The golden sword surged through the hall like a star cutting across the darkness.
The Dragon Flames roared around the blade.
The energy accumulated over those seconds seemed ready to burst in every direction.
I couldn't miss.
Not after everything we had faced.
Not after the days of battle.
Not after the soldiers who had fallen so we could make it this far.
Vaelthor sensed the danger.
His expression changed completely.
For the first time since the beginning of that confrontation, he abandoned his arrogant demeanor.
Now there was seriousness in his eyes.
Seriousness and urgency.
He gathered all the demonic energy he still possessed.
Shadows began to concentrate around his sword.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
The walls trembled.
The air grew heavy.
Then he attacked.
Our strikes met.
The impact was so violent that the entire hall seemed to stop for an instant.
A gigantic explosion shook the fortress.
The remaining pillars shattered.
The black stained-glass windows exploded into thousands of fragments.
A shockwave swept through every nearby chamber.
Even outside, the soldiers had surely felt it.
For a few seconds, I remained locked in that clash of power.
Pushing.
Resisting.
Trying to move forward.
Vaelthor was doing exactly the same.
The Dragon Flames collided with the demonic energy.
Golden light and darkness clashed.
Neither of them gave way.
Then I heard Scarlett's voice.
"Takumi!"
Right after that came the others.
"Finish him!" Rai'kanna shouted.
"We're with you!" Elara said.
"Don't back down now!" Vespera called.
Lyannis enhanced my attributes once again.
Liriel kept the purification active without stopping for even a single second.
Their energy reached me.
Not only through magic.
But through trust.
Through determination.
Through the certainty that I wasn't fighting alone.
I tightened my grip on the sword.
Then I pushed forward.
The golden blade slowly began forcing Vaelthor's sword back.
The general's face tensed.
For the first time, he was truly being overpowered.
The demonic energy began to lose ground.
The shadows retreated.
The light advanced.
Centimeter by centimeter.
Second by second.
Until it finally happened.
A crack appeared in the black sword.
Small.
But visible.
Vaelthor's eyes widened.
He noticed it too.
The crack grew larger.
Then another appeared.
And another.
Until the entire weapon began to break apart.
"Impossible."
It was the first time I heard uncertainty in his voice.
Then the demonic sword shattered.
The explosion that followed illuminated the entire hall.
Vaelthor was hurled backward.
His body crashed through several already weakened walls.
Stones fell everywhere.
Dust engulfed the surroundings.
For a few seconds, no one could see anything.
I was breathing heavily.
My body was exhausted.
The blessing had ended.
My mana was nearly depleted.
Even so, I remained standing.
Watching the cloud of dust.
Waiting.
Because it wasn't over yet.
When the dust finally began to settle, we saw Vaelthor once again.
He was still alive.
Wounded.
But alive.
Parts of his armor had been destroyed.
Dark blood flowed from several wounds.
His breathing was heavy.
Even so, he still held the broken sword.
Scarlett let out a quiet sigh.
"He's far too durable."
"That's a problem."
Vespera replied.
Vaelthor looked at all of us.
Then he began laughing again.
A quiet laugh.
A weary one.
But still filled with pride.
"Now I understand."
No one answered.
He planted the broken sword into the ground.
"You truly managed to wound me."
His voice was weaker.
But still steady.
"Humans have changed."
Liriel remained silent.
Rai'kanna spun her axe.
Elara remained ready to cast magic.
No one intended to lower their guard.
Especially not now.
Vaelthor looked at us once again.
"For centuries."
He took a deep breath.
"The demons have always been superior."
A new wave of energy began to rise around him.
Smaller than before.
But still dangerous.
"But you have changed."
My eyes remained fixed on him.
I already knew.
He was preparing his final attempt.
His final attack.
His last resort.
And he would probably pour everything into that single charge.
That was exactly what happened.
The remaining demonic energy began to be absorbed into his own body.
The shadows disappeared from the surroundings.
Concentrating only around Vaelthor.
His wounds began bleeding even more.
It was a desperate technique.
A suicidal technique.
Even Lyannis noticed.
"He's consuming his own life force."
Scarlett narrowed her eyes.
"So we've really reached the end."
The general's body began to emit an intense black aura.
But now there was something different.
Instability.
Loss of control.
Desperation.
He was betting everything.
Because he had no other options left.
Vaelthor pointed the broken sword at us.
"Come."
It was only one word.
But it carried all of his determination.
I charged.
The girls charged with me.
The final battle had begun.
There were no strategies.
There were no tests.
There was no caution.
All of us knew that this was the decisive moment.
Scarlett unleashed lightning.
Elara used cutting winds.
Vespera fired enchanted arrows.
Rai'kanna attacked head-on.
Lyannis provided magical support.
Liriel maintained the purification.
And I advanced through the center.
Vaelthor fought like a cornered man.
Because that was exactly what he had become.
Even wounded.
Even worn down.
Even weakened.
He remained dangerous.
His strikes still carried enough power to kill any one of us.
That was why the battle remained intense.
Violent.
Relentless.
But now there was one important difference.
He could no longer dominate the fight.
He could no longer control its pace.
He could no longer force us backward.
With every exchange of blows.
With every passing second.
With every coordinated attack.
Vaelthor became slower.
More exhausted.
More wounded.
Until, at last, an opening appeared.
Small.
Brief.
But enough.
One of Vespera's arrows diverted his attention.
A bolt of Scarlett's lightning struck his side.
Rai'kanna forced him to block.
Elara limited his movement.
Liriel weakened his energy.
Lyannis increased my speed.
And at that moment, I saw it.
The opportunity.
The opening we had been searching for since the very beginning.
I gripped my sword with both hands.
I channeled every bit of my remaining energy.
All of it.
Holding nothing back.
The Dragon Flames erupted once more.
Smaller than before.
But still powerful.
Vaelthor noticed.
He tried to react.
He tried to move.
He tried to block.
But it was already too late.
I charged.
The sword crossed the distance between us.
The strike pierced his chest.
For one instant, everything fell silent.
Absolute silence.
Then the energy exploded.
Golden light consumed the hall.
The flames engulfed the First General's body.
Liriel's purification struck him at the same time.
The other spells as well.
The full power of the group was unleashed in that single instant.
Vaelthor's eyes widened.
His body began to slowly dissolve.
Black particles drifted away from him.
Carried by the wind.
Like ashes disappearing into the air.
He looked at me.
For the last time.
There was no more anger.
No more arrogance.
Only acceptance.
"So..."
His voice was fading.
"So this is how it ends."
No one answered.
He looked at the sky visible through the destroyed ceiling.
Then he closed his eyes.
And disappeared.
Completely.
The First Demon General had been defeated.
Silence filled the hall.
For a few seconds, no one moved.
No one spoke.
Perhaps because it was difficult to believe.
Difficult to understand.
Difficult to accept that it was finally over.
Then I felt my legs give out.
The sword slipped from my hand.
I fell to my knees.
Completely exhausted.
Out of mana.
Out of strength.
Just breathing.
Scarlett was the first to approach.
"We did it."
Rai'kanna smiled.
"Finally."
Elara sat down among the rubble.
Vespera let out a long sigh.
Lyannis closed her eyes for a few seconds.
Liriel smiled faintly.
I looked at all of them.
Then at the place where Vaelthor had disappeared.
And finally, I understood.
The war was not over yet.
The Demon King still existed.
Other enemies were still waiting for us.
But one thing was certain.
On that day.
In that fortress.
On that battlefield.
The First Demon General had fallen.
And the first great victory of the Allied Nations had finally been won.