he speeds back into cover, the tank meeting its demise, Ezek's rocket connecting a critical hit that bursts it into flames. And out of it appears a man yelling for his life, caught on fire, hit with the explosion of the tank blowing up. The soldiers cheer, a victory obtained, Nahshon and Ezek lifted as the MVPs of this battle.

"Change of plans!" Isak starts. "We've lost our main weapon, so we'll make another!"

"Another? Where are we gonna get another??"

"Our magic," Isak shows them, fire cast on his arm. "A powerful one! 3 or more of us will join our strengths together!"

"Guess I'm second," A sorceress comes forward, three others joining the cause.

"Good. The more the merrier"

Onward they move, with a surviving band cut to 20 remaining, Isak on his radio reporting the change of planning, Vernon being on the other side of that radio as a soldier reports the news, the commander with his vice watching from the first hold through a drone in the sky.

***

On the frontlines, hacking and slashing away, captain Arwyn keeps his squadron together, joined by Victor and Arnaldo alike, their presence a morale booster, Arwyn looking up into the clouds, to see giant stripes of fire like arrows pointing down, but not for them, as he knows Isak's team has made their way to their vantage point.

"Change of plans, huh?' Arwyn chuckles, his eyes back to what's in front of him, meeting eyes with a familiar face, the enemy captain Edward, the knight's face eyes growing with anger, closing on him, getting nearer and nearer. And with their battle commencing, the sisters also recognize what's above them, sensing where the huge build-up of mana is coming from, one of them staring into the distance, where Isak's group is. With her command, her tongue speaking a dark language, a unit of demons along with goblins, some men joining their side, bored with waiting at the back.

***

A group of five, their hands joined, Captain Isak and four others chant their spell, a variety of runes changing and floating within their circle, Nahshon and Ezek along with the other soldiers occupying the lookout, picking up the incoming danger of the commanded unit.

"We've got company!" The soldier informs.

"Hold them off. We're far from finishing this spell!" Isak explains, returning to the chants.

Every soldier grows tense, the enemy at the foot of their vantage point, adrenaline coursing through them, surely they are at their peak performance as they rain their attacks on the coming enemy, Ezek pulling from his pants his combat knife, cutting away the enemies that get close to him, some of the soldiers overran with demons swarming them, picking at their flesh as they eat, one woman's gut chewed out, her intestines spewing in her agony. A tiring fight for them after dealing with the tank, still they prevail, pushing back the enemies who outnumber them, they protect their captain and the magic casting squad, Nahshon sword swiped across, a line of lighting slashing through multiple goblins and demons, the smell of these hellish creatures revolting, like dead animals decaying in the sun, he's stunned by the horridness of their existence, grunting, holding his breath not at the smell but an enemy rushing him to the ground, the impact grave. The boy's eyes grow in fear, as above, a man laughs, his teeth unclean and breath bad, his hair ginger and armour of fur. In a struggle with the man the boy scrambles his hands around, socked with a devastating fury of punches, the man a wild animal, the boy looks up at him with a bloody nose, his body heavy under his, the escape of his grasp difficult, Nahshon kneeing him in the testicles, throwing him to the side with a burst of a yell.

They both get up, Nahshon's face bruised, his hands trembling, his body soars, the man tosses fire, Nahshon easily dodging this obvious attack, quickly evading the many projectiles coming at him, sliding his way underneath, grabbing onto his sword, his weapon returned to his hand. A wild flame in the boy's eyes, the man sees, knowing his will is not easily broken, they clash. Nahshon attacks him, the man dodging his swings attempted, Nahshon also keeps light on his feet, nimble with every move, knowing this man is of greater strength than he is, his sword plucked away from him again, the man surprised with a fury of fists that Nahshon lands, precise and clean, a full combo with the boy stepping back with his worn out hands high.

Growling, the man swings around his fists like a madman, a variety of magic cast in his attacks, Nahshon evades what he can, blocking the rest, meeting the man with an uppercut, sending him flying with a strike of lightning the enemy takes to the body, grunting in pain, stunned and bloodied with Nahshon rolling towards his sword now held high with lightning coursing off it.

"N-No!! Please!! I have a family!! I've just only done this because of the money...p-please," The man pleads, his eyes wavering.

Nahshon looks him in the eyes, his face dripping with blood, the man's hand raised in begging for his life, he thinks about what he has said, unsure of what he must do. But so he calms himself, taking his time in lowering his sword, seeing as the man has already lost, losing his will to fight. And like the thunder above, goes off a gun, Ezek finishes off the man Nahshon hesitated to kill, the boy almost losing his own life as the brute had tricked him with a knife almost meeting his eye. Nahshon puffs and he puffs, instantly knowing this was the result of his hesitation, looking at Ezek, seeing the message in his eyes without him speaking, that teaches him if he hesitates again, he will surely die. And thinking it was over, comes trembling beneath their feet, their next wave just one enemy, its size great like a mammoth, gauntlet of spikes around its hands and white fur, it races up the hill, running fast for its size, ramming through some of the soldiers with a scary screech, its long tusks displayed.

