The revelation of Ikuku's form and identity had left those present at the palace in a state of shock and disbelief. Whispers spread like wildfire as the guards and maids struggled to come to terms with the truth that had been unveiled before their eyes. Ikuku, his malevolence now laid bare, glared at Ekene with a burning fury.
Taking in the scene around him, Ekene turned to Princess Adaeze, concern etched on his face. "Is the king away on a trip?" he asked gently, hoping to gain a better understanding of the situation at hand.
However, instead of responding, Princess Adaeze's face crumpled, and she burst into tears, the weight of recent events finally crashing down upon her. Seeing her distress, Ekene's expression softened, his eyes filled with empathy as he realized the gravity of the circumstances. "I see," he whispered, his voice a soothing balm in the chaos.
Reaching out to offer comfort, Ekene took Princess Adaeze's hand, his touch warm and reassuring. "Ada, don't worry," he said, his words a gentle reassurance in the face of uncertainty. "Everything will be fine."
But their moment of solace was short-lived, as Ikuku's voice cut through the air, filled with dark intent. "You saved me the stress of looking for you, Ekene."
Burning with fury, Ekene ignored Ikuku's taunts. He leaped into the air, his voice ringing out with the force of his conviction. "The blade that bears the same name as the king of the jungle's, Agu! Lend me your strength!"
With a resounding crash, Ekene landed on the open ground that Ikuku had torn asunder earlier, piercing the earth with his sword. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the area, forcing those present at the palace to brace themselves against the tremors.
As the earth shook, Ekene's resolve only grew stronger. With a mighty effort, he willed the gaping chasm to close, as if commanding a living creature to seal its maw. The ground obeyed his unspoken command, sealing shut with a deafening rumble that echoed throughout Amosu Village. In the process, the remaining anacondas, servants of Ikuku's darkness, were crushed and vanquished, their malevolent presence extinguished.
The dust settled, revealing Ekene standing tall amidst the chaos, his sword gleaming in the fading light.
At that moment, Samuel, Grace, and Cynthia arrived at the scene, their presence a sense of relief to Ekene. Knowing that they would protect Princess Adaeze and the Queen allowed Ekene to focus on the impending battle against Ikuku.
"You guys are here. Good!" Ekene exclaimed, his voice filled with determination. "Protect the Queen and the princess! Leave this clown to me!"
The trio nodded in unison, their own resolve unwavering. "Right!" they responded, ready to fulfill their roles in the fight for Amosu Village.
As Samuel, Grace, and Cynthia made their way towards Princess Adaeze and the Queen, Ekene turned to face Ikuku once more, his gaze locked on his enemy.
Princess Adaeze, her heart heavy with worry, called out to Ekene. "What about you, Ekene?" she asked, her voice trembling with concern.
Ekene offered her a forced smile, hoping to alleviate her fears. "Well, don't worry about me. I'll be fine, my Princess," he replied, his words laced with a mixture of fear and hope.
Princess Adaeze couldn't help but notice a shift in Ekene's demeanor, a strange behavior that wasn't like him "Huh? He doesn't address me as 'my princess'. It's as if he's afraid. Please I couldn't wish for anything more. Just don't die. I beg you," she thought to herself, her heart aching with the fear of losing Ekene in the battle to come.
Ikuku observed Ekene with a mixture of amusement and irritation. "I see you've mastered the art of flight, Ekene," he said, his voice a low rumble that echoed through the air. "You're a troublesome entity that needs to be wiped out of existence. Else, you could become a headache to me later and could probably thwart my plans."
A moment of silence followed Ikuku's declaration, the tension between the two adversaries palpable as they prepared to engage in a battle that would determine the fate of Amosu Village.
"Ikuku," Ekene began, his voice breaking the silence, "Why are you doing this?"
Ikuku's gaze locked onto Ekene's, a moment of silence passing before he responded. "Humans are nothing but insignificant beings," he began, his tone laced with contempt. "Beings made from dirt. In other words, you're dirt itself. You shouldn't even exist in the first place. Isn't it better to put an end to this race once and for all?"
His eyes seemed to gleam with malevolent intent as he continued. "I came to this planet a thousand years ago, looking to obliterate it and its inhabitants – humans. It just so happened that the place I landed on was Amosu Village – at the time, it was ruled by an emperor, it was 25 times more spacious, and it had a different name. I decided to start from there."
