Finish What We Started

The Duke of the Night ran at the Warlord so fast that Shen and Kelly suddenly found themselves in front of four Night Hunters. These creatures didn't just have superhuman strength and speed; they also had deadly weapons like swords, spears, and huge axes. They hit so hard that there was no chance of making a mistake.

Shen held on to his sword tightly. It was covered in the essence of bloodflowers. This was the only thing they could use to fight these monsters. But it was almost impossible to hit them hard because they were so quick and strong. Two Night Hunters swung their swords at him at the same time. Shen stepped back to avoid the first attack, and he barely missed a spear thrust by crouching to the side. He tried to fight back with his weapon that had bloodflowers on it, but the hunters were too fast and easily dodged his blows.

Kelly shot with her bow from a distance. She shot an arrow at one of the Night Hunters, and it went right through its armor. The monster fell but got back up. Kelly shot another arrow without thinking, and this time it hit the hunter's arm. Shen saw the chance and jumped forward, taking advantage of Kelly's hit. When he stabbed the creature in the chest with his blade, the bloodflowers' power made it scream in pain and fall to the ground.

Shen and Kelly worked together perfectly, taking out their enemies one by one. The Night Hunters, on the other hand, were still more numerous and stronger. As Shen killed one hunter, two more came after him right away. He blocked one blow with his sword, but the other one swung a big axe that sent Shen into a corner. Kelly quickly shot another arrow, which saved him, but the attacks kept coming, and they were both starting to feel overwhelmed.

Kelly had to move back when one of the hunters came at her with a big spear. She had to put her bow down. Another Night Hunter turned its attention to Shen when she fell back, leaving him open to attack. Shen had a hard time stopping the blows that were coming at him. One hunter poked him with a spear, which he barely avoided, and the other hunter drew his sword and was ready to hit him. Shen tried to block, but the attacks were so strong and well-planned that it was almost impossible for him to get away without getting hurt.

At that moment, the Warlord's strong, commanding voice rang out. "Be careful, Shen!" he yelled. He held up a blade made from the essence of pure bloodflower dust. The sword, which was made to fight the Night Hunters, glowed with deadly power. Without thinking, the Warlord threw the sword into the air. It flew through the air like a bolt of lightning and hit two hunters in the chest at once. They screamed in a deep voice before falling to the ground and turning to dust.

But when he found out how much it would cost to save him, he was horrified. The Duke of the Night had closed the distance to the Warlord with terrifying speed. The Duke's sharp claws dug deep into the Warlord's chest, making a huge cut. The Warlord staggered, and blood poured out of the horrible wound.

The Duke laughed and made fun of them. He said, "Weak enough to save another," and dug his claws in even more.

Shen's shriek of pain ripped through the air. He yelled, "No!" but everything were going too fast. The Warlord stayed calm and didn't look away from the Duke, even though he had a deadly wound. He did everything he could to keep the Duke's wrist secure so he couldn't pull away.

The Duke did everything he could to get away, but the Warlord wouldn't let him. The Warlord turned to Shen and said one last thing. His voice was weak, but it was calm. "Thanks, son," he said. "Because of you, I have avenged my family." I can now join them in peace. "Return to the kingdom and finish what we started."

Shen didn't understand what the Warlord was saying at first. But he understood when he looked into the Warlord's determined eyes. The Warlord had made a decision. He whistled as loudly as he could with the last of his strength. The big hawk flew down from the sky and into the hall. The Warlord told Shen and Kelly to get on board with just a look.

Kelly pulled Shen toward the hawk, even though Shen wasn't sure. As they both climbed upon its back [the hawk's back], the Warlord held on to the Duke of the Night. The hawk flapped its strong wings and flew up into the sky, where it took Shen and Kelly to safety.

Shen turned around to stare at the Warlord, and his heart sank when he knew what was about to happen. "He's going to use the bomb..." His voice shook as he whispered. He got what the Warlord was trying to do.

The big bomb that looked like a piece of art in the hall was really a deadly weapon. The Warlord wanted to blow it up, killing the Duke and the other Night Hunters as a last act of sacrifice.

The Warlord put all of his strength into throwing the Duke toward the bomb as the hawk flew higher. The Duke roared in anger when he hit the bomb. There was a pause, and then a loud explosion shook the ground. In a matter of seconds, the whole fortress was on fire and turned to rubble. The hot blast killed the Duke, the Night Hunters, and the Warlord.

Shen and Kelly watched in silence from above, their eyes glued to the damage below. The fortress was gone, its remains burning fiercely, signaling the end of their fight. He felt both sad and victorious. To win a big battle for the realm, the Warlord gave up everything.

Kelly sat next to Shen without saying a word, her face serious. The hawk flew high in the sky, and they both looked down at the fortress that was on fire and thought about how hard it had been to survive.