Into Hellfire

Epilogue, Part Two

The cave was no more. In its place were the two Gigas that had decimated it. Behind them were several more, and on the ground was every soldier Naeus could muster.

Patrick know they didn't stand a chance. "Fall back! Pull in and fall back!"

His army didn't need to be told twice. They raced for the gaps in their walls, running at full sprint into the nearby Nether wart forest. The Gigas followed closely, but their slow movements allowed the Frostbourne to get some distance on them. Strangely and suddenly, the Gigas turned from their pursuit. Azura, from her place in the sky, was the first to see why. A huge Gigabone, easily another twenty feet taller than the others, was marching towards them, its eyes glowing bright red. On its shoulder rode Abigail, Blair, and Kronos, escorted by the Nether Rebels on the ground and in the air. The three commanders slid down the beast's back as it engaged the first of the Gigas, throwing a punch that shattered its skull. Upon touching down on the ground, Abigail ran to link up with the Frostbourne.

"You looked like you could use some backup!" She shouted to General Patrick.

"We need a better position!" The Grandmaster called back.

Abigail nodded. "There's a clearing up ahead, just keep moving!"

As Patrick and the Frostbourne Army ran ahead, Azrael saw something strange. Part of the Nether Horde has broken off to pursue Patrick, and the rest turned to assist the Gigas, all but two of whom had already fallen to Abigail's Ancient.

She looked to Gabriel. "What are they doing?"

"They see the Gigas as their best chance of survival. Tell Abigail to call off her Ancient, we'll need it later!" Gabriel called back.

Azrael dove, landing beside Abigail. "I know you think I'm still the enemy, but you gotta trust me. Call off your Ancient, we can take the Gigas."

Abigail hesitantly nodded, and with a wave of her staff, the Ancient disengaged and began to walk away. Azrael flew back up and joined Gabriel in the air. An unspoken plan was shared between the pair, and they flew at Naeus's Gigas.

"Cripple them first!" Gabriel shouted.

The pair dove down, slashing at the Gigas' legs as they flew past. However, they were struggling to get anything done quickly. Azrael was so focused on attacking the Giga that she didn't see the Wither Angel diving at her until its blade was inches away from her throat. It never made contact, though, as another spear was driven through the Wither Angel bearing it. The Nether Rebels' Wither Angel Captain now flew where the original Wither Angel had been.

"You looked like you needed some help!" It said, before a dozen Wither Angels swooped down, attacking the Gigabone.

Soon, they heard the cracking of bone as the Giga's leg gave out. The beast assumed a crawling position, trying to swipe at the airborne soldiers. Gabriel and Azrael were about to attack when a blue streak blazed past them. It tore through the Gigabone's head, and flew back up.

It was Azura. "Too slow, you two!"

Gabriel scoffed, flying right at the second Giga's head. The beast swiped at him, but he rolled out of the way easily thanks to the upgrades Amethyst and Azura had given him. The triumph was short lived, however, as a pack of Wither Angels began to pursue him. He laughed, pressing a switch on his gauntlet and triggering a blast of lightning that grounded almost all of the Wither Angels. One managed to make it to him, and the Archangel only had a split second to move one of his wings in order to block its spear.

The Netherite spear bounced off the energy field, and Gabriel followed up with a swipe from that wing- an attack that was blocked easily. He swiped a few more times, but the Wither Angel was too quick. All of a sudden, it broke away, and landed on the ground next to General Naeus and Kralos. Gabriel took the opportunity he had, lowering his helmet and visor and propelling himself through the Gigabone's head, exploding out the other side in a shower of charred bone. The massive skeleton fell to the ground, crushing many of Naeus's army.

The three sky fighters knew what they had to do. Escorted by the Nether Rebels, they flew to General Patrick's position in just enough time to see the Nether Horde take position in front of the army. They landed next to the General.

Patrick sighed. "It's our last stand."

Azura walked beside him, taking his hand. "It is, and we won't go out like cowards."

The two Angels said nothing, only deploying their scythes and standing ready. Rain and Stella joined them, their weapons raised and ready. Ceris and Zeganirn stood with their Ender Watchers, ready to fight to the death. Abigail headed up the Nether Rebels, Ruby Thorn in position to bring down as many of the Nether Horde as it could. Amy was back on her feet and stood beside her brother, her magical books open and ready to strike. Kira reluctantly positioned himself next to the Nether Rebels, katana facing the enemy.

In the blink of an eye, the first wave came from the Nether Horde. Patrick was right about one thing: this battle would determine the fate of the Frostbourne and of the Nether Horde.