The Third Sargonic War

*„This betrayal has hit me like no other"*

-Oscar III about Sargons return

## Chapter 1: Return of the Tyrant

### **Recap:**

It has been over a millenium since the Steel Tyrant was destroyed, his body blown up through a massively powerful essence blast. Little did anyone know, his form was split into three pieces, his Soul, stuck inside a talisman and taken from person to person for centuries, falling into the hands of people like Cryovich, Overlord Carcaeus of the Holy Runick Empire, the house of Ødenberg all the way from Anik I to Oscar the Great and many more. The house of Ødenberg had even made him into an inquisitor, until the talisman recently dissappeared.

The second fragment was Sargon's ethereal body, his essence, and that of all the people he soul-drained, bound to his Netherite blade, making it one of the most hypercharged weapons ever, glowing a deep cyan, it too was carried from person to person, even being used in the Second Holy Runick War, nobody considered that it housed the essence of the ancient warlord.

And lastly, the third, Sargon's body and armour, blown to near schreds, it was slowly being overgrown as the centuries passed, but would once more house its terrible host. Sargon's body itself was slowly deteriorating, and it was only a matter of time before it'd fully vaporize.

### **A revived Tyrant:**

A cult, one created by Sargon himself all those hundreds of years ago as a sort of backup plan, named the *``Keepers of Wrath``* had slowly and painfully collected each and every fragment, the Soul, the Essence and the Vessel. Their knowledge, kept for all those ages, on how to make dead men speak once more, would be used within the Bastillion, they set everything in place, his return was now imminent.

A man dressed in dark red and gold robes held up a chandelier and a book, a red sigil was painted on the floor. The man stood and, in unison, the cultists spoke ancient spells and curses. The three fragments began to levitate, a red glow started to form as the paint slowly formed into a red orb, a whirlwind of soulfire began to fill the chamber, pillar began shattering and the cultists were each trapped and absorbed by the blizzard of fire.

Then, the whirlwind imploded on itself, a massive blast shattered the tiles as cyan sparks of essence flew everywhere. A hooded figure lands on the ground as a sort of god, the sparks of essence die down. The figure looks at its hands, its body, the Steel Tyrant begins to grin, to laugh... Sargon has returned.

Meanwhile, Oscar Ødenberg sits in his office, all of a sudden, he feels a gut wrenching feeling, he begins to feel light headed as he looks at his ring with nine glowing symbols, and sees that a second has gone out. He realizes that Sargon, his former servant and inquisitor, has returned. He immediately stands up and summons three of his inquisitors, and send them to hunt down Sargon.

He then calls his loyal friend, Obenheim, and explains his worries, whilst Obenheim doesn't know that much about Sargon, though he has seen him as an inquisitor, and his face is filled with concern.

Meanwhile, Sargon takes his blade, and makes his way out of the Bastillion, he finds himself in the ice fields of the Runick Empire, it is midnight, a full moon sits high up in the night sky, illuminating the snowy pastures. Sargon summons his skeletal horse from the phantom realm, and takes off into the night. His next destination will be the Gelida vault.

### **The Clash of the Gelida vault:**

Sargon enters Northland unseen, he has already been here, a servant of the Ødenbergs, their name itself disgusts him, however, his time as an inquisitor has given him valuable insight about his adversary, King Oscar III of Northland. Sargon knows his body is slowly withering away, its already basically cheeto dust, and he'll need to perform a Soul Transfer to survive when his body eventually evaporates.

In the distance, a large andesite structure enters Sargon's vision, the Gelida Vault, and the resting place of the three golem cores, which are literally crystals made of compressed souls. Sargon departs from his steed, and walks towards the entrance, there are no guards to be seen. Sargon Essence-kicks the door off and makes his way in.

As he finds himself in the main chamber of the vault, he is ambushed by his former colleagues, three of the seven Inquisitors, his reaction is swift, he spins his blade around and throws it towards Haakon II, hitting him flat in the face and making him sink back into the ground, Sargon is nearly hit by Ragnar, but parries his blow and uses an Essence kick to slam him into a wall, he then spins around to engage Harald, whilst battling him, Ragnar stands back up and slices Sargons' left arm.

