After the negotiation, Josh's men and Hordak's forces quickly put together a battle plan against the Anti-Horde Alliance.
They decided to split their troops into two and attack the heart of the alliance from both sides.
Since the territory where the Ouroboros group was based didn't directly border the alliance—being located within the Horde Empire—Hordak gave them a piece of land along the border between the empire and the alliance as a gesture of goodwill. This would serve as a forward base for Ouroboros to launch their attack.
However, the route between Ouroboros' headquarters and this base was a long and narrow stretch. If the Horde Empire focused its troops there, they could easily cut off the connection.
Clearly, Hordak wasn't being as generous as he appeared.
Josh understood that very well. They were both cunning, after all. There was no point pretending otherwise. But he didn't mind. It was just mutual backstabbing—nothing he hadn't seen before.
Soon, both factions launched their attack on the Anti-Horde Alliance.
Caught between two major powers, the alliance crumbled almost instantly. In no time, Josh and Hordak's forces had taken over 80% of the alliance's territory.
Josh even joined the fight himself and captured many powerful figures from the Anti-Horde side—including the alliance's longtime protector, the remarkable She-Ra.
When Hordak heard the news, he rushed over in person. Seeing She-Ra locked in an arcane prison made him laugh out loud with joy. After returning, he ordered his troops to push forward even harder, hoping to seize the alliance's last stronghold—BrightMoon City—before the Ouroboros group did. He also wanted to capture Adora, the alliance leader, and Queen Angella of BrightMoon City. (TL/N: Moonlight City changed to BrightMoon City as we got more context)
He paid no attention to how easily his forces had defeated the alliance troops—perhaps too easily.
But not everyone was ignoring that fact.
"My lord Hordak, I can't shake the feeling that this war is going far too smoothly!"
The warning came from a figure wrapped in a red cloak—Hordak's top enforcer, the Shadow Weaver. She had once fought Josh using dark magic and had personally witnessed his strength.
"Hahaha, Shadow Weaver, you worry too much! Doesn't everything seem perfectly normal?" Hordak replied with a loud laugh. "You've seen how strong the Ouroboros group is, haven't you? You even had a duel with their leader, and while it ended in a draw, that still shows how powerful they are. With such an ally, of course Adora can't win!"
He waved her concerns away. "Focus on how we'll take over Ouroboros' headquarters after this is over!"
Just as Josh was plotting against Hordak, Hordak was planning to betray Josh.
Once BrightMoon City fell, Hordak's backup army, led by the Shadow Weaver, would cut off Ouroboros' retreat and seize their headquarters to uncover its secrets.
With the secrets of Ouroboros in hand and all of Eternia's resistance crushed, Hordak believed his power would grow strong enough to challenge his own brother—the Emperor of the Greater Horde Empire, Horde Prime!
Seeing how arrogant Hordak had become, the Shadow Weaver couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Maybe she had chosen the wrong master.
"Report… Lord Hordak!"
At that moment, his lieutenant—a fish-like alien with big eyes—rushed in shouting.
"What is it, Mantenna? If you don't have a good reason for this interruption, I'll rip your head off!"
Hordak was furious that his dreams of victory had been disturbed.
"Lord Hordak, just now, BrightMoon City has announced its unconditional surrender to both us and Ouroboros!"
Mantenna quickly explained, terrified by Hordak's furious roar.
The moment he heard that, Hordak jumped to his feet in excitement.
But beside him, the Shadow Weaver narrowed her eyes with suspicion.
Soon after, Hordak and the top officials of the Horde Empire, along with Josh and the leaders of Ouroboros, met once again—this time at the gates of BrightMoon City.
In the distance, the city's gates stood wide open. The remaining troops and a large number of officers had already laid down their arms. They now stood nervously outside, waiting for the Horde and Ouroboros forces to take over.
"Hahaha! To crush these sewer rats so quickly—we really have you to thank for that, Josh!"
Hordak greeted Josh like an old friend, giving him an enthusiastic hug.
"Hehe, I just helped a little. Without your long-standing pressure and weakening of their strength, things wouldn't have gone this smoothly," Josh replied with a polite laugh.
"Then… shall we go together?"
Hordak gestured to his massive and extravagant armored vehicle behind him.
"Gladly," Josh nodded with a smile.
The two leaders boarded the vehicle side by side, followed by high-ranking officers and the formal surrender procession.
Meanwhile, both sides' main forces remained on high alert. They were positioned on either side of BrightMoon City, watching each other closely with suspicion.
In space, their fleets had surrounded the last remnants of the Anti-Horde navy, locking them in a tense standoff above the planet.
"Hahahaha! Queen Angella, it's been a long time. Who would've thought our next meeting would be under these circumstances? And you, my sweet daughter—Adora!"
As they entered the palace and came face to face with the Anti-Horde Alliance's top leaders—Queen Angella and Adora—Hordak laughed wildly.
He called Adora his daughter not because she was his biological child, but because she was his adopted daughter.
Many years ago, Hordak had stolen baby Adora from the royal palace.
By now, this fact was no secret to the people of Eternia.
"Don't even think about it, Hordak!"
Just as Queen Angella and Adora were about to speak, a thunderous voice echoed across the sky.
With a burst of lightning, a towering figure appeared in mid-air, slashing down with a mighty sword aimed straight at Hordak and Josh.
"Brother?"
"He-Man?"
The shout and the sudden appearance of this figure stunned the Eternians—then joy lit up their faces.
Because the one who had arrived was none other than the long-missing protector of Eternia—the mighty champion of the universe, He-Man!
