Kamari remained frozen. His heart hammered against his ribs as he grappled with the fact that Zaire—<i>the Angel of Death</i>—stood before him. The horrors of his memories slithered through his mind: the taste of dirt and blood, the acrid scent of smoke, and the charred corpses.


    Zaire’s gaze pierced him, and the shadows thickened as the temperature plummeted even further.


    The goblin horde had resumed its advance, their snarls echoing like the cries of the damned. However, they could not compare to the oppressive force radiating from Zaire. The surrounding darkness devoured the scattered light that filtered through the thick forest canopy. The goblins, as savage as they were, appeared to avoid getting too close to him, as if they, too, feared the blackened aura seeping from his skin.


    Kamari''s body refused to obey his desperate commands to fight back as the horde drew dangerously close. His limbs felt heavy, paralyzed by fear or exhaustion—he couldn’t tell which. In a rare moment of weakness, he closed his eyes, held his breath, and gave in to the overwhelming feeling of helplessness as he seemingly resigned himself to his gruesome fate.


    Suddenly, Leon appeared at his side. His wind blades sliced through the approaching goblins, and their bodies fell one after another like torn leaves in a hurricane. Before Kamari could process what was happening, Leon grabbed his arm and, with a burst of wind, propelled them into the trees, landing on a thick branch.


    "Snap out of it!" Leon shouted.


    Kamari’s eyes remained distant, still trapped in the torment of his memories—the blood, the smoke, the screams. His father’s dying face flickered in the flames. His mother’s cries echoed in his mind. Each breath he took was a struggle.


    Leon’s face hardened as he gripped Kamari’s shoulders and slapped him across the face. “You can’t zone out on me right now! Not with <i>him</i> here! I know what he did. But if you let him get into your head like this, we’re finished!”


    Kamari remained silent.


    "He may be the Angel of Death, but you''re Kamari. You''re a warrior. And you’re not going down without a fight, got it?"


    Kamari blinked as Leon''s words slowly cut through the fog in his mind. With a shaky breath, he felt the fire within himself reignite. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. He nodded, finally refocusing on the present.


    “Got it.”


    Suddenly, a dark, crackling ball of Nether Energy shot toward them. Leon reacted instantly, pushing Kamari aside before it collided with the branch. The impact was brutal—splinters and shards of wood rained down around them as they fell.


    The ground rushed toward Kamari, and he hit the earth hard. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs. He scrambled to his feet, partially dazed. His body ached.


    Leon landed beside him, rolling to absorb the fall. He was on his feet in seconds. “You alright?” he asked.


    Kamari nodded. “I can do this," he said, mostly to himself.


    Leon pressed his comm crystal. “Eli, we’ve got a situation. The Angel of Death just made an appearance.”


    A brief pause followed before Elijah’s voice crackled back through the crystal. “The Angel of Death? Well, that explains everything.”


    “We need to neutralize him if we want any chance of stopping this horde.”


    “Easy for you to say. The guy’s immortal, remember?”


    “I’m aware. That changes nothing.”


    “Alright, hang tight. I’ll race the old man to the village and be back as soon as possible. Don’t get yourselves killed before I get back.”


    Kamari clenched his fists and inhaled deeply. “We’re not dying here. Not today,” he muttered.


    "That''s the spirit!" Leon grinned.


    <hr>


    Elijah raced through the dense forest, cradling the old man securely in his arms. His mind was focused on one thing: getting back to the fight. Blue lightning crackled around him as he zipped past trees and branches. The ground beneath him was a blur. Usually, it would have taken just a heartbeat to get to the village, but with the old man in tow, every second felt like an eternity. He couldn’t run at full speed without risking the old man''s life. The village was still several miles out, and each moment spent away from the battle gnawed at him.


    Meanwhile, back in the forest, things were quickly becoming desperate. The goblin horde continued to swarm the area. The caravan lay in ruins, reduced to scattered debris, and the once-majestic hallions had fallen, their fierce resistance overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Goblin corpses littered the ground, yet the infernal creatures still advanced.


    Kamari stood amidst the chaos, his flames flickering as he gasped for air. Exhaustion was setting in—his arms felt heavy, and his legs trembled. Leon wasn’t faring much better; his wind blades were less precise as fatigue crept in.


    They had been fighting for what felt like hours, and it was painfully clear now—they were losing ground.


    A dark aura slithered through the air causing the hairs on Kamari''s neck to stand on end. Zaire emerged from the shadows like a phantom, his black wings unfurling. Kamari was given no time to react as Zaire clamped his fist around his throat.


    “Kamari!” Leon shouted.


    Zaire flung Kamari across the forest with immense force. Kamari spun through the air, crashing through thick tree trunks—each impact brutal and bone-jarring. All he could do was gasp in pain as he finally came to a slamming halt against the base of a tree.


    The world around him was reduced to a spinning blur. He groaned, struggling to focus through the throbbing in his head. But the pain… It was too intense.


    “No!” Leon screamed.