Sargon feels the sudden pain and enters a frenzy, continually hitting both inquisitors with exponentially increasing ferocity, they are slowly overwhelmed and eventually subdued by Sargon. Sargon stands there, breathing heavily, but far from fatigued. He enters the chambers harbouring the cores, and absorbs their power, each one containing nearly 30000 souls each, he feels more powerful than ever, and he leaves the vault, the first stage of his plan is complete.

### **The Soul Legions:**

Having returned to the Bastillion, Sargon uses the barren snow fields, where basically nothing lives or grows, to keep his plans hidden for now. He uses his essence abilities to create a massive sigil in the snow, then using a beam of Essence Power, which the sigil channels into the golem cores, thousands of souls begin to spread from the cores, landing on the ground where they turn into phantom soldiers, they are all bound to the talisman hanging around Sargon's neck, and thus they are fully obedient to him.

As the phantom army forms, Sargon watches his forces with a malicious grin on his face. After the golem cores are fully depleted and the army is finished, he orders his men to gather supplies and resources, his next course of action will determine the outcome of this war. He must stay as hidden as possible for as long as he can until his forces are readied.

The following weeks, Sargon rebuilds the Bastillion and creates large mineshafts to fuel his ambitious projects, his men forge their own axes, swords and armour. He also personally sought out Kyren Craeholm, now called the Lightless Lord, his vines give him high speed and offense, and his combatative capabilities rival those of Oscar and Sargon himself.

Sargon had broken him out of prison and promised him a part of his empire. With Kyren, Sargon seeks artifacts and talismans containing souls, slowly, their army grew to about 320.000 men. With his army complete, Sargons' next frontier is the Runick Empire.

### The Fall of Frànen:

Sargon and his armies march out of the snow, the rithmic steps of the Soul legions thunder across the landscape, the local Runick armies were caught completely off guard, and fortress after fortress was swiftly occupied. The national Runick army chose to muster whatever forces it could collect and situate them in Artus. However, the Soul Legions were equipped with crossbows and axes, and used charging tactics, running at their enemy and smashing their skull with their axes. And because the Soul Legions were comprised of phantoms, they were able to tank a bullet or two before succumbing to their wounds.

Thus, the battle of Artus wasn't even close, the open fields allowed the Phantoms to quickly run down their opponents, and in close quarters, the phantoms were almost unbeatable. The entire Runick army was cut down. However, when Sargon, along with Kyren, came to confront Anthony Frànen, they found the palace empty. The battle itself was just a distraction, and Anthony was able to, along with a part of the army, escape to Northland using the steam warships Anthony built a few years ago.

Nevertheless, the Runick Empire still fell, and Sargon declared himself the Emperor of the newly created ``Supreme Emperium``. He ordered the death of all who opposed the Sargonic rule and the army was partially used as a police force, executing anyone who even spoke badly of Sargon. Sargon became an absolute autocrat, and set his sights on the invasion of Eneric. The Final Sargonic War has started.

## Chapter 2: The Sparks of War

*``We are quite alike, my master, we both massacre those who oppose us, we care only about our legacies, the only reason you haven't allied with me is because you know i will turn on you, otherwise you would discard your people, those who you say you serve, for another army that serves only you.``*

- Sargon to Oscar

### The Death of Maratzov:

Sargon has taken absolute control over the Runick Empire, the Runick populace fears him and any who speak out against his tyranny are swiftly beheaded. He has set his sights on his ancient enemy, Maratzov, whilst technically not the same country he fought all those ages ago, the Maratzovic Federation, ruled by the Federal Senate, still holds much of the culture, history and ideology, and Sargon will at last destroy all that Maratzov built.

