Mumbo raised his shield, panic clearly in his gaze. "G-Grian—, I-I'm not sure if I can help. I can barely stay standing. That blast, the rubble—"

"It's okay. Stay behind me. Save as much energy as you can. And for goodness sake, you spoon, don't die!" The builder assured while raising his iron axe.

"You don't have to die, Mumbo! We can still help you!" Iskall said while lowering their weapon, stepping closer to the mustached redstoner. "You were one of us, but they tore you away. Our watcher can heal you. You have a chance to come back to our light! You know that we're right...You know that the Cult of the Silver Sun is right."

At this point, Mumbo's eyes were brimming with tears. Horror and stress had gotten to him, his body shaking as he wearily raised his only form of defense. "Y-You're wrong. She wants you to think that, b-b-but she's manipulating you all!"

Xisuma placed a hand on the Swede's shoulder. "They are lost souls, my friend. No amount of convincing will bring them to light. We can't save them."

"Are you seriously going to keep repeating the same lies to them?" Ex rolled his eyes at his brother, though he remained on guard with his iron sword raised. "Mom really made you a mini version of her, huh? I don't think I was that big of a suck up, even when I was brainwashed."

"Tsk. It's because you weren't meant to be the final version of our mother's creation. I was. You're nothing but a cheap knockoff."

"Enough of your bickering." Sylvia snapped her fingers together, the eyes on the masks of the brainwashed hermits beginning to glow with a silver light. She rose from her throne, her three eyes narrowed at the survivors. "I'm sick of these five. Paint this room red with their blood."

Xisuma barely took a moment to process the command, raising his sword to strike down his brother. Ex countered with his own blade, sparks flying as the metal clashed together. The admin's face turned to a sick grin as their swords were pressed against one another, silver magic beginning to surround his weapon.

"Oh, sh—" Ex nearly swore, though a blast of energy sent him flying clear across the room.

"Hurry and kill these four. I'll take care of Xanthus." Xisuma said as he walked past the survivors, focused solely on his brother.

Grian watched as the admin walked past without a care, heading towards his brother's body. He turned his head back to the army of hermits, only to raise his axe to block False from cutting him open. It was like a switch flipped, and suddenly the hermits were ready to fight.

Stress used her pickaxe to knock a diamond sword from Scar's hand, as she was left without a reasonable weapon to defend herself with. Joe had been completely helpless, Ex had taken his blade, though the southerner noticed the sword as it dropped to the ground. He slid across the floor on his knees, grasping the handle before Scar had a chance to recover.

Joe slashed the weapon, with no intent to harm one of his close friends, simply trying to keep a distance between them. "Stay back, Scar." He warned while getting back on his feet.

Bdubs shoved past the terraformer with his axe raised above his head, followed by Cub, Impulse, Doc, and Cleo. Joe knew that he wasn't the best at PvP, but adrenaline seemed to be flowing through his body. The world felt like it was moving in slow motion. He raised his weapon, slashing right at the haft of the axe. The cut was a clean hit with a large amount of force behind it, as it managed to slice the axe in two.

He copied what he saw Ex do earlier, pulling back before raising his leg to firmly plant a kick in the builder's stomach. Bdubs stumbled backwards while dropping his end of the broken axe, though it was softened due to the armor he wore. Doc lunged forward with a trident, giving Joe no chance to recover his balance from the kick.

Stress raised her pickaxe as she pushed Joe out of the way, swinging it right into the robotic side of Doc's head. His mechanical eye seemed to shatter as she pulled the tip of the tool out, ripping through a few wires behind the panel.

"Thanks." Joe breathed out in relief, though now wasn't the time for words. He blocked an incoming attack from Impulse while Cleo shot arrows from the distance, which Stress rushed to stop.

Meanwhile, Grian and Mumbo were pinned back-to-back. The redstoner was using his shield to block Ren and Cub from attacking, while Grian was trying his best to hold off False. She was one of the best hermits at combat, and the Brit knew he couldn't beat her.

Iskall came up from the side, raising their weapon to strike the Builder while he was occupied with False. Mumbo saw out of the corner of his eye, which caused him to swing around on his heel. He blocked the sword with his shield before using the little bit of strength that he had to shove the Swede away.

Grian spun to defend Mumbo from Cub and Ren before they could attack while his back was turned. The mustached hermit turned to block False from another strike, the duo remaining with their backs against one another as they fought in unison.

Stress used her pickaxe to grab the string of Cleo's bow, tearing it with a low amount of effort. Like Joe, she was running purely on adrenaline. It was hard not to, they were fighting for their lives. Not just that, but the lives of their friends too. Hell, the lives of everyone who had been brainwashed by Sylvia!

The southerner rushed to help her, though Tango and Zedaph stood in his way. Zed moved first, causing Joe to shove him towards the redstoner. Tango dropped his sword to prevent himself from accidentally stabbing Zedaph, grabbing his friend before he could hit the ground.

Joe ran past them, throwing his sword across the room to slice through Jevin before he could hit Stress from behind. The blade got stuck in his slime, though Joe grabbed the handle and forced it out.

