Sting and Larcade were facing each other in a final showdown, with the power given to him by Rogue Sting felt even more powerful than before. However, he knew that Larcade wouldn't go down that easily and it was going to take everything he had.
"I've spent way too many years trying to get Hiccup's level," said Sting. "So I'm not going to let a bastard like you get in my way!"
"My aim is to purify Hiccup's tarnished soul with my own hands," said Larcade. "Your delusions of grandeur will not be enough to stop me."
"I've got real power and whenever I combined it with Rogue's I wield the essence of Sabretooth!"
Sting then rushed forwards and struck him across the face with the fist of light, it was so strong that it sent Larcade flying. However, he quickly recovered and then fired beams of light at Sting, but he easily not them aside much to his surprise.
"Shattered?" said Larcade.
"Holy Magic won't work, because Sting has the power to cancel it," said Rogue.
"I'm gonna knock down your attack and hit you with Rogue's shadow!" Sting roared as he channelled the power of shadow into his left fist and then struck him.
Larcade had been taken completely by surprise and then Sting carried on his assault by bombarding him with fists of light and shadow.
"But wait…" said Sting as he raised his hands into the air and began channelling both light and shadow into them. "Let's see what happens when I use both at once!"
He then unleashed a powerful attack combining both the powers of light and shadow and aimed directly at Larcade. There was a huge explosion as it struck him, but as the smoke cleared Larcade was still standing though he did look a little shaken up.
"So you're the stubborn type, huh?" said Sting.
"Two powers together, you're not strong to fight the desires that all living creatures must fall to," said Larcade and then started doing some hand signals. "Succumbed to the eternal sleep of death, now rest in peace!"
A massive wave of magic then struck everyone on the wall suddenly finding it difficult to keep their eyes open.
"What is this?" said Rogue as he fought with everything he had to keep his eyes open. "Mustn't sleep… no."
"Death will be upon you, the instant you close your eyes," said Larcade.
"Sleep…" said Camicazi as she started to feel drowsy. "It's hard to resist, but I cannot give in."
"We can't fall asleep," said Hookfang trying to keep his eyes open.
"Can't hold on much longer," Skull groaned.
Sting was keeping himself awake by punching his sides.
"Stay awake! Snap out of it damn it!" he yelled. "Don't sleep! Don't sleep! Don't sleep!"
"Nobody can fully resist their primal desires," said Larcade smiling. "Not even mighty Acnologia and that weakness gives me power. I will use it to defeat him, thus proving that I am the ultimate Viking."
"What now?" said Sting as the weight of his eyes were becoming heavier.
"Your shadow… go into it," said Rogue. "Your senses will be sharper inside the shadow, it won't last long but it will wake you up."
"I'm not so sure I'm able to, I don't know how to do that."
"You must feel the gravity, focus on it until your feet in the ground become one."
"Feel the gravity… become one…"
"Gravity is a speciality of mine!" said Camicazi as she supported herself with her sword and stretched out her hand. "I can make you sink into the earth!"
Then using what little power she had left she put an incredible amount of pressure on top of Sting.
"What the?" Sting stared.
"Camicazi?" said Rogue.
"That's one way to keep us awake," said Skull.
"Yeah, but does she have to crush us in doing so?" Hookfang asked.
Sting then felt himself sinking into the ground. "Wait… hang on!"
He then was swallowed into the ground.
Rogue smiled. "Yeah."
Sting then found himself sinking in a very dark place and indeed her senses had become sharpened. "Crazy, I'm really inside my shadow. She was right, my senses are sharpening. Here we go!"
Sting began travelling through his shadow towards Larcade.
"I can still see you," said Larcade. "Fly spirit into the heavens!"
"Won't happen!" Sting roared as he emerged from the shadow. "Because I'm using all of our powers combined into one!"
"Mind too, huh?" said Camicazi.
Sting then began swiping Larcade with his fingers dealing him slashes of light and shadow.
"It's called Holy Shadow Dragon's Silk!" said Sting.
The attack was far too much for Larcade and he found himself falling.
"Close your eyes, you need to sleep it off," said Sting.
"Nice, that's how you do it," said Hookfang as he stood up.