He readies his ever growing armies, the Federal Senate is basically composed of a bunch of old men talking about useless things, they don't even react to the Sargonic threat until the Soul Legions have already entered their borders. There is almost no opposition to the phantom armies except for a few provincial forces which are swiftly dealt with. The Senate is captured and publicly executed, within the following months, Sargon sees to the complete erasing of all Maratzovic culture and history, he massacres the people and instills fear into whoever doesn't side with him.

A few days after his conquest in Maratzov, Sargon was standing in front of the map of Eneric, he suddenly feels a cold breeze behind him, he looks over his shoulder and sees a blade rushing towards his head, he quickly pulls off an essence kick and sends his attacker flying backwards, its Ragnar, the inquisitor. He uses essence manipulation to throw a table at Ragnar, who is hit in the face by hit. Realizing the assasination attempt has failed, the inquisitor retreats.

## Chapter 3: Sargo-Northic Wars

### The Battle of Munzig:

After his defeat against Oscar in the Red Palace, Sargon retreats to the Bastillion, his army is gaining fresh new resources from the conquered territories of the Voklande, and the high amount of artifacts found there allow his army to grow to 340.000 men. His next frontier will be the Munzig Reich, the amount of Iron and other resources there is larger than anywhere else, and if his conquest succeeds, he gains those resources, eliminates a fairly dangerous enemy and removes another one of Northlands' allies. Suffice to say, the stakes are high.

Munzig itself was warned by Oscar III of the attack and had already built some considerable defences. In the resulting battles, wave after wave of Soul Legions was sent across the border, and all offensives were subdued, eventually, Sargon made a truce with Munzig, deciding its best to take his power elsewhere for the time being.

### Signing a death treaty:

Sargon, after easily conquering Rètteland, decided to take his power to Northland, specifically, he wanted to drive Northic forces out of northern Eneric, and thus needed to get them out of Skogsmarken and Lunsle. Readying his forces for a heavy battle, he decided that he would conquer Skogsmarken at all costs, and then need to defend only the coasts for any aquatic landings, allowing him to conquer everything to the north first.

The battle of Skogsmarken began on an otherwise calm morning, that was until the thundering marching and war drums of the Soul Legions appeared over the hills. Oscar was called to the scene and arrived with a couple of his generals and his daughter, Hildi Ødenberg, Sargon himself led the offensive personally. The Soul Legions scorched the earth behind them, clouding the area in a black fog. The Soul Legions stopped in what became a tense standoff, until a Northic soldier, shot. The bullet was directed at Sargon, but was stopped in its path by Sargon's essence-shield, deflected into the soil at Sargon's feet.

The battle began as waves of Phantoms ran toward the Northic militia, Sargon himself entered the fight and used his Essence abilities to wipe out a number of enemy soldiers. Meanwhile, a bit further back, Hildi, against her father's wishes, decided to confront Sargon head on, she drew her sword and charged towards Sargon, dashing at him with impeccable speed, Sargon was initially caught off guard by what he was seeing, but blocked her attack at the last second.

Their swords began to clash, their duel went faster than most nearby soldiers could follow. As they battle, Sargon speaks, his voice thundering across the battlefield:

Sargon: "*Ah yes, the warrior princess of Northland herself. You have the foolish bravery of your impotent father."*

Hildi: "He is more skilled than you will ever be, you scum!"

Sargon: "Now, now, watch your language, lady, and your swordsmanship."

Sargon overpowers Hildi, throwing her up into the air and launching her away with his telekinesis. He is forced to retreat as bullets begin to hit him more frequently. Hildi, with bruises on her entire body and covered in mud, retreats back to Oscar, who gets a medic and retreats the battle, leaving Obenheim in charge.

Sargon keeps pushing with suicidal charge after suicidal charge, the Northic forces are unable to push back and as the sun begins to sink behind the blood-soaked landscape, the last Northic forces are driven across the bridge into retreat. Whilst Sargon won the 1st Battle of Skogsmarken, it was at a heavy price, as he lost quadruple as many units as his enemy, but where Northland needs to train militia, Sargon is able to easily summon and conjure them with the use of Artifacts.

