"Release the horde!" Marl shouted. Immediately upon Marl giving the order, his soldiers on the front line began to retreat.
They swam with incredible speed. When they were some distance away, they stopped and turned around, facing their enemies, and brought out shields that looked to be made of shells. "Hold the line!" the captain shouted.
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers replied.
The ocean floor in front of the tower began to open gradually. As soon as it was fully open, a horde of carnivorous ocean creatures swam out at an incredible speed and rate. They charged at their opponents as if it were their first meal in a long time.
Another set of Marl's soldiers, dressed in red armor and riding on seahorses, followed into the battlefield after the horde of creatures. They slaughtered Lava's soldiers, pushing them backward. Marl's men, who were holding the line, started walking forward gradually, reclaiming and covering the distance between them and Lava's army.
"This battle is going to be very fun!" Lava said, laughing. "Charge in!" His voice boomed across the battlefield. "Take down those hordes!" Lava ordered.
Immediately after Lava gave the command, his enormous ship started firing laser blasts at the hordes, turning them to nothing within seconds. The ships did not stop there; they aimed at the tower and fired a laser blast intending to destroy the building, but it struck the invisible barrier covering the tower.
"A few more hits and the barrier is going to break! What's taking him so long?" Marl said worriedly. "Release the second horde!" Marl ordered.
The tower ground cracked open again, and another set of creatures stormed into the battlefield, but they were wiped out in an instant by Lava's enormous ship. "Hahaha! This is so much fun!" Lava laughed. "There's no one to save you!"
"This is getting out of hand. I'll have to go in too," Marl thought. He charged forward into the battle arena with incredible speed, stretching his sword forward. His speed made it difficult for Lava's soldiers to counter his attack, as he cut through Lava's army like a hot knife through butter. Marl did not stop there; he continued to charge forward, heading to the back of Lava's army. His speed left a trail of bubbles behind him as he continued to slaughter Lava's army with his sword.
"Yahhh!" Marl's army shouted as they were now encouraged by their king. They fought with all their strength and began to push Lava's army back.
"You cocky bastard! I see you've joined our little battle. That doesn't mean you can turn the tables. I'll cause despair and regret before I leave!" Lava said as he laughed and charged forward with incredible speed, causing the ocean ground to crack with every step he took. Lava ran through the battle, heading straight for Marl.
Marl could see that Lava was also in the battlefield, charging towards him. "This is hell, but there's nothing I can do but hold him off, or else we'll lose this fight," Marl thought. He looked around the battlefield and could see his army fighting with everything they've got. He also heard the cries of those who had sustained deep injuries. "This is bad, but if my people can fight with everything they've got, so can I!" Marl said.
Marl gritted his teeth, his eyebrows furrowed, and he held the hilt of his sword so tightly that the muscles in his arm bulged. "For Aquaria!" he screamed as he dashed off, leaving a crater where he was standing. The ocean ground cracked from his force as he swam through the battleground heading for Lava.
Lava and Marl clashed. The force of their attacks sent shockwaves across the battleground, and most of the soldiers closest to them were sent flying. Immediately, Marl leaped backward, creating some distance between him and Lava.
"I'll have to stay on the safe side for now. I can't charge head-on; if I try, I'm dead. He's faster than the last time we fought. I'll bet he's been waiting a long time for this day. Wait! I never thought of it, but could it be that he was testing our strength this whole time? That's all the more reason for me to attack from a distance to avoid any surprise attack," Marl thought.
"You seem tense, Marl. What's wrong? Have you just realized you're doomed? If so, you're right, because I've been waiting for this day, testing your strength, and there you were, thinking you had me defeated each time I retreated.
"You see, Marl, it was all my plan to give you a surprise attack. Look around, Marl, you've lost. It would be nice if you just surrendered; I'd be glad to spare the lives of your people. It's your only choice. Soon I'll be ruling both Aquaria and the Lava Kingdom. Don't be greedy; just do as I've said and your people shall live," Lava said.
"Hmph, you really think you'll win this battle? I see you came prepared, but that's no reason for me to surrender to a power-hungry freak like yourself. I'd rather die than surrender!" Marl said, gripping the hilt of his sword.
Lava was holding two axes and pointed one at Marl. "Very well then, prepare to die!" Lava said.
"Not today! Water Slash!" Marl swiped his sword, and a blue sharp line shot out from the edge of his sword, cutting through whatever it touched.
"That's lame," Lava said as he swung his axes down, creating a red slash of his own that canceled Marl's slash on impact.
"Come on, let's have some fun!" Lava said, charging head-on and swinging his axes at Marl, but Marl knew this was going to happen. He dodged the attack by only a few inches. "Hell, he's fast, but I'll try to keep up," Marl thought. Lava swung his axes one after another, chasing after Marl, who was trying to keep his distance.
"Why the hell are you running from a fight, you punk?!" Lava yelled in anger. He chased after Marl and caught up with him. Marl swung his sword, intending to get a clean hit on Lava, but Lava was prepared; he bent his head to the side, dodging Marl's surprise attack. "You're no match for me, Marl!" Lava said as he made a deep cut on Marl's armor, causing Marl to stumble.
Marl regained his stance. "Okay, that's enough!" Marl said, his brows furrowed, as he charged at Lava, swinging his sword and aiming at Lava's vital points, but Lava deflected every one of his attacks with his axes. Lava charged head-on and hit the flat surface of his axe against the side of Marl's face, sending him skidding across the ocean floor. Lava did not stop; he leaped up and landed beside Marl, swinging his axes down on Marl's chest.
Lava's attack created a crater beneath Marl. But Lava was relentless; he pulled out his axes from Marl's body and swung them back down at Marl, sending him deep down into the crater.
When the dust from the ocean floor cleared, Marl was lying helpless with Lava's axes pinned into his chest, bleeding from his mouth and the cuts all over his body.
"I told you to give up, Marl," Lava said, standing beside Marl with an evil smile across his face.
*****
"It's time; I've gathered enough Alpha Energy to do for this battle," Lucas said, with a smile across his face.