"That wasn't so bad, huh?" said Skull smiling meekly.
Larcade just laid on the ground unable to move, he couldn't believe that he had just been bested.
"Master… I failed," he said.
Meanwhile, Hiccup was still in his trance trying to pull himself back together, he had no way of knowing what was going on outside only that he had to hurry. If you made in this transfer to long he could be in a permanent coma or perhaps even worse.
At the moment he had been following Sting for who knows how long, but it felt as if he was walking in circles.
"How much further is it Sting?" he asked.
"What? I'm Rogue," said Rogue as she turned to face him.
Hiccup groaned. "Little warning before you switch would be nice."
"We're inside your mind, don't blame us," said Rogue.
"All right, I don't suppose you know where Sting was taking me?" Hiccup asked.
Rogue looked at him. "Tell me what you know about your sword?"
"I know that Ingeel was the one who gave it to me, he said it was made from a special alloy that absorbed magic," said Hiccup.
"That is true, who was forged by dragon fire and made with different dragon scales," Rogue explained. "That moulded the blade that you call Inferno was not only capable of absorbing fire magic but all different kinds. Now you're probably wondering how Ingeel was able to forge a sort of a human hands."
"And you know who did?"
"It was forged by a woman named Sapphire," said Rogue.
"Wait, do you mean Ruby's ancestor?"
"The resemblance is uncanny, isn't it?" said Drago's voice behind him.
Hiccup saw that Rogue was gone and then turned to face Drago. "You again?"
"Sapphire was quite the extraordinary woman, she was possibly the most powerful Celestial Viking evidently recorded in history," said Drago and then he looked at Hiccup with a small smile. "Your death is drawing near and soon Dragrach will regain control of your body."
Back in the real world, Ruby and everyone else we're still very much concerned about Hiccup.
"If he stays much longer in this state, there will be nothing we can do," said Gothi.
"Come on, Hiccup, snap out of it," Toothless pleaded.
"Must kill Drago, must kill him," said Hiccup.
Toothless looked at him. "You can't, Drago has placed a body link spell on you. The moment you kill him you'll die too."
Everyone's eyes lit up as they looked at him in shock.
"Hang on, what are you talking about Toothless?" Ruby asked.
Toothless looked up at her. "A year ago, Drago implanted Dragrach into his body, because Hiccup was destined to kill him. He used as a deterrent to prevent Hiccup from killing him because the body link spell he had placed over Dragrach would kill him and since he was inside Hiccup that would kill him as well."
"No way," said Ruby in shock.
Meanwhile, Sting and the others were resting after the little scuffle with Larcade and that when they saw Vala and Minerva rushing towards them.
"Hey, Sting! Rogue! We're here!" Minerva yelled.
"You okay?" Vala asked.
"We're fine, really," Sting smiled.
"I'm sorry, can't stand up right now," said Rogue.
The two of them and laid eyes on Larcade, who was now out cold.
"Is that the enemy?" Minerva asked.
"Thank you for taking care of him," said Vala gratefully.
"Sting is the man!" Hookfang cheered as he jumped into Sting's arms.
"It was a team effort," said Skull.
"We could have done without your help buddy, thank you," Sting smiled as he stroke him.
"We didn't actually do any fighting you know," Hookfang pointed out.
"Are you sure you going to be all right?" Skull asked as he approached Rogue.
"Nothing is a little rest won't cure," said Rogue.
Minerva then approached Camicazi. "Camicazi, I didn't know you would be here."
"Well, I am," she said.
The last time the two of them met was during the Grand Magic Games last year, they had ended up in a three-way fight along with Astrid. She had held Neria hostage in order to pity them against one another and once they were at their weakest she attacked them. She had also tortured poor Neria Astrid and Camicazi battled.
"I need to apologise," she said. "I treated you so poorly during the Grand Magic Games, it was wrong."
"It's okay, I've let it go," Camicazi assured her. "Honestly I have decided to live my life without holding grudges. Leave the past behind me."
Minerva was relieved to hear that.
"Anyway…" said Camicazi looking at Shiva, who was completely passed out and appear to be dreaming. "It would seem this girl is having some interesting dreams."
"That's nice," said Shiva blissfully. "Now don't be in such a hurry."
