I won't make this A/N long, but before beginning, I'd like to express that I didn't expect to take this long to post this chapter; but because of real life complications, as well as a recent surgery, I was unable to post 1-2 weeks after the previous chapter.

Either way, I am nonetheless happy to be back, and I hope you guys enjoy this one! :)

Everyone braced themselves as the troll came rampaging from the forests. Like an angered Rumblehorn, the large brute marched out of the woods in a fit of rage and violence.

Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Heather quickly grouped up together along with their dragons, whilst Arn, who was still atop Talon, and Beldrak, who was ready to give another swing of his axe, backed up towards their forces - all of whom were prepared for what the troll had to offer, and as it stomped out from the forest's opening and revealed its full stature, it let out a shakening roar.

"Oh Odin…" gulped Heather.

Unlike the previous troll that the young vikings faced back on Berk, the monster before them was cladded in dark armor, as well as slightly larger. Although it bore no weapon, such a large troll of its size required none. Only it's fists.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" bellowed Hiccup, tightening the grip on his fiery blade with his gaze fixed on the armored brute.

As the troll began to prepare it's charge, the elves made an unexpecting move as they made their way in front of the ranks of dwarves and vikings, splitting off into two groups, and in a disciplined display, they sheathed away their swords, spears, and shields in unison - and in return, they unsheathed their bows.

The light elves all lined up behind the young vikings, latching their arrows onto the strings of their bows as they aimed directly for the troll. None hesitated to let them loose if the monstrous creature dared to make a single move forward.

However, this merely gave the troll more of a reason to begin it's charge. As such, the brute let out an ear-piercing roar, ready to stomp forward…

...But it never did.

Almost immediately, the sound of an arrow firing from a bow caught everyone's attention as it whistled through the air, making its way towards the troll's exposed, gaping mouth.

Before it made its mark however, Hiccup was able to catch a quick glimpse of the projectile, enough to immediately realize that it was no ordinary arrow that flew overhead. It was an arrow that was made entirely out of ice - from its feathers to its head, and along its base, an icy-blue light emanated out of it, leaving a trail of snow in its wake.

'Ice magic…' he thought to himself.

Within a single second, the troll's roar became a choking gasp as the arrow passed through its head, causing the large monster to suddenly stumble back on it's footing. Eventually, all it let out was a dying, breathy, bellowing moan, and in a great fall, the brute tumbled onto its side...

Gazing down upon the corpse of the troll, Hiccup's eyes became wider than either the sun or moon, along with all of those around him. The elves however expressed looks of confusion as they gazed back at one another, and one by one, they lowered their bows.

"Well then," sighed Beldrak, taking a few steps forward as he stared down at the monster's corpse. "That's one large bugger down."

"At least we didn't have to go through the pain of fighting another one of Golrok's trolls again," said Arn. "One from him was enough."

"That's the least of my concerns," replied Hiccup. "The arrow that shot it down was no ordinary arrow. It was made out of ice magic. I mean- it was literally glowing. Question is, who on Midgard shot it…?"

"Who do you think, dragon-boy?!"

Hiccup's head suddenly shot up upon hearing the voice call out to him. It was all too familiar, and as such, both he and his friends looked back to see where it came from.

The lad's eyes gazed back at the tower where the elven rangers stood, and at the top, he spotted a hooded figure, staring directly down at him. More specifically- the figure of a woman.

Though her facial features were too difficult to make out, what he could make out was the attire she wore.

Her armor mainly consisted of elven scale mail that wrapped entirely around her chest and arms, as well as wristplates which were made of elven steel. The rest of her outfit from the waist down was made up of leather pants and boots, yet she also bore white furs that hung from her shoulders, ankles, and blue hooded-cloak.

After a moment of staring, the figure nudged her head motioningly, and from behind, a dragon came forth. More specifically, a Deadly Nadder.

"Yup," said Hiccup. "It's her."

Without a second of hesitation, the young woman backed away from the edge, only to run forward as she jumped with a strong leap. In response, the Nadder immediately flapped her wings as she glided after her rider, and with smooth success, the figure grabbed onto her dragon's claws as the two of them glided down safely.

Upon landing before Hiccup and the group, the woman straightened herself out as she looked back at them, smirking from beneath her hood.

"Am I late?" asked Astrid.

"Nope. But you took long enough, milady. And that was a good shot, if I do say so myself," smiled Hiccup. "Still, what took you so long?"

"Orc and goblins were rampaging through the streets of Nordell," she replied as she placed away her bow and removed her hood, allowing for her hair to once again fall freely. "Stormfly and I decided to clean them up, so we fought our way through hundreds of those brutes."

"Hundreds?" asked Heather. "On your own? My my..."

"Well- I had my new magic to help me out," she answered as she stuck out her right hand, and with a flick of her wrist, she summoned up a snowy shard of ice.

The icycle levitated above her open palm like a snowflake frozen in time, emanating an icy-blue glow that gave the young vikings a chilling sensation.

"How's that even possible?" asked Fishlegs. "What did you do to awaken it?"

