The stench of blood on the shore had yet to fade. The crew of Empty Mist stood behind Pegwalsge like curses erupting from the ground itself. Each one thirsted for death, each one a silent scream echoing through the stillness.
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Opposing them stood Commander Yuhen, his five naval soldiers, and roughly twenty remaining troops. The air around Yuhen crystallized like steam turning to frost. The ground cracked beneath his feet; water particles turned to ice.
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Pegwalsge stepped forward. The instant his toe touched the earth, a jagged crack spread along the shoreline. His face was expressionless, his eyes deeper than darkness. Yuhen stepped forward too, leaving behind a faint trail of frost as if each step froze memories into the soil.
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"You," said Yuhen, "bring only destruction."
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Pegwalsge lowered his head, a mocking smile on his lips. "No," he replied. "I came to save destruction."
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The first attack came in silence. No scream, no battle cry. Only Xhu incarnate. Both unleashed their Whunai Zenxhus, extending their power to assert dominance.
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Yuhen raised his hand. Ice crystals swirled around his fingers, absorbing moisture to form a great ring, which then turned into a spear hurled at Pegwalsge.
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Pegwalsge didn’t move. His Xhu rippled outward like a wave, turning the spear into black mist before it touched the ground. The air briefly warmed, then chilled again.
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"Xhu can mimic nature," said Pegwalsge. "But how well can you purify it?"
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He conjured black flames in his palm and slammed them to the ground. The earth trembled. Veins of black fire surged from below, spreading across the shore. Soldiers screamed some collapsed to their knees, others shrieked as they burned alive.
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Yuhen lunged forward. Channeling the ice into his legs, he leapt into the air, twisting mid-flight. With both hands he brought down a massive ice axe upon Pegwalsge.
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The clash shattered the stones of the coast. Even Pegwalsge’s crew lowered their heads. The collision split the sky in two: one side pitch black like death, the other crystal clear like ice.
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When the dust cleared, Pegwalsge remained standing. Blood dripped from his shoulder, but what flowed wasn’t merely blood it was pure Xhu, cursed by gods of the underworld. The earth beneath his feet had blackened, the shoreline decaying in retreat.
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“You've given up on death,” Yuhen said, eyes narrowed.
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Pegwalsge's eyes gleamed. “I died long ago.”
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The battle had begun.
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Horozon would have no choice but to bear witness.
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Pegwalsge’s words hovered over the coast like a suspended curse. The waves of Xhu emitted by both sides twisted earth and sky alike. Blood from Pegwalsge’s wounded shoulder hit the ground and cracked the stone it was no longer of this world.
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Then, the true battle began.
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Yuhen signaled. Palir and Shuan rushed forward, heading straight for Pegwalsge. But before they could reach him, Narth’s eyeless face emerged from the dark. His presence alone invaded the mind. Palir froze before drawing his sword, clutching his head too late. Narth’s Norzsa Zenxhu had already pierced the vulnerable spaces of his psyche. Blood poured from his eyes as he collapsed.
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Shuan screamed as he charged. Just as he aimed his blade, Karra appeared behind him like a ghost. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and her Rasa Zenxhu overwhelmed him. Shuan could no longer discern reality and dropped to the ground.
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“Your reality is just the shadow of my dream,” Karra whispered.
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Xhu energy tangled and flared through the battlefield. Eliar and Sennre stood behind Yuhen, hesitant to move forward. But Savael had already slipped between them. His Whunai Zenxhu sent each soldier reeling with unconscious force every touch a soul-rending sob.
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Eizma had chosen Guroa. As he stepped forward shouting, “I do not fear,” Eizma calmly whispered:
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“I'll teach you to forget what fear is.”
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Her eyes turned black as she unleashed her Rasa Zenxhu. In front of Guroa appeared the rotting corpse of his mother, then his own grave, and finally his own lifeless body. Guroa gripped his throat his mind forcing him to dig his own grave.
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Meanwhile, Yuhen and Pegwalsge clashed again.
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Using the Glacial Orb, Yuhen summoned crystal shards from the sky. The waves retreated they refused to touch Pegwalsge.
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“Your Xhu opposes life,” Yuhen said. “Mine is its essence.”
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Pegwalsge smiled. “Essence? Then let me rewrite it.”
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Black stones cracked behind him. Vorun hurled his chain. It wrapped around a soldier’s neck, and when tightened, the bell tolled and the man’s head burst. The Death Bell still rang.
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Yuhen lunged, forming a massive ice spear. Pegwalsge met it with black flames. The flames shattered the spear, but fragments pierced Pegwalsge’s body.
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The reinforcements sent by Aswang had yet to arrive.
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But even if they did, the soul of the war had already been forged.
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Yuhen’s knees buckled. Pegwalsge advanced, his steps echoing betrayal against nature. Stones cracked, shadows shifted, and the gods reflected their wrath.
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Then the sky... finally began to weep.
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Rain fell, dark as blood.
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And the war stepped into a path with no return.
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Crystals from Yuhen’s Glacial assault still echoed in the sky, while Pegwalsge stood unwavering. The wound on his body deepened, but what flowed from it was not blood it was cursed Xhu. The shoreline shriveled beneath him.
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The first sound to pierce the silence was Pegwalsge’s punch.
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Yuhen didn’t dodge. He took the blow to his chest it shook the air behind him. But his eyes showed no fear. He grabbed Pegwalsge by the neck and slammed him to the ground. The earth cracked. Pegwalsge rose with a grin.
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“Are your words finished now?” he asked.
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Yuhen did not reply. He attacked. Each punch carried Xhu's weight, thunderously cracking the ground and dimming the sky. Pegwalsge struck back jaw, ribs, legs. Each hit tore flesh, dulled consciousness.
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Yuhen retaliated. His ice-covered fist split Pegwalsge’s brow. A second hit knocked a tooth loose. But Pegwalsge only laughed. “Death isn’t an answer, Yuhen. And if it is, it won’t answer to me.”
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The fight transcended physical brutality. Their Xhus collided. One of Yuhen’s blows sent Pegwalsge flying. As he hit the ground, Pegwalsge pushed his Xhu into it causing an eruption from below. Shards of rock buried Yuhen’s feet.
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The crew still battled. Karra blinded Shuan without even looking into his eyes. Eliar’s eardrums burst under the pressure of Savael’s overwhelming Xhu. Sennre attacked Savael with his sword, but Savael blocked it with his daggers. Upon contact, Sennre heard the screams of souls the daggers had taken and he began to fear.
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When Yuhen freed himself, Pegwalsge was already there. Their fists met again. Ice and flame clashed. This time, harder. Bones cracked. Flesh tore. Xhu spiraled.
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Pegwalsge landed a final punch to Yuhen’s face. Yuhen slid back, falling to his knees only to rise again, ice forming once more around his body.
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“It’s not over,” said Yuhen. His voice was cold, but carried a volcano inside.
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Blood ran from Pegwalsge’s forehead as he spread his arms.
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“I don’t want it to be.”
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A bolt of lightning split the sky.
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The war had been consecrated with blood, with ice, with flame, and with curse.
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