Pythus stood before the End Fortress, tilting his head way back to see the top.
"Such an ancient Realm." He said. "Such a majestic building. It is a real shame that no one is here to appreciate it anymore."
"No thanks to demons like you!" Trevor shouted, struggling from the skeleton behind him who bound his hands together. "You just want to exploit this world's resources!"
"You are wrong." Pythus walked up to the Enderknights. "I don't just want to exploit its resources. I want to kill the Enderqueen, destroy every dragon egg, slaughter every enderman, woman and children, and THEN expunge its resources! Ah, looks like our host is here."
Luna dived towards the Fortress, dropping Volcannus and Abbigail behind Saxon and Trevor. Before the skeletons could react, their skulls were cut open, freeing the two Enderknights.
"And here I was beginning to grow impatient!" Pythus readied his axe. "I've been expecting you both."
"You will answer for your crimes today, Pythus." Volcannus declared, the Nether sword glowing orange in the End's eternal night.
"Crimes?" Pythus seemed amused. "Oh but of course! Those frivolous actions." He turned sideways and began pacing slowly left and right. "He who calls it a crime to kill a weak and useless King Kronus. He who calls it a crime to kill his own father for the sake of his nation. He who calls it a crime who fraternizes with our enemy!" He stopped dead center of the road and dropped his axe on the ground. "What I did was a service to our people."
"You've gained your leadership through corruption, maintained it through fear, and abused your power without the slightest trace self-conscience." Abbigail readied her stance as well. "As long as you live, we will fight to oppose you."
"If only you had the power to." Pythus mocked. "But you are no longer the Enderqueen, are you?"
"I don't need a crown to make me queen." Abbigail said. As she raised the black Endersword, hordes of Endermen began teleporting in behind them.
"So here we go again." Pythus picked up his axe. "The righteous against the rightful, as our people said. Let's see how long you live to oppose me. Arggh!" Lunging forward, he pulled back his axe and swung it from over his head.
"Trevor! Saxon!" Abbigail called, "Kill the skeletons! Luna, do what you can about the Withers!"
Abbigail and Volcannus ducked to opposite sides. Pythus's axe hit the ground, leaving a wound in the rock. He pulled it back out and started dueling both of them at once. Abbigail stabbed and Vulcannus cut Pythus's chest. Pythus sidestepped Abbigail's attack and used the edge of his weapon to block Volcannus. The move put them out of sync with each other, allowing Pythus to react one after the other.
Abbigail lowered herself and swiped at Pythus's legs, but he jumped high and brought his axe crushing down upon her. Abbigail had to block. Using that as leverage, Pythus twisted in midair and kicked Volcannus on the head. Pulling Abbigail under him, he dragged her across and she tumbled into Volcannus. The Endersword flew out of her hand.
"Oh, look at this!" Pythus taunted. "If my axe goes through the girl, it will also kill the guy. Two for the price of one." He raised his axe high and sunk it into Abbigail's back.
"Abbigail!"
"Shame, only the girl was hit." Pythus lifted his weapon. "And it was so unlucky only the axe's edge tasted blood." He raised his axe again.
"No! I will not allow you!" Volcannus pushed her aside. Rolling backwards, he grabbed the Endersword from the ground. With both swords, he blocked Pythus's axe, right on the missing triangle in a brilliant light of orange and purple.
"This…" Pythus gasped, for both the Ender and Nether swords were alive in Volcannus's hands. "is impossible."
"Brother," Volcannus broke the brief stalemate. "You have much to learn about our worlds." Dragging the points of the swords on the stone floor, sending sparks flying, Volcannus lunged forward. He stabbed with the Nethersword on his right hand, and readied a jab on his left. Pythus could do nothing but sidestep both attacks. Volcannus pressed on. He cut with the Endersword from the right, forcing Pythus to block with his axe, while driving the Nether blade straight through. Pythus turned to his left and flew a kick at Volcannus's head, forcing him to back.
"Is this what you envisioned, Volcannus?" Pythus shouted, "Is this the culmination of all those long years plotting against me? Look at how twisted you've become. You ally yourself with the enemy and fight against your own people, slave to the vengeance which has consumed you." He held his axe with both hands and hoisted it above his head.
