Ubel and King Basil assumed their positions at the vanguard of their forces, their gazes fixed upon the enemy army arrayed before them. The deluge continued to pour down upon them, with Hilda standing by their side. King Basil turned to Ubel and inquired, "Shall we not dispatch a delegation to parley with our foes?"

  Ubel replied with a hint of irony, "To what end should we engage in such diplomacy? It is imperative that this conflict transpire. We are here to conquer, not to negotiate."

  King Basil queried, "Then why do we tarry here? Why do we not launch an attack?"

  Ubel explained, "There is a maxim that you must understand. If you desire to emerge triumphant in a confrontation, do not initiate hostilities. Allow your adversary to make the first move."

  King Basil was about to respond when the sound of approaching equines interrupted him. He looked up to see two horses from the enemy side approaching, with Ugor and Osna having sent two emissaries to negotiate. King Basil turned to Ubel, who simply stated, "They have taken the first move. Now it is our turn to respond."

  Hilda smiled at this, while Jeffery and Beylon looked at each other with trepidation.

  As the negotiators approached Ubel and King Basil, their expressions filled with shock and fear upon seeing Ubel. One of the negotiators stuttered, "King Ulf and Queen Astrid have sent us to convey their terms of surrender, in the hope that we may avoid this conflict."

  King Basil was shocked to hear the mention of Queen Astrid and turned to Ubel with a questioning look. The negotiator, however, seemed confused by King Basil's reaction.

  Ubel stepped down from his horse and gestured for the negotiator to do the same. He said, "Come closer, I wish to impart upon you a secret message that I do not wish others to overhear."

  The emissary complied with Ubel's request, approaching him and inclining his head to listen as Ubel whispered in his ear. Suddenly, Ubel unsheathed a dagger from his hip and drove it into the emissary's back. The second negotiator, witnessing this act, attempted to flee, but Ubel quickly withdrew the blade and used it to slay the horse, causing the animal to collapse and the second emissary to tumble to the ground. Ubel approached the second emissary, grasping him by the hair and pulling his head close as he hissed, "Go tell your queen that she will live to regret the day she crossed Ubel, son of Than Graves."

  The second emissary nodded and, with fear propelling him forward, hastened back to Queen Astrid. King Basil, his progeny, and even Beylon were all shocked by Ubel's actions.

  King Basil said to Ubel, "So that was your plan all along. Osna and Ugor are now to be vanquished."

  Ubel replied, "Sometimes, mistakes cannot be forgiven. I am cognizant of the fact that it was she who first schemed to invade my realm."

  Hilda looked at Ubel with a smile.

  When the emissary reached King Ulf and Queen Astrid, he struggled to speak, panting for breath as he tried to pronounce Ubel's name. Finally, he managed to stammer out, "Ubel is here. He is the one who instigated this conflict with King Basil. It was all a subterfuge."

  Queen Astrid was greatly surprised by the news, turning around to see that the troops King Basil had sent to assist her had vanished. King Ulf was also shocked, though he maintained a facade of impassivity as they struggled to comprehend the situation. Suddenly, Ubel launched an arrow, felling the emissary who had been speaking with Astrid and splashing her face with his blood.

  King Ulf was unable to tolerate this affront and, driven by a sense of honour and respect, unsheathed his sword and launched an attack. Queen Astrid was taken aback by the rapid escalation of the conflict, having expected that they would begin with an exchange of arrows as was customary. However, in this case, emotions of anger and dignity were in control, and so Queen Astrid also followed King Ulf into battle, with the entire army following suit.

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  As King Basil surveyed the onrushing enemy troops, he noticed Ubel sporting his customary grin. He inquired, "Shall we not commence the assault?"

  Ubel replied, "It is not my military forces, it is yours... you issue the directive."

  King Basil was perplexed by this reply, but nevertheless proclaimed, "Attack!" brandishing his sword and initiating the charge. The entire army followed suit, with Ubel at the vanguard.

  As the two armies collided, the sounds of clashing steel and frenzied battle cries filled the air. King Basil and Ubel led their forces into the fray, their swords flashing as they struck down their opponents with fierce precision.

  The soldiers of both sides fought with determination and ferocity, their limbs a blur of motion as they hacked and slashed at one another. Some fought with shields and spears, using their defensive prowess to hold their ground against the enemy. Others wielded heavy two-handed swords, swinging with all their might to cut down their foes.

  In the midst of the chaos, Hilda stood tall, her eyes fixed on the battlefield as she shouted orders and encouragement to her troops. Beylon and Jeffery fought alongside her, their swords flashing as they struck down their opponents with deadly efficiency.