Wels and Etho ran at him, Stress raising her pickaxe. She linked the hook of the pickaxe around the knight's sword before throwing it to the side, while Joe hit Etho's blade with enough force to knock it from his hands.

"HOW ARE YOU LOSING?!" Sylvia shouted in anger, rising from her throne. Her wings were ablaze, burning from her pure rage. "THEY SHOULD BE DEAD BY NOW. CAN'T YOU FOOLS DO ANYTHING RIGHT?!"

Xisuma looked towards his mother, his sword pinned against his brother's neck. Ex was backed against one of the large columns, his sword just out of reach on the ground. He glanced from his weapon to his brother, then back at his blade. Ex shoved his brother before rushing to grab his sword, though the admin pointed his blade towards the weapon. A blast of energy shot off his sword, knocking Ex's only chance at defense out of reach.

"Dear brother, I'm afraid that this little rebellion is over." X said, backing his sibling into a corner.

"Geez, your friends wouldn't say the same. Seems like they're doing really bad, actually."

He chuckled, shrugging off the comment. "Those four will wear themselves out eventually. They can't fight forever. But we can, and we will! Each and every one of us will give our lives to defend the Silver Sun!"

"You know, you were annoying before putting on that damn mask. But now you're really starting to get on my nerves.." Ex scoffed while cracking his knuckles.

"Let's just finish this. I promise to kill you slowly." The admin smiled, raising his sword. It radiated with magic, the silver glow turning white. He slashed at the air, releasing a shockwave of energy that tore through the tile floor as it rushed towards his brother. Ex shut his eyes, bracing his body for the impact of the magic.

After a moment or two, Ex flinched, realizing that he hadn't been hit. He opened one eye, then the next when he realized that he wasn't dead. "What the—" Both he and Xisuma muttered in unison with one another, some kind of barrier blocking the attack.

It was clearly magic, though it wasn't the regular silver color that Sylvia welded. Instead it was a transparent purple, something that he hadn't seen before. Ex glanced towards the other hermits, the same magic surrounding the four survivors like a shield.

Xisuma's grip on the handle of his sword tightened, his anger clear despite his hidden expression. "What did you do?! What is this!?" His brother shouted, slamming a fist against the barrier in rage. Ex didn't speak, focused more on growing flames in the center of the room. Purple sparks shot out of the floor before erupting into a flame that rose to the ceiling.

Sylvia arose from her throne, her frown deepening. "I thought I would have had more time before you showed up," she said in a cold tone. "I know my power had weakened, but I thought the barrier I created would last a bit longer. I suppose that you've been looking for me."

The watcher stepped out of the flames, his appearance drastically different from Sylvia. His hair was white and long, pulled back into a longer bun. He wore a mask that was similar to the followers of the Silver Sun, though it had the same symbol that Sylvia's mask had. His cloak was long with a deep purple color, golden accents along the cloth. His wings were pure white with golden feathers every so often, two large pairs resting on his back. His staff was golden, and at the end of his staff was an eye with wings.

"Don't flatter yourself." The watcher said as the flames died down, "I'm here to restore the order that you've destroyed."

"I've created a new order, Eran. A better order. I've given players a new home, a server that will never fail them."

"You're just as twisted as you were all those years ago." Eran said, shaking his head.

"I always was your best student, wasn't I? You simply couldn't see the genius in my ideas."

"And you couldn't see the madness." Eran snapped back, "I tried to help you, but you were too stubborn. Too wrapped up in your ideas. And now, look around. You're forcing servers of players to worship you, to fight for you. This isn't the ideology of the watchers, Sylvia. We are supposed to watch."

"Why watch when we can rule?" She smiled while opening her wings. "I am a goddess here. I have saved the players who were lost, abandoned! I am their SAVIOR!"

Eran sighed. "You are hopeless. Keeping these people here as hostages, brainwashing them, using them to build your empire...It is pure madness. It's time to surrender, Sylvia. Come back with me."

"Never." She said, pointing her staff towards the elder watcher. "I may be weakened, but I will not give up the utopia that I worked so hard to achieve."

"Then I will bring an end to this myself."

He walked past Mumbo and Grian, the two in a dome made of his magic. The watcher paused, locking eyes with the former evolutionist for a moment. "Rest now. I shall handle this." Eran said, walking off without another word.

"D—...do you know him?" Mumbo asked.

Grian shook his head. "I don't think so. But...Evo was filled with watchers. Maybe...he was one of them?"

The two watched as Eran walked towards the bottom of the throne, raising his staff. The purple light emitting from the staff began glowing brighter, sending a powerful stream of magic towards the throne. Sylvia raised her own staff, a barrier of silver magic forming in an instant to block the attack.

A beam of light pierced the barrier, hitting the sorceress in the shoulder. She stumbled back, clutching her wounded arm. The magic cut into her skin, drawing blood.

"MOTHER!" Xisuma called out, rushing to try and aid his parent.

