Katsuo’s gaze softened as he looked down at the battered man, his chest rising and falling slowly as he clung to consciousness.

“It’s over,” Katsuo muttered, though the words felt heavy on his tongue. He had survived, but the cost of the battle weighed heavily on him.

Xanus, his face swollen and covered in blood, coughed weakly as he tried to speak.

Katsuo then notices the necklace that Xanus was wearing started to glow repeatedly and furiously moving.

“You... don’t understand,” he rasped, his voice barely audible. Katsuo frowned, kneeling beside him as he tried to make out the words.

“The necklace...” Xanus gasped, his hand weakly reaching toward the pendant around his neck. The gem was glowing, pulsing with an eerie light that seemed to grow stronger with each passing second. Katsuo’s heart skipped a beat as he realized something was very wrong.

Without hesitation, Katsuo reached for the necklace, his hand closing around the glowing gem.

Xanus’s eyes widened in panic, his voice barely a whisper as he struggled to speak. “No... don’t... touch it,” he wheezed, his fingers weakly grasping at Katsuo’s wrist.

“It... will... cause... disaster.” Katsuo hesitated, his brow furrowing in confusion. He could feel the energy emanating from the necklace, a strange and dangerous power that seemed to pulse in time with Xanus’s heartbeat.

Katsuo slowly released his grip on the glowing gem, his confusion growing as he looked into Xanus’s eyes.

“What are you talking about?” Katsuo demanded, his voice sharp with urgency.

“Why are you fighting for Izana? This doesn’t make sense. You don’t seem like someone who believes in the mages’ cause.” Xanus coughed again, his body trembling from the strain of speaking, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something like regret, or perhaps exhaustion from carrying a burden far too heavy.

“Izana... used me,” Xanus muttered, his voice barely audible over the howling wind that surrounded them.

“I was never truly loyal to him. I was... desperate.” Katsuo’s frown deepened as he knelt beside Xanus, his hand still hovering near the glowing necklace.

“Desperate? For what?” he asked, his tone softening slightly. Despite everything, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for the man who lay broken before him. There was something more to this, something Katsuo hadn’t understood before.

Xanus let out a long, shaky breath, his eyes flickering with the weight of old memories. “I’m not from here,” he whispered, his voice barely a rasp. “I was a prince once"

Xanus’s voice faltered, the weight of his words pulling him deeper into memories he had long tried to forget.

Katsuo leaned in closer, his breath steady despite the chaotic energy radiating from the glowing necklace. The revelation hung in the air, fragile yet powerful.

“A prince?” Katsuo repeated, the words unfamiliar in the context of their battle.

Xanus, the cold, calculating warrior who had fought him with such relentless determination, was once royalty. The idea seemed out of place, but the truth was written in the exhaustion and sorrow that now clouded Xanus’s face.

Xanus nodded weakly, his body trembling under the strain of speaking.

“A prince of a kingdom far beyond these lands,” he muttered, his voice barely louder than the wind.

“My father... he was a good man, a strong king. Our kingdom flourished under his rule, but greed... greed always finds a way to tear even the strongest down.” His eyes darkened, the pain of those memories resurfacing.

“When my father was assassinated, I was next in line, but... I was a bastard, born of a concubine. The nobles wouldn’t accept me as their king.”

Katsuo listened intently, his mind racing as the pieces of Xanus’s story began to fall into place. The battle-hardened prince had been betrayed by those he had trusted, cast aside by the kingdom he had once called home.

Xanus’s story wasn’t unlike his own; Katsuo had also been forced into situations beyond his control, manipulated by powerful forces.

“The new regime wanted me dead,” Xanus continued, his voice growing hoarser with every word. “They sent assassins after me, but my bodyguard... he gave his life to help me escape.”

Xanus paused, his eyes glazed over as he recalled the sacrifice of the one person who had remained loyal to him.

“I ran,” he said, his voice hollow.

“I ran from my kingdom, from the life I once knew. I wandered for years, hunted by those who wanted to make sure I was gone for good. The mages... they found me when I was at my lowest. They promised me power, protection. In exchange, I swore my allegiance to Izana. It wasn’t loyalty. It was survival.”

The bitterness in Xanus’s voice was unmistakable. His entire life had been shaped by the need to survive, not by any desire for glory or conquest.

Katsuo’s heart clenched at the weight of Xanus’s confession. He understood now. Xanus wasn’t fighting for Izana out of loyalty—he was fighting because he had been trapped in a system that never gave him a choice.

“And the necklace?” Katsuo asked softly, his eyes flickering to the glowing gem that hung from Xanus’s neck. “What is it? Why is it so important?”

Xanus let out a weak, humorless chuckle, his hand slowly rising to touch the pendant.

“Izana lied to me,” he said, his voice cracking with exhaustion.

