Chapter 204: The Assault on Akarios Island Part 3
Queen Velara and Princess Elara squared off against the Demon King Generals, the intense heat of battle all around them as each one honed in on their foe. This wasn't just another skirmish-this was a fight for dominance and survival.
Garruk lunged forward, his massive frame barely slowed by the dense, rocky sand beneath them. Velara met his charge head-on, Stormbreaker held high. She swung the hammer with precise timing, and the shockwave from her strike sent a tremor through the ground. Garruk braced himself, grinning fiercely as the blow landed against his armored gauntlets. Despite the power behind Velara's swing, he stood firm, planting his feet with a strength that matched her own.
"You call that strength?" he taunted, leaning forward, his voice guttural and mocking. "I thought I was fighting a queen, not a servant!"
Velara responded with a sharp glare, her jaw clenched. Without a word, she tightened her grip on Stormbreaker and swung again, putting all her force into the strike. This time, the blow connected against Garruk's side, breaking his balance and forcing him to take a step back. The impact left a faint crack in his armor, and he gritted his teeth, clearly feeling the force of her swing.
"You'll find I'm more than capable of putting you in your place," Velara replied, her voice steady. She swung again, maintaining her fierce, unrelenting rhythm as she forced him to block or evade each heavy blow.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Nearby, Elara faced off against Valeria, her arms raised as she manipulated her vines in a continuous assault. The vines weaved and twisted through the air, clawing their way toward Valeria, who deflected them with dark tendrils of energy. Every time Elara's vines broke through, Valeria retaliated with a counterattack of pure darkness, shadowy bursts lashing out like whips, striking at Elara's defenses.
"Nature's magic is quaint," Valeria sneered, her eyes narrowed. "But it's nothing compared to the power of darkness."
Elara's response was swift. She extended her arms, summoning thicker, thornier vines that whipped forward with increased ferocity, slicing through Valeria's dark tendrils. "Your darkness is nothing but a shadow before the light of life!" Elara shouted, focusing her energy into each movement.
Valeria growled, shifting her hands to form a swirling orb of black energy. She threw it toward Elara with immense force, and Elara barely had time to create a barrier of vines to absorb the blast. The impact sent a shockwave through the battlefield, scattering dust and forcing the two combatants to take a brief pause. Both of them breathed heavily, their focus unwavering despite the strain.
"Getting tired already?" Valeria taunted, her smirk faltering as Elara met her gaze with steady resolve.
"You wish," Elara shot back, her vines already surging forward once more, twisting around Valeria's limbs and forcing her to react. Valeria broke through them with a concentrated blast, but her energy was waning, and Elara could sense it.
Meanwhile, Garruk and Velara's battle raged with increasing intensity. Garruk charged again, swinging his massive fist with enough force to crack stone. Velara sidestepped, her instincts sharp, and retaliated with a well-timed swing of Stormbreaker. The hammer connected with Garruk's chest, and the impact sent a shockwave through his armor, knocking him back several paces.
Velara struggled against the crushing hold, her grip on Stormbreaker loosening momentarily as the claw lifted her into the air. She could feel the dark energy seeping through her armor, pulsing with malevolent intent as it constricted tighter. For the first time in the battle, she grimaced in pain, glaring at Valeria with a fury that could scorch stone.
"Get... off me!" Velara growled, summoning her strength as she tried to wrench herself free. She swung Stormbreaker at the demonic hand, and the impact sent tremors through the creature's clawed grip, but it barely loosened.
From below, Garruk staggered to his feet, his breathing heavy but a triumphant grin spreading across his face. He wiped the blood from his mouth, locking eyes with Velara. "Didn't think you'd get away with that, did you, Queen?" he taunted, taking a few steps back
to catch his breath.
"Let go of her, you coward!" Elara shouted, her voice filled with both rage and desperation. She redirected her vines, sending them hurtling toward the demonic hand in an attempt to loosen its grip on Velara. The thorny vines wrapped around the monstrous fingers, pulling back with all their strength, their sharp edges digging into the dark flesh.
Valeria smirked, her attention divided between holding the spell and countering Elara's attack. "You're not the only one with allies, princess," she sneered, raising her other hand and unleashing a blast of dark energy that collided with Elara's vines, cutting through some of
them and slowing her efforts to save Velara.
Velara gritted her teeth, feeling her strength wane as the demonic hand tightened around her. With one last burst of defiance, she raised Stormbreaker high, letting out a fierce battle cry as she brought the hammer down onto the claw with all her might. The impact cracked the surface of the hand, and a sickly black smoke hissed from the fissure, but the hand's grip
remained unbroken.
Seeing the damage, Valeria snarled and reinforced the hand with more of her dark energy, her expression twisted in concentration. "You're persistent, but persistence won't save you!" she hissed, pouring her power into the portal to strengthen the demonic grip.
But Velara was undeterred. Her eyes narrowed, and she muttered an incantation under her breath, her own energy pulsing through Stormbreaker. The hammer began to glow with a radiant light, its surface sparking with divine energy as Velara channeled everything she had into one final, desperate strike.
With a roar, Velara swung Stormbreaker directly into the core of the demonic hand. The hammer's light intensified, and with a blinding flash, the hand shattered into fragments of dark energy, the portal closing as the remnants dissipated into the air.
Meanwhile, Vincent was watching the exchange.
"Looks like I have to join in now."