The two stood off, staring each other down in the silence that followed the slaughter.
"You seem tired," Vanthelis said with a crooked smile, mockery laced in his voice.
Cronus, coated in blood and grime, glared back with eyes full of storm and fury. "Not tired enough to kill you," he growled. "My men are dead because of you."
Vanthelis tilted his head. "If my memory serves me right, you killed them yourself. I just did a little trick."
Cronus's jaw clenched. His fingers closed around the axe at his feet, once wielded by one of the pirates now lying cold on the ground. Lightning crackled around the weapon as he lifted it, arcs of power crawling up his arms. "Your trick's done. Now your dying begins."
He charged.
Vanthelis barely had time to raise his blade. The first clash of steel and lightning rang across the ruined square. Cronus's strength was a storm, every swing of his axe thundering against Vanthelis's defense, rattling bones, and numbing arms. The younger fighter backstepped, then sidestepped, parrying with grit and instinct.
But Cronus was faster than he looked. Faster than Vanthelis expected.
A sweeping blow nearly split him from shoulder to hip. Vanthelis twisted away, the blade grazing his cloak, singing the fabric. He retaliated with a sharp thrust toward Cronus's gut, but the pirate king slapped the strike away with his forearm and followed it with a heavy overhead strike.
Vanthelis dove to the side, his knees hitting stone, then rolled back to his feet just in time to deflect another wild swing.
Sparks flew.
Cronus kept pressing. A hammering combo of two slashes and a kick broke Vanthelis's guard and sent him stumbling. Cronus lunged with a snarl, and Vanthelis barely avoided the axe's blade, his cheek nicked, warm blood trailing down his jaw.
But he didn't falter.
Instead, he slid low, swept Cronus's legs, and slashed upward in one motion. Cronus growled as his thigh opened in a line of blood, but he didn't fall. He staggered back, then roared as lightning surged up his axe once again.
They met in the middle.
Steel rang like bells of war. Sparks erupted where blade met blade, and raw force cracked the stone beneath them. Vanthelis ducked under a wide swing and slashed Cronus across the ribs. The older man howled but grabbed Vanthelis's arm and headbutted him.
Everything spun. Vanthelis hit the ground hard. Cronus loomed, face twisted with blood and rage, and raised his axe high.
Vanthelis kicked his legs out again, forcing Cronus back a step, then rolled and leapt up. His sword came crashing down—Cronus blocked it with the haft of the axe. The two locked, muscles straining, sparks dancing between their weapons.
"You're not bad," Cronus growled, breath heaving. "But you're not good enough."
Vanthelis panted, blood dripping from his brow. "You talk too much."
They broke the lock, each staggering back, gasping, chests rising and falling.
Cronus struck first this time—a powerful diagonal chop that sent a tremor through the ground when it hit stone. Vanthelis dodged, struck back, caught Cronus's shoulder.
The pirate king didn't even flinch.
Another slash—this one connected to Vanthelis's side. He cried out, stumbling, blood soaking his ribs.
Cronus advanced. Vanthelis parried desperately, but he was slowing now. The pain in his side pulsed with every breath.
He countered with a feint, ducked a swing, and cut Cronus's knee. The man grunted and dropped to one leg.
They were both tired. Bleeding. Breathless.
But Cronus still had the strength to kill.
With a roar, Cronus lunged forward with the axe raised high. Vanthelis tried to parry but his arms shook, his body slow. The axe drove forward—
—and pierced into Vanthelis's stomach.
Time slowed.
The world narrowed to pain, hot and consuming. His sword slipped from his fingers. He stared down at the embedded axe. Cronus's face was inches away, snarling, triumphant.
Vanthelis opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He tried to lift his hand. Nothing.
He began to fall.
Then, like lightning splitting the storm—
A blur came from behind.
Ishlar.
With a scream, Ishlar drove his sword through Cronus's neck, the blade cutting clean through muscle and spine. Cronus's eyes widened in disbelief. He tried to speak, but only a gurgle came out.
His head severed, dropped to the ground with a dull thud.
His body fell beside it.
Ishlar didn't waste a second. He dropped to Vanthelis's side, eyes wide with panic. He gripped the axe and yanked it out. Vanthelis gasped, blood pouring from the wound.
Ishlar placed a hand over his friend's chest. The dark energy pulsed from his palm as he channeled a Death Coil. The wound hissed as black magic surged through it, knitting torn flesh together in corrupted healing.
Vanthelis groaned.
Ishlar cradled him, breath shaky. "You idiot… you could've waited for me to fight in your stead."
Vanthelis smiled faintly, his vision blurring.
"I had… faith."
And then, everything went dark.