Eran seemed to phase through the room, almost as if he teleported, reappearing in front of the admin. He placed two fingers on the side of Xisuma's head, a purple glow of magic releasing from his fingertips. "Sleep." He commanded, causing the eye on Xisuma's mask to flutter shut. His sword slipped from his grasp as he fell to the ground, suddenly unconscious.

"I see you reconnected with your experiments." Eran said, glancing up from Xisuma's sleeping body.

"You hid him well. It took me years to locate the exact server where he was. By the time I got there, he was nearly lost." Sylvia groaned, straightening her posture as she pulled her hand away from the wound.

"I was hoping you would never find him. You created living beings, they are not puppets for you play with, Sylvia." Eran scolded.

She said nothing, raising her staff to shoot a blast of fire towards Eran. He opened his wings, flying out of the range of the attack. Sylvia flew after him, attacking with magic in midair. Each one of her spells were blocked or diverted by the elder watcher with ease, not once allowing her to land a hit.

"Why must you make this difficult for yourself?" Eran asked while flicking his staff, rerouting a blast of silver fire off to the side. "I will not hesitate to kill you, if it comes to it."

She growled under her breath, firing off another blast of energy. Eran easily dodged before responding with his own attack, shooting a bolt of energy towards Sylvia's left wing. She bit down on her lip to avoid shrieking in pain, the watcher stumbling in the air.

"I won't let you ruin what I've worked so hard for." Sylvia said, landing on the floor to give her scorched wing a rest.

Tapping the bottom of her staff against the ground, flames burst through the ground, silver fire filling the throne room. Eran flew back to keep his feathers from burning, which is when Sylvia took the opportunity to send a shockwave of magic towards the elder watcher.

He was sent backwards from the blast, using his wings to redirect where he would crash. Eran managed to regain control of himself in the air, gliding downwards towards Sylvia. He slashed his staff in the air, sending out a blast of wind that managed to extinguish the flames, giving him a chance to land.

"You know you cannot defeat me. I'm the one who trained you!" Eran yelled, sending a blast of purple lightning towards Sylvia.

She created a barrier to block the attack, but Eran began to bombard her shield with an unending wave of attacks. Sylvia felt her barrier being pushed by the force of Eran's blows, though she continued to push with enough force to keep his attacks at bay.

Eventually her shield managed to shatter, knocking her staff from her hand. "It's over." Eran said, pointing his glowing weapon at Sylvia.

Her lips curled into a devious smile, which gave the elder watcher pause. Before he had a moment to question her, a glowing blade ripped through his back before tearing through his chest. A cry of agony left the elder watcher before collapsing to his knees, Xisuma tearing the sword out of his back. The admin was drowsy from his magic, but he had managed to recover while Eran was distracted.

The watcher fell to the ground, blood leaking out from his stomach. Sylvia chuckled, taking his staff from him. "Wonderful job, my dear." She praised Xisuma, handing him the elder watcher's staff. "Now...finish the job."

"Of course." He nodded, taking the staff from his mother. There was a moment of pause as he stared at Eran's body, his magic beginning to heal the wounds already. X held the staff above his head, before striking it down to pierce the end of the staff through his heart.

Purple blood splattered across his face and armor, though Xisuma didn't react. He was almost numb. His mother chuckled, placing a hand on her son's head. "Much better."

The magic barriers that Eran had created began to fade, leaving the five surviving hermits defenseless. "Now then," Sylvia said as she walked back to her throne. "Let's get this over with. Take care of these five."

Ex took a step back, a faint glint of silver catching his eye. He turned his head to spot his mother's staff across the room, left helpless after Eran had knocked it out of her grasp. This was his chance.

He rushed to grasp the staff, running in what felt like slow motion. His legs felt heavy while his mind raced, a million thoughts going through his mind. He ran forward as fast as he could, the world slowing to a halt. Ex could hear shouts of panic coming from the brainwashed hermits, though they were mostly drowned out by his heartbeat echoing in his ears. He was so close. Just a few more steps. Ex reached out his hand, he could almost touch it.

Xisuma tackled his brother to the ground, sending them both tumbling to the side. "Thought you could beat us?" His brother laughed tauntingly, keeping Ex pinned beneath him.

Chuckling underneath his breath, Ex raised the staff that he managed to grab. "Yeah, I do." He smirked, a silver aura of magic surrounding his brother. The admin was thrown off his sibling, his back slamming into one of the columns of the throne room.

Using the staff, he managed to stand. Ex turned to his mother, gripping the handle of the weapon while his eyes narrowed. "It's over, Sylvia." He said, climbing the steps of her throne.

"You can't kill me, even if you wanted to." She laughed. "I made you! You were created from my magic. I am YOUR MOTHER!"

He raised the staff, shaking his head. "You are not my mother. I'm not what you created me to be. I'll never be a tool for you to use. And I'm going to make sure you never use anyone ever again."

Ex plunged the staff into the watcher's chest without a moment of hesitation, stabbing the weapon right through her heart.

—

This chapter was SO HARD. I'm terrible with fight scenes, so it was really difficult to put together. Hopefully it doesn't feel rushed. One more chapter to go :-)