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―!

Their weapons clashed and

"Argh!"

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

"Ahkkkh!"

Prince roared in pain, his black blood spilling onto the

"Y... you..."

Prince Kuzma unleashed a powerful blast of demonic energy. The attack was swift and powerful, sending Brutus

Boom―!

the ground; his armor dented,

Prince Kuzma approached him, his eyes

He snarled.

have stayed down when you had the chance,

rose to his feet, clutching his battle axe

"Again..."

He growled.

"You talk too much."

a cold and chilling

"So be it."

Clank―!

continued, with Brutus and Prince Kuzma locked in a deadly struggle that seemed to

situation between the two of them appeared to be steadily heading toward a stalemate, a sudden

Kuzma's expression quickly fell,

C..Craack!

and were gradually growing wider with each passing second, intertwining with each

of orcs lined up outside the barrier with their

"Karum!"

war cries reverberated throughout the land, and a formidable

Craack!

the barrier, and the expression of

took his gaze away from the barrier and looked back

miss

eyes on the

"Wh―"

Swoosh!

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

"Eh, ah!?"

around and

the impact hurled his body toward the ground, where

Boom―!

up with his attack as his feet came crashing against the ground, and he ran toward where Prince Kuzma

ground shook with each one of his steps, and when he finally materialized in front of the bewildered Prince, he raised his axe once more and

Swoosh!

and twisted itself around the axe,

was unlike anything else, and at the same time, Prince Kuzma's

it was

BOOOM―!

ground, a cacophony of cracking

to know what had just happened

legs, or his arms… They were all broken, and like a broken toy,

"Uhhh."

heaved a heavy breath of air as a thin layer of demonic energy encircled his body

Rumble―!

one step, Brutus reached the Prince and was

the Prince of Kuzma saw him raise his axe once more, the icy

"N… no."

tried to struggle,

far

Swoosh!

was about to land directly over his core and kill him

Smack!