The Battle Of Magellan Strait

A violent vortex churned in the sea, and from its depths, Hecate was spat out like a piece of shrapnel. She looked around the battlefield, her expression grim as iridescent wings unfolded from her back. With a heavy heart, she glided silently toward where Belial stood.

The siblings exchanged no words at first. Both were worn to their limits, exhausted beyond measure. Though their cores were saturated, they were still only Awakened. Their bodies and essence reserves had limits, and those limits were close.

Belial's eyes swept across the blood-soaked field, watching as the last waves of soldiers were evacuated. Some were merely exhausted, nursing shallow wounds. Others… were unrecognizable. Acid had melted flesh to bone, some were torn apart, their limbs gone, their bodies bitten, burned, or poisoned.

And yet, despite the agony, despite the suffering, no one ran.

Hassan's victory against the Corrupted Devil had reignited the will of the living. Even if it came at a great cost, it gave them a glimpse of hope in this nightmare.

But hope was fragile.

Because the truth remained, the Tyrant was still alive.

And it was coming.

A colossal abomination rose from the depths of the sea, its grotesque form breaking the surface with a deafening roar. The air turned foul, the water surged back like it feared the thing that had emerged from it. Its hulking frame towered over the battlefield, casting a monstrous shadow across land and sea.

Unlike the Devil, it wasn't built for direct combat. No, the Tyrant's abilities were more about reproducing. To give birth to endless legions of lesser nightmare creatures to protect itself. And even if it wasn't as fast or aggressive as its fallen kin, a Tyrant was still a Tyrant.

And on the battlefield... no one could stand against such a thing.

That's why they were retreating.

This battle was already lost.

Hecate clenched her jaw, bitter but silent as her eyes remained fixed on the Tyrant. Resentment burned in her chest like a dying ember refusing to fade.

It's fine. We can't always win, she told herself. But someday… you'll die, bastard.

Belial, unlike his sister, was far more rational, more calculating. Sure, they were just kids. Hecate was fifteen, and he was sixteen. Well, people often got confused. Hecate had a way of seeming older, maybe it was the sharpness in her gaze, the way she carried herself like someone with nothing left to fear.

But age didn't matter. What did was what they'd been through. They had seen things no child ever should. They survived and escaped from that hell. That's why they could fight. That's why they could keep calm even now. That's why Klaus had-

...Actually, Klaus hadn't sent them at all. Shit!

Belial sighed, running a hand through his storm-gray hair and combing it back with a grimace.

"Fuck... Sis, we need to go. As fast as possible. There's no way we can-"

Then his voice caught as he looked up, his eyes widening and froze in place. The Tyrant... was already here.

When the hell did it get on shore?

"Damn it! Hecate, it's already here! We need to-"

But she didn't listen.

Without hesitation, Hecate poured the last of her essence into the sea.

She thrust her hand forward, summoning a violent surge to crash into the monster's legs, forcing it backward, back toward the water, away from the survivors.

Just enough. Just long enough for the last soldiers to escape.

She didn't even look back.

Still, she could only hold it for a few seconds before collapsing to her knees, gasping for breath. Her body trembled as she looked up, eyes dull with exhaustion.

Belial scowled, then moved without hesitation. He wrapped an arm around her waist, threw her over his shoulder, and bolted from the battlefield.

He didn't want to leave anyone behind but what he wanted didn't matter.

Belial was kind, yes, but he was also rational. He understood one brutal truth: anyone caught in the Tyrant's range couldn't be saved.

So he chose. The one person he couldn't afford to lose, his sister.

It was selfish but it was all he could do.

But not everyone escaped. the only one who stayed behind was a single being. Perhaps she was the most naive of them all. But that naivety didn't stem from pride or reckless bravado, it came from purity and innocence.

As the Tyrant was about to annihilate everyone with its breath, a radiant silhouette split the air like an arrow. Hemera arrived just in time, facing the scorching breath of the Tyrant's flames.

She was a phoenix, flames could not harm her. That was why she managed to block the attack.

Screeching at the giant lizard, her entire body erupted in golden radiance as an ocean of light slammed into the Tyrant, pushing it back.

But the Tyrant's size and raw strength were a problem. Even though it was scorched and in pain from the ocean of light, its body still managed to endure it and push forward.

Even so, fire was dangerous for a cold-blooded creature like a lizard.

Hemera looked back at the retreating army, thinking to herself, Just a few more minutes… that's all they need to get behind the barrier…

With renewed vigor, she clashed with the Tyrant. It was colossal in size but also slow, which made it easier for Hemera to avoid its attacks.

But the Tyrant was no fool. Even if Hemera was faster, it knew that if it attacked the retreating humans, the phoenix would be forced to protect them.

So instead of focusing on Hemera, it turned its attacks on the soldiers, forcing her to intercept each one. As a result, her body began to melt under the acidic assault, only for her flames to restore her again.

It became a torturous cycle of destruction and creation.

"If I can't win... then neither will you."

