The commander, standing on his feet and getting into his fighting stance, said to Valkyrie,
"I will kill you even if it means I have to sacrifice my soul."
Valkyrie replied, her voice cold and condescending,
"You are nothing but a soul in a dead body. You cannot match my power. Surrender now and become my servant."
The commander's eyes narrowed with defiance.
"I'd rather die than be your servant."
Furious, Valkyrie struck the commander. He tried to block the attack, but the force sent him flying across the castle Hall .
On the verge of death, the commander whispered a final prayer.
"Save those innocent souls from dying at the hands of this monster. For the innocent people… for the innocent souls that live in my heart… for humanity… save this mere being."
As he prayed, the commander noticed a mark glowing on his hand. His eyes widened in realization.
"A blessing from the gods?" he muttered, then paused as he sensed its nature.
"Blessing of darkness…? Out of all blessings, that's not what I expected. It should have been the blessing of justice… or life," he said, his tone filled with confusion.
Valkyrie, watching him, noticed the mark as well. Without a word, she launched a sudden attack.
But this time, the commander blocked her strike with ease, the power of the blessing pushing Valkyrie back.
Valkyrie's face twisted in rage.
"This time, I will show no mercy."
The commander tightened his stance once more.
"Come."
And the battle began.
The commander took the lead, launching a swift attack. Valkyrie dodged skillfully. She countered with a sword strike, then followed with a surprise magic arrow from behind.
The commander blocked the sword with his hand and deflected the arrow using his blade, then delivered a sharp kick to Valkyrie's gut, sending her flying.
Without holding back, Valkyrie unleashed her divine magic.
Suddenly, time froze around the commander. Five slashes tore through the air in his direction.
Valkyrie thought the battle was over. But when she looked back, she trembled slightly in shock.
The commander had dodged four of the slashes and blocked the fifth. Standing tall without a single scratch, he spoke,
"Power of time… you have the blessing of time, right?"
Valkyrie did not answer. Instead, she charged her sword with all her power and struck.
The commander, summoning all his strength, charged as well.
Their swords clashed, releasing sonic waves powerful enough to shatter mountains. Yet, the castle walls suffered only damage—protected by ancient magic that absorbed destruction.
With each clash, they poured their powers into their blades.
In the end, Valkyrie's sword shattered.
Before she could react, the commander slashed her hand, then grabbed her with a chain and hurled her into the castle wall, breaking through it.
Still trying to fight, Valkyrie threw a punch. The commander blocked it and delivered a powerful uppercut, sending her flying upwards. But before she could collide with the castle's roof, he pulled her down with his chain.
With a final strike, he stabbed her in the heart—ending the battle.
After the Battle
The commander, standing over Valkyrie's lifeless body, spoke to himself.
"This power is granted by the God of Darkness… I never expected to get help from this god, out of all gods. Looks like myths are just myths after all. The God of Darkness is not a bad or evil god like they say."
Raising his sword to the sky, he declared,
"I serve my loyalty to the God of Darkness, and I will fight by His side forever—till my death."
At Headquarters
Far away, in the hidden sanctum, Shadow felt the surge of the prayer. He knew—he had gained a new ally.
Somewhere in the Forest
Amid the corpses of humans and demons, a shadowy figure sat in silence…
"They said if I kill those humans and demons, and bring them the artifact… they will free @# @#$@#$r."
To be continued…