Year 373 in the realm of Arramaya Land

The final battle that would dictate the fate of the land of Arramaya between Rezhura and his Royal Squad had taken a horrifying turn.

For years, Rezhura had meticulously planned every outcome, imagining victory in a hundred million scenarios. Yet, for the first time, the dream of triumph slipped through their fingers, as defeat clawed at the edges of reality.

In King Mauro's Monarchy, the sky wept. Rain, black as ink and thick with blood, poured down over the battlefield, casting an eerie crimson hue. The ground, soaked in blood and mud, trembled beneath the weight of their struggle. The air hung thick with the metallic tang of iron, and the cries of the dying echoed through the gloom. Dark clouds loomed ominously overhead, blotting out the sun, shrouding the land in night-like darkness.

"Rez! We have a problem. I can't teleport all of us out; I used too much energy for this fight!" Mei Fylyn, the strongest sorcerer in Arramaya, gasped between ragged breaths. Blood dripped from her nose as she struggled to stay upright, hands on her knees, trembling from exhaustion.

Rezhura could barely hear her over the roaring in his ears. The fatigue was sinking in, gnawing at his bones, but he couldn’t afford to show it. Not now. Not here. "For the sextillionth time, I never imagined there was a stronger creature than King Mauro," he muttered, bitterness creeping into his voice. This wasn’t a battle they were supposed to lose. Not like this.

King Mauro, towering above them, was not merely a physical force. His aura of malice seemed alive, twisting and distorting the very air around him. He was more than a king; he was a force of nature. His dark energy pulsed like a living thing, suffocating everything it touched, and his eyes gleamed with sadistic pleasure.

"Teleport as many of the others as you can, Mei," Rezhura ordered, his voice steady despite the chaos around him. "I’ll protect you until you regain enough energy." His shield, dented and cracked, barely held against King Mauro’s next strike, the force of it driving him back several steps.

"Mei! Don’t do it! We can’t leave you here!" Raijum Flow, the strongest fighter in Arramaya, screamed, completely immobilized by the dark chains that bound him, magic conjured by King Mauro’s wife.

"We’ll all die here if this goes on for a few more minutes," Mei muttered. She cast a final, pained look at her comrades.

"Just do it, Mei!" Rezhura barked. "This is an order from your leader!" His armor, once gleaming gold, was cracked and crumbling, barely holding together with each of King Mauro’s blows. His sword hand trembled, the weight of his blade growing heavier by the second.

"The battle is already lost," he whispered, a realization settling over him like a cold fog.

King Mauro’s next blow sent Rezhura’s shield flying across the battlefield, leaving him vulnerable. The legendary artifact landed with a hollow thud in the mud, far out of reach.

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"I’m sorry... Raijum... Maya... Jelly... Axel..." Mei’s voice trembled as she summoned her final reserves of mana. A brilliant light engulfed the four beaten Royal Squad members, and in an instant, they vanished from the battlefield.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Jelly Spark, the healer, screamed, her hand outstretched, trying to reach Rezhura. She felt her healing magic pull away from him, unable to offer one last act of salvation as her vision blurred into nothingness.

Mei collapsed to the ground, her body drained of every last drop of power. Her vision faded, darkness encroaching on her mind, as her consciousness began to slip away.

Rezhura turned, his heart heavy with the weight of their departure. I’ve failed them, he thought bitterly. I failed to protect them.

Without a word, he rushed to Mei’s side, grabbing the scroll hidden at the back of his shattered golden armor. He unfurled it quickly, eyes scanning the intricate runes etched on its surface. With a deep breath, he activated the spell.

A blinding light engulfed Mei’s body, and in an instant, she was gone, teleported far from the battlefield.

Rezhura’s hand fell limp, the scroll disintegrating into ash in his fingers. He watched the remnants scatter in the wind, feeling the weight of it all—the loss, the miscalculation, the failure.

King Mauro stood still, observing the scene with mild curiosity. A twisted smile spread across his face. "How come you only had one of those scrolls, Human?" he sneered. "Were you not prepared to meet me?"

Rezhura, panting heavily, turned to face him. His body ached, his muscles screamed, but he forced himself to stand. His gaze flicked to King Mauro’s wife, her cold, silent presence, a mystery he couldn’t unravel.

"What race... is your wife?" Rezhura asked, voice hoarse. "I’ve never seen power like hers."

King Mauro’s cruel laughter filled the air. "HAHAHA! The smartest and strongest of all the lower beings, and you don’t even know?”

“ Well, it doesn’t matter now. You will both die here." Rezhura steadied his sword in his hands, drawing strength from somewhere deep within. "You won’t win," he growled. "You evil doers will not take over this world."

"Evil?" King Mauro’s eyes flared with dark fire. "You dare speak of evil after murdering my unborn child? You know nothing of loss. Of suffering."

The air around King Mauro crackled with dark energy, his aura now more terrifying than ever. The ground began to crumble beneath them, unable to bear the weight of his diabolical power.

Rezhura’s sword and shield glowed faintly in response, but even the legendary artifacts seemed dim, as if sensing that this battle would be their final one. "You deserved it," he spat. "It was the price for all your sins—for the lives you took in that horrific war."

"Sins?" King Mauro’s smile vanished, replaced by cold fury. "You know nothing, human. NOTHING."

With a roar that shook the heavens, the two titans charged at each other. The clash of their power sent shockwaves tearing through the battlefield, splitting the earth and sky. The force of it was overwhelming, and for a moment, the world itself seemed to tremble beneath the weight of their clash.

Rezhura gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body screaming in agony. His mind raced, filled with doubt. Could he stop this monster? Could anyone?

In the back of his mind, he heard a whisper—faint, but familiar. "This battle... it’s only the beginning. Even if you survive today, the darkness that waits will make this battlefield seem like paradise."

Rezhura’s grip tightened on his sword. "I can’t die here. Not yet. Not without uncovering the truth about her... and stopping him."

The battle raged on, their clash echoing across the land, a grim reminder of the thin line between light and darkness—and the hero standing at its edge.