She whispered softly to herself, then rose high into the air after soldiers managed to slip past the barrier. The lizard looked up at her with clear malice but was forced to avert its gaze under the brilliance of her radiance.

Hemera spread her wings, and the entire battlefield was bathed in a gentle light emanating from her form, returning warmth and illumination to the darkened shore that had been stolen by the gray, oppressive clouds.

Igniting herself fully in soul flames, Hemera descended like a comet, her body twisting like an arrow to increase her speed.

A golden line split the sky from heavens to shore and in the next moment, no one could open their eyes.

Boom!

A massive explosion shook the air as shockwaves rippled from shore to sea to land. A pillar of golden flames rose into the sky like divine judgment, and beneath its scorching brilliance, the Tyrant thrashed and roared in agony.

When the blinding light finally subsided and began to fade, Hemera was nowhere in sight. And the Tyrant, scorched and half-cooked, remained barely standing.

Yet despite its grievous injuries, it was still alive. But it was clear that it could no longer continue the fight.

And so, the Tyrant retreated.

Belial shielded his face from the blinding light, but even that didn't help. The cruel radiance seared through his vision, and only after the pain finally subsided did he open his eyes. Blinking a few times and wiping tears away, he tried to steady his breath. He was still disoriented from the explosion.

Once his sight cleared, he looked around.

The shore was... gone. In its place yawned a massive abyss, an open wound in the earth that was slowly being filled by rushing seawater, now tainted with the greenish blood of the Tyrant.

It was a horrifying sight, and yet, strangely beautiful.

But Belial didn't have time to marvel. That kind of destruction wouldn't end with just Tyrant's retreat.

Lich, Klaus, and the other scholars of Ascendancy had already studied the battlefield and issued a dire warning. If enough damage was done near the shoreline which included massive explosions, collapsing cliffs and displaced landmasses, than it could trigger a tsunami.

And right now, every one of those conditions had been met.

Hemera's final attack had unleashed staggering power. It had torn through the shore, vaporized the sea, and displaced a massive volume of water in seconds.

Add to that the devastation caused by Hassan's battle with the Devil which caused terrible landslides, shattered cliffs and falling rocks.

It was inevitable. There wasn't even a one-percent chance of avoiding it.

A tsunami was coming.

The soldiers looked up at the massive waves rushing toward the land. Some let out dry, bitter laughs, while others closed their eyes and leaned back in quiet resignation.

"Yeah... I ain't built for this shit."

"Tell me about it. We're fucked."

Belial glanced at them, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he shook his head.

"Those insane bastards…"

But then, his smile froze.

Just a few dozen meters away, amidst the scorched battlefield and scattered debris, there were only ashes.

And from those ashes… a small head poked out.

"Hmm... What a hell?"

A phoenix chick chirped cheerfully, its feathers glowing faintly with golden embers. Alive, against all odds.

Now Belial could guess where Hemera had disappeared to. Judging by what remained... she had died. That last attack... yeah, it was a kamikaze move.

"You have to be kidding me..."

He groaned, leaping down from the debris and rushing toward the ashes. He picked her up gently, cradling the fragile phoenix chick in his arms. Then his eyes lifted to the horizon, toward the towering wall of water surging their way.

Lightning crackled around him as he cursed under his breath and took off running.

"We are so screwed..."

His voice was low, bitter. Everyone was exhausted. They had too many dead, too many wounded. There was no way they could outrun what was coming. No cavalry, no miracle left.

"Ahh, Hemera... why are you so happy?" he muttered, glancing at the tiny chick chirping in his arms. "We're dying here… Though I guess you'll probably revive again, huh? Lucky you..."

Belial sighed, still trying to understand why the cheerful little phoenix chick was so damn happy.

"Look... he's here in time."

Belial blinked. Did... did she just talk? Wait...what did she mean by... Holy shit!

Barriers erupted from the earth, each one shaped into perfect right angles. Layer after layer rose in rapid succession, forming a jagged wall of protection. In the distance, the monstrous tsunami finally arrived, roaring with the fury of nature itself.

It crashed into the barriers with titanic force, shattering some of the outer walls, but the angles held. The structure split the waves, diverting the worst of the impact. Behind them, parts of the landmass were swallowed by the sea. but the soldiers, against all odds, survived.

Lich stood calmly among the trembling survivors, his cold gaze sweeping the field. His skeletal hands glowing faintly as he reinforced the remaining barriers and stabilized the trembling land beneath them with runes.

Hours passed. Finally, rescue boats appeared on the horizon, moving through the broken shoreline, picking up the battered, wounded, and shell-shocked survivors one by one.

The Battle of Magellan Strait was over.

Winner: Chaos Ascendancy!

***

Phew, this battle is finally over. Well, there's still the dragon and Gaia's trees out there, so there will be more battles to come.

I think I've found my calling, guys. writing fights is what I do best. As for everything else… well, meh. I do foreshadowing, the plot is decent, and character interactions are okay, I guess. But the fights? Yeah, they're definitely the highlight.

What more can I say? Enjoy, guys!

***