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―!

on, the two exchanged blows with savage intensity. Their weapons clashed and rang out, sending

"Argh!"

swung his axe again, this time aiming for the Prince's midsection. The Prince was able to evade

"Ahkkkh!"

blood spilling onto the ground.

"Y... you..."

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

Boom―!

crashed to the ground; his armor

up, Prince Kuzma approached him, his eyes blazing

He snarled.

should have stayed down when you

his feet, clutching

"Again..."

He growled.

"You talk too much."

demon laughed in a

"So be it."

Clank―!

Kuzma locked in a deadly

two of them appeared to be steadily heading toward a stalemate, a sudden cracking sound echoed from the distance, and the two

Kuzma's expression quickly fell,

C..Craack!

appear and were gradually growing wider with each passing

of orcs lined up outside the barrier with their shields and

"Karum!"

the land, and a formidable power erupted from

Craack!

crack formed on the barrier, and the expression of the

back at Prince Kuzma, who seemed to be distracted

didn't miss

eyes on the

"Wh―"

Swoosh!

hurled in the Prince's way, and it wasn't until the axe was only a few

"Eh, ah!?"

panic, he turned around and brought

the impact hurled his body toward the ground, where it slammed into the surface and

Boom―!

crashing against the

front of the bewildered Prince, he raised his axe once

Swoosh!

apart and twisted itself around

axe was unlike anything else, and at the same time, Prince Kuzma's expression changed drastically, and demonic energy erupted out of his body and covered every inch of

it was

BOOOM―!

came crashing to the ground, a cacophony of cracking

need to see it to know what had just happened

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

"Uhhh."

body and began to slowly heal his wounds; however, it was already far too late

Rumble―!

one step, Brutus reached the Prince and was able to look down on

more, the icy look that he gave him

"N… no."

to

far too

Swoosh!

axe came crashing down, and just as it was about to land directly over his core and kill him instantly, a thin hand

Smack!