The void pulsed, and the battlefield became a cage of shadows and distorted reality. Every second that passed was another heartbeat closer to Drathan's limit, but you wouldn't know it from the way he smirked and taunted like this was all just a game.
The Orc King bared his fangs, elemental magic raging across his axe in molten layers of fire, ice, and crackling lightning. His voice shook the treeline as he roared, "Your tricks end here, void spawn!"
Drathan tilted his head, violet glow burning in his eyes. "Void spawn? That's cute. Y'know, most people just call me better."
The Red Ogres were gone, crushed and erased from reality, and that had rattled the King more than he'd admit. He lunged, swinging his massive axe in a blazing arc, but Drathan warped space—folding the world so the strike passed harmlessly a few feet wide. He laughed, casual, like someone dodging a snowball. "Too slow, big man. Swingin' that thing like you tryna chop wood, but I ain't no tree."
Kenshin blurred past in a streak of lightning, blades carving deep across the King's back before the monster could fully turn. "Yo, Drath—keep roastin' him. I swear he gettin' tight, his swings sloppy as hell."
"Course he sloppy," Drathan said, snapping his fingers. Two jagged spears of void erupted at the King's feet, forcing him to stumble. "Man got two left feet and a god complex. Worst combo I've ever seen."
The King howled, retaliating with a shockwave of molten frost that burst outward. Adventurers screamed, barriers shattered, and even seasoned warriors faltered at the elemental blast. Seme lunged through the chaos, her greatsword gleaming as she severed one of the King's tusks with a brutal overhead slash.
The impact sent shockwaves echoing across the void. She spit blood from her lip, snarling, "Keep runnin' your mouth, Drath, but if you don't wrap this up, I'll cut him down myself."
Drathan's grin widened. "You cut him? That's cute. I'm about to erase him like a typo."
[Time Remaining: 03:58]
Velra's voice rang across the field, trembling but resolute. "All units! Support them—this is the final push!"
The squads roared in unison, spells flaring and arrows streaking like rain. The void thickened, swallowing half the attacks only to spit them back redirected toward the Orc King. He bellowed, his body glowing with divine fire, shaking with fury and desperation.
Drathan raised his hand, palm open. Space tore like fabric, a rift yawning above the King. The pressure dragged at the monster, pulling him toward the abyss. The King roared in defiance, slamming his axe into the ground and anchoring himself, elemental storms bursting in every direction.
"Damn, he fightin' hard for someone already losin'," Drathan muttered, his tone cocky but his eyes sharp with focus. "You feel that, Kenshin? Seme? He scared. He know what's comin'."
Kenshin zipped by again, electricity dancing wild. "Bro, hurry it up before you hit zero on that clock. I don't feel like carryin' your lazy ass outta here if you faint."
Seme braced against another elemental shockwave, grit in her teeth. "Cocky bastard's probably enjoyin' this too much to finish it fast."
They weren't wrong. Drathan loved every second of this—the taunts, the pressure, the look on the King's face as his so-called reign crumbled.
[Time Remaining: 02:11]
The void coiled like a living thing, shadows snapping and cracking the ground beneath their feet. Drathan stepped forward, his grin feral. "Yo, King. Lemme tell you somethin'. Crowns? They heavy. Real heavy. You ain't built to wear one."
The Orc King snarled, body blazing brighter as he unleashed everything in one final surge of elemental rage. The battlefield quaked, trees ripping from their roots, stone shattering, adventurers driven to their knees.
Drathan's eyes burned brighter. "Too late for that. Curtain's closin', my guy."
[Time Remaining: 01:00]
The final minute began.
The Orc King roared defiance, stepping forward with raw elemental destruction burning across his massive frame. Adventurers screamed, Velra shouted orders, Kenshin and Seme tightened their grips, and all eyes turned to Drathan.
The void domain pulsed. His grin didn't fade.
"Time to put a King back in the dirt."
He spread his arms wide. Void energy surged—not just darkness, but light threaded through it. His dual nature as a Voidwalker ignited fully. Assassin and Bishop, light and dark, offense and support. Two paths that normally could never meet—but in him, they didn't just merge, they amplified. Buffs stacked across his frame: assassin speed surged until time itself bent, bishop light mended his body faster than wounds could form, strength roared, his health and mana overflowed beyond their limits. His stats didn't just peak—they shattered the ceiling, flooding into the impossible.
"Ascend. Break. Consume," he whispered, and the void obeyed.
The Orc King lunged—but Drathan was already there, slipping through space like it bent for him. His fist crashed into the King's gut, void and light converging in a cataclysm that cratered the battlefield. In the same instant, he warped above, slamming a heel into the King's skull with force that rippled like an earthquake. The axe flew from the King's hands, spinning useless into the dirt.
"Checkmate."
A storm of void-light exploded, swallowing the Orc King whole. His body was shredded, burned, crushed—snuffed out in a crescendo of impossible force. The roar died in his throat as the King disintegrated into ash and fragments, the earth beneath collapsing under the sheer weight of Drathan's final blow.
The void domain collapsed in silence, leaving only a shattered battlefield and scorched air.
[Time Remaining: 00:30]
Drathan stood there, shoulders heaving, smirk carved across his face. "Guess I had time to spare."
Around him, silence fell over the remaining squads. Wide-eyed adventurers stared, whispers rippling through the ranks like wildfire. Some looked in awe, others in fear—murmuring about a man who commanded the void like a god playing with ants. Lower-ranked adventurers clutched their weapons tighter, caught between admiration and dread. Some thought of glory, wondering if they could ride this man's coattails to fame; others thought of danger, fearing that one day his power might turn on them. Envy crept into a few eyes—how could someone so young and lazy command such impossible strength?
Velra's fists trembled at her sides, awe and unease twisting in her chest. What… what even is he? she thought, her usual composure fraying. He could crush armies if he wanted to. And yet, he laughs like it's all just a game.
Kenshin flopped onto the ground, groaning as he stretched his arms over his head. "Man, all that work for nothin'. Bro coulda ended this from the start. My calves screamin' right now."
Seme dropped beside him, sword still in hand, rolling her shoulders. "Facts. My arms feel like bricks, and for what? Just for Drath to flex at the end like he always does."
Drathan only chuckled, wiping blood from his lip with a grin. "C'mon, y'all got your cardio in. Builds character."
"Cardio my ass," Kenshin muttered, throwing a pebble his way. "You just lazy and let us grind down the health bar first."
Seme scoffed, stabbing her sword into the dirt to lean against. "Next boss fight, I'm makin' you go first. See how smug you are when you're the one sore in the morning."
Velra exhaled sharply, staring at Drathan as he casually bantered with his squad, the battlefield still cracked and smoking around them. Despite her unease, she couldn't deny the truth clawing at her mind: With that kind of power… we might actually survive what's coming.