The entire Vault of Aethelgard shook as Vorgath's soul burst from the shattered crystal jar. It didn't escape; instead, it plunged into the marble floor of the castle. The white stone began to crack, and from the fissures, roots of pure earth energy emerged.
"What blasphemy is this?!" Duke Alaric shouted, struggling to maintain his balance. He raised his golden staff, unleashing balls of light to suppress the moving earth.
But it was too late. The fragments of stone and marble coalesced to form a colossal figure behind Valerius. A giant made of living rock, with jade-green eyes emitting smoke.
"Vorgath of Earth," Valerius said, his cloak billowing in the wind due to the General's presence. "Accept my Mana and crush this pretentious angel."
Valerius placed his hand on Vorgath's stony shoulder. A dark current flowed from the Ring of Despair into the giant. Valerius' power increased again—he was now at 15% of his former strength.
"AS YOU COMMAND... LORD..." Vorgath's voice was like the grinding of two mountains.
With a mighty swing of his fist, half of the Vault collapsed. Alaric leapt upward, his four wings spreading wide, emitting a blinding light.
"You will die in the name of Heaven!" the Celestial shouted.
He brought down his staff and a rain of golden spears fell from the ceiling.
"Aegis of Shadows!" Valerius gestured.
A dome of black energy enveloped them. The golden spears vanished upon touching Valerius' shadow.
While Alaric was distracted, Vorgath didn't stop. He used his power to control the foundation of the entire castle. Outside, the paladins fighting Ignis suddenly felt the streets shift. Houses began to sink, and the great walls of Lumina crumbled like a child's toy.
"Another General?!" Seraphina shouted, dodging a massive crack in the ground. "How many more monsters will you unleash, Valerius?!"
Inside the Vault, Alaric was weakening. His holy power was rapidly depleting against the two beings with seemingly endless hatred.
"Let's end this farce," Valerius said coldly.
He appeared behind Alaric using Shadow Step.
"Your wings don't belong in this world."
Valerius grasped one of Alaric's wings. The black fire from his ring began to consume the Celestial's golden feathers.
A piercing scream of pain echoed through the castle.
"Vorgath, now!" Valerius ordered.
The stone giant clapped his hands together, trapping Alaric in between. A massive explosion of dust and stone ensued.
When the smoke cleared, the Duke—the Celestial guardian—lay unconscious, his wings scorched and broken. Valerius took Alaric's staff and shattered it.
"A mere messenger. You're not the one who truly killed me before."
Malphas suddenly appeared.
"Lord! The other 'Sages' are coming! I sense the Sage of Water and Sage of Wind. We can't take them all on now."
"Ignis! Vorgath! Let's go!" Valerius shouted.
Using Vorgath's power, the ground opened beneath them and swallowed the four of them.
In an instant, they traveled underground, far from the chaotic city of Lumina.
When they emerged again, they were in the heart of a dense forest, miles away from the capital.
Vorgath returned to human form—a massive man with skin like calloused rock and ash-gray hair. He knelt before Valerius.
"Forgive... my... weakness... Lord," Vorgath said slowly.
"Don't apologize. You showed them true fear," Valerius replied. "Now, three of you are with me. Our next move is to reclaim my sword—the Void Eater."
"But Lord," Malphas interjected. "Your sword isn't held by any Sage or Knight. It's in the custody of the Dragon Queen in the South. And rumor has it... she's allied with the Union of Light."
Valerius looked up at the sky.
"Dragons always side with the winner. It's time to remind her who's the true king of this world."
As they walked, a white feather drifted down from the sky. Valerius caught it. It was from another Celestial.
"The war hasn't begun," Valerius whispered.