Though, little did Sargon know, this attack on Skogsmarken will eventually mark the beginning of the end for him and his legacy.

### Assessing dominance:

The following battles would have Sargon gaining more power for himself, he began an offensive against the bordering Northic colony of New Northland, that battle ended in a standstill that wouldn't be broken until much later. He also sieged the city of Deldon to drive the last Northic forces out of Skogsmarken, which did eventually succeed, resulting in the capture of a big slice of the 1st Northic Field Army and the near capture of Obenheim. Now only a few scattered Winter forces were located in Skogsmarken and Løthan hiding within the jagged mountains.

### The battle of Whitestone:

Oscar speaks to his generals about the recent defeats, the large room is dimly lit and the atmosphere is gloomy and awkward.

Oscar: *``How can it be that you are all being beaten by a bunch of damned hobos with axes and swords?!``*

Mertelheim: *``We've seen them be hit by bullets and go on, their perseverance is almost greater than ours!``*

Oscar (deeply frustrated): *``I don't want excuses, Orsen, I want answers! Tell me, why are you losing against a bunch of 1800 year old morons who've LITERALLY brought goddamn knives to a gun fight? Answer that for me!``*

Mertelheim: "With all due respect, Albus, you and I both know that phantoms aren't as frail as normal men, that, along with their obedience to Sargon makes them deceptively reliable."

Oscar: *``Then invent a tactic to tackle this issue, do I need to do everything here myself? If I didn't know you as well as I do, you would've been fired.``*

Oscar now looks to Obenheim:

Oscar: *``And you, Kristian, you let my daughter fight that thing, and yes, I know that she is stubborn as all Hyrrjörð, but a few guards around her would've been more than enough! This meeting is dismissed, if you have any new strategies to share with me, I'll be in my office.``*

A few hours later, Obenheim walks into Oscar's office, Oscar seems to be looking at a few papers titled `Project Northern Light`, which he quickly puts in his desk as Obenheim arrives.

Obenheim: *``My lord, i think i have an idea for the recapture of Skogsmarken.``*

Oscar: *``Go on, and make it quick.``*

Obenheim: *``Well, in short, we need to be the quickest to strike, because, from what i've seen, it takes Sargon's soldiers a long time to ready themselves, if we catch them off guard by launching a counter-attack as soon as possible, it may allow us to regain our foothold in Skogsmarken and Lunsle. Additionally, we could make a secret alliance with the Munzig Reich, we are both already enemies of Sargon, and a sudden Munzig offensive might be exactly what we need to win.``*

Oscar: *``Brilliant, Kristian, prepare a strike on Whitestone for midnight.``*

Obenheim: *``Right away, my lord, do you want to be present at the battle?``*

Oscar: *``No, I have other duties to attend.``*

Obenheim: *``Very well.``*

The following night sees two major events, in Northic Raphara, Achia, the cold night is disrupted by the voices of Oscar Ødenberg, Dr. Rüdiger Hakvindor, Kelvine Faralley and a few other renowned scientists. Everything goes silent for a while until the sky is suddenly filled with a bright cyan glow, a few seconds later, a massive shockwave along with a thundering noise rocks the deserts and causes nearby cliffsides to collapse.

The noise of the explosion is followed by what sounds like screams, while all of the scientists are silent, Oscar looks over the top of the shelter, he begins to feel nauseous and dizzy, almost fainting from a sudden headache. The night sky is filled by streaks of cyan smoke, resemblent of aurora borealis.

Dr. Rüdiger Hakvindor silently utters a few words:

*``W-What have we done..?``*

Meanwhile in the lands surrounding Løthan the Sargonic armies have received word that the Sargonic scouts have lost the Northic Riëntren Fleet which might be a hint of an invasion. The Invasion itself is an uncertainty until the canons start firing lighting up the foggy sea and raining hell on the Sargonic soldiers. One of the officers in the Sargonic army quickly mounts a considerable defence against light infantry which is the grade he needs to defend against the lightly armored marines he is expecting.