"I embraced it, thanks to this cold weather," she replied as her palm tightened up into a fist, dismissing the magic. "Unlike with fire where you have to force it - or with lightning where you have to focus, with ice, you allow it to happen. You welcome it as if you're-"

"HEY! Who are you talking to down there!?"

The sudden voice of Ruffnut rang through everyone's ears as the group gazed their eyes up towards the skies, where Snotlout and the Twins still flew atop their dragons, overlooking the area around them.

"Do ye have tae yell that bloody loudly, ya muttonhead!?" responded Beldrak. "It's yer friend fer Odin's sake!"

"Oh! Hey Astrid!" called out Ruffnut, to which she, Tuffnut, and Snotlout waved down at her. "Nice armor by the way!"

The shieldmaiden gave a nod as she returned an awkward wave to them. "Uhh… what are they doing up there?"

"They're overlooking the area from above," replied Arn from nearby. "An old "friend" of ours is back."

"Hmph. An old friend?" questioned Astrid as she turned her eyes from the three in the sky, and onto Arn standing behind her. However, they would instead fall first onto the gryphon that he was mounted on.

"Um…" she began. "I- must've not noticed that. Where on Midgard did you get that gryphon?"

"He's a friend of mine, but I'll tell you about it later," answered Arn. "As for the old friend that I mentioned- remember the warlock we faced back on Berk? You know- the orc who sent the troll after us?"

Astrid's eyes widened with shock. "What-? Are you telling me he's here?"

"He's the one who led the enemy here," said Fishlegs. "He commands this siege under Drago's orders, and that troll you shot down was one of his."

"...And where is he?"

"Hahahaha! Over here…"

Like a gust in the wind, the laughter of the warlock's voice echoed in everyone's ears, and as such, the young vikings and dragons, along with the elves, dwarves, and Alsworn, began looking back at their surroundings with their weapons raised at the ready.

Hiccup raised the hilt of his blade in front of his shoulders, gazing around with intense focus.

"Do you see him anywhere, Toothless!?" he asked his dragon, whose eyes were as much squinted as his rider's were.

"Nothing…" he growled in Dragonese. "He's hiding like a coward."

The lad let out a grunt as he spun his head to look back towards the distant opening. "WHERE ARE YOU, GOLROK!?" he shouted. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

"As you wish…"

In that moment, a vortex of chaos fire bursted upwards in the opening where the troll came marching out from, and before them, Golrok reappeared, with his eyes giving off a peculiar yet crazed fit of anger and amusement.

The dragons began growling at the sight of the orc, ready to strike if he dared to make a move.

"So the brute has a name," said Astrid, grabbing ahold of her axe as she unsheathed it from her back.

"What are you planning this time, orc!?" questioned Hiccup aggressively. "First you run away after being nearly burned to a crisp, and then you send out a troll, only for it to be shot down!"

"Run?" asked Golrok, letting out a cackle as he took several steps forward, causing the dragons to growl louder. "Stupid boy. With the power of Maldragor, I do not need to run. Instead, I can be EVERYWHERE."

"And what the Hel is that supposed to mean!?" asked Heather.

Golrok let out a wicked chuckle as he raised up his staff, before replying, "Let me show you, little girl."

With a swift motion, he slammed the base of the staff down into the ground, causing the earth beneath them to shake as the eyes of the skull at the head of the scepter began to glow with chaos energy.

What followed next caught every viking, dwarf, and elf there by surprise.

Two large portals of chaos magic swiftly manifested on the right and left flanks of the young vikings' allies, and from both of the gateways, three armored trolls immediately marched out, and this time, they were armed - wielding large maces of black iron and steel.

Behind them, mobs of angry orcs and goblins followed, but rather than charging ahead, they allowed the trolls to be their bulwark, and as such, the monsters made the first move.

Hiccup's eyes widened as he and the others looked back in horror. "EVERYONE, BRACE YOURSELVES!"

However, before anyone could react, the elves, who stood in the way of the trolls, were the first to receive the brunt of their assault. The large brutes swung their weapons like hammers falling onto anvils, smashing aside more than a dozen of them in a rage of blood and fury as their screams filled the air, followed by the cheering of the orcs and goblins.

At first, Hiccup was uncertain as to how to respond to the sudden attack. But in the midst of the dire moment, Toothless suddenly stepped forward to assume his own command...

As the alpha of dragons, the Night Fury was quick to take action, and with a thundering roar, a blue glow began emanating from the top of his head, reaching down to his spine.

"Don't give those trolls another inch!" he bellowed, speaking in an authoritative tone that quickly caught the attention of the other dragons. "Meatlug, Windshear, get the left flank! Stormfly, you're with me on the right!"

"LET'S TAKE THEM ON!"

The four dragons let out their roars in unison, charging towards the trolls with violent speed as they each let out their fiery attacks onto the armored monsters, and upon crashing into them, they sent the trolls stumbling back with great force, which in turn was enough to drag their attention away from the elves.

For a moment, Toothless, Stormfly, Meatlug, and Windshear were on top of the cladded brutes, biting and scratching at them with blows that would be enough to kill a normal man. Eventually however, the trolls were able to regain their footing, and thus were able to push back the winged reptiles, forcing them back onto their feet.

