Valarian's laughter echoed through the scorched land, a mocking resonance amidst the aftermath of the fierce battle.
"Look around you," he jeered, a twisted smile playing on his lips. "All your heroes, all your allies, fallen. What can one like you possibly do?"
Amukelo's slow steps never faltered. With every footfall, an oppressive aura of rage and power emanated from him, washing over the scene in waves. The very earth beneath his feet seemed to tremble in tune with his mounting fury. The air grew dense, heavy with tension and anticipation.
Eliss, still reeling from her loss, felt it. The raw, unbridled energy that surrounded Amukelo was unlike anything she had ever felt. It wasn't just magic, it was something primal, something deeply personal. The other heroes, battered and beaten, could feel it too, an awe-inspiring aura that radiated from the advancing figure of Amukelo.
Valarian's mocking tone faded slightly as he regarded Amukelo, sensing the tempestuous power building within him.
Amukelo's voice, when it came, was low, almost a growl, dripping with venom. "Do you find joy in this chaos? In the suffering of innocents?" His eyes bore into Valarian, alight with fiery determination. "Villages razed to the ground, families torn apart, the cries of the helpless echoing across the land. All for what? Your insatiable thirst for power? Your mad ambitions?"
His voice rising in volume and intensity.
"You have unleashed unspeakable horrors upon this world. And just when I thought you could sink no lower, you strike at defenceless Eliss in her moment of grief? She mourns a brother that your wickedness stole from us."
Valarian's face contorted with disdain, readying a retort, but Amukelo's voice boomed over his, drowning him out. "Enough is enough. I won't let this happen any longer. I won't let your reign of terror continue. I swear on everything I hold dear, on the memory of every life lost to your madness, I will put an end to this. Right here, right now!"
With his final proclamation, Amukelo let out an earth-shattering scream, releasing the pent-up energy within him. The ground shook, the sky darkened further, and for a brief moment, the very fabric of reality seemed to bend to his will. A blinding burst of energy, the likes of which the world had never witnessed, exploded outwards from him.
Valarian, momentarily taken aback, attempted to summon his undead legions to his side. But as he chanted, he realized, to his horror, that nothing was happening. Amukelo's raw, raging mana was disrupting the very essence of his dark magic, rendering him powerless. The smirk that had played on Valarian's face for so long now faded, replaced by a creeping realization of the threat he now faced.
The scene was surreal, a testament to the true extent of Amukelo's capabilities. His legendary armor, having reacted to his overwhelming fury, pulsed with a light that seemed to dim the very surroundings.
Every detail, every engraving, glowed with an ethereal hue, almost like a beacon of hope amidst the shadows.
Valarian, sensing the impending danger, gestured with desperation. Every undead being he had summoned, every spectral figure that he commanded, lunged toward Amukelo. But their attempts were feeble, like moths to a flame. With a singular fluid motion of his black legendary blade, Amukelo slashed through them, their eerie cries silenced as they were cleaved in two.
The briefest of moments passed, but to Valarian, it felt like an eternity. Before he could even comprehend the destruction in Amukelo's wake, the very air around him was split. With a speed that defied belief, Amukelo stood before him, his blade poised to strike.
The world seemed to slow. Valarian could feel the gust of wind as the blade neared, the imminent danger palpable. But then, the force of Amukelo's attack didn't connect with Valarian. Instead, it sent him hurtling through the air, the landscape blurring as he sailed miles away.
Crashing onto a distant part of the devastated elven lands, Valarian's breath was ragged, pain coursing through his body. He was quick to conjure defensive barriers, but the force of Amukelo's blow still seeped through, leaving him injured. As he struggled to his feet, a desperate thought took root: summoning his most potent undead creatures.
But no sooner had the thought crossed his mind, Amukelo was there, right before him. Valarian's heart raced. Death was imminent. But just as the final blow seemed destined to land, a colossal undead being materialized in front of him, shielding him from Amukelo's rage.
The creature, grotesque in form with a gaping maw and limbs as thick as tree trunks, growled menacingly at Amukelo. It was one of Valarian's most formidable summons, a guardian that he had kept in reserve for the most dire of situations.
But even this creature, formidable as it was, couldn't withstand the force of Amukelo's attack. With an impact that echoed like thunder, the beast was shattered, fragments of its form scattering in every direction.