At first the defences and morale hold against the Northic bombardment which suddenly stops to allow troops to land. The commanding officers gain a big smile on their face knowing that even Northic line infantry wont break their defences, though their enthusiasm is quickly crushed when the sound of a single bagpipe and drums pierce the silent night. Suddenly the commanding officers face changes to a more frustrated and scared one.

Commanding officer: *"Wait, no, this can't be."*

Officer: "What is it sir?"

Commanding officer: *"These are not marines attacking us, we set up the wrong defence, it wont be enough... Order the Troops to reform their light defence to a heavy defence, NOW!''*

Officer *"what are they sir?"*

The Commanding officer pauses and looks at his men before exiting the makeshift command post uttering in fear:

*"H-Highlanders"*

Though his command came to late as the Northic boots hit the beach from their row boats the phantom soldiers tried to defeat them by shooting arrows and muskets while preparing for melee combat armed only against light infantry. The last thing the Sargonic soldiers expected was the heavy infantry Yellow boys in kilts to come charging through the fog and enact an all out assault on the Sargonic positions.

Not expecting heavy infantry and impressed by the married chaos and order of the Highlanders, many fled out of confusion, leaving the beaches and giving time for the highlanders to regroup and take the dunes and forests surrounding the landing zones. Right after their reinforcements landed a few hours later the Highlanders, who were now accompanied by the expected marines, started an advance towards Løthan, which wouldn't be stopped by the Sargonic armies.

## Chapter Four: Destiny of a King

### Revenge on Skogsmarken

After Skogsmarken was liberated up to the town of Løthan, Sargon used an underground tunnel network to fill the town to the brim with soldiers, he would do anything to reclaim the rest of Skogsmarken. And so he decided to use a fake surrender, when they opened the gates of the besieged town and Northic forces came to capture them, they were ambushed by a sudden offensive of 180.000 Phantom soldiers against only 70.000 Northic solders.They were pushed back all the way to the Whitestone channel. And Sargon is able to get some scattered forces onto the Northic mainland, including himself.

### A new Rebellion

Meanwhile, on the desolate and ravaged Runick mainland, a rebellion is sparked within the province of Puamiers, one which grows to a size able to take on the patrolling Phantom forces, Sargon, focused on the Northic front, doesn't send enough reinforcements and Puamiers becomes independent after a long conflict. People attempt to sneak into Puamiers from within the rest of the Runick provinces, but many fail and are executed by the patrolling Soul Legions, their bodies laid in the street for any other survivors to see.

Nevertheless, the rebellion is a spark of hope within the desolation, and a testament of the Runick determination during the war.

### Death of a Hero

The Northic town of Bullmar is silent, birds chirp whilst two men speak to eachother within the town hall, Anthony and Oscar talk to each other about their lives. It is a peaceful conversation, both men don't talk about the war in what has seemed like ages. But... the birds have stopped chirping, a deathly silence befalls the town, Oscar and Anthony can vaguely hear the sound of screams, it gets louder and louder, until two of the guards standing at the entrance briefly gasp, and then turn to dust, light leaving their eyes within seconds...

Sargon, accompanied by Kyren, walk into the hall, Sargon's steps thunder through the chamber, echoing off the walls. Oscar stands up, gripping his rapier, guarding the otherwise defenseless Anthony.

Oscar: *``I see you've found your way to us.``*

Sargon: *``As long as my hatred guides me, i will find you, no matter where you hide, my master.``*

Oscar: *``I see you've brought an ally, seems you're scared to face me one man to another.``*

Sargon: *``I'll have him face you whilst i kill your little friend...``*

Oscar: *``You'll have to go through me first.``*

Sargon: *``So be it.``*

Kyren lunges at Oscar, using his vines to launch himself from the ground, Oscar dashes away from his attack, but is soon met with a hailstorm of strikes from his dual-wielding opponent. Oscar looks to Anthony.

