"Grah ha ha ha! Is that the best you can do, Hero Zel!?" He flapped his large black feathery wings on his back, reminiscent of a fallen angel, propelling him high into the sky before raising his clawed hands and muttering a spell. A miniature sun appeared above him, lighting up the night sky in the beautiful hues of sunset.
His fanged mouth twisted into a sneer as he looked down upon the destruction he wrought on the land. A once lush grassland was replaced with a crater. Whatever grass was left was ashen. The few trees there were were set ablaze like torches welcoming this ritual of desth.
He narrowed his eyes. Eyes where the whites were pitch black. His irises were elongated like a cat's eye. Their color, an off-putting deep blood red. This was Aza, the demon hero.
Despite the harrowing situation he was in, not even the hero Zel could deny the indescribable beauty of this scene. But admire he couldn't because he was the hero meant to bring an end it all.
"Aza! This ends here!" But he couldn't just ignore the looming danger of Aza's sun. Not he danger to him, but to the allies he had around them.
The injured soldiers lay around in heaps. Some not long for this world, others accepting defeat, and yet others clinging to hope. Hope that the hero would triumph over evil like the tales of old.
By his side we're the friends he made along his journey. Maple, an elven magician who never forgot her empathy for those in need, even against demonkind. Towa, a village boy turned jack of all trades merchant who strived to make a difference in this world despite his humble beginnings. Chael, a drakin paladin who had a penchant for money, but never spending a dime on himself. And lastly, Eryn, a demon healer who despised the demons who waged this war for conquest, instead seeking refuge with the humans in hopes of coexistence.
They needed nothing more than a glance to communicate their intentions to each other.
Zel closed his eyes and began channeling power into his sword. Just defending against Aza's magic wouldn't be enough, he had to fully disperse it or if possible, deflect it to avoid further deaths.
Towa began evacuating the remaining soldiers and lead the recovery of those who were too injured to move.
It was an instinctual feeling on both sides of the conflict. This would be the finality of this war.
"Tch"
Aza clicked his tongue at the sight. He wasn't a third rate villain who drove the other races to the brink on sheer luck. He knew full well how powerful his enemies were and that they couldn't not be underestimated.
Just a few moments after Zel started charging, a voice echoed throughout the sky and seemingly directly into everyone's mind.
"Purgatory."
Aza unleashed his spell in almost a whisper but it's pressure would undoubtedly be felt by the rest of the continent. He wouldn't idly sit by and give the hero a chance to retaliate.
The conflict had stopped as everyone on the battlefield watched their impending doom approaching until one person screamed. No one knew who started it, but no one dared to find out what would happen if they remained there. Hysteria broke loose as both sides ran for their lives in every direction. It didn't matter if they were running with their allies or enemies at that point so long as they could survive.
But not everyone lost their cool. Chael and Eryn stepped up to the challenge and cast Sanctuary, a twofold barrier, across the as much of the battlefield as they could. Maple fired ice and water magic towards the purgatorial sun in hopes of reducing its power no matter how little. Towa stood ready with mana and healing potions to reduce the strain on his friends.
Purgatory crashed into the barrier, shattering the first layer on contact but being held off for now by the second. Embers flew in all directions, turning anything it touched into ash and soon the barrier began to crack.
Preparing for imminent disaster, Chael dispelled the Sanctuary and focused whatever spirit and divinity he had left into reinforcing his shield and holding back Purgatory on his own.
The sheer heat radiating off the spell was enough to begin cracking his scales and melting his skin, but Eryn applied constant healing and Towa began splashing healing potions all over... but those were only bandaid fixes that couldn't help against the shield itself melting.
Chael's eyes began losing focus and color started to fade from the middle of his vision. Begining with just a speck, the glow of Aza's spell was fading.
"Chael!" Zel sobbed as he watched the suffering of his friend... but the wait was over. He had finished charging his spell. His sword was raised high, ready to strike at any moment.
The golden glow of Zel's sword reflected in Chael's eyes. There was still hope. The divine light of that sword would bring and end to this tragedy and usher in a new era. He couldn't have felt more proud at that moment. With renewed vigor, Chael turned his attention back to Aza's spell, letting out a bellow and reinforcing his shield once again, thinking that it would be fine if these were his final moments so long as he could see the moment light carved the darkness.
...
Wait. Dark... ness? A sudden realization dawned on him and he let out a bloodcurdling roar. "Maple! Eryn! Towa! FORGET ABOUT ME! PROTECT ZEL!"
All startled by that sudden roar, the three of them were late to react. A sudden shadow raced by them, carrying the flame of Purgatory. When they looked back, they were greeted with the sight of Zel... with Aza's hand plunged straight through his chest. Aza had burned himself running through his spell to end Zel himself.
Zel coughed a river of blood. Evil had won. The heroes party was worn and Aza had slain the hero himself.
'I shouldn't linger here any longer,' thought Aza. There was still a continent to conquer. This was just the final roadblock. But he couldn't retract his hand.
"Heh. Got you."
Aza's eyes widened and shot up. He was greeted by Zel looking down on him with a bloodied sneer. In that moment, Zel flipped his sword into a reverse grip and plunged it straight through Aza and himself.
That was the melancholic end of the war.