The Skeleton Queen's agonized scream pierced the battlefield, a shrill, bone-chilling wail that shattered the eerie silence.
Her bony fingers clutched her skull so tightly that it seemed like she might crush it with her own hands.
She staggered, writhing in pain, her hollow eyes flickering erratically.
Vel'Tharion stood just a few steps away, watching with a mix of confusion and irritation. "What's wrong, bitch? Get up," he barked, voice dripping with disdain.
But she couldn't respond. She kept screaming, lost in whatever torment gripped her undead soul.
Then, like a shadow slipping between the cracks of reality, Lunara appeared behind him.
"I don't know what's wrong with her," Lunara said, eyes locked on the trembling Skeleton Queen. "But I guess I'm lucky. Fighting you both at the same time would've been a pain."
Without wasting another second, she spun her axes in a fluid motion, blades gleaming with deadly intent, and lunged toward Vel'Tharion.
He barely had time to react, ducking under the first swing and leaping back to avoid the second.
Her strikes were relentless, brutal, each one meant to kill.
Vel'Tharion twisted and turned, dodging with acrobatic precision, the sharp swish of metal slicing past his face again and again.
Gritting his teeth, he flipped backward to gain distance and held out both hands.
"Purgatorist Creation // Multiply,"
he muttered, activating his creation.
In an instant, a dozen Vel'Tharions emerged from the smoke, surrounding Lunara like wolves closing in on their prey.
They didn't hesitate. All of them rushed her at once.
But Lunara stood her ground, spinning with fury. Her twin axes tore through the air in wild arcs.
Clones were slashed apart with ruthless efficiency—one to her left, another to her right, one leaping from behind only to be caught midair and shattered into glowing dust.
She didn't care how many of them came. She didn't care if she was outnumbered. She fought like a storm.
Then she paused for half a second. Her eyes locked onto one particular Vel'Tharion—the one who hadn't flinched, who moved a bit differently than the rest. She knew.
"That's the real one," she whispered to herself.
Lunara surged forward with a primal roar and swung both axes down with all her might. The strike split him clean in half.
But something was off.
No blood. No collapse. Just flickering light as the "real" Vel'Tharion dissolved into another illusion.
"Shit," she hissed.
Before she could recover, the real Vel'Tharion sprang from the shadows behind her, his blade flashing.
But as the knife closed in, Lunara's passive creation flared to life, forming a brief but solid barrier of translucent energy that stopped the blade just inches from her flesh.
She turned, grabbed him by the head with one hand, and grinned. "I'm not letting go."
Lunara raised her axe to finish him off—until the Skeleton Queen intervened.
A shadow swept across them, and in an instant, a wall of gnashing bone-mouthed creatures—like living Pac-Men made of ivory—slammed into Lunara's side, knocking her off course.
The Skeleton Queen, regaining her composure, followed up with a barrage of jagged bone spears. They rained down like arrows from the sky.
Vel'Tharion multiplied again, using his clones to amplify the number of incoming spears. The sky itself looked like it was bleeding bones.
Lunara cursed under her breath and leapt back. Her breathing was heavier now, her body slowing.
"Damn it… My 160% boost won't last much longer," she muttered, grimacing.
The Skeleton Queen and Vel'Tharion stood side by side now, a grotesque alliance of death and manipulation.
Their aura was heavy, suffocating, unnatural.
"He's coming," the Skeleton Queen said suddenly, her voice a low, guttural rasp.
Vel'Tharion tilted his head. "Who's coming?"
"The Skeleton King," she replied, eyes glowing like dying stars. "It's time for his rebirth."
She staggered slightly, her body shaking. "I can't… I can't hold on much longer. The ritual is draining me. All the fighting… it's too much."
Vel'Tharion scoffed. "Then let's finish this already."
Just then, a voice echoed in Lunara's head—a whisper from the Guardians.
"Another Purgatorist has been killed. We gave you the boost. Make it count."
Lunara smiled. "Do your worst."
Vel'Tharion had already begun his next move.
He slammed both fists into the ground, sending up clouds of dust and debris. Then, with his creation, he multiplied the smoke itself.
A thick, impenetrable fog spread across the battlefield like a living beast. Visibility dropped to zero.
Lunara could barely see her own hands, let alone an enemy.
"This is bad…" she muttered, adjusting her stance.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps—rapid, chaotic, all around her.
Dozens of clones moving through the smoke like ghosts. She couldn't rely on sight. But she didn't have to.
Lunara exhaled and pushed her passive creation to its limit.
Her senses sharpened. Her perception of space, pressure, and movement became unnaturally clear.
One clone swung at her. She ducked and countered without thinking.
Another came from behind—she spun and blocked it. Still, more approached from every direction, seemingly endless.
Then… silence.
Lunara knew something was coming.
A new sound echoed—a metallic hum. The Skeleton Queen had returned, though Lunara couldn't see her yet.
The Queen summoned her creation: a long, massive spear, almost twice her size, with twisted ram's horns spiraling around its deadly tip.
The Queen spun it in slow, calculated circles, letting the whirring noise pierce the smoke. A distraction. A trap.
Lunara stood still, breathing slowly, waiting for the real attack.
And then—it came.
The massive spear hurled through the mist like a missile. It slammed into Lunara's shoulder, piercing the barrier slightly and sending her stumbling.
Pain surged, but it wasn't fatal. She laughed through her teeth.
"Not bad," she said, flexing her fingers and gripping her axes tighter.
She charged toward the Skeleton Queen's last known position, but was quickly intercepted by more illusionary clones, each one as vivid as the real Vel'Tharion.
"Enough of you!" she growled.
Lunara exploded through the smoke, axes spinning like windmills of death, tearing down clones left and right as she raced toward open ground.
Finally, she emerged from the fog, breathing heavily, her armor scratched and smoking.
She spotted Vel'Tharion in the distance—his real body this time, climbing a staircase that hadn't been there before.
Vel'Zorath's castle appeared out of nowhere, ancient and ominous. Its towering presence darkened the sky.
Vel'Tharion ascended the stairs with a smirk and called over his shoulder, "If the Skeleton King were here instead of you… this fight would've been over already."
Without another word, he vanished into the castle, reappearing before Zorath.
Back on the battlefield, the Skeleton Queen collapsed to her knees. Her bones creaked, and her voice trembled.
"When the King is born… when he rises… he'll join the Purgatorist. He'll take revenge for me."
Lunara said nothing.
Her face was stone-cold as she stepped forward, reached into the Queen's chest, and crushed the glowing gem embedded in her ribs.
The Skeleton Queen let out one final breath… and shattered into dust.
While on the Castle.Zorath asked Tharion if he should help kill the princess of Witches
But Vel'Tharion said "We must approach a different target," we can't risk being discovered by the REAPER, and we only have one shot at resurrecting Vel'xxxxxx."
Vel'Zorath's face filled with excitement as they thought about him,afterall he is the most dangerous Purgatorist!
"I have decided which one must be sacrificed."Said Vel'Zorath
As his eyes locked upon Menma and Annie running through the Castle.