Oscar: *``Run whilst you still can, i'll hold them off.``*

Sargon sees Anthony running away and begins to chase him as Oscar battles Kyren, Oscar tries to attack Sargon, but has trouble holding off the flurry of hits from Kyren, who grabs two more blades with his vines. Anthony runs outside the building, and sees a trapdoor to the tunnels under the town, he runs down the stairs and Sargon gives chase.

Oscar manages to overpower Kyren and slices off one of his vines, making him scream in agony and retreat as Oscar too runs after Sargon and Anthony. Meanwhile, Anthony arrives at a dead end, blocked by piles of stored TNT, as Sargon runs around the corner he sees not a clumsy ruler, but a man willing to give his life for those he loves. Anthony is holding a torch in his hand, as Sargon panics.

Anthony: *``This one's for my brother, you filth.``*

Sargon: *``No... **NO-**``*

He throws the torch on the pile of TNT, he closes his eyes one last time before fire engulfs his body as the shockwave rages through the tunnels. Sargon sees the impending wave of fire and attempts to use all of his might to shield himself from the explosion, he is eventually overpowered by the blow and launched backwards, fire burning his cloak and engulfing his body.

Oscar witnesses the shockwave launching the trapdoor off its hinges and a surge of flames coming from the tunnels. After the heat dissipates, Oscar makes his way into the tunnels, where he sees Sargon kneeling, coughing. He grabs his rapier when suddenly a wave of soulfire launches him out the tunnel, Sargon, whilst severely wounded, is fueled by rage and escapes the tunnels. though barely, leaving Oscar to find the body of Anthony.

Anthony is brought to the Order of Souls, they are able to extract some remaining essence and his soul, and are able to revive him as a phantom, however, most of his essence was destroyed in the explosion, making him nearly invisible and unable to touch anything. He is able to speak and already shares his ideas of leaving the world of the living when the war comes to an end. But spends most of his time resting and gripping with the state of his being.

Sargon has returned to the Bastillion, the left half of his armour is now darker than the other, covered in particles of smoke and other burnt substances, and slightly worn from the damage. He is planning to unleash his next weapon soon, a Grand fleet capable of making landings, on the Northic mainland. A fleet able to assess dominance over the Runick sea.

## Chapter 6: Death of the Emperor

Oscar sighs, his mind awash with doubts and worry as the monolithic fortress looms overhead. The Phantom Battalion soldiers, accompanied by the inquisitors Harald, Haakon, and Ragnar, forcefully break down the doors and enter. Oscar trails slightly behind as the soldiers venture through the hallways, checking each room.

Finally, they reach the grandiose throne room. Sargon, seated on his throne, chuckles upon their arrival.

Sargon: *"Well, well, well... Is this the best you can bring, Ragnar?"*

Sargon stands up, his blade materializing within his hand as the soldiers raise their guns, Ragnar gestures to them to stand their ground:

Ragnar: *"Sargon, by order of the Oscar the Third of the United Empire of Northland, you are under arrest."*

Sargon's laughter echoes through the hall, sending chills down the spines of the soldiers. Even though they are some of the most disciplined troops in the Northic ranks, they fear the man standing before them. Ragnar stands motionlessly before Sargon, his eyes locked onto the Tharin, flickering with hate.

Sargon: *"Heh, look who finally gained a sense of humor."*

Ragnar: *"I wouldn't try it, Sargon. Join us, and we may negotiate your surrender and capture."*

Sargon's eyes interlock with Ragnar's, and his tone shifts from joking to dead serious.

Sargon: *"These men, the very best Northland has to offer, shiver within my mere presence. You think they will be the ones to put me back on Oscar's leash? You and your fellow puppets can take their arses to Hyrrjörð."*

Ragnar: *"So be it, it has been a disgrace knowing you."*

Ragnar's raised hand gestures towards Sargon. The Soldiers open fire as dust and smoke fills the room, followed by screams and yelling. Sargon charges from the haze, engaging both inquisitors and soldiers alike. Bullets ricochet against his essence shields as a soldier is thrusted into a pillar. Ragnar's blade strikes against Sargon's, who launches shards of stone at him, cutting through his Phantom body. Ragnar, blinded by the attack and in immense pain, falls to Sargon's swordsmanship.

