"You won't hurt anyone anymore, fat man."
Laria stood facing him, her hair blowing in the wind and her shining sword trembling under the glow of the gray sky.
The king smiled a distorted smile as shadows swirled around him. "Hurt? Don't worry. I'll just restore them to their place, and after defeating you, I'll take you as my prisoners of war -my slaves."
Rita held up her book, the symbols on its pages glowing a rising blue. "Laria, don't attack him directly. That force is too dark."
But Laria wasn't deterred. She quickly lunged toward the king, her sword clashing with a shield of black energy surrounding the king's body. The two retreated after the initial shock, the pressure wave making the sand ripple like the waves of an angry sea.
The king let out a loud scream and charged at them at a speed exceeding his size, destroying everything in his path.
Rita raised her hands to the sky and shouted the spell, "Storm Wind Shield."
A whirlpool of air exploded around them, momentarily halting his attack, but the ground beneath their feet began to crack from the force of his blows.
Laria gasped. "We have to separate him from that scepter, for it is the source of his power."
Rita looked toward the king's chest, where the scepter was embedded, pulsing with red light. "If we remove it, he might return to normal."
But the king's voice boomed through the smoke. "You can't do that. You won't separate me from what the darkness has gathered."
A second wave exploded from it, sweeping them away into the storm.
The sky was thick with smoke and sparks, and the air was mingled with the sound of successive explosions.
Laria stood amidst the rubble, breathing heavily, her sword embedded in the ground glowing with a faint light.
Rita was trying to turn a new page in her magic book, but her hands were trembling with exhaustion.
The king laughed loudly. "This is how one who dares to challenge the Dark King ends. Where is your courage now, my girl? You were fully prepared to kill me, but now everything has changed."
The king raised his sword toward the sky, and a tremendous energy erupted from it. The clouds gathered around him like a dark whirlpool, preparing to destroy her. To explode.
Rita cried out in a hoarse voice, "Laria, I no longer have the energy to craft another shield."
Laria raised her head with difficulty, her eyes filled with stubbornness. "Don't say that. We'll stop him here, no matter the cost."
But before the lightning could strike,
a strong gust of wind pierced the stillness of the destruction, followed by a luminous green arrow that split the black clouds.
It exploded close to the king's sword, dispelling its dark energy.
The king recoiled in surprise as dust rose around him.
Out of the smoke emerged a girl with long black hair, wheat-colored skin, and dark brown eyes that shone with confidence.
The wind swirled around her lightly and harmoniously. In her hands, she held a golden bow engraved with the symbols of the wind elements.
She walked slowly, her voice steady. "This is the third time I've saved you. You owe me dinner."
Rita was furious at the sight of Sasha. "You idiot, you left us and went somewhere."
Sasha laughed softly, placing her hands on her head. "I saw a beautiful view, so I went to draw it. Sorry, I didn't expect things to come to this."
Laria smiled, despite her exhaustion. "So we'll win?"
Sasha replied, readying a new arrow. "Of course. I'm with you, my girls."
The king roared, sending waves of darkness escaping like flames, boiling in the air.
But Sasha didn't move. She raised her bow, the arrow in her hand beginning to spin in a small cyclone.
"Wind Tornado Unleashed."
The arrow flew faster than the eye could see, striking the ground in front of the king and exploding in a massive whirl of air that trapped it inside the whirlwind, ripping his balance apart.
Laria screamed as she leapt high into the sky. "Now, Rita!"
Rita tried to muster as much strength as she could, then opened her scroll and unleashed her incantation. "Bless the winds, the sword of fire."
Laria's sword ignited in a blazing red flame, its edges mingling with threads of wind, transforming into a roaring whirl of fire.
With a single strike, it landed on the king's chest, the red flames clashing with the darkness erupting from his body.
The ground beneath him exploded in a fiery explosion that lit up the sky and seared the air with its intensity.
There was silence for a moment, then the smoke slowly cleared amidst the rubble. Sasha stood a few meters away, gripping her bow, the wind swirling around her as if whispering to her.
She said quietly, staring into the dissipating smoke. "It was easy."
A heavy silence fell after the explosion, but it didn't last long.
From the rising smoke rose a thick, distorted sound, followed by a red flash that tore through the dust.
The king reappeared, the scepter stuck to his chest like a burning ember, pulsing with energy like a living demonic heart.
He roared, his voice shaking the ground beneath him. "You think you've defeated me?"
His body moved at a speed beyond his size, and he swung his massive sword, cutting across half the path in front of him, sending rocks flying and the ground cracking in his wake.
Laria leapt back, screaming. "Sasha!" "The winds around his feet, upset his balance."
Sasha extended her hand forward, and the bow began to glow a bright green.
A series of air arrows shot out at lightning speed, swirling like small tornadoes around the king's feet. But he plunged his sword into the ground, and a vortex of darkness exploded from it, violently dispersing the arrows.
Rita shouted as she opened her book again.
"He absorbs magic. Don't use direct spells on him."
Sasha smiled coldly.
"It's okay, I'll make the winds strike from afar."
Laria ran with amazing agility, leaping between the falling stones. Every time she jumped, Rita supported her with light spells that strengthened her momentum.
She screamed as she attacked him from above. "This will be your end!"
Her sword clashed with his giant sword, and black and white sparks exploded between them. The air around them shook.
The king smiled and roared. "Now I will show you true power!"
He grasped his sword with both hands.
Suddenly, the sky above them turned into a swirling darkness.
A shower of glowing black ash fell from it,
each ash turning into a spear of dark fire that plunged toward the ground.
Rita raised her hand, the pages of the book spinning at breakneck speed.
"Storm Shield"
The wind gathered around her, Sasha, and Laria, forming a transparent dome that deflected most attacks.
But the dome began to crack, and the heat became unbearable.
Rita cried out, struggling. "The shield won't last long!"
Sasha quickly responded, raising her bow to the sky. "Let me clear the way, then."
She fired the Great Wind Arrow, which pierced the black clouds and split them in two,
opening a passage of light through the thick smoke.
A strong breeze poured from it, breathing hope into their hearts for a second.
Larya seized that moment and leaped out of the smoke, screaming, "This is for the city and for those you have wronged!"
She struck the king's chest with tremendous force, but his body absorbed the blow. He caught her, lifted her violently, and threw her to the ground, where she slammed against the stone wall.
Sasha screamed, "Laria!"
She ran toward her, but the king reached out. Dark chains emerged from between his fingers, extending like snakes, swiftly heading for her.
Sasha flipped the bow in her hand and struck the ground with a green arrow. The wind exploded, swirling around her, shattering the chains before they could touch her.
"Well, this won't end until we destroy his heart. We have to find a way."
Rita raised her head, determination shining in her eyes. "That scepter is the source of his power. We need to take it out."
Laria smiled, despite the blood on her mouth, and slowly stood up. "Then let's finish this... together."
The three exchanged brief glances. The wind swirled around Sasha, Larya's sword glowing, and the book glowing in Rita's hand.
Rita raised her voice as she read, "Unifying the Three Elements."
In an instant, their energy surged. The wind mingled with the fire, and the ground transformed into a giant magic circle beneath their feet.
The king shouted, raising his sword. "Nooooo!"
But they rushed toward him together. Larya was in the lead, Rita behind her, opening the book.
Sasha fired an arrow straight into his heart.
The collision was deafening.
Then the sound faded.