Ikuku's voice took on a reflective tone, a hint of bitterness seeping through. "I had killed hundreds of people before the soldiers – guards decided to challenge me. In those small stones they call brains, they felt they were defending the empire and viewed their actions as heroic deeds. But they were no match for me."
His expression twisted into a scowl, his voice dripping with disdain. "However, seeing that the soldiers were no match for my celestial powers and strengths, their desperate emperor at the time made a covenant with me, promising that he and his descendants would serve me."
A scoff escaped Ikuku's lips, his contempt for humanity laid bare. "Just how insignificant can you humans be? I thought of a plan. I decided to make it a game. I told them that in that case, killing snakes is prohibited in the land. They all agreed. But they were unaware that the actual plan was to obliterate the portion of the race that lived in the village through snakes. Years later, I got tired of the game, so I decided to increase the snake attacks. I even thought of creative ways to launch the snake attacks, such as attacks from water closets. Interestingly, one of my victims of this new method happened to be James, your uncle,"
At the mention of his uncle's name, Ekene's fury burned brighter, his grip on Agu, his sword tightening as he prepared to confront the villain before him. Princess Adaeze and Ekene's friends were visibly shaken, their faces etched with horror as they struggled to process the depths of Ikuku's manipulation. Ikuku, seemingly unfazed by the emotions roiling through the air, continued his dark tale, his voice devoid of emotion.
"My plan to obliterate humans through snake attacks didn't go as planned, as the snakes were being killed. I thought that humans had grown stronger, that they could now kill dangerous snakes. I ordered Eze Mmuo to investigate because I knew there was no way humans would kill snakes in this village. At least not those who knew about the rules that forbade killing snakes."
Ikuku's gaze locked onto Ekene's, his eyes glinting with malevolence. "According to Eze Mmuo's investigation, it so happened that you, Ekene, and your friends were killing snakes. I thought maybe you'd stop soon, but you even increased the rate at which you killed snakes. I decided to fight back. That water closet attack was originally meant for you, Ekene. Unfortunately, the foolish king and his daughter here invited you to the palace that evening."
Irritation seeped into Ikuku's voice as he continued. "Going to the palace didn't just save you from the trap I had set for you, but it also brought you closer to the truth, as you met the Queen in the form of a snake. My water closet snake attack caught your uncle instead of you so I ordered Eze Mmuo to get you arrested and make sure you're locked in the Valley of No Return. But somehow, you survived and killed all the snakes there and even killed Eze Mmuo."
Ikuku's expression twisted into a snarl, his malevolence palpable. "So I decided to do the obliteration myself, but here you are, with the ability to fly. Basically, I just want to do what I didn't do 1,000 years ago. That's all."
A tense silence settled between Ekene and Ikuku as the young hero quietly flew away from the palace grounds, his mind racing with thoughts of protecting his friends and his home. Ikuku, his malevolent gaze trained on Ekene's retreating form, broke the silence with a provocative question.
"Don't you think your friends are defenseless? Flying away like that?" Ikuku asked, his tone dripping with contempt.
Unfazed by Ikuku's attempt to unsettle him, Ekene's voice rang out with unwavering resolve. "I'm the one you're really after, right? So shut up and come and get me!"
A sinister smile crept across Ikuku's face as he took flight in pursuit of Ekene, his thoughts dark and calculating. "He's right. He's my target. He's the only one strong enough to thwart my plans. The others are just going to get obliterated with the world. So, I'm not worried about them. Ekene is the only one I'm wary of"
As the chase continued, Ekene suddenly stopped, floating in mid-air, his form illuminated by the waning light of day. Sensing an opportunity, Ikuku seized the moment to taunt his adversary, his voice filled with arrogance.
"Do you think you can beat me in the air?" Ikuku challenged, his confidence unwavering.
Ekene's reply was swift and resolute. "Hah! I simply changed the battlefield to ensure the safety of my friends down there!"
With his intentions made clear, Ekene launched a fierce attack at Ikuku. However, to his surprise, Ikuku effortlessly blocked his sword strikes with a single hand, his skin seemingly impervious to the blade's edge.
"Huh? What's going on here?" Ekene thought to himself, shock coloring his actions. "How come his skin is so hard? Not even my blade can pierce it? In that case, how do I kill him?"
As the battle raged in the skies above, Ekene's friends watched the scene unfold with bated breath. Their shock was palpable as they witnessed Ikuku's impenetrable skin deflecting Ekene's every strike.
Samuel, his voice tinged with concern, voiced their shared worry. "His skin is so hard, how are we supposed to beat that thing?"
