"So Sky..."

"How does it feel to know you have lost? How does it feel to know everyone you love is dead?" the Squid Lord cackled uncontrollably.

"You're a monster and nothing but a coward hiding behind your army!" Sky shouted. Squid just grinned and snickered.

"Do you think I care?" Squid growled in retaliation. "Do you think I care about you? I don't!"

"Please, without me you're nothing!" Sky bragged.

"Too bad you're about to become nothing!" Squid_Lord smirked as he swung his sword towards Sky's neck.

Sky closed his eyes, prepared to meet death in an instant, but he heard no slitting sound, just a grunt from his attacker followed by the feeling of a hard yank and then weight taken from him. He opened his eyes and turned to see what'd happened.

Beside him, Squid growled in rage and mercilessness, wrestling CaptainSparklez with Setosorcerer and Slamacow preparing to fire loaded arrows a soon as a clear shot would have came into view.

"Go back to the water, Squid!" CaptainSparklez hissed angrily, though his more friendly voice caused him to be less intimidating. He could feel the Squid overpowering him, but held most of his strength against the hand that Squid had been using to hold the sword. Squid smirked and hit CaptainSparklez in the stomach region with his knee, causing his opponent to yelp and weaken his grip.

Slamacow noticed CaptainSparklez grip weakening and desperately fired his arrow, aiming for Squid's eyes.

Unfortunately, Squid noticed this too, and caught Slamacow's movement out of the corner of his eye. He shifted sideways, throwing CaptainSparklez down infront of the arrow. CaptainSparklez let out a screech of sharp pain as the arrow buried itself into his back, right between his left shoulder-blade and his spine.

Sky got up off of the bed he had been pinned too before, rubbing at his gruesome wounds and wincing. He turned to the wrestling group and noticed the arrow in his friend's back with wide eyes. He dashed forwards to try and aid in the fight, only to be just that precious moment too late.

Before Sky could intervene, Squid wrenched his arm from CaptainSparklez's grip and thrust his sword up, burying it between CaptainSparklez's ribs. Squid smirked maliciously as he watched the aftermath of his handywork.

CaptainSparklez froze as the pain filled his body. A few moments passed before a sputtering sound came from the Minecraftian, blood beginning to fill his mouth as it dripped down the sword from where it was jammed through his right lung. His eyes faltered as his sputtering shifted to a nasty cough and, soon enough, an awful hacking, blood spattering the ground and Squid below him. The cough continued as Squid yanked his sword from CaptainSparklez's chest and threw him to the ground. Blood pooled around the Usher-resembling crafter as his coughing started to slow.

Sky watched in horror, turning to notice Setosorcerer land a furious punch to Squid as he got up, snarling as his eyes burned with the lust to avenge the dying CaptainSparklez. As the two brawled - Diamond Sword against Derpy Squid Sword - Sky and Slamacow knelt beside CaptainSparklez.

"Come on Captian, you're going to be alright." Sky urged desperately. How wrong he was. The slow cease of the rise and fall of CaptainSparklez's sides were a chilling clue that he had given up the ghost. Sky hesitated, dipping his head to mourn, before clueing back into the situation. He turned to Slamacow after spotting the wounds that had begun to cover Setosorcerer from Squid's attacks. He could see Setosorcerer's stance beginning to shake, as if he were about to collapse.

"Slamacow, get Setosorcerer and get out of the server." Sky ordered solemnly to Slamacow, knowing what he would have to do. He didn't bear look outside the castle, as he knew the ground outside was littered with the bodies of the Sky Army recruits. They were all dead, every single one. He had failed them, failed to know of how strong the Squid army really was getting.

Slamacow nodded, heaving a sigh as he could tell what Sky was going to do. He got to his feet, abandoning the body of CaptainSparklez and dashing towards Setosorcerer and Squid, and just in time too. Squid raised his sword, aiming a slash at Setosorcerer's throat, as he'd used to try and kill Sky earlier. It would have worked too, if Slamacow hadn't knocked the sword from it's path with an arrow. Before Squid could react, Slamacow grabbed Setosorcerer by the arm, and ran in the opposite direction, headed for the portal to leave the server.

Sky saw them nearing the portal and knew that, if he hit the button at that moment, they would have time to escape before the Sky Army Territory could reach blasting point. He raised his arm, weak from his wounds, and hit the button fiercely. Squid's eyes widened as he saw the button flashing it's warning red.

Honeydew and Setosorcerer reached the portal, turning to see Sky. "Come on!" Slamacow called. "Get to the portal."

Sky acknowledged Slamacow's call, turning to dash towards the portal, it's yellow glow lined with the butter he had crafted it from. He noticed Squid's fearful order.

"Squid Army, Retreat!" Squid Lord called to the remaining members of his army, hearing the sound of the TNT filling the cave systems beneath the castle hissing as they prepared to explode.

Sky had nearly reached the portal, but had once again been that precious moment too late. Too late. He'd failed again. This time the consequences were harder on him as the TNT blasted out the area with multiple ground-shaking booms. Sky felt the shockwave and heat of the explosion engulf him, as it knocked Setosorcerer and Slamacow into the portal. The butter lining it was annihilated milliseconds later.

For a few minutes, the world was nothing but smoke and ash. Sky's vision was blurred and agony seared his body. He was covered from head to toe in burns, his clothes charred and his sunglasses broken to bits. He lay on the ground, dizzy, exhausted and almost plain out-of-it. His eyes hurt most, as particles of cinder and ash had them red and blood shot. He coughed violently, causing his throat to sting.

The castle was nothing but piles of resources, in the crater blown by the TNT. Fire littered the ground, but more so did the charred bodies of Squids and Sky Army recruits alike. Sky shuddered, forcing himself up using the last of his strength. He stood, turning to take in the devastation. If only he'd known. If only he could have further prepared. Maybe it wouldn't have ended like this. The Sky Army might have still been thriving. He sighed, ignoring the searing pain in his throat, and let his dizziness overcome him. His knees gave out, letting him collapse. He hit the ground with a pain on the side of his head. The impact against the ground was the last thing he'd felt.

Then darkness...