  As the battle raged on, the rain continued to fall, drenching the combatants and turning the ground into a muddy quagmire. Despite the adverse conditions, neither side seemed to show any signs of faltering, their will to fight driven by a fierce desire for victory.

  Ubel stood out among the fray as a veritable killing machine. His sword flashed through the air with lightning speed, cutting down enemy soldiers left and right as he fought with savage ferocity. His movements were precise and calculated, each strike landing with deadly accuracy as he carved a path of destruction through the enemy ranks.

  With each passing moment, Ubel's body seemed to become a blur of motion as he spun and twirled, his sword cutting through the air with deadly grace. The enemy soldiers fell before him like wheat before the scythe, their bodies collapsing to the ground as his blade found its mark.

  Despite the chaos of the battle, Ubel remained focused and unshakable, his mind set on one thing and one thing only - victory. His enemies fell before him like chaff in the wind, their screams of agony drowned out by the roar of battle as he fought on with relentless ferocity.

  As Hilda watched Ubel fighting on the battlefield, she couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement mixed with admiration. His movements were graceful and precise, each strike of his sword landing with deadly accuracy as he cut down his enemies with savage ferocity.

  Ubel seemed almost untouched by it all, his focus unwavering as he fought on with relentless determination. Hilda couldn't help but be mesmerised by his skill and prowess, her eyes following his every move as he fought with grace and skill.

  As Hamza and Trevor watched Ubel fighting on the battlefield, they couldn't help but be in awe of his skill and ferocity. Hamza turned to Trevor and asked, "Is he even a man? How can he fight like that?"

  Trevor replied with a shake of his head, "I don't know, but he's a force to be reckoned with. I've never seen anyone fight like him before."

  Astrid was a formidable opponent, her sword flashing through the air as she expertly dispatched her foes with swift and deadly strikes. Despite her best efforts, however, she was no match for Ubel's savagery on the battlefield. His attacks were relentless, his sword slicing through the air with fierce precision as he cut down his enemies one by one. King Ulf fought with all the strength and determination of a true warrior, his sword a blur of motion as he hacked and slashed at his opponents. King Basil fought with all the courage and bravery of a true leader.

  As Ubel approached Queen Astrid, she readied her own weapon, determined to defend herself against the onslaught of this madman. The two clashed, steel ringing against steel as they battled fiercely. Ubel was a skilled and formidable opponent, his movements swift and sure as he rained down blows upon Astrid. Despite her best efforts, she was no match for him, and soon he had disarmed her, leaving her vulnerable and at his mercy.

  As Ubel raised his axe with a triumphant growl, Astrid closed her eyes in acceptance of her impending demise. With a mighty swing, the weapon made contact with her head, cleaving it from her body in a sickening display of violence. Hamza, observing the scene from atop the mountain, felt a twinge of sorrow at the sight, though he remained stoically silent. Upon witnessing the death of his beloved Queen Astrid, King Ulf became consumed by a fierce rage, fueling his efforts in battle even further.

  Upon slaying Queen Astrid, Ubel retreated to where Hilda stood waiting. Grasping her hand firmly, he fled the battlefield with her in tow, a retreat witnessed by both Jeffery and Beylon. Despite being fully engaged in the fray, Jeffery kept his gaze fixed upon the fleeing pair, his sword ringing with each strike. Suddenly, a strange silence descended upon the battlefield, as if Jeffrey had become deaf to the sounds of combat.

  All around him, the world seemed to slow, the battle, his father, King Ulf, and Beylon all appearing to move in slow motion. In this moment of clarity, Jeffery realised the futility of the fight, the senselessness of the bloodshed. He also came to understand that Ubel had tricked them all, leading them into a trap from which they could not escape.

  As if on cue, a rain of arrows descended upon the battlefield from the mountain's peak, felling warriors left and right. As the number of troops dwindled, Ubel gave the command for his army to descend and eliminate any survivors. In the end, only King Basil, Ulf, Jeffery, and Beylon remained alive, surrounded by Ubel's forces. From his perch atop the mountain, Ubel watched with a wicked smile as his army closed in, Hamza, Trevor, and Hilda standing at his side. The gift of the rain, it seemed, was Ubel's to give.

  Despite the persistent precipitation, the deluge had abated somewhat, reduced to a drizzle of mere droplets that pattered against the ground. However, the gale remained as ferocious as ever, howling and whipping about the quartet of King Basil, Ulf, Jeffery, and Beylon as they stood their ground, encircled by the army of Ubel. The warriors clutched their swords tightly, prepared to embrace their destiny in Valhalla should it come to that.