The air was cold, the sun covered by a thick mist, the battlefield smeared in deep red, yet more lives were still being taken.
The humans were winning.
They had drawn the vampire numbers down from high hundreds, to just a couple hundred left.
As the fight grew more in their favor, Rael shifted his eyes onto a lone vampire, one staring at him with murderous intent.
He knew this vampire knows who he is, yet the stare was one of a certain man, a man certain of victory.
However, something was off about his stare, it was as if the stare wasn't his own, but someone that had reached farther heights than he himself.
That is what made Rael turn around on that fateful day of war.
That one lone stare changed the tide of the siege itself.
…..
"What is your purpose?" Rael questions.
"Disposal of the great Rael Hael." Jenk responds.
"I can tell from here you're a great warrior, what is your name... I wish to remember it after I kill you." Rael asks in a serious tone.
This makes Jenk laugh.
"You know, you've beaten my students before... both of them." Jenk laughs again.
"You can remember me as The Sword King, the strongest to ever roam this realm."
…..
It was an explosion of pure mana.
That is all that can be said to describe the phenomenon that took over the battlefield.
It made everyone, human and vampire alike, turn in awe.
Both Jenk and Rael had unleashed their full power, allowing the mana to run wild.
The beacon of mana was so dense and pure, it had broken through the mist, forming its own cloud to eat away at the sky.
…..
The high priest that stood beside Rael hadn't even turned their head.
Their eyes stood facing forward onto the battlefield, not even a gust of wind could so much make them brush against them.
…..
By the time both Rael and Jenk had finished showing off, the gaze of the battlefield was on them.
Just about every soldier on the field had stopped to watch as their beacon of mana slowly turned in a bubble surrounding the two, allowing no sight onto what would take place then on.
…..
"I hope you're ready, sir hero." Jenk mocks, his legs shifting into his signature combat stance.
"I pray you'll keep up, I haven't had a good fight in a while." Rael responds, laughing as he pulls his hammer off his back.
It was a two handed great hammer, its size was just a bit smaller than Rael himself, who stood at almost seven feet tall, while his body was around three feet in width of pure muscle.
With this, Jenk reaches for his sheathe, grabbing the handle of his tachi.
"What a pathetic weapon." Rael mocks.
"A weapon is only as good as its user, old fool." Jenk responds, appearing in front of Rael.
Rael slams his hammer into the ground, the engravings on the head glow golden yellow as the ground bursts open, dirt and stone flying everywhere.
Jenk takes this chance, utilizing illusion magic he makes himself disappear and reappear multiple times, confusing Rael into believing there's multiple of Jenk.
"Illusion magic? How pathetic." Rael laughs.
"Wrong, it's speed." Jenk responds, slashing at Rael's left calf, bouncing off from his armor.
"So weak." Rael says condescendingly, snapping his fingers as a golden haze explodes around him, blasting Jenk backwards.
However, Jenk was unscathed, as Rael turns to see he's disappeared once more.
"What kind of sword master runs around like an assassin?" Rael questions.
"The kind that lives to be a sword master." Jenk responds, lunging forward from Rael's right side.
As Rael swings his hammer straight towards Jenk's head, Jenk disappears behind Rael, taking two slashes at his back, carving two lines into his armor.
"I see... I'll get serious then." Rael says, his tone more serious now.
He would then begin to glow, his entire body now surrounded in a golden haze.
"This is my hero's blessing, granted to me by our god, try to keep up-"
"Enough, you yapping dog." Jenk cuts Rael off, appearing in front of him and slashing at his chest, carving a huge gash onto his armor.
Rael's face darkens.
He was furious, to be caught off guard by a race he deems inferior to himself.
His pride got in the way as he smashed his hammer into the ground once more, this time, however, erupting a much bigger explosion, digging a crater into the ground as Jenk is propelled into the air.
Finding his way to rubble that had flown into the sky alongside him, Jenk jumps off a large piece, bolting straight towards Rael, his blade ready to stab straight through him.
"This is for my stude-" Jenk gets cut off as a beam of pure black and purple colored magic makes a quarter sized hole straight through the side of his chest, just barely missing his heart.
Jenk collapses to the ground, coughing out blood.
It was the high priest that stood beside Rael just moments ago.
"Rael, you seem to be struggling." It was the voice of a woman.
"Stay out of my fight, Zuriel." Rael responds.
"My my, don't get angry at me now... remember your place." Zuriel responds, making Rael shudder.
"...You... It's you... damn witch..." Jenk coughs out in agony.
"What did you do with Cain... and all the others that went with him."
"They're gone, my dear Jenk." Zuriel responds.
"But oh... I suppose I am interrupting, so please do continue, it was quite an entertaining fight."
"I'll kill you." Jenk spits out in anger, his entire demeanor unusual to himself, he was serious for the first time in a long time.
"Your fight is with me, bastard." Rael chimes in, stepping forward towards Jenk.
Jenk slowly stands up, his legs shaking for a couple moments before he finally stabilizes himself.
Breathing in and out slowly, Jenk takes heavy breaths, taking his one chance to recuperate himself.
"Then you'll be first." Jenk finally responds, his stance different now.
"You're going to stab me from all the way over-"
It was in the blink of an eye, if at all..
Within just a fraction of a second, as if moving at light speed, Jenk had pierced straight through Rael's stomach, his sword sticking all the way through and out the other side of his body.
Rael was confused, his body hurt, even though the blade sticking inside of him was small compared to his massive body.
"I told you, you will be first." Jenk says, pulling his blade out of Rael's body.
Just as he does so, however, Rael grabs Jenk.
His entire hand wringing around Jenk's bicep like a snake.
Jenk shudders, realizing what's about to happen, moments before Rael squeezes.
His entire arm is crushed by Rael's immensely strong grip.
Regaining composure, Jenk begins stabbing his sword into Rael relentlessly, perhaps frantically, but just after a couple stabs go through, Rael wraps his entire hand around Jenk's head.
"Damnit." Jenk manages to get out, moments before his head cracks open and explodes in between Rael's hands.