“He told me that if the necklace was ever removed, it would cause a disaster—a calamity that would wipe out everything. But that was a lie. The necklace... it’s a part of Izana’s soul. He bound a fragment of himself to it, so that as long as I wore it, I could never betray him. And if it was ever removed, he would be revived if he ever perished.”

Katsuo realized from the sounds below that Izana had been killed but his blood ran cold as the truth of the situation had sunk in.

Izana had planned this all along, using Xanus as a pawn to ensure his eventual return in case he fails. The prince had been nothing more than a tool in the grand scheme of things, bound by a magic he couldn’t escape.

Katsuo’s grip on his sword tightened, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. Xanus had been manipulated, just like so many others. And now, they were facing the consequences of that manipulation.

“You didn’t know,” Katsuo muttered, his voice low but not accusatory. Xanus had been tricked, just as so many others had been by the mages. But there was still time to make things right.

“You’re not bound to him anymore. You don’t have to follow him. I can help you.” Xanus’s eyes flickered with a mixture of doubt and hope, but before either could say more, the necklace began to pulse more violently. A bright blue light exploded from the gem, illuminating the ruins of the palace in an otherworldly glow.

Katsuo took a step back, instinctively raising his sword as the air around them grew thick with magic. The light expanded, and for a moment, it seemed as though the entire world had been swallowed by its brilliance.

Then, just as suddenly, the light condensed into a single point, floating above Xanus’s chest. A figure materialized within the light, dark robes billowing around him as he slowly descended from the air. Izana.

Izana’s voice echoed across the battlefield, dripping with mockery.

“Well, well, it seems my little prince has finally let go of his leash,” he sneered, his red eyes gleaming with malevolent amusement.

“Did you truly believe I would let you go so easily, Xanus? That necklace doesn’t need to be removed to bring me back—it was meant to bring me back when your feelings betrayed me.”

He spread his arms wide, his dark presence filling the air like a suffocating blanket. “And now, thanks to your foolishness, I am whole once again.”

Xanus’s face twisted in horror and disbelief.

“You... lied to me again,” he whispered, his voice barely audible as he stared at the man who had manipulated him for so long. Izana floated above them, his dark robes fluttering in the wind, the power radiating from him palpable.

“Of course I lied,” Izana said with a chuckle.

“I had to make sure that even when you betray me, it wouldn’t matter to me. But now that I no longer need you...” He waved his hand dismissively.

“I have no use for you anymore.”

Katsuo stepped between Xanus and Izana, his sword raised in defiance.

“You’re not going to harm him,” Katsuo growled, his voice filled with resolve. He could feel the cold aura of Izana’s magic swirling around them, but he wouldn’t let this sorcerer have his way any longer.

“This ends now, Izana.” Izana’s eyes flickered with amusement, but there was a glimmer of something else—something darker.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“You think you can stop me, Katsuo? You think you have the strength to defeat me?”

With a wave of his hand, Izana summoned a massive wave of ice, the ground beneath their feet freezing in an instant. The wind howled as the temperature plummeted, and the once ruined palace was transformed into a frozen wasteland.

“I no longer have any need for Milix,” Izana said coldly, his eyes gleaming with madness.

“I’ll destroy it all. You can’t stop me. No one can.” Katsuo’s heart pounded as he watched the magic swirl around Izana, the sheer magnitude of it enough to freeze the very air they breathed.

Katsuo glanced back at Xanus, who struggled to rise, his body weak from the fight and the emotional toll of betrayals and lies. He had been used and discarded by Izana, and now the fate of Milix rested on their shoulders.

Katsuo’s mind raced. The people in the city below—they were all in danger. He couldn’t allow them to be caught in the crossfire. But Izana’s power was growing, and Katsuo wasn’t sure how long he could hold him off.

Xanus finally managed to stand, his eyes filled with rage.

“Izana!” he shouted, his voice hoarse but filled with fury.

“I’ve let your madness go unpunished, but I won’t let you destroy everything. Not anymore.” With a flick of his wrist, Xanus summoned two glowing swords, their magic swirling with energy.

He looked at Katsuo, a mixture of determination and regret in his eyes. “We stop him. Together.”

Katsuo nodded, his grip tightening on his sword as he readied himself for the battle to come. Izana laughed, his voice echoing through the frozen wasteland.

“Together? How touching. But you’re both too late. This kingdom will fall.” Izana raised his hands to the sky, summoning a massive ice storm that began to swirl around them. The clouds darkened, and the wind grew colder, carrying with it sharp, deadly shards of ice.

Katsuo looked down at the city below. His heart ached for the people, but as the storm intensified, he caught a glimpse of movement.

His friends—Zin, Taka, Monica, Aran, Venom have finally arrived at Milix—including Serena, Grant, Yumi, and Captain Kurozawa, they were all fighting, defending the citizens from the magical golems that Izana had unleashed.