They fight on, circling the giant, shooting and cutting at it, ignoring their tired selves, knowing they are those in the larger battle across the land. The monster throws one soldier into the rocks, the elf splattered like wasted food, tearing at a next, the demi human's scream haunting. Set by set the soldiers fall, and a ball of flame hurled at its face, it blocks, it is Isak that joins them, those on the frontline shocked to see the spell had disappeared, Arwyn's sword deep in the enemy captain's throat, the objective changed once more, for them to survive, as another wave of monsters come up the hill, they fight this dreadful battle, Ezek kicked away by the giant's heavy foot that speeds towards him, having nowhere to run, unable to properly move, stunned to the ground as he puts his all in trying to get up, the magic casters overran, their mana depleted from casting the spell. And it is at this sight, the sounds of screaming, horrid smell and the feeling of his will fading away, he freezes up, as if he's accepted his death, only reminiscing at the times he took for granted; his school life, friends and family. The time he could just sit and play games all day, not worrying about war, pain, and his coming death. Did the overseer send him to die, he ponders, what kind of man could be so wicked, as in the distance, he could not tell if he was hallucinating or not, it is that very man he sees within the chaos, feeling as his body is pushed out of the way, looking up to see a weakened, bloodied Isak, the sight in his eyes haunting as he's picked up by the giant, his eyes still on the boy, Nahshon reads another message, a message to survive and live no matter what it takes, his head chomped, veins and his blood visible as it tears through the man. The boy looks over at the soldiers fighting their very best, Ezek getting up with his head bloodied, he continues to fight.

Why am I the only one so weak, so afraid? Nahshon asks himself, getting up, his knees weak, fighting against his fears, facing the giant that takes its time to him, the monster only seeing a weakened prey, knowing it doesn't have to exceed any more energy than it should. With flashes of memories, Nahshon picks up his swords, tears forming in his eyes, he then remembers what the wandering samurai had told him.

"When faced with imminent death, must a warrior lay down his sword? His Will? Must you die a disgraceful death? That is all up to you, boy. Why do you fight? Why must you not fall? Is your Will merely something to be easily destroyed? Remember the reason you have to fight, as even in death, you will be immortal"~

His teeth clench, veins strengthen in his head, out a mighty cry from the boy, blood-curdling, lifting his sword to the giant with all the might he has left, thunder beating like a heartbeat, faster and faster, the giant lifting his arm, swinging at the boy who smiles, remembering his reason, a shock of lightning appearing on his sword. And bang goes thunder, lightning called onto the boy from the sky above, incinerating the giant almost in an instant, the demons around caught in the blast of power that eradicates them, not only on their side of the battle, but the entire war, as a dance of blue lightning strikes courses through the enemy line, the soldiers of Verencia shocked at this turn of event, Arwyn wondering if the soldiers were successful after all, or is this the kindness of the gods upon them. Like a hammer of righteousness, in many numbers, they are struck down, and in about 7 seconds of this phenomenon, the enemy side lost thousands as the sky clears, the clouds broke apart and the sunlight peeked through. The Verencians roar, their morale boosted, and towards Nahshon, Ezek grabs him before he falls, the soldiers around in disbelief of his power, relieved that he's on their side after what they've witnessed. Catching himself, Nahshon gets back on his feet.

"You good?? What the hell was that???" Ezek questions, Nahshon only shaking his head, not knowing what he did either.

***

And over the castle, they shift their attention, all sensing a powerful aura just after the last; Arwyn feeling as his sword begins to glow brighter, this only meaning one thing, a fight of their lives, as in the clouds, he looks, a growling voice they all hear, its words mighty, and the women of darkness chanting and laughing, the knight looking towards Arnaldo and Victor, as a shadow hovers over the battlefield, and there he sees its; of greyish scales, the biggest of their challenges, as big as these hills around them, this mighty presence articulates, its voice demanding, deep and dark, speaking in the old language.

"What in the fuck...??" Arwyn mutters, as out of the clouds, a dragon he views, its eyes filled with dark energy, a resurrected beast, and a scar over its right eye. "You guys paid attention in history class? There's a section that foretold one of the first major battles of the old Verencia"

"Where His Majesty, King Harald participated in? Yes, I remember," Victor says, readying his book, the dragon roars paralyzing many in fear, as he comes down with a wall of majestic blue flames that sear them into oblivion. "In his first major battle, he came across a great commander of one of the enemy factions. Their fight was even well recorded...and it specifically mentions how this great commander lost the first fight with a scar to return with, and the king killed him the second time they came across each other once more"

"Who exactly are we speaking of here to be exact?" Arnaldo perplexed, a clueless foreigner to Verencian history.

"That's bloody 'Asger The Vanquisher'. One of the great commanders of the old war," Arwyn declares, his sword lifted towards his face.