Azog's heavy breathing echoed through the stone hall, weighing on every inch of the walls. His massive axe swung slowly backward, ready to cleave the necks of Kaela, who was still swaying on her feet, Lucifer, and Arthur, who had lost his left arm.
Kaela looked ahead, tears brimming in her eyes, her hands trembling as she held her wounded stomach. At last, her tears fell, dripping down her pale cheeks. Her entire body shook, not only from pain but from despair.
"We… lost…" she whispered faintly, her voice barely audible.
Lucifer stood beside her, clutching the wound in his chest, his breath ragged. He turned to Kaela, trying to offer comfort despite his own battered face. "Hey… don't give up yet…" he said, forcing a smile though his voice cracked.
Arthur whimpered in pain, trying to hold back the bleeding from his severed left shoulder. Tears also fell from his eyes, unstoppable. "Sorry… I… I was too weak…"
Azog laughed again, his heavy voice rumbling like thunder. "Ha! Look at you… heroes? You're just insects waiting to be crushed!"
Kaela lowered her head, tears streaming down, her shoulders shaking violently. "No… no… we can't lose…"
As Azog's axe lifted high, ready to cut them down in a single lethal swing, suddenly the sound of slow, dragging footsteps came from behind him. The sound was cold, chilling to the bone.
Srakk… srakk… srakk…
Everyone turned — even Azog — as a tall figure in a black robe appeared from behind a stone pillar. His pale white skin, dark eyes, and the skeletal structure on his back made him instantly recognizable.
Skull.
He walked slowly, bowing his head in a gesture of respect before Azog, then knelt down. His voice was low, cold, cutting into the hearts of everyone who heard it.
"Lord Azog…" Skull said, "forgive this servant who failed to complete the ritual. Allow me to correct my mistake."
Kaela held her breath, her eyes widening in fear. Skull was still alive?!
Lucifer hissed in despair. "Damn… he's still alive…"
Arthur could only grit his teeth through the pain, his vision blurry.
Azog grinned widely, his eyes glowing like embers. "Skull… good that you have returned. See for yourself how easily these 'heroes' have been crushed."
Skull bowed deeply. "Everything is going according to plan, Lord Azog."
Kaela collapsed to her knees, unable to hold back her sobs any longer. Her shoulders shook, tears fell ceaselessly, soaking the bloody ground below her. "No… no way… everything was for nothing…"
Azog raised his axe once more, his victorious grin turning even more savage. "This is the end, little insects!"
But just as the massive axe was about to fall, a strange light appeared from Kaela's chest. The blue gem on the necklace she had always worn — a keepsake from her mother — suddenly trembled violently. Its gemstone shattered on its own, releasing a blinding white light.
Kaela's eyes widened, unable to even scream, as a vortex of magic appeared, swallowing her, Arthur, and Lucifer all at once.
"Teleportation?!" Skull gasped, trying to cast a restraining spell, but he was too late.
Azog swung his axe, trying to slash the vortex, but the teleportation light was faster, engulfing the three of them and disappearing in an instant, leaving only shimmering specks in the air.
"GHHH!!" Azog roared in fury, slamming his axe into the stone floor, cracking it. "Damn it! They escaped?!"
Skull bowed even lower, trembling before Azog's rage. "Forgive me, my Lord… they had an ancient artifact…"
Azog glared at him with eyes burning red, his breath like a dragon ready to unleash flame. But finally, he calmed his anger, gripping the handle of his axe tightly.
"Let them go," Azog growled, breathing deeply. "Because if they flee… they will live in fear, waiting for the day I come to kill them."
Skull bowed in obedience. "Yes, Lord Azog."
Azog stared far toward the gaping gate behind him, his gaze terrifying.
"This is only the beginning," he whispered slowly.
The white glow of the teleport finally faded, leaving Kaela, Arthur, and Lucifer rolling across the stone floor in a royal healing hall. The torchlight on the walls immediately lit up their bloodied, battered faces.
The mages and healers on duty there were shocked and immediately rushed over.
"Call the healers! Hurry!" shouted one of the attendants in a panicked voice.
Kaela whimpered softly, her body limp. Her breath was still broken, tears still wet on her cheeks. She tried to stand, but her legs refused to obey. The wound on her stomach worsened, mixed with the trauma that made her tremble.
Lucifer coughed hard, spitting fresh blood onto the floor, then tried to calm Kaela. "It's okay… Kaela… we're… safe now…" he gasped, though his own life was barely hanging on.
Arthur was still clutching his severed shoulder, struggling to stop the bleeding while trying to hold back tears. The pain was unbearable, but what hurt even more was knowing they had completely lost.
The healers quickly set to work, casting bleeding-stopping spells, trying to push back the dark energy still lingering from the underground battlefield.
Kaela couldn't hold it anymore, tears streaming down in great sobs, shaking her entire body. "We… we failed… all our friends… are dead…," she cried out, her voice breaking.
Lucifer, usually so full of jokes, could no longer hide his heartbreak. He lowered his head, letting tears fall for the first time since the war began. "I'm sorry… Kaela… I wasn't strong enough…"
Arthur could only remain silent, staring at the floor with empty eyes. He felt as though half his soul had been lost along with his left arm.
No one spoke.
Only Kaela's sobs and Lucifer's ragged breathing echoed through the large hall. The smell of medicine, blood, and healing incense mixed in the air.
An elder mage approached, gently patting Kaela's shoulder. "You are safe. That is enough for now," he said softly, trying to comfort her.
Kaela looked up at him with red, tear-filled eyes. "But… my friends died… one by one… I couldn't protect them…"
The mage fell silent, unable to find words to heal such a wound.
Arthur finally spoke, his voice hoarse, breaking, full of despair. "Kaela… Lucifer… we can't stop here… if we give up now, then all our friends' sacrifices will truly be for nothing…"
Kaela sobbed, covering her face with her trembling hands.
Lucifer steadied his breathing, though every breath burned like fire in his lungs. "Arthur is right… if Azog comes again… we have to stand."
Kaela looked at them both, her eyes swollen, tears still falling. But behind them, a small flame in her heart had yet to die.
"Yes…," she whispered softly, her voice shaking. "I… won't run again…"
Lucifer tried to smile, though it was bitter. "Good. Because next time… we can't afford to lose."
Arthur patted Kaela's shoulder with his remaining right hand, though the movement was slow from pain. "We will rise. Together."
Kaela took a deep breath, as if vowing to herself that she would stand again — somehow, some way.
---
Meanwhile, far below at the underground gate, Azog still stood with Skull at his side. Blood still dripped from his axe, staining the stone floor.
Azog stared off into the distance toward where the teleport vortex had vanished, holding back heavy breaths. "They escaped…," he muttered coldly.
Skull bowed deeply. "What are your orders, my Lord?"
Azog exhaled, gazing up at the cracked cave ceiling. His eyes glowed red. "Let them recover. Because once they do, I will crush them in front of their own people," his voice was deep and cruel, making the stone walls tremble.
Skull nodded obediently. "Yes, Lord."
Azog then turned, looking at the map of Emerald Kingdom pinned to the cave wall. A bloodthirsty gleam shone clearly in his eyes.
"War," he said softly, almost like a devil's whisper, "is not over."