After witnessing that the Evergreen tribe's last hope had escaped, Thorne and the survivors who chose to block their pursuers laughed in relief. Thorne looked at Thornek.
"Thornek, your plan to surrender yourself and the tribe to the Silica Kingdom is REALLY FOOLISH. You are NOT ONE OF THEM. No, WE… are NOT ONE OF THEM," Thorne emphasized, pausing for a second before continuing, "We will BLEED TO DEATH until they get what they want. You're TOO FOOLISH, 'Brother'!!"
Hearing this, Thornek was about to respond but was RUDELY interrupted by Korga, along with other foreign people. Even Korga kept a step behind them and was respectful. "Thornek! ARE YOU FINISHED~~?? You're SO SLOW; the other tribes might catch wind and bring reinforcement!! WHERE are the captives~~??"
After noticing that the two groups were in confrontation and seeing Thorne, Korga playfully said, "O~~ Brother Thorne~~!! We meet again!! HAHA!!" He laughed tauntingly.
"I told you we WOULD meet again!! I'm a man of my words right~~?? HAHA!!" Korga was about to continue but was INTERRUPTED.
"KORGA~~!! You're TOO SLOW~~!! MAKE IT FASTER~~!! I told you I DON'T WANT to remain in this GODFORSAKEN place~~!!" A middle-aged man with a full face of powder looking like a ghost, said in a high-pitched voice. Korga shook his body a little, bowed, and answered, "Y-y-yes my Lord Lope, will do as you say!"
Hearing Korga's subservient reply, Lord Lope hmpfhed loudly and disdainfully, not even bothering to reply to the barbarian. He clearly found the surroundings repulsive. "Sir Lucas, Sir Ryder," he drawled, "please help Bloodfang Chief handle these HEATHENS!! I don't want to stay in this place any longer. Too many mosquitoes and even the smell of feces or dung... Lord Hugh might be thinking of my return any moment!!" Lord Lope mused dreamily.
Sir Ryder and Sir Lucas, knights under Lord Hugh, flinched momentarily before replying respectfully, "Yes, Seneschal Lope, we will round this up immediately." Eager to escape the Seneschal's presence, they strode towards Korga and his warriors, then turned their attention to Thorne and his defiant group. "HEATHENS!!" Sir Lucas boomed, his voice amplified by an underlying current of Aura. "You heard the SENESCHAL!! Quickly SURRENDER and OBEY Lord Hugh, Lord of Ashwood Territory and inducted by the King of Silica HIMSELF!"
"NEVER!!" Thorne and the remaining Evergreen warriors bellowed in unison, their defiance echoing across the ravaged clearing.
Sensing a treacherous opportunity, Thornek stepped forward, bowing low and ingratiatingly towards the two Silica Kingdom Knights. "My lords," he simpered, his voice dripping with false humility, "do not waste your precious strength against my foolish brother. My meager strength is more than sufficient to handle him and these remaining… holdouts." He shamelessly bootlicked, his eyes gleaming with self-serving ambition. Even the Elders who had sided with Thornek shifted uncomfortably, a flicker of shame crossing their faces at his blatant sycophancy.
Sir Lucas and Sir Ryder exchanged a brief, disdainful glance at Thornek before turning their attention back towards Seneschal Lope, who was currently lewdly touching a flustered maidservant while whispering suggestive remarks to a visibly uncomfortable young guard. He offered no guidance or acknowledgement of Thornek's pathetic display, lost in his own repulsive amusements.
When Thornek finally received a dismissive nod from Sir Lucas, a wide, arrogant grin stretched across his face. He approached Thorne, a coiled whip, its leather dark and supple, snaking in his grip. "Brother," he sneered, "it's been far too long since we last tested our mettle. I do hope your skills haven't deteriorated with age, haha." Thornek laughed, the sound grating and self-satisfied, as he flicked the whip, the tip cracking menacingly against the dusty ground.
