The Author's POV

Brutus and Prince Kuzma stood facing each other, their eyes locked in a deadly stare.

The air around them crackled with tension as the two of them prepared to engage in battle.

Brutus gripped his massive battle axe tightly, feeling the weight of it in his hand as he eyed the demon warily.

He had thankfully managed to recover his axe moments prior, and without it, things would've been extremely difficult for him.

Fwap!

The Prince spread its wings wide, revealing its imposing height and lanky build. Its eyes glinted with an eerie light, and its lips twisted into a wicked grin.

"I have to admit, I severely underestimated you, Brutus."

Prince Kuzma sneered.

"But that's still far from enough. You'd be delusional if you thought that my city would fall to the likes of you orcs."

Brutus said nothing, but he felt a surge of anger rising within him.

He was already aware of how insidious and scummy demons were, but having experienced them firsthand, he could barely keep his emotions in check.

He knew that the battle ahead would be a difficult one, but he was determined to let him pay the price of trampling all over his honor.

"Khhhaar!"

Without warning, the orc charged forward with a fearsome roar, his axe held high above his head.

Prince Kuzma watched him approach with a look of amusement on his face.

"Don't think that because I previously didn't fight you head on that I'm weaker than you!"

Clank!

A pressurized wind gale formed from the point of contact between the two powerful beings as they fought each other in a fierce battle that resulted in a shower of sparks and a thunderous clash of their weapons.

The loud sound of their clashes was heard all across the land.

BOOOM―! Staggering back a few steps, Brutus felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Swoosh!

He swung his axe with all his might, but Prince Kuzma was too quick, dodging the blow and counterattacking with a flurry of claws that were as hard as his axe.

Clank―!

"Ukh."

Brutus barely managed to block the demon's strikes with his arms, which creaked under the force of the onslaught.

"I noticed this before, but your skin is a lot tougher than I thought!"

Prince Kuzma taunted, his voice dripping with contempt.

Brutus gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching in anger.

He growled.

"You talk too much."

Clank―!

He swung his axe down, and sparks flew in the air.

Claaaank―!

battle raged on, the two exchanged blows with savage intensity. Their weapons

"Argh!"

aiming for the Prince's midsection. The Prince was able to evade the blow, but

"Ahkkkh!"

his black blood spilling onto the ground. Touching the ground, the land where his blood

"Y... you..."

of demonic energy. The attack was swift and powerful, sending

Boom―!

the ground; his armor dented, and his

he struggled to stand up, Prince Kuzma

He snarled.

should have stayed down when you

feet,

"Again..."

He growled.

"You talk too much."

demon laughed in a cold

"So be it."

Clank―!

so the battle continued, with Brutus and Prince Kuzma locked in a deadly

heading toward a stalemate, a sudden cracking sound echoed from the distance, and the two of them came to a halt

quickly fell,

C..Craack!

begun to appear and were gradually growing wider with each passing second, intertwining with each other like the thin threads of a

with their shields and weapons drawn, the demons

"Karum!"

cries reverberated throughout the land, and a

Craack!

and the expression

from the barrier and looked back at

miss his

eyes on

"Wh―"

Swoosh!

until the axe was

"Eh, ah!?"

turned around and brought his wings in front of

his body toward the ground, where it slammed

Boom―!

to follow up with his attack as his feet came crashing against the

one of his steps, and when he finally materialized in front of the bewildered Prince, he raised

Swoosh!

around

Prince Kuzma's expression changed drastically, and demonic energy erupted out of his body and covered every

it was too

BOOOM―!

to the ground, a cacophony

know what had just happened as

a broken toy, Prince Kuzma lay on the ground with all of his limbs facing different

"Uhhh."

as a thin layer of demonic energy encircled his body and began to

Rumble―!

only one step, Brutus reached the Prince

more, the icy

"N… no."

to struggle, but

far

Swoosh!

directly over his

Smack!