After decapitating a soldier, Sargon engages Harald, spinning his blade with blinding speed. Harald is overwhelmed and falls to the walking meat and phantom grinder before him. Another soldier is lifted into the air and slammed into his comrades. Haakon lunges at Sargon, who anticipated his move, grabbing him by his arm, and splintering it with a sickening crunch, disarming him. Standing among the dead bodies, Sargon lifts Haakon by the throat, before stabbing him with his own sword.

Sargon: *``Now run back to your master, like the coward you are.``*

Sargon watches Haakon dissappears, dissipating into a thin cloud that glides towards the ceiling. After a moment, Oscar jumps down from the balcony, the impact sending a cloud of dust into the air.

Oscar: *``Impressive, most impressive.``*

Sargon: *"Albus, the loyal lapdog of Northland. I knew you'd grace me with your presence personally sooner or later."*

Oscar: *"Save me the pleasantries, Sargon, your time as a thorn in Northland's side is over."*

Sargon: *"A thorn? More like a warning sign, Albus. You too have had those visions."*

Oscar's eyes narrow with distrust.

Sargon: *"The world is like clockwork, exactly as our gods intended, but there is someone plotting to disrupt it as we speak."*

Oscar feels the tension rising, he grips his swords tighter as Sargon stands calmly.

Sargon: *"Revon."*

Oscar's mind races as he processes Sargon's words. The visions he had experienced, the glimpses of a looming threat, and now Sargon's claim about a divine entity named Relthor plotting to disrupt the world. Doubt gnaws at Oscar's resolve, but his distrust for Sargon prevails.

Oscar: "Revon? Convenient that you bring up some old tale now, Sargon, after killing thousands of Northic men, women and children."

Sargon: "We can only discuss this between us two. You may not believe me, Oscar, but this threat is real, and approaching."

Oscar narrows his eyes, his grip on his swords unwavering.

Oscar: "I've heard enough. The only threat I see here is you."

Without warning, Oscar lunges at Sargon, his blades slicing through the air. Sargon effortlessly parries the attacks, their swords clashing in a display of skill. The battle between the two unfolds with incredible speed, each move calculated and precise. Sargon parries hit after hit from Oscar, and sends his opponent flying backwards with an essence kick.

Oscar leaps back into battle, dashing past a blow that would've decapitated him, had he not anticipated it. Sargon grows frustrated with his enemy, striking with more power and ferocity. Oscar senses he won't be able to hold Sargon off for much longer, let along beating him, so he uses his abilities to throw a large piece of rubble at Sargon. Sargon notices the projectile too late and is hit in the chest, being hurled backwards.

Oscar: *"You fought honourably, Sargon, it's a shame you never learned to fear Northland's wrath."*Sargon, with eyes glowing like crimson candles, rises to his feet.

Sargon: *"It is my wrath they should fear."*

He begins to spin his blade above his head. A whirling maelstrom of essence manifests around Sargon as Oscar stammers backwards in awe. Sargon thrusts the swords into the floor with a shockwave of essence, forming large cracks across the hall. Oscar, thrown backwards by the shockwave,is unable to move, and feels as if he is drowning. He claws at his throat for air as time seems to slow. Souls from the bodies around Oscar are absorbed by Sargon as a throbbing pain fills his head, his body aching with a pulsating pain and his ears peeping.

Sargon pulls the blade from the floor, leaving Oscar gasping for air as a crumpled, shivering figure lying among the rubble. Sargon kicks his blades away from him, and looms tall over the whimpering king.

Sargon: *"I am giving you a final chance for mercy. I suggest you make your next choice carefully."*

Oscar, though battered and weak, glares defiantly at Sargon, his eyes reflecting a mixture of agony and determination. He spits blood onto the floor as Sargon stretches his hand out to him.