"There is no vengeance, brother." Volcannus ducked under Pythus and slashed at his legs. "Only the knowledge that my own brother killed my father, and that it was up to me to make just his death." Pythus leapt over him, slicing head down with his axe.
Volcannus saw his chance and stabbed with both swords. Pythus, however, swung his heavy axe from the side, forcing Volcannus to defend. "Clang!" The axe hit both swords, knocking Volcannus off his feet and into the wall of the fortress. He grunted painfully as his back hit the wall.
Volcannus rose up again. He charged. Thrusting the orange sword forward, he again forced Pythus to block and led his axe forward. Pythus crashed into the fortress wall, and Volcannus pulled back for one last lethal strike.
"You have always wanted the throne of two worlds." He said, twirling both swords in his hands. "But as you can see, I wield both Ender and Netherswords. I am the king of two realms, and I earned it without all the senseless bloodshed." He lunged, stabbing both swords forward. Pythus had to block with the face of the axe.
"Whoosh!" A Wither fired a skull at Volcannus and he jumped backwards, freeing Pythus. He laughed. "So you did, and you still haven't learned a thing. The people do not care who has the shiny crown, or a shiny sword. They only care about who has the power!" He grabbed the end of the Wither's spine and flew off.
"Abbigail!" Volcannus rushed to her side. "Help!" He called to the Endermen.
Trevor and Saxon rubbed their sore wrists and picked up the Netheran swords from their captors. Standing back to back, they readied themselves for the swarm of black skeletons.
"I don't suppose you have some potions hidden in your underwear?" Trevor asked.
"You think the Nether's dumb or something?" Saxon retorted. "Of course I don't! Can you enchant something?" He stabbed a skeleton in the skull.
"That needs time and I don't have an enchanting table!" Trevor shouted back, cracking another skeleton open.
"Exactly my point!" Saxon retorted. "Now shut up and kill skeletons!"
Together with the Endermen, they cleared away the Nether army as Pythus, Volcannus, and Abbigail dueled.
Luna dived at the two Withers. One by one, they blasted their skulls at the Ender Crystals on the tall obsidian towers and they exploded in a cloud of white smoke. She breathed fire on one, but the other just fired away. Outnumbered, she could only watch helplessly as the crystals were destroyed.
"Raom!" A second dragon roar tore through the air. Luna looked up to see Thunderdome hurtling towards the Withers. Smashing his head into one, he bit the center head and shook the creature like a ragdoll until the head came clean off. It dropped onto the ground with a loud smash, making a small crater. He furled his wings in and dived. Sucking in air, he unleashed the biggest purple fireball Luna had ever seen and blew the Wither into ashes.
He rose up to find an astonished Luna. They touched snouts, and flew together to kill the remaining Wither. The last Ender crystal lay on the outskirts of the continent, and they all rushed towards it. The Wither came within range. It fired a black skull, but Thunderdome shot a second fireball and it intercepted the skull midair, just before it touched the Crystal. Taking one head each in their mouths, he and Luna pulled the Wither apart, just like they did back on the snowy plains of Northwind.
However, the blast had clearly affected the Crystal, and its light faded away as the dragons stared.
With the help of the Endermen, Volcannus placed Abbigail beside the last Ender Crystal.
"Be strong, Queen Abbigail. Please, come back to me." He whispered.
The Ender Crystal flickered. The Endermen around them looked concerned. It flickered again, and again, faster, and faster, until it shone with a brilliant violet. Abbigail coughed and opened her eyes.
"Volcannus?" She coughed. "Are you dead, too?"
"Queen Abbigail!" Volcannus exclaimed. "You are alive!"
"I cannot leave you alone." Abbigail said, "and please, call me Abbi." She pulled Volcannus in and kissed him, long and sweet.
When they pulled apart, Volcannus asked, "Is this how humans express love?"
"Yes, it is." Abbigail answered. She stood up, leaning heavily on him. "Is Pythus dead?"
"No." Volcannus said. "He managed to escape with his troops.
"Then we must go back." She raised her head and saw the two dragons frolicking together. "Someone has decided to return?" She teased.
Thunderdome looked up and wagged his tail. "Alright, you big doofus, you just had to fly off on your own. Come on, we are not finished yet."