They were holding the line, protecting the city while Katsuo and Xanus confronted Izana. They had enough firepower. The people would be safe for now.

Katsuo’s resolve hardened. “Let’s finish this,” he muttered, and with that, he and Xanus launched themselves toward the swirling storm, ready to take down the man who had lost to his own madness.

Izana's ice storm grew in intensity, swirling violently above the ruined palace. The temperature dropped further as sheets of ice began to form on the ground, creeping up the stone walls like grasping fingers of frost.

The wind howled like a beast unleashed, carrying with it razor-sharp shards of ice that slashed at Katsuo and Xanus as they charged toward Izana.

Above them, the clouds swirled, dark and ominous, as if the very sky was bending to Izana’s will. The once-proud palace of Milix was being transformed into a frozen wasteland, and the kingdom below trembled under the weight of the storm.

But the storm was only the beginning. With a malicious grin, Izana raised his arms higher, summoning more power from the sky.

The wind shifted, and from the heart of the storm, a massive structure began to take shape. Blocks of ice, larger than boulders, formed in midair, assembling themselves into towering spires and jagged walls.

An enormous ice castle materialized above Milix, its sharp towers piercing the clouds as if to stake Izana’s claim on the very heavens.

It was a fortress of frost, a monument to his unyielding power, and it hovered ominously over the kingdom like a sword waiting to drop.

Katsuo’s eyes widened as he watched the castle take form. The sheer scale of it was breathtaking—an entire fortress conjured from nothing but Izana’s magic.

This was no ordinary spell; it was a testament to the sorcerer’s overwhelming power. The walls of the ice castle shimmered in the dim light, reflecting the chaos of the storm that raged around it. Katsuo’s heart pounded in his chest. If Izana’s goal was to destroy Milix, this castle was just the beginning of his plan.

Xanus, standing beside Katsuo, stared up at the castle with a mixture of awe and rage. His body was battered, his strength waning, but his spirit remained unbroken.

The fire of defiance burned in his eyes as he gripped the hilts of his magical swords tighter.

“He’s planning to destroy everything,” Xanus growled, his voice filled with fury. “He casted a powerful blizzard on the kingdom and it will freeze the entire kingdom. We have to prevent it from happening at all cost.”

Katsuo nodded, his mind racing as he considered their options. The storm was growing stronger with every passing second, and the ice castle now hovered like a dark omen over the kingdom.

They had to act quickly, but Izana’s power seemed limitless. “We have to get to him,” Katsuo muttered, his breath visible in the freezing air.

“We have to stop him before the blizzard takes down Milix.”

Xanus’s jaw clenched as he nodded in agreement.

“We’ll fight him together,” he said, his voice firm. “He’s too powerful for either of us to take on alone.” With a wave of his hand, Xanus summoned two floating swords, their ethereal blades glowing with magical energy.

The swords hovered in the air beside him, ready to carry them toward Izana’s icy fortress. Katsuo watched as the swords took shape, their power evident in the way they hummed with energy.

For a brief moment, Katsuo glanced down at the kingdom below. His heart ached for the people of Milix, who were now fighting for their lives against Izana’s magical creations.

But as his gaze shifted to the battlefield below, he saw something that steadied his resolve—his friends. Zin, Grant, Monica, Serena, Aran, Venom, and Captain Kurozawa were all down there, holding the line. They were fighting off the ice golems and defending the citizens with everything they had. They were strong, capable. Katsuo knew that they would protect the people.

He turned to Xanus, his eyes full of determination.

“They’ll handle the fight down below. We take care of Izana.” With a final nod, the two warriors stepped onto the floating swords, their feet hovering just above the ground as the magical blades lifted them into the air.

The once-proud city of Milix lay in ruin. The sky above was a churning mass of dark clouds, swirling with the icy magic of Izana's revival.

The massive ice castle loomed in the distance, casting an eerie, cold glow over the kingdom. But the true terror came from the ground. Golems made of solid ice, towering over buildings, lumbered through the streets, smashing anything in their path with their massive fists.

Around them, soldiers of ice—shaped like men, yet hollow and cold—moved with terrifying precision, their crystalline spears and shields glinting in the pale light.

Amidst this chaos, the team fought valiantly.

Zin stood at the forefront, his fists raised as he faced down a massive ice golem that towered above him. His body moved with the grace of a seasoned warrior, but his strikes landed with the force of a charging bull.

He darted forward, his fist crashing into the golem’s leg, sending a web of cracks spreading across the creature’s surface.

The golem roared, raising its arm to smash Zin into the ground, but Zin was already moving. He leaped into the air, his body twisting mid-flight as he delivered a devastating punch to the golem’s chest.