But while the people of Eternia were thrilled, the mood changed completely for the two men seated proudly in the armored car.
Hordak's face twisted with rage at the return of his old rival.
Josh, on the other hand, turned grim—not out of hatred, but because He-Man's sudden appearance could completely disrupt his carefully planned strategy.
Although He-Man's arrival was sudden, his attack didn't land. Shadow Weaver had already stepped in front of Hordak, forming a powerful dark energy shield that blocked the strike.
"Attack!"
Realizing that He-Man's appearance might derail his plan, Josh made a snap decision. With a loud shout, he launched his move early.
In an instant, the Sword of Rupture—charged with the power of the Power Stone—appeared in his hand. Without hesitation, he drove it straight through Hordak's body.
Everyone—both Horde and Eternian—was stunned.
But the Ouroboros troops didn't hesitate. They immediately launched a full-scale assault on the Horde forces.
In seconds, BrightMoon City was engulfed in war.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack and without their leader to command them, the Horde forces began to fall apart under Ouroboros' onslaught.
Seeing this, Adora didn't waste time reuniting with her brother.
She immediately ordered all the hidden alliance forces to begin their attack on the Horde.
Across many of the recently captured regions, alliance troops sprang into action, striking the Horde from behind.
Now being attacked from both the front and rear, the Horde army quickly descended into chaos.
After giving her orders, Adora handed battlefield command to Queen Angella and slipped away.
She transformed into She-Ra and joined the frontline battle, targeting the Horde high command.
When the Horde officers saw She-Ra and several supposed prisoners back on the battlefield, even the slowest among them realized they'd walked into a trap set by Ouroboros and the Alliance.
But it was already too late.
Worse still, their leader Hordak—struck by the sword empowered by the Power Stone—was reduced to ashes on the spot.
And Shadow Weaver, their strongest warrior, was being overwhelmed by He-Man.
The rest of the Horde generals began to lose heart.
Some even started looking for a way to escape.
But at the very moment Hordak was slain, far away on the Horde homeworld—thousands of light-years away—a figure hidden in mist suddenly opened his eyes inside the imperial palace.
"All Horde legions, assemble. We march to Eternia!"
A thunderous voice echoed across the planet.
This was Horde Prime, the ruler of the Greater Horde Empire and Hordak's older brother.
Though he had little respect for Hordak, whom he saw as ambitious but weak, that didn't mean he'd allow some nobodies to kill his brother.
...
Meanwhile, in Eternia, Josh and his allies in the Anti-Horde Alliance knew nothing about Horde Prime's coming wrath.
They were completely focused on wiping out the remaining Horde forces.
With the combined attacks from both sides, the Horde army quickly broke down after a brief but ineffective resistance.
Josh, watching He-Man keeping the Shadow Weaver pinned down, slowly turned his gaze toward She-Ra—fighting fiercely—and Queen Angella, who was surrounded by loyal guards.
"Bresta, Vereesa—Queen Angella is yours. Can I count on you?"
Josh used magical telepathy to contact his two most trusted lieutenants.
"No problem!"
The two exchanged a quick glance and nodded.
While still engaged in combat, they led a portion of the Jedi Knight to flank and close in on Queen Angella's position.
Meanwhile, Josh continued to cut down the still-resisting Horde mech soldiers as he slowly made his way toward She-Ra.
Though the Horde leadership had crumbled, their basic frontline troops—being robotic like those of Ouroboros—felt no fear and continued fighting with deadly force, buying time for their leaders to escape.
"Mr. Kahn, thank you so much. We've won!"
Sensing someone approach, She-Ra turned to find Josh. Her guard dropped, and joy lit up her face.
"Oh—and my brother! He'll be so happy to know you helped us win!"
"Yes, this is truly something to celebrate."
Josh smiled warmly as he reached her side—then suddenly drove a powerful punch straight into her stomach.
Caught completely off guard, She-Ra doubled over and fell to the ground.
Before she could recover, she felt the weight of her sword vanish—it had already been snatched away by Josh.
"What a fine sword," he muttered, examining it for a moment. Then energy surged into the blade, sealing its power before he tossed it into his system's inventory.
With the sword sealed and stored, She-Ra immediately lost her power and reverted to Adora.
At the same time, Bresta and Vereesa launched their ambush on Queen Angella.
Taken completely by surprise, the queen's guards and nearby commanders were quickly overwhelmed.
True to her name, Queen Angella displayed incredible grace and strength. She summoned radiant wings like an angel in a desperate attempt to escape the ambush.
But Vereesa's custom-made arrows—forged from cursed Saronite and vibranium alloy—pierced both wings.
Angella crashed to the ground and was swiftly captured.
Josh now had both Adora and Queen Angella in his hands.
With a cruel smirk, he revealed his true colors and issued a grim warning to all the Eternians present:
"Stop fighting. Right now. If you care about your queen and your princess, you'll do as I say.
And you, He-Man—surely you don't want to see your sister hurt, do you?"
He-Man, who had been fully focused on his battle with Shadow Weaver, froze when he heard the threat. That moment of distraction nearly cost him—Shadow Weaver, now recovered, almost hit him with a blast of dark magic.
"Shadow Weaver," Josh said, turning his attention to her. "You're smart. Hordak is dead. Why not join me instead?"
He had been watching her fight and knew she was powerful—more than worthy of recruitment.
"I'll surrender…" Shadow Weaver said coldly. "But only if he dies!"
She pointed straight at He-Man, her voice dripping with hatred.
Hearing her bitter tone, Josh suddenly felt like he'd wandered into some messy soap opera drama.
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