Apocalypse Baby

They were going to end this.

Varkos dodged frantically, his body twisting and turning as he lashed out wildly with his remaining arm.

Lightning crackled around him as he swung, trying desperately to fend off the relentless clones.

But it was pointless.

With one arm missing and facing a clone of one of the most broken humans to ever enter the nightmare, resistance was futile.

The clones closed in from all sides.

A coordinated attack. Precise. Ruthless.

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A blade tore into his side.

Cleave.

A sword hacked into his shoulder.

Pierce.

A dagger buried itself deep into his leg.

Varkos snarled, his frustration boiling over.

But it didn't matter.

No matter how much he struggled, the onslaught wouldn't stop.

His movements slowed.

His body, once proud and imposing, was now a bloodied mess, struggling to keep up.

And then...

SMACK!

A sharp slap cracked across his face.

His head jerked to the side, blood flying from his lips.

Varkos froze.

His chest heaved, his mind staggering from the sheer audacity of it.

A slap?

A slap?!

His fury ignited like a storm.

Lightning exploded around him, his rage boiling over as his body surged with power.

With a guttural roar, he lunged at the nearest clone, his only remaining hand reaching out—

But then.

A voice.

Cold. Unshaken. Unforgiving.

From behind him.

"Petrify."

Varkos's body locked up instantly.

His muscles froze, his breath hitched—

He was trapped.

Completely.

"You don't seem to realize…"

A clone, the one he had managed to grab, tilted its head slightly and spoke—its voice as cold as steel.

"There's simply nothing you can do… but die."

Varkos's eyes widened.

A sharp chill ran through him—

And then—

SHNK!

A blade plunged deep into his back.

Varkos's body jolted, his mouth gaping as dark blood gushed from his lips.

The pain hadn't even fully registered before—

WHAM!

An axe came crashing down, a brutal arc of destruction.

SLICE!

His last arm was torn away, severed in one clean, merciless cut.

Blood erupted, spraying through the air like a crimson fountain.

Varkos staggered, trembling.

He tried to breathe—

But only a wet, gurgling sound escaped his throat.

Pain surged through every fiber of his being.

His legs trembled, barely able to hold him up.

His vision blurred, the world around him fading in and out like a distant dream.

He tried to steady his breath, but it failed.

His lungs hitched, his body refusing to take in air properly.

Then...

THUD.

He collapsed to his knees.

His head hung low, chin almost touching his bloodstained chest.

His once pristine, sculpted body—a symbol of power and might was now ruined.

A tattered, bloodied mess of deep, dark purple.

Agony.

Disbelief.

Fatigue.

Every emotion was etched onto his face.

Varkos spat out blood, thick and dark, his chest rising and falling heavily.

But no matter how much he breathed—

The air around him felt thinner.

Like the world itself was closing in.

Varkos groaned, his voice raw with disbelief.

"Me… defeated by a human?"

No.

Unacceptable.

He refused to believe it.

But then—

A shift.

Subtle, yet unmistakable.

The air around him stirred, sending a chill through his battered body.

Varkos felt it instantly—something was wrong.

His instincts screamed, and his body tensed.

And then it was gone.

A protective spell—one that had shielded him all this time—vanished.

His eyes widened in shock.

How?!

His mind raced, trying to make sense of it.

Then, realization struck like a hammer.

The Grim Lord… had lost another pendant.

Which could only mean one thing—

The magic shield protecting him was gone.

The shield—his one defense against magic—was gone.

Varkos turned slowly, almost dreading what he'd see.

And there it was.

A clone stood ahead, a grin creeping onto its face, one hand raised slightly.

The others stood at a distance, forming a loose circle around him.

They weren't attacking.

Not yet.

They were waiting.

And then—Varkos saw it.

The realization in their eyes.

They knew.

They all knew.

He was completely defenseless.

A cold, eerie chill crawled up his spine.

His breathing hitched.

"No!" Varkos roared, panic gripping his chest like a vice.

His mind screamed for a way out—any way out.

But there was none.

And in the back of his mind, he heard it.

The Grim Lord's mental call for help.

It was different now.

Desperate. Frantic.

His master was losing.

And just like him—

Grim Lord was on the edge of death.

Varkos stared at Alex in terror.

His mind reeled, his body frozen with something he never thought he'd feel—fear.

Seriously, what is this human?

Grim Lord's call rang through his mind, more desperate than ever.

But it was futile.

There was nothing Varkos could do.

Nothing.

The clones stood still, watching him, their presence looming like executioners awaiting the final blow.

Only five seconds left until [Titan Fury] ran out.

Then—

Stormforged Alex stepped forward.

A small, glowing disk of energy flickered into existence in his hand.

Without a word, he placed it against Varkos's forehead.

A detonation mark.

Varkos's breath hitched.

A strange, unnatural tingling sensation crawled across his skin.

He couldn't move.

Couldn't fight back.

And could only wait for the inevitable.

Then…

The rest of the clones raised their hands.

More glowing explosion disks flickered into existence, each one snapping into place across Varkos's mangled body.

His chest.His back.His legs.Even the stump where his arm used to be.

A cold shudder ran through Varkos.

The weight of his fate bore down on him like a crushing boulder.

He was going to be blown apart.

The eerie tingling across his skin intensified, sending his nerves into a frenzy.

His instincts screamed at him to run.

To fight back.

To do something.

But there was nothing he could do.

The clones weren't just attacking.

This was a tribute.

A final salute to the fallen clone.

Even though the original Alex could always summon him again, this sacrifice…

Would not be forgotten.

Varkos's breath came ragged.

His teeth clenched.

His body trembled.

And then...

SNAP.

Every clone snapped their fingers in unison.