The force of the blow sent the creature staggering back, its icy form shattering as it crumbled to the ground.

Nearby, Grant wielded his magic-imbued sword with precision, every swing sending a pulse of energy through the air. He faced a squad of ice soldiers, their spears raised as they charged toward him in perfect unison.

Grant’s eyes narrowed in concentration, and with a swift movement, he raised his sword and brought it crashing down. A wave of magic shot forth from the blade, the energy rippling across the ground and slicing through the soldiers.

The front line crumbled, their bodies breaking apart into shards of ice, but more soldiers rushed forward to take their place. Grant didn’t falter. He swung his sword in a wide arc, sending another wave of magic that shattered the soldiers like glass.

“Don’t let them swarm you!” Monica’s voice rang out as she darted through the battlefield, her dagger flashing in the light as she moved with deadly precision.

She was a blur of motion, slicing through the ice soldiers with effortless grace. One soldier lunged at her with a spear, but Monica sidestepped the attack, spinning on her heel and plunging her dagger into the soldier’s chest.

The ice cracked beneath her dagger, and the soldier collapsed in a heap of frozen shards. Without missing a beat, Monica moved on to the next target, her eyes scanning the battlefield for any sign of weakness.

Captain Kurozawa, wielding his naginata, fought back-to-back with Serena.

The captain's movements were slow but deliberate, each swing of his weapon crushing the ice soldiers that dared approach him. His face was set in grim determination, his armor dented from the relentless assault, but he stood firm, protecting those around him.

"Girl!, to the left!" he barked, deflecting a blow with the shaft of his weapon.

Serena, her tonfas on hand, raised her hands and used her blitz that knocked the approaching ice soldiers flying back. She thrust her tonfas into the soldiers, sending shockwaves through their bodies. Ice soldiers advancing from all directions suddenly found the ground beneath them turning into a trap—sharp spikes of ice shot up from below, impaling the soldiers where they stood.

Serena’s thinking was not just offensive; it was strategic, designed to control the battlefield and protect her allies.

She glanced at Captain Kurozawa, who nodded approvingly before charging toward another group of enemies.

Venom and Aran fought side by side, their styles contrasting yet complementing each other perfectly.

Venom’s agility was her greatest asset. She darted through the battlefield like a shadow, her twin daggers slicing through the ice soldiers with deadly precision.

Her strikes were quick, targeting weak points in the soldiers’ icy armor.

Every time an enemy raised a weapon against her, Venom was already gone, leaving nothing but destruction in her wake.

Aran, in contrast, was a force of nature. His cards flew with devastating force, smashing through ice golems and soldiers alike. With every card, he laughs, and the ice creatures shattered under the sheer power of his cards. A golem, towering over him, raised its arm to crush him, but Aran stood his ground.

With a roar, he sent a card ‘Ace of Spades' upward, meeting the golem’s fist head-on. The impact was tremendous, sending cracks through the golem’s arm and down its body.

Aran didn’t stop. He followed up with another powerful swing, smashing the golem’s chest and sending it crashing to the ground in a heap of shattered ice.

Despite their efforts, the enemy numbers were overwhelming. For every golem they destroyed, another took its place.

For every ice soldier shattered, two more seemed to rise from the ground.

The team was growing tired, their movements slowing as the endless waves of enemies pressed down on them. The cold bit into their skin, sapping their strength with every passing moment.

But none of them were willing to give up. Not when the fate of Milix hung in the balance.

"Keep pushing!" Grant shouted, his voice hoarse from battle. He swung his sword with renewed vigor, sending another wave of magic crashing into the ranks of ice soldiers.

“We can’t let them overwhelm us!”

Zin, wiping blood from his brow, nodded grimly.

“We need to destroy the source of this magic, or they’ll keep coming!” He glanced toward the ice castle looming in the distance.

Its eerie glow pulsed with power, and from it, more creatures of ice seemed to be spilling out onto the battlefield.

Monica, panting heavily, looked toward the castle as well.

"It's Izana. As long as he's up there, this won’t stop. We need to finish this, now!" Her eyes flicked toward the sky, where she could barely make out Katsuo and Xanus flying toward the ice castle.

“They’re going after him. We just need to hold the line until they do.”

Serena wiped sweat from her brow, her breathing ragged but her resolve unshaken.

"We can do that. We’ve come too far to fail now." She readied her tonfas for another round.

Captain Kurozawa, his naginata resting on his shoulder, scanned the battlefield. His eyes, though tired, still burned with the fire of a warrior who had seen countless battles.

“We hold this line. Katsuo will deal with Izana. We just need to make sure there’s still a kingdom left for them to save.”

The team, battered but unbroken, stood together. They knew the odds were against them. With renewed determination, they braced themselves for the next wave of enemies, ready to fight for Milix until their last breath.