    He wanted to chase after Kamari, but the goblin horde refused. They quickly surrounded him, forcing him to take to the sky. But it didn''t make much of a difference. The goblins launched themselves at him like cannonballs. He spun mid-air and unleashed a barrage of wind scythes that sliced through their ranks. However, their sheer numbers made his efforts pointless.


    <hr>


    Elijah arrived at Zernel in a blinding flash of lightning. He barely stopped as he placed the old man down on his feet. His movements were so quick and seamless that before the old man could even muster a word of thanks, he was already halfway back to the battlefield.


    Once there, he slammed his hands into the ground, unleashing a massive lightning surge. Blue branches of energy shot out in all directions. The horde screeched in agony as the lightning raked through their ranks, disintegrating a large majority.


    Leon landed beside him. "Kamari’s in trouble," he said, pointing toward the shattered trees that marked the brutal path Kamari had been thrown. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "What''s the plan?"


    "Keep the horde subdued while I find Kamari and get him out of there. Buy us as much time as you can."


    Elijah smirked. "Don''t worry; I’ve got this. Just be careful out there."


    Leon nodded and confidently echoed Kamari’s earlier words, "No one’s dying today." With that, he took to the air.


    Elijah stood his ground as the goblins closed in from all sides. Despite their overwhelming number, he remained calm and almost casual.


    He let out an exaggerated sigh. "You guys don’t know when to quit, do you?"


    The air buzzed, and the ground hummed as small arcs of electricity danced across his skin.


    A smile crept onto his face. "But here’s the thing—you’re not the only one who is endless."


    He unleashed a torrent of lightning bolts. It tore through the goblins, disintegrating them into ash. His body crackled with energy as he continued to send wave after wave of lightning, showing no signs of stopping. He was a force of nature—untouchable and unstoppable—and no matter how many goblins emerged, they stood no chance against him.


    <hr>


    Kamari’s entire body ached to the bone, and his vision blurred as he spat blood. He barely had time to recover before Zaire was upon him again, slamming him against the rough bark of the massive tree. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs.


    "You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this moment, Young Phoenix—too long," Zaire whispered. His black eyes bore into Kamari’s as he pressed his claws into Kamari’s chest.


    "Two years," he continued. "Two years of watching your every move, every misstep—always just out of reach. Forced to lurk in the shadows while your <i>guardians... </i>and that pesky <i>Thunder God</i>... hovered around you. " He leaned in closer, his breath hot against Kamari’s ear. "But I never stopped watching. I never stopped waiting. And now, for once, you’re alone. I won’t waste this moment."


    Kamari bellowed. Zaire’s claws plunged deeper into the swirling black spot of shadow that had formed on his chest. His body burned with a searing pain as though his very soul were being ripped apart.


    "I''ll be taking the Core now," Zaire said.


    Kamari’s vision darkened as the forest closed in around him. He felt the Phoenix Core being torn from him, inch by agonizing inch. His life, his fire—it was slipping away.


    <i>Is this it? Is this how it ends? </i>He thought.


    Suddenly, a sharp whistle of wind cut through the air, and Zaire’s head was cleaved cleanly in two. The top half slid off and hit the ground with a dull, sickening thud as a controlled gust sent his decapitated body hurtling to the side.


    Leon swooped in just as Kamari began to collapse, catching him before he hit the ground. Kamari’s brown skin was nearly devoid of color, his head lolled to the side, and his eyelids fluttered as he struggled to cling to consciousness.


    "Kamari! Can you hear me?" Leon asked.


    Kamari remained silent.


    Leon quickly wrapped Kamari’s arm around his shoulder.


    "Stay with me," he muttered as the wind swelled around them, propelling them high into the forest canopy.


    Back on the forest floor, the shadows swirled around Zaire’s twitching body. They merged, knitting his severed head back together. His face twisted in fury as his black wings unfurled behind him. With a furious roar, he launched himself through the trees.


    Leon clung to Kamari as the wind propelled them forward. He didn''t dare look back—he knew Zaire would soon be on their tail.


    "Stay with me, Kamari," he said. "I''ll get you out—"


    His words were interrupted by a sudden, thunderous flap of wings. Zaire had found them. Before Leon could react, Zaire unleashed a barrage of large, dark orbs.


    Leon quickly expanded and hardened his aura while reinforcing his skin with solidified Enre, using his body to shield Kamari from the incoming attack. Unfortunately, the shadowy orbs shattered his aura field before exploding against his body. The sheer power was overwhelming, launching Leon and Kamari into the forest floor.


    Leon’s vision blurred as an indescribable pain coursed through him. Blood dripped from his mouth, and his muscles quivered. Yet, he forced himself to his staggering feet and positioned himself between Kamari and Zaire.


    "Step aside," Zaire said. "I don’t want to have to kill you."


    Leon wiped the blood from his mouth. "If you want him, you must go through me first."


    Zaire paused for a moment. His demonic features softened, and his face adopted an almost human expression. His cold eyes flickered with a strange emotion—perhaps sympathy. The Angel of Death, one of the greatest evils in the Realm, looked at Leon as if he regretted what was about to happen next.