"Seems that way," said Vala fidgeting with fingers awkwardly.
"Hey, kinda forgot about her," said Hookfang.
"It's sort of a long story," said Vala.
"Man I'm so beat," Sting groaned and looked at Rogue. "You think you can take things from here?"
"Sure thing, I'll get us to Dragon Tail" Rogue smiled.
Camicazi looked up at the sky. "Astrid… please be safe."
Astrid was currently battling against Irene and she was using everything she had against her.
She swung her battleaxe, but Irene merely blocked it with her staff. Merrill was supporting her with her support magic to increase her speed and strength, but so far I was having very little effect.
Astrid then slammed her axe once again, but this time Irene fostered her staff towards her forcing Astrid to lean back to avoid it. She then summoned a pair of sword between her toes, placed a hand on the ground and began spinning her body like a tempest attacking her with a pair of twin swords on her battleaxe, but she blocked each and every single attack. Irene unleashed a powerful magical blast forcing Astrid to retreat and then fired a barrage of magic bullets at her.
"No Astrid!" Merrill cried.
When the smoke cleared Astrid was standing there wielding her Boneknapper Armour and its sealed protected her. She then switched her armour for her Shadow Wing Armour and then launched her blade directly at Irene. However, Irene merely not them away with her staff and then the swords retreated back to Astrid.
"Not bad," she said and then unleashed a powerful magical blast directly beneath Astrid.
Astrid however managed to launch herself into the air to avoid the attack and then switch to her Deadly Nadder Armour.
"Spine Shot!" Astrid yelled as she rained down hundreds of sharp spikes upon Irene.
"Did that stop her?" Merrill asked.
"No," said Astrid. "Defeating her will prove far more difficult."
"An attack of countless blades all converging on your target," said Irene's voice within the dust. "I'm impressed you were able to control that many at once. It's quite the feat."
When the smoke finally cleared Irene stood there and clapped.
"For all your hard work…" she said. It only took them a few moments to realise that somehow he managed to rearrange these blades so that they form the pattern of a flower. "…you earned a flower."
Merrill couldn't believe her eyes. "She was able to block that attack and do all of this too? But how?"
"She's mocking me," Astrid growled.
"Come on Astrid, you had this go enhance your power and this is the best you can do?" said Irene looking slightly pointed. "Shame. How disappointing."
She then Her staff on the ground and immediately all the blade liquidated.
"Tell me… who are you really?" Astrid demanded.
"Still haven't figured that out?" Astrid discontinued narrowed her eyes. "Ah, deep within your heart you know exactly who I am, but you don't want to believe it."
Astrid then removed her armoured and replace with her regular clothing. "I've never seen you before."
Merrill looked at Irene. 'This woman doesn't just look like Astrid, he smells a lot like her too.'
Irene smiled. "Now now Astrid, that a rude thing to say to your mother."
Astrid eyes widened in shock.
Merrill looked, Astrid. "What? Is he really your mother?"
"Liar!" Astrid roared. "I grew up in Rosemary village before it was burned to the ground. I'm an orphan taking in by another family!"
"You're wrong about that, because I am your mother Astrid," she said.
"My adopted parents were killed and the only person I consider a parent is Stoick the Vast!"
"Fine, if that what you want and just because I have a daughter doesn't mean I care about her. In fact I for you were dead all these years."
Astrid was overwhelmed by immense rage and Merrill was still trying to figure out what was going on.
"I never would have dreams we would need on the battlefield, fate works in mysterious ways."
"No matter who you are, you attacked Dragon Tail and that makes you my enemy," said Astrid darkly.
"Hmm, just like anyone who opposes the Alvarez Empire is my sworn enemy, even my very own child. But still dying here, without ever learning the secret of your birth, that would be tragic."
"A secret?" Merrill blinked.
"It means nothing to me!" Astrid spat.
"I have held onto this story for years now, you could at least allow me to share it with you, Astrid."
Astrid merely summoned her battleaxe and charged at her. "Suck your mouth!"
Irene then moved at blinding speed and blocked her attack with her staff. "My name is Irene… Irene Goldotter and once upon a time I was Queen of the dragons and an ally of your Guild Master."
