Egil is a warrior and Commander in Chief of his army, the sole trustee of Narakian Emperor Sura. The Republic of Sova, led by Queen Mal, attacks the Narakian Empire. Egil has been sent to the front lines to set up a defense for the army. He is the sole worshipper of Vi'tabah, The God of War; granting him immense spiritual power for warfare, he is hailed as an extreme one-man army. This war will decide the fate of both nations.

The bright blue sky twisted and suffocated as dark clouds engulfed the remaining sunlight. Soon, only a black canvas remained; life drained from the foliage, transforming it into rotten dust. The greenery withered to a barren wasteland, and an army of soldiers marched toward an armored figure in the distance. The dark clouds swirled around the army, lightning bolting inside. Queen Mal led them, hovering before the shadows emanating from her. A smug expression filled her sadistic face as she looked down at the armored figure.

With a stern face, she said, "You will lose one way or another, and when you do. Mercy would not be an option." Her hands moved inhumanly as a red aura enveloped the figure. In a flash of light, two axes appeared in Egil's hands, and he stared at her sternly.

Her army bellowed with rage, ready for battle and thirsting for blood. Dark clouds behind her swirled horizontally, forming an irregular shape. She fixed him with an icy stare as the clouds solidified around her. Then, she lunged forward, and the army followed suit, charging at the figure under their queen's command.

The figure charged the oncoming army and attacked from above, throwing his left-handed axe like a boomerang. It pierced through soldiers as it returned to his hand, transferring rotational momentum to him. Utilizing this velocity, he leaped up, clashing with the Queen in midair.

The two figures clashed, sending a shockwave across the battlefield. The ground shook, and soldiers were flung back to the ground. Egil jumped onto her energy-formed clouds and lunged at her. But she was too agile, dodging his attack with a lean to the right, leaving an afterimage behind. Egil and Mal fought dangerously in mid-air. The Narakian army arrived on the battlefield, but her army outnumbered them. She charged forward, and the war began.

She yelled, "I'm going to slaughter your people like pigs!" lunging right towards him, her scythe collided with his axes. His facial expression remained stern as he braced himself, cross-holding the axes in front of him as a shield. Their auras repelled violently as they clashed mid-air.

Both of the armies fought each other fiercely while taking small glances at their leaders who were clashing lethally above them. The war was in the favor of Mal's army, Egil's army was being outnumbered and slaughtered, casualties mounted faster than they could fight back. Despite the odds against them, Egil refused to give up hope and instead drew more strength from his god Vi'tabah, giving him a short burst in power.

While the main war was being fought, the enemy raiders-a group of individuals selected carefully by Mal and trained-had breached the protection spell Egil cast before leaving for war and reached Vi'tabah's temple. The trees inside shook with a gust of wind as the pressure equalized outside and in. Circling, they searched for signs of life but found none. They stood at the entrance, peering through the gateway-no guardians. Destroying the temple seemed too easy.

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The temple walls were crafted from pure sandalwood, and the statue of Vi'tabah stood firmly on the front wall. Eleven feet tall with a fierce expression, huge bone beads draped around its neck-it was made of the finest limestone. As the raiders surveyed their surroundings, they noticed candles lit in reverence before the figure. Someone had been praying here recently.

A sudden gust blew through, sending flames dancing in its wake. A woman stepped out from behind the statue with a serene smile, facing the raiders.

She looked at them and asked, "You all are?"

"We are Mal's raiders," they replied, their auras radiating. They bowed and said, "We deeply respect your desire and search for enlightenment through peacefulness."

"Much obliged. However, I won't be after this." Her peaceful aura vanished as the marble bracelet on her right hand broke, changing from white to red.

"Then allow us to deliver death to you." They readied themselves, their daggers appearing in their hands out of thin air.

The wind became still as their auras expanded, connecting them to their gods. The woman was now using strength gained from Vi'tabath. The woman, now identified as Juli, tapped into the strength gained from Vi'tabath. Her task was clear: protect the temple from raiders until the war ended..

Back on the battlefield, Egil found himself struggling against Mal. Though she couldn't overpower him physically, her dark clouds proved to be powerful allies. Egil threw both axes downward with a powerful thrust toward her as the clouds closed in on him mid-air. The axes swiftly swung back, resembling boomerangs. Just before the dark clouds could pierce his armor, the sharp tips of the frozen clouds were sliced by the axes. Egil swung the returning axes at Mal's abdomen, slicing deeply into her stomach. She cried out in pain.

Her army gazed up, morale plummeting as their queen yelled. Egil halted his assault mid-air and braced for landing. The Narakian soldiers cleared the space he was about to hit. He landed on his feet; knees bent to cushion the blow; the ground cracked beneath him. His soldiers stared at him in awe of his strength. This led them to charge further, emboldened by the sight of their commander landing a devastating blow on the enemy Queen. They were determined to turn the tide of this war and reclaim victory for their side.

However, as they charged ahead, Egil sensed something amiss in the air and looked back toward the city with apprehension. Suddenly, an agonizing pain hit him like a lightning bolt; he dropped his axes and doubled over in agony, clutching his left chest as he struggled against it. He felt a quarter of his power being forcibly ripped away from him, leaving him weakened and exhausted. The realization that another battle was taking place back at the temple dawned upon him as the unbearable pain slowly began to subside from his body.

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Juli had called upon some of the powers, and since Egil was utilizing all of it, he had to relinquish some. However, since the power was integrated into his body, it wasn't easy to separate from it.

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He stood up, tightly gripping both axes in each hand as he turned to face the temple. He bowed slightly and offered a silent prayer for luck for his wife. Mal examined her wounds, relieved to see them beginning to heal, before shooting Egil a glare filled with rage. She could feel her injuries slowly closing as she realized that her raiders had syphoned a quarter of her power for their battle against Juli. Her expression changed from anger to a slight smirk as she comprehended that she would soon have the upper hand in this fight, knowing her raiders were considerably stronger than Egil's wife.

Egil glared up at her as she sneered down. His stern attitude and strength infuriated her. Mal and her clouds descended towards the ground, both of them now in a standoff.

To be Continued...