    Leon was taken aback. He had never imagined Zaire capable of such an expression—the same demon who had caused so much suffering. It didn’t make sense.


    "I won’t let you take him," Leon insisted.


    Zaire let out a deep sigh. "So be it."


    Before Leon could react, a sharp, burning pain bloomed in his stomach. He looked down in shock to see Zaire’s blood-slicked hand buried deep in his torso. Disbelief washed over him as the world slowed. His strength faded with each heartbeat, and with a final, gasping breath, he collapsed to the ground.


    “No!” Kamari screamed.


    Pain wracked his body, but he didn''t care. He dragged himself forward, leaving a trail of blood in the dirt behind him. Just as he reached Leon, Zaire’s boot met his torso, flipping him onto his back with a vicious kick. Then, Zaire plunged his claws into Kamari’s chest, resuming his torturous extraction of the Phoenix Core. Kamari’s screams were raw and desperate.


    Zaire’s voice cut through the agony—low and almost remorseful. "I had no choice. He forced my hand."


    Kamari’s mind reeled at the words. <i>No choice?</i> His vision blurred. <i>No choice?</i>


    Everything fell silent. The pain, the screams—all of it faded as his mind honed in on a single point: Zaire’s face. Kamari’s trembling fingers reached up, brushing against Zaire’s cheek. Through clenched teeth and a voice cracked with agony, he forced out a single word:


    “Burn.”


    Flames exploded from his chest, blasting Zaire backward. The fire roared as it engulfed Kamari in a towering column that tore through the forest canopy. The heat was overwhelming, yet Kamari felt nothing. His pain was gone, replaced by a raw, untamed power that surged through his veins like molten lava.


    The flames around him grew brighter and hotter. Their fiery tendrils stretched higher past the trees as if to burn the sky itself. He stood at the heart of the inferno, his eyes yellow-red with the power of the Phoenix.


    He walked over to Leon and hovered his hand over his wound. Following an instinct he couldn’t explain, he released fire into Leon’s body—not to destroy, but to heal. The flames wrapped around Leon’s torn flesh, knitting it back together as if the wound had never existed. But though his wound closed, Leon remained unconscious.


    Kamari''s rage intensified. A golden, fiery Celestial Halo materialized behind him as his body transformed. There was no more flesh, no bone—he had become a being of pure fire, the embodiment of the Phoenix’s wrath.


    Across from him, shadows twisted and coiled around Zaire, seeping into his body like streams of ink. With each shadow consumed, his power multiplied.


    The two stood still for a moment, locked in each other’s gaze. The air buzzed with the promise of violence—the calm before the storm. Then, in a blink, they moved.


    The ground trembled as they collided. Towering trees were uprooted and ripped apart as if they were merely weeds. Shockwaves rippled outward, flattening everything in their path. The wind howled, covering the battlefield with clouds of dust and splinters.


    "I don’t have time for this, Young Phoenix," Zaire said. "Give me the Core. The fate of the Realm depends on it."


    Kamari’s eyes continued to burn with righteous fury. The Angel of Death—the being responsible for so much destruction—was claiming to care about the Realm? It was almost laughable.


    “You’ll never get your hands on the Phoenix Core. Not as long as I breathe,” Kamari said.


    He unleashed a beam of multicolored flames that concentrated into pure Phoenix Energy. The beam tore through the forest like a blazing comet, slamming into Zaire with earth-shattering force.


    Zaire groaned. His arms were raised as shadows swirled into a protective barrier, but even then, he struggled against the relentless beam. It pushed him back, step by step, each leaving small craters in the ground.


    Kamari ascended into the sky. He gathered his Enre, and with one final surge, he multiplied the beam''s power. The following explosion was catastrophic. The sky blazed with the light of a thousand suns as a fiery shockwave leveled the forest, reducing it to a hellish wasteland.


    A minute passed, and the dust settled to reveal Zaire’s body broken and crushed. Chunks of his form had disintegrated. His once fearsome aura dwindled as he struggled unsuccessfully to rebuild his body. After a moment, he descended into the shadows, retreating from the battlefield.


    Kamari hovered above the devastation, his body trembling as the flames surrounding him dimmed to embers. Then, a sudden, sharp pain ripped through him, stealing the air from his lungs. His strength gave out, and he plummeted from the sky, crashing hard into the scorched earth below.


    He lay there, his chest rising and falling in ragged gasps, every muscle screaming with pain. The adrenaline rush had drained away, replaced by a bone-deep fatigue that anchored him to the scorched ground. His vision wavered, the sky above blurring into a haze. And yet, despite it all, a small, defiant smile curved the corner of his lips.


    The devastation around him—the flattened forest, the craters gouged into the earth—faded as his eyes fluttered shut. At that moment, a single thought crossed his mind:


    <i>I did it. I won.  </i>


    And with that, he surrendered to the fatigue and allowed unconsciousness to claim him.