Oscar: *"Mercy from the likes of you? I'd sooner embrace death."*

Sargon groans in frustration, his hand still outstretched, and his sword in the other.

Sargon: *"You do not know what you are saying, the consequences of your stubborness imply the deaths of thousands, men, women and children. Revon spares none in his path."*

Oscar steadies himself, gripping an invisible reserve of strength. His mind races, considering his options and the weight of the information Sargon shared about Revon and the looming threat.

Oscar: *"Even if what you say about Revon is true, it doesn't justify the atrocities you've committed. I will not bow to your vision, ever."*

Sargon's frustration fades, replaced by a cold, apathetic dissapointment.

Sargon: *"So be it."*

He raises his blade, prepared to deliver the final blow, but a sudden disturbance interrupts the confrontation. Oscar is no longer trembling, instead, his breathing is calm and his eyes are closed. Sargon, to his bewilderment, senses a greater force manifesting within the man kneeling before him. Sargon, taken aback by the sudden change in Oscar's aura, stumbles backwards.

Oscar opens his eyes, and Sargon finds them to be glowing brilliant gold. Golden lightning bolts start to surround Oscar as he grips his swords, before lunging at Sargon with all of his strength. Sargon, initially dazzled by what he is seeing, hastily parries each of his strikes, his soul returns from its red colour back to cyan as his rage becomes replaced with fear. All the while Oscar tirelessly and relentlessly strikes with such speed and precision that Sargon is slowly getting tired.

Sargon, in an attempt to regain control over the duel, blasts Oscar away, only he’s not knocked off his feet as Sargon expected, instead, his wave of essence is blocked by Oscars' hand as he just slides backwards and leaps back into action within less than a second. Engaging Oscar again, Sargon notices his speed increasing, his movement impossible to follow with the eye. Oscar's movements aren't calculated or thought-out, but a flowing barrage of steel and essence as he utilizes his dashes to easily dodge all of Sargons' movements, Sargon tries to enter a frenzy but his anger is clouded by desperation and terror.

Sargon is unable to speak as any multitasking at all would result in his death. Sargon swings his blade with all his might, trying to use one essence-boosted strike to surpass Oscar's power but it is stopped dead in its tracks by Oscars blades, who uses a simple movement using only his wrist to block it, the power of a Phantom far surpassing that of a physical being.

Oscar strikes the blade away, forcing Sargon to spin around to engage him again when he... feels Oscar's blade thrusting itself through his back, and through his talisman... Sargon drops his blade as he looks down, seeing Oscar's sword sticking out of his chest, his talisman losing its glow. Oscar takes his blade out, and Sargon turns to face him, before falling to his knees as he sees his hands withering to dust, his otherwise firy eyes now only hold a weak glow. Oscars eyes turn to normal, his hate leaving his face as he looks to Sargon catching him in his arms.

Sargon: *``I... I'm sorry. for all of it...``*

Sargon stretches his hand out towards Oscar, whose warm human appearance with his ice blue eyes and bearded face bring a sense of calmth and warmth to Sargon which he hasn't felt in centuries.

Sargon: *"You must... Stop him."*

Oscar: *"I will."*

Sargon: *"Please, avenge them... Avenge me."*

Oscar: *``I promise, I will. Rest now, old friend.``*

Sargon is calmed by the calm soothing voice of the Emperor, Satisfied by Oscar's answer Sargon looks to the shattered ceiling as the last sight of the stars leaves his vision. leaving only his hollow armour. The noise of his helmet falling to the floor echoes through the bastillion. The only thing Oscar can do is think, He had lost so much in the last few months, his cousin, his world order and now his old apprentice and childhood friend.

The Phantom Battalion shows up behind him alongside the inquisitors Ivar and Erik. Oscar gives the helmet to Ivar and orders them to send the message "Halthor Subdued" to the Northic parliament, after which they leave. Oscar looks up at the full moon, he hymns I Skogens Glede to himself, as he decides to walk for a bit, ending a story that had been in the making for hundreds of years.