[ Black Fire and Water’s Requiem ]

[ The Depths of Desperation ]

The tunnels were suffocating.

A vast underground cavern stretched before them, its ceiling lined with jagged stalactites. Streams of crystal-clear watersnaked through the rocky terrain, their surfaces shimmering under the dim glow of bioluminescent fungi.

And then, at the entrance—

A nightmare made of fire.

Malakar stepped into the tunnels, his body wreathed in searing flames. His blazing sword scraped against the cavern walls, leaving molten scars wherever it touched.

[Malakar, voice dripping with contempt]: "Pathetic. Do you really think hiding underground will save you?"

[Raine, tightening his grip on his sword]: "It's not hiding. It's a trap."

With a flick of his hand, Malakar sent a firestorm roaring toward them.

[Lyra, desperate]: "Water magic! Now!"

A dozen mages raised their staffs, chanting in unison. The underground river rose, forming a massive wave that clashed against Malakar's flames.

Steam exploded outward, filling the cavern.

For a brief moment, everything was silent.

Then—

Malakar laughed.

[Malakar, grinning]: "You truly don't understand, do you?"

His flames did not go out.

Instead, they burned hotter.

His body absorbed the water's energy, twisting it into something even worse—black fire.

[Malakar, eyes glowing with fury]: "For I, the King of Flames, will not be defeated by mere water!"

[Raine, heart pounding]: "That's… not possible."

The fire around Malakar's body shifted, turning into an infernal black blaze that burned without consuming anything.

[Malakar, voice booming]: "You BETA players must die by my flames! It is an order from the GOD!"

With a single step, Malakar rushed forward.

The heat was unbearable.

Players screamed as their armor melted, their flesh charred, their very souls feeling as if they were burning alive.

[Soren, barely standing]: "We can't keep this up! We need more water magic!"

[Raine, voice tight]: "No. Water alone won't work anymore."

A different kind of magic was needed.

The Black Magic Tome in Raine's hands whispered to him.

It pulsed with forbidden knowledge, urging him to use its power.

[Raine, hesitating]: "If I use this…"

[Lyra, breathless]: "What choice do we have?!"

Raine closed his eyes.

For the first time, he tried something insane. Something no one had ever attempted.

He combined Black Magic with Water Magic.

The cavern shook.

Dark, writhing tendrils of abyssal energy fused with the underground river. The once-clear water turned pitch black, swirling with malevolent energy.

[Malakar, eyes narrowing]: "What… is this?"

[Raine, voice like a whisper]: "Abyssal Flood."

The blackened water surged forward, crashing into Malakar like a tidal wave.

His black flames flickered, weakening as the abyssal magic ate away at his fire.

For the first time—Malakar staggered.

[Malakar, voice filled with rage]: "YOU… INSOLENT… WRETCH!"

Then—

He changed.

His body swelled, his armor shattered, and his form twisted into something inhuman.

Malakar was no longer a man.

He was a fire demon.

His body became molten, his face elongated into a monstrous shape, his hands growing into claws of pure fire.

[Malakar, roaring]: "I AM FLAME! I AM DEATH!"

The cavern walls melted around him. The air itself burned with his presence.

[Soren, voice shaking]: "He's a monster…"

[Raine, cold determination in his eyes]: "Then we kill a monster."

The tunnels began collapsing.

The heat from Malakar's transformation had weakened the cavern, sending rocks crashing down from above.

[Lyra, frantic]: "If we don't finish this now, we'll all be buried alive!"

[Raine, tightening his grip]: "Then we end it."

Malakar charged, swinging his massive, fiery claws.

The players dodged desperately, but the cavern was too small—nowhere to run.

[Raine, chanting]: "Abyssal Flood—Second Wave!"

The black water rose again, forming a massive sphere above them.

But—

Something was wrong.

[Raine, gritting his teeth]: "It's… draining me."

Abyssal magic had a price.

With every second, it was eating away at his soul.

[Raine, breathing heavily]: "I can't hold it for long!"

[Lyra, gripping his arm]: "Then don't. Just let it go."

With a final shout, Raine thrust his hands forward.

The Abyssal Flood surged toward Malakar, swallowing him whole.

[Malakar, thrashing]: "NO—IMPOSSIBLE! I AM FIRE! I CANNOT BE EXTINGUISHED!"

The black water crushed him, drowning his flames, devouring his body.

His screams echoed through the tunnels.

His once unstoppable fire was snuffed out.

And then—

Silence.

Malakar, the King of Flames, was no more.

The system message appeared.

[System Announcement: The First King Has Fallen. The Nation of Ash Is Free.]

Raine collapsed, exhaustion hitting him like a hammer.

[Lyra, kneeling beside him]: "You did it."

[Raine, barely whispering]: "One down… twelve to go."

Above them, the first rays of dawn broke through the cracks of the collapsed tunnels.

The war was just beginning.