Cynthia, her eyes fixed on the aerial struggle, whispered a worried question. "What will Ekene do?"
Princess Adaeze, her heart aching with the pain of loss, clutched her hands together in a prayer hand sign, her silent plea a desperate wish. "Please, no matter what happens, don't die! I've lost someone I love already today. I don't want to lose another person that I love!"
Despite his best efforts, Ekene's blade could not pierce Ikuku's defenses. In a sudden turn of events, Ikuku caught Ekene's sword by the blade, his grip unyielding.
"Did you honestly think you could defeat me?" Ikuku taunted, his voice dripping with arrogance.
With a devastating display of strength, Ikuku shattered Ekene's blade with ease, sending the young hero falling back in shock and surprise.
"What? He broke my blade?" Ekene thought to himself, disbelief coloring his expression.
"Now, it's time for me to attack. Ekene, prepare yourself," Ikuku declared, his voice resonating with malevolence.
In a blur of speed, Ikuku lashed out at Ekene, shoving him with such force that he crashed through a nearby building, the rubble crumbling around him. As Ekene struggled to regain his bearings, Ikuku unleashed a devastating laser at the fallen hero, his attack engulfing the ruins in a blinding flash of light.
"Ekene!" Princess Adaeze screamed, her voice raw with fear and anguish as tears streamed down her face. The sight of Ekene's apparent demise left his friends in shock, their hearts heavy with the weight of their loss.
"That should do it. There is no way he'd survive that," Ikuku muttered, a hint of satisfaction coloring his tone as he turned to fly away, confident in his victory over Amosu Village's last line of defense.
As the smoke cleared, a figure leaped from the rubble, defying all expectations. Ekene, battered but unbroken, soared into the air, his shattered sword now glowing with an ethereal blue light. With a powerful swing, he unleashed a light-like beam attack that enveloped Ikuku, bathing the area in an otherworldly glow.
Gasping for breath, Ekene watched as the remnants of his attack dissipated, leaving only smoke in its wake.
Samuel, his voice tinged with awe, asked the question on everyone's minds. "Is he dead?"
As the smoke slowly cleared, revealing no sign of Ikuku, Ekene's friends, the Queen, the palace guards and the palace maids, all erupted into a cacophony of jubilant roars, their spirits lifted by the young hero's miraculous victory.
"Way to go, buddy! You beat that monster!" Samuel yelled, pride swelling in his chest at his friend's achievement.
Grace, her eyes shining with admiration, exclaimed, "Ekene always wins! No matter what he's up against!"
Cynthia, her voice filled with awe, simply said, "He's something else!"
Princess Adaeze, her face soaked in tears, silently expressed her gratitude. "You survived. Thank you, Ekene."
Suddenly, the echo of Ikuku's voice reverberated through the air, prompting a chilling silence to fall upon the palace. Disbelief and horror washed over Ekene's friends as they struggled to process Ikuku's survival. "Just as I thought, you really are dangerous, Ekene." He said
Samuel, his thoughts racing, questioned the impossible. "How is he still alive after that attack?"
Cynthia, her heart pounding in her chest, grasped the severity of the situation. "Damn it! This is bad! This is bad!"
With a burst of speed, Ikuku emerged from the smoke, lashing out at Ekene and piercing his chest with his hand. The shock of the attack was evident in Ekene's eyes as Ikuku's hand grasped his beating heart.
Ekene's friends watched in abject horror as the gruesome scene unfolded before them. Ikuku's hand, now firmly embedded in Ekene's chest, began to squeeze the life from their friend.
"Ekene, I can't let you live," Ikuku declared, his voice cold and emotionless. "Because you are dangerous!"
With one final, devastating motion, Ikuku ripped Ekene's heart from his chest, the blood gushing forth like a spring of water. As Ekene's lifeless body plummeted to the ground, the impact resonated throughout the palace, a resounding echo of their collective despair.
"Ekeeeneeeeeeeeee!" Princess Adaeze's scream pierced the air, her heartbreak and anguish laid bare for all to witness. Tears streamed down her face, mirroring the river of blood that now flowed from Ekene's unmoving form.
In the wake of Ekene's fall, a deafening silence descended upon the palace. The remnants of hope that had bolstered their spirits only moments before were extinguished, replaced by the crushing weight of loss and defeat.
As the young hero's lifeblood seeped into the earth, it seemed as though the very essence of Amosu Village had been torn asunder. The darkness, once held at bay by the light of Ekene's courage, now threatened to consume them all.