The dark being had struck down two of the celestials, leaving them gravely wounded but not defeated. I watched as, with great effort, they tried to stand back up to resume their attack.
And it seemed that nothing escaped this creature's attention; it noticed that Aelira, Nymira, and the other celestial warrior, Lyastra, were quickly joining the assault alongside Thalvion and Kaedor, who, somewhat recovered, rose into the air to try once again.
For a brief moment, I thought the combined power of all of them might make a difference. However, before they could reach him, the dark being muttered something under his breath, his voice barely audible amidst the chaos, as if he were conjuring something.
From the ground, three infernal beings began to emerge, as if they had been ripped straight from the depths of the underworld.
Their bodies were engulfed in dark flames, surrounded by a mist of chaos that distorted their forms. They appeared humanoid but had twisted horns, long sharp claws, and blazing eyes that radiated pure malice. As they advanced, they left a trail of ashes behind them.
Aelira, Nymira, and Lyastra were forced to stop in their tracks at the sight of these creatures. They were powerful enough to face them, and for a moment, their advance was blocked as they tried to contain these infernal beings.
As long as those creatures remained, the three warriors would be trapped in that fight.
At that moment, the dark being turned his attention toward Thalvion and Kaedor. The two Aasimar charged at him with all the strength of their celestial powers, their swords shining with a purifying light that, for a moment, seemed to level the playing field.
I could see some of their light attacks wounding the dark being, as if the purification magic truly affected him. Eldrek had hit the mark with that hypothesis—I could actually see that kind of magic harmed him.
Lyris and I did our best to get close to Eldrek to regroup, but the creatures surrounding us wouldn't let us get near enough to help. The relentless beasts blocked our path again and again, and the other colossal ones thwarted every attempt to intervene.
Thalvion and Kaedor fought on, their swords of light holding against the onslaught of that corrupt energy. But then the dark being drew his sword. It was a dark blade, wrapped in the same chaotic energy that surrounded him. The battle between them intensified, and the three exchanged blows at a blinding speed.
Despite the combined efforts of Thalvion and Kaedor, the dark being's strength was overwhelming. I watched, helpless, as after a brief yet fierce exchange, the dark being managed to land a fatal blow on Thalvion. His body was thrown to the ground, and the celestial light that enveloped him began to fade slowly.
Kaedor, full of fury and despair, tried to keep fighting. I could feel his determination from where I stood, but it wasn't long before the dark being struck him down as well.
With two swift and devastating blows, I saw Kaedor fall beside Thalvion. And with him, the hope that the Aasimar might stop that monstrosity vanished into the air.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aelira, stunned by what had happened. Still, with a resolve only she seemed to possess, she coordinated her attacks with Nymira and Lyastra, launching a fierce assault against the infernal beings.
It was a brutal battle, but together they managed to combine their attacks, unleashing a ferocious burst of light that struck the creatures directly. It was enough to destroy them. It hadn't been easy, and they had exhausted a good deal of their mana.
Without missing a beat, Aelira firmly ordered Nymira to go help Lyris and me, as we were being relentlessly attacked by creatures lunging at us one after another. Meanwhile, Aelira and Lyastra prepared to face the dark being.
I saw them soar through the air with determination. When they finally landed in front of the abomination, Aelira looked at her fallen celestial companions with pain, then, with a fierceness I had rarely seen, she directed her gaze at the being who had defeated them.
Zhavros, who was further away, eliminating hordes of creatures alongside Eldrek and other allied warriors, suddenly noticed something that I, too, could see from my position: Aelira was preparing to confront the dark being head-on.
Without a second thought, I saw him launch himself towards her, ready to help. But just at that moment, Grimmor appeared in his path, mounted on his enormous and ferocious beast. Zhavros halted immediately, and his gaze hardened. He knew that the urgency to reach Aelira was now sidelined; Grimmor was an opponent he could not ignore.
I could see the expression on Zhavros's face as he recognized him. I myself had heard the story of how Grimmor had been present in the attack on a village some time ago, along with other beings.
Anger began to build within Zhavros, like a fire slowly igniting, and shadows started swirling around him. I knew right away he was ready to attack.
But then Grimmor, with his usual arrogance and a smug grin, spoke to him as if facing an old acquaintance.
"Well, if it isn't the great Zhavros, half-human, half-shadow elemental. You're famous, did you know that? No one understands how you managed to regain your powers… even I'm intrigued. Come on, tell me, how did you do it?"
I saw Zhavros's jaw tighten, and fury reflected in his eyes. He responded with a deep voice, loaded with hatred:
"I'm not telling you jack!" He began to levitate in front of Grimmor, dark magic surrounding his hands.
"Oooh, feisty," Grimmor replied, keeping that mocking grin that made him even more infuriating.
Suddenly, Grimmor lifted a finger, pointing to something beside Zhavros, as if this were all just a game to him.
"Relax... I won't be your opponent… they will."
Zhavros turned, and at that moment, I saw his eyes widen. Before him stood the seven shadow elementals, the very same ones who not only stripped him of his powers in the past but also killed his parents.
