In the Blood Forest.
"How... How is he still alive?" One of the elves blurted from behind, his legs trembling as he struggled to stand.
No one could answer as they stared at the horrific entity before them. His presence made their lips heavy. Besides, it wasn't like they had an answer to the question in the first place. They too were flabbergasted.
Ulak hummed, glitching out of sight. The very next second, a painful yell blared into everyone's ears, forcing them to turn in its direction.
James's eyes went wide in horror.
Right before them, Ulak tightened his grip around an elf's neck, and with an effortless yank, he popped the elf's head from his body, pulling out his spine in the process. The headless and spineless body withered into red flakes as Ulak flared his volatile aura.
His zigzag grin widened even more as he turned to face the rest of them.
The fear of Ulak hugged them tightly, but the fear of losing their lives gripped them even tighter. This prompted them to make steady stances, their weapons held forward.
"You know what? Fine," Ulak said with a scoff. "I might as well have some thrill before this vessel collapses in on itself."
And with that, both parties charged at each other.
Ulak's hand swam in volatile energies as he shot at the elves. Heads rolled across the air at a swipe of his hand. He went on to tearing the others apart, limb for limb, cackling sinisterly while at it.
They didn't put up much of a fight, but he relished in his uncanny mutilation—in the warm feel of blood and innards splashing across his dripping body of darkness. Their wails and final breaths were like melodic songs to his ears. Not like he had physical ears anyway.
One elf jumped back whilst bringing her hands together, her lips moving as she hurriedly whispered a spell. Her long blonde hair fluttered widely as Mana sparked betwixt her palms, igniting into a flaring ball of light.
"... Piercing light!" she yelled the last word of the spell, yanking her arms forward.
At the very speed of light, the ball of light elongated into an arrow-head beam that struck Ulak from behind. The latter was this close to lopping another elf's head off when the light beam struck him.
Not only was he blitzed for over fifteen metres away, he shrieked in discordance to the aura of light that the beam carried.
Of course; light and darkness cannot coexist.
But the disparity in power between Ulak and the Light Mage elf was still too vast. The light beam was only able to chip away a part of Ulak's side, which was soon flooded with dripping darkness.
"Stay here with your mother," Alaric ordered Hazel, lifting his broad sword. He didn't let her say a word before he shot at Ulak.
Hazel just sighed and remained in her kneeling position, Achlys's head on her thighs as she sang a spell. Aziel and Powder were also kneeling next to Achlys, and Aziel, being an Invoker, sang along with Hazel.
Ulak got out of his little crater, his flaring eyes arched down as he locked his gaze on the Light Mage. In a bound, he was off, appearing before her in the blink of an eye, his right hand outstretched, ready to grab her head and detach it from her body.
However, what he saw next was a swift glint of light, as Alaric bared down his broad sword with ferocity. One could see sparks of Mana crackling around the sword's blade.
It cut through Ulak's forearm like knife through butter.
Then, in quick succession, Alaric lowered his sword, whilst turning it flat in the air. Without a single moment of rest or breath, he swung the sword at Ulak's torso and might have cut the avatar in half if the latter hadn't thrown himself back at the nick of time.
The force carried along with the swing, birthed a repulsive spurt of air that further distanced Alaric, Ulak, and the blonde Light Mage away from each other.
The Light Mage took more steps back as she went for a passive approach. She knew it'd be suicide to tag along Alaric, who was a belligerent powerhouse. If she was to make a simple mistake and get caught in his clash with Ulak, she'd kiss her wedding day good bye as that would be her last second as a living elf.
She started reciting another spell, channelling a large flow of her Mana.
On the other hand, Alaric had adjusted his weight and gained balance on the ground. Brandishing his broad sword, he shot at Ulak at a flitting speed.
Ulak blocked all his attacks with his hands, that were now covered in darkness. Darkness splashed about like water droplets as Alaric didn't stop striking.
He knew that Ulak was weakened, and if he could cut deep enough, he'd be able to deal a fatal blow.
However, darkness isn't a physical concept that could be cut by a mere broad sword.
Alaric was well aware of this and he flared his Mana, muttering the only spell that worked for him.
A prayer, rather.
"Oh ye blade of Agramorth, I bestow upon you the flare and sheen of the heavens. Cut all that stands in your way!" his cleaving speed didn't falter as he said the prayer.
Then, all of a sudden, he retracted his sword and drove a heavy kick at Ulak, shooting him back for metres.
At that very moment, Alaric Arthedain raised his lofty broad sword on high, yelling with his eyes fixated on Ulak afar off, "Aziel!!!"
Aziel hummed a melancholic song as she stretched her palms towards him, greenish wisps of mana flowing out of her in waves.
They danced around Alaric before sifting into him. His body gleamed a green outline, whilst his eyes flitted a green glow.
The same thing happened to the Light Mage.
She had just buffed them.
Ulak was already in the air, shooting towards Alaric in rage.
Alaric let him get close before swinging down his broad sword with fierceness and ferocity. The air sparked, space rippled...
And that was the end of Ulak.
The sword cleanly cleaved through him, slicing him in half. At the same time, the blonde elf had blasted him with a bigger beam of holy light.
He crumbled into flakes of darkness, that soon faded into nothing.