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 showers of sparks

"Argh!"

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

"Ahkkkh!"

roared in pain, his black blood spilling onto the

"Y... you..."

The attack was swift and powerful,

Boom―!

ground; his

to stand up, Prince Kuzma approached him, his eyes blazing with

He snarled.

when you had the chance,

feet, clutching

"Again..."

He growled.

"You talk too much."

laughed in a cold and

"So be it."

Clank―!

locked in a

as the situation between the two of them appeared to be steadily heading toward a stalemate, a sudden cracking sound echoed from

expression quickly fell, and

C..Craack!

the barrier that surrounded the city, cracks had begun to appear and were gradually growing wider with each passing

thousands of orcs lined up outside the barrier with their shields and weapons drawn, the demons that

"Karum!"

reverberated throughout the land, and a formidable power erupted from

Craack!

barrier, and

back at Prince Kuzma, who seemed to be

miss

your eyes

"Wh―"

Swoosh!

wasn't until the axe was only a few centimeters away from him that Prince Kuzma

"Eh, ah!?"

and brought his

The force of the impact hurled his body toward the ground, where it slammed

Boom―!

his feet came crashing against the ground, and he ran toward

when he finally materialized in front of the bewildered Prince, he raised his axe once more

Swoosh!

itself apart and twisted itself around the axe, which

and at the same time, Prince Kuzma's expression changed drastically, and

was too

BOOOM―!

a cacophony of cracking sounds resounded throughout

what had just happened as Prince Kuzma's

it his wings, his legs, or his arms… They were all broken, and like a broken toy, Prince Kuzma lay on the ground with all of his limbs

"Uhhh."

as a thin layer of demonic energy encircled his body and began to slowly heal his wounds; however, it

Rumble―!

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

more, the icy look that he gave him

"N… no."

tried to

was far

Swoosh!

about to land directly over his core and kill him

Smack!