Zhavros's expression changed drastically, but alongside it, there was also a kind of restrained helplessness. He knew what he was up against.
Grimmor let out a hearty laugh, clearly enjoying the situation.
"You're in for a real battle, hybrid."
From where I stood, I saw Eldrek react immediately. He ran as fast as he could to help Zhavros, knowing these beings had the same abilities as him. I couldn't help but feel a mixture of anguish and despair as I watched the situation worsen by the second.
I watched them charge at him with everything they had. The shadows around him swirled, unleashing a storm of illusions and defenses.
Zhavros, with a contained fury that could be felt in the air, moved with lethal precision, manipulating the darkness as if it were an extension of his own body. He would disappear and reappear in a blink, confusing the elementals as the shadows transformed into deadly weapons under his control.
The seven shadow elementals, sharing the same abilities, were not to be outdone. Hidden in the darkness, they launched synchronized attacks, trying to corner Zhavros with traps and dark spells. But Zhavros did not relent.
Eldrek supported him from a distance, raising earth walls and launching massive boulders to stop the elementals. Zhavros, though wounded, kept pushing forward, striking harder with each blow he received.
One elemental attempted to trap him in a prison of shadows, but Zhavros unleashed an explosion of dark energy that shattered it to pieces. Its body disintegrated into the blackness, leaving only a trace of dust.
After taking down the first one, the rest began to attack him more strategically, complicating things and inflicting serious injuries. Eldrek tried to assist from afar, but it wasn't enough. Zhavros was starting to falter, his breaths ragged. It was then that he distanced himself from them and began to chant something.
When he finished the incantation, he glared at them with hatred and said bluntly, "For my life, I will destroy every one of you." His image began to change, his face elongating slightly, his eyes turning white, and marks started spreading across his body, a kind of engraving illuminated by an intense blue, as if they were infused with magical energy.
After the transformation, he lunged forward with such fury that it seemed the spell had vastly increased his abilities.
Each one of them fell, but not without a fight. Zhavros eliminated them one by one, each death more brutal than the last. One elemental he crushed by surrounding it with shadows until its body was completely pulverized; another he impaled with a dark spear that erupted from the ground, impaling it as an agonizing scream escaped its lips.
The fight with the last elemental was the fiercest. This one, aware of Zhavros's fury, attacked with greater ferocity, mirroring each of his moves. But he was no longer just a skilled warrior; he was a storm of pure hatred.
The shadows around him thickened, and with a roar, he charged at it, dragging it to the ground with brutal force. He struck it repeatedly, with a violence so intense that even I, from a distance, could feel the cruelty in each blow.
Finally, Zhavros lifted it from the ground with one hand, encasing it in a mass of darkness that slowly crushed it, savoring each second of its agony.
The elemental tried to resist, but it couldn't. With a final scream, its body was reduced to dust under the pressure of the shadows, and Zhavros let it fall lifeless to the ground. The last of his parents' killers had fallen.
Eldrek said nothing, merely watching from a few steps away, understanding what this meant to him.
Zhavros, exhausted and covered in wounds, dropped to his knees, returning to his normal form. He was breathing heavily, but I could see the satisfaction on his face. He had won, and he had avenged his family in a brutal and definitive way.
"Zhavros!" Nymira's voice echoed above the chaos. Turning, I saw her, standing over the corpse of a creature she had just slain. Her smile was radiant, triumphant, as she raised her arms, celebrating both her victory and Zhavros's.
He, barely managing a smile, raised his thumb in a gesture of triumph, his body visibly exhausted. But even though he was on the brink of collapse, he had overcome his enemies, and he had done it in a way no one would ever forget.
And then, I witnessed one of the most horrifying things I will never be able to forget. Grimmor, with unexpected swiftness, lunged at Nymira without her noticing.
I barely had time to process it when I saw him draw a magical sword and slash her back with a deep, fatal cut. Nymira, who just a second before had been smiling, let out a gasp of pain, her eyes wide with shock.
Grimmor's sword did more than just cut; it seemed to carry a deeper malice, perhaps a poison, as I saw her skin begin to pale almost immediately.
Grimmor, now without his beast, which had succumbed to the wounds Lyris and I had inflicted, laughed maliciously, savoring the suffering he had caused.
His gaze met Zhavros's, and the hatred between them was unmistakable. But Grimmor, coward that he was, took a few steps back and began to run, fleeing the scene without facing the consequences of his attack.
Nymira, stunned and in pain, lost the strength in her legs and began to fall to the ground. Zhavros, with a devastated and fatigued expression, threw himself towards her before she could hit the ground, holding her in his arms.
Zhavros fell to his knees on the blood-soaked ground, with Nymira in his arms. The battlefield stretched around them, but for him, everything else had disappeared.
He saw only her small, fragile body, covered in wounds that wouldn't stop bleeding. Nymira's breathing was erratic, each breath a painful effort, and her skin, normally vibrant, was becoming paler and colder.
Life was slipping away from her, and Zhavros knew it.