Thorne, his face a mask of fury, refused to back down. "Let's SEE!" he bellowed, his voice resonating with power. In that instant, the spirit of the Mountain Bear, his Ancestral Totem, began to surge within him. His very posture shifted, his shoulders broadening, his frame thickening. A dense, earthy brown aura erupted from his core, swirling around him like a visible manifestation of raw power. His muscles visibly bulged and hardened, his hands growing calloused and thick. His features became slightly more rugged, a primal intensity lighting his eyes, reminiscent of a cornered bear. This was Totem Integration – the merging of his physical form with the essence of the Mountain Bear, granting him enhanced strength, resilience, and the ferocity of the wild. With a guttural cry, fueled by years of loyalty and now burning rage, he swung his massive axe, bringing it down in a powerful arc. "AXE CLEAVER!" he roared, unleashing his signature skill.
Not willing to show any sign of fear or weakness despite the raw power emanating from Thorne, Thornek nimbly sidestepped the heavy axe blow. The wind from the passing weapon ruffled his hair. With a swift flick of his wrist, the dark whip lashed out, a blur of motion aimed at Thorne's exposed side. "Viper's Coil!" Thornek hissed, channeling his Black Mamba Totem into the attack, the whip crackling with a subtle, dark energy. He followed up immediately with another strike, aiming for Thorne's legs, "Mamba's Fang!" the whip tip snapping like a striking serpent.
The fight devolved into a flurry of brutal exchanges. Thorne's powerful axe swings were met by the swift, venomous lashes of Thornek's whip. Despite the Mountain Bear's strength, Thorne struggled against Thornek's agility and the whip's reach. Thornek managed to land a stinging blow across Thorne's chest, drawing blood. "Is this ALL you got, brother? Haha," Thornek taunted, his voice laced with arrogant amusement.
Thorne, ignoring the pain and the mocking words, breathed heavily, sweat and blood mingling on his brow. He knew he couldn't prolong this.
Spotting a flicker of overconfidence in Thornek's movements, a momentary lapse in his defense, Thorne seized the opportunity. With a roar of pure determination, he channeled all his remaining strength into a final, devastating attack, aiming to cleave Thornek in two.
But at the last possible instant, a flicker of his old cunning returning, Thornek twisted his body violently to the right. The massive axe, instead of finding its mark on his torso, CRUNCHED through his left hand.
"AHHHH!!" Thornek shrieked in AGONY, clutching his severed limb, blood spurting between his fingers. "You BASTARD!! You CLEAVED my hand! I'LL KILL YOU!!" Reason abandoned, Thornek, fueled by pain and rage, lunged at Thorne like a MADMAN, his remaining hand clawing and flailing.
Sir Lucas, who had been observing the spectacle with detached boredom, finally lost all interest. "Korga," he drawled, his voice dismissive, "finish this."
Korga let out a sinister cackle, his Vicious Jackal totem stirring within him. With a speed that belied his bulk, he darted forward, a wickedly sharp dagger appearing in his hand. In a blur of motion, he ambushed Thorne, plunging the dagger deep into his back. Thorne staggered, a look of shock and disbelief washing over his face before he collapsed, lifeless.
Witnessing Thorne's brutal end, a wave of sorrow washed over the Evergreen Elders, even those who had defected to the Silica Kingdom. Elder Miya, who had convinced herself she was making the right choice for the tribe's survival, felt a sickening lurch in her stomach, a sudden, sharp reconsideration of her betrayal.
Miles away, deep within the Evergreen Forest, Syka, Kael, Usato, and the other fleeing survivors suddenly felt a profound sense of loss, an invisible weight pressing down on their hearts. Unconsciously, tears streamed down their faces. Syka, stirring from her shock-induced stupor, her eyes snapping open, let out a heart-wrenching scream. "NO!! GRANDPA!!" And then, darkness claimed her once more, and she fell unconscious.