After Vel'Grothar's death, the Guardians moved swiftly, their silhouettes slicing through the debris-strewn Purgatory.
With their weapons at the ready and nerves frayed by the long battle, they pressed forward, aiming to reach Zayne before it was too late.
Sylvara glanced back for a moment, her brows furrowed with concern. "What happened to Garrick?" she asked, her tone uneasy.
Sybil—stoic as ever—shrugged, brushing blood off her sleeve as she kept walking. "Maybe Vel'Grothar killed him,"
she muttered. "Or maybe he ran away. Whatever the case is… I don't want to see his face again."
The air was thick with smoke and tension, but their footsteps never faltered.
Back near the center of the battlefield, Lunara stood tall among the bones of the fallen.
Her breathing was steady, but the light in her eyes burned brighter than ever.
A recent surge of power pulsed through her limbs—just for a few minutes, but enough to push her strength to a level she hadn't touched before.
With her abilities temporarily boosted by 60%, her power now stood at a staggering 160%.
"Im so going to win this!" Said Lunara, smiling from the bottom of her hear.
She stared down the crumbling form of the Skeleton Queen, who was slowly rising from a pile of shattered ribcages and charred robes.
Lunara's voice cut through the silence like a dagger. "That crown… it's not just a symbol, is it?" she said, her tone measured but sharp.
The Queen's hollow gaze met hers.
"We've learned something," Lunara continued, stepping closer. "You and the Skeleton King… you can die.
But not forever. Fifteen years—that's what it takes for you to come back. So no, you're not immortal. Just… persistent."
She let her words hang in the air for a moment.
"I've tried everything. Beheading you. Shattering every bone. Even after all that, you're still standing.
Tired… but alive." Her eyes narrowed. "But I think I finally figured it out."
She raised her hand and pointed directly at the crown atop the Skeleton Queen's skull.
"That gem. The blue one. That's the key, isn't it?"
The Queen straightened, the bones in her spine cracking as she pushed herself up.
She looked exhausted, her movements sluggish.
Lunara didn't wait.
With one swift motion, she summoned a massive spear, forged entirely from her Steel Creation.
It shimmered with lethal intent as she launched forward, aiming straight for the glowing gem embedded in the Queen's crown.
The attack came with no hesitation. No warning. Just pure, decisive force.
But just as the spear was about to strike its target—something, or rather someone, intervened.
A man hurled his body in front of the spear.
The impact was brutal. The spear pierced straight through him, pinning him against the ground.
Blood splattered across the broken stone floor.
Lunara's eyes widened in shock. "What—?"
But even before she could react further, a unfamiliar chuckle echoed from the distance.
Her gaze darted to the far end of the battlefield, where a man stood unscathed, smirking with his arms crossed.
It was Tharion.
The real Vel'Tharion.
"You're surprised?" he said, his voice tinged with amusement.
"Im surprised too, a kid like you, beating the Skeleton Queen? That's just embarrassing—for her, I mean."
He then grabbed something from his back to Lunara and, without warning, shouted, "Hey kid! Catch!"
He threw a sword straight at her.
Lunara reacted immediately.
She shifted backward, her passive Creation activating instinctively, distorting the air around her and giving her just enough speed to evade the weapon.
But just as she was about to counter, her eyes widened again.
The single sword had multiplied—no, exploded—into a hundred identical blades, each hurtling toward her from different angles.
She gritted her teeth and rolled away, narrowly avoiding being skewered.
"Nice reflexes, kid," Tharion called out, clearly enjoying himself.
Lunara scowled. "Your ability… it reminds me of someone I fought before."
Tharion raised an eyebrow. "That right? I don't care who you fought. My Creation is called Multiply...
I can multiply anything or anyone I touch."
"Anyone you touch, huh?" Lunara replied, wiping dust from her cheek. "Sounds like yours is even better than his. But nothing I can't handle."
Vel'Tharion chuckled. "Don't push your luck, kid."
The Skeleton Queen, having recovered slightly, opened her jaw wide.
From the black void inside, she fired several flaming skeletal heads directly at Lunara.
They screeched as they flew through the air, their fangs bared and eyes glowing blue.
Lunara's arms morphed, bones cracking and shifting as her skin transformed into polished axes of gleaming silver.
She swung them fiercely, slicing the skulls down midair.
But more kept coming.
Dozens. Then hundreds.
Lunara's eyes narrowed.
Vel'Tharion again.
He was multiplying the Queen's attack a hundredfold.
Lunara moved quickly, hacking down skull after skull.
Her passive Creation allowed her to deflect some, her blades shattering others.
But it was getting harder by the second. She was strong—160% strong—but even that had limits.
She knew she had to end this.
Her eyes locked on Tharion. She dashed forward, her axes glowing, slicing through the barrage of projectiles as she pressed on toward him.
Each step forward took everything she had, but she pushed on.
Just as she neared him—close enough to strike—Tharion grinned.
He clapped his hands.
In an instant, he multiplied himself.
Dozens of him surrounded her, each one a perfect clone, each wielding a weapon and ready to fight.
Lunara didn't hesitate.
She tore through them.
One by one, she cleaved them down with ruthless precision, her axes dancing in the light.
Blood sprayed. Dust rose. Bones cracked. But she knew none of them were the real Vel'Tharion.
Still, she had no choice. She had to carve a path through them, to get to the real one. But even as she cut them down, more appeared.
A cycle that wouldn't end until she found the source.
Then, just as she prepared to rush through another wave, the battlefield shifted.
The Skeleton Queen groaned—a deep, guttural sound—and suddenly collapsed.
Her body crumbled to the ground, her limbs scattering like dried branches in a storm.
Lunara froze mid-swing.
The clones did too.
Dust settled. The battlefield fell silent for a heartbeat.
Something had changed.
And Lunara, standing there with her bloodied steel axes and burning lungs, couldn't help but be curious to know if the Skeleton Queen is finally down,or getting a power up.