Though it appeared as if it were six against four, this did not go unnoticed from above.

Snotlout and the Twins, who saw the whole situation from above, flew their dragons straight for the trolls, and as they closed in on the cladded brutes, the three vikings immediately hopped off their dragons and landed right beside the elves, of whom had now clashed with the orcs and goblins.

Arn and Beldrak, now seeing the opportunity as the trolls were distracted, immediately rose their weapons as they both began to charge, and as such, their warriors followed, with the Alsworn engaging with their leader on the left flank, and the dwarves engaging with their thane on the right.

As the two forces clashed with the orcs and goblins, they did so with great impact, cutting down dozens of them as they made way for the elves to bracen their ranks.

Soon, battle lines were formed on both sides of the field, and with the situation stabilized, Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and Heather turned their attention back towards Golrok.

The orc gave a grim look as his brows lowered into a glare. "You may have turned tide, but you still have me to deal with."

"I think we can arrange that," responded Astrid as she swiftly thrusted her left hand forward, sending out a bolt of icy magic towards the warlock. But in response, Golrok quickly lifted his staff, summoning up a barrier of chaos magic that effortlessly deflected the icy bolt.

"You'll have to be quicker than that, girl," grunted the warlock. "If you truly wish to face me, then follow me into the opening. Bring only yourself and your leader."

"I'll be waiting…"

The orc let out a growl as he snapped his fingers, teleporting away within a vortex of chaos fire, leaving only the four vikings to momentarily ponder.

"This seems like a bad idea," said Heather, looking back at the two with uncertainty. "I doubt you guys will be able to take him on. What if it's a trap?"

"He'll fall just as easily as any other orc has," replied Astrid, placing a hand on the lass's shoulder. "We'll be fine."

"She's right. We've faced worse than him before," added Hiccup. "One warlock won't make that big of a difference."

"I'd still be careful," said Fishlegs with suspicion. "If he's indeed Drago's right hand, then fighting him won't be easy. He might go all out on you once the fight begins."

"We'll try to stay alive then," said Hiccup. "Either way, it's settled. Astrid and I will face Golrok together. In the meantime, you two should go help out the others. It's now or never."

The two vikings obliged with a nod as they spun their attention towards the battle, and like so, they ran off with their weapons raised, joining the battle with the others.

Hiccup let out a sigh as both he and Astrid glanced back at one another - both expressing a mix of dread and anxiety.

"You ready for this?" he asked.

"I'm with you," she replied. "As always."

Hiccup smirked as he nodded. "Let's do it."

…

As Hiccup and Astrid made their way into the opening, snow began to fall. The air became brisk as it filled with a chilling sensation that would make any normal man shiver. But with their blood rushing, the two of them merely shunned it.

As the young vikings came to a stop, Hiccup glanced around at their surroundings, keeping his fiery blade close whilst he stood on Astrid's left flank. "A bit of an unnerving place to fight in, but we simply have no choice. We'll have to rely more on our magics for this. There's no telling what Golrok can do."

"You should use that hand-cannon when you can," said Astrid, pointing out the weapon that hung from the lad's belt. "If there's a point in this fight where we can damage him with it, we should take the chance."

"If only it would be that easy…"

The voice of the warlock once again rang in their ears, and before either of them could speak, their attention was caught towards the center of the opening as a vortex of chaos fire manifested. Upon diminishing, the orc once again came into their view.

Astrid's eyes narrowed towards Hiccup. "Should we be cautious?"

"There's nothing to be cautious of," he replied, before he began to speak directly to the brute...

"You can't keep on like this forever, Golrok. The more you keep on running like this, the more you'll be seen as nothing but a coward."

"Haha. A coward? Do you even understand the words coming out of your mouth, human?" asked Golrok. "If I was a coward, I would've fled this battle after you tried to kill me with that firestorm of yours. Do you really think I am afraid of you?"

"No," said Hiccup. "But maybe Drago is. After all, why isn't he leading the siege?"

"My warlord has other plans that are of greater importance. Plans that will make this siege look like child's play," chuckled the warlock, glancing between both of the vikings.

"What do you mean?" asked Astrid as the grip on her axe tightened.

"Hahaha… You fools are too curious, aren't you?" questioned the orc grinningly. "Know this well, you two; while you waste your time fighting here, Drago prepares to march south, leading horrors unlike anything you have ever seen before. Soon, chaos will unfold, and once it does, the final ritual shall commence. When it begins, there will be no stopping it…"

There came a pause. For a moment, the two vikings glanced back at one another in a mix of confusion and dread as their faces suddenly became as pale as snow. Golrok's words sent shivers down their spines, but what they did not understand was this final ritual. It was too unclear, and as such, they felt all the more worrying.

"...W- What is this final ritual?" asked Hiccup, only to receive silence in return.

The lad tightened his right hand into a fist. "Tell me, or I'll make you regret ever coming here!"

"And what are you going to do, boy?" asked Golrok, taunting him. "You know not who you're dealing with. If I wanted to, I could kill you in an instant. Maldragor's power flows through me, and with it, I have burned hundreds of vikings to ashes on my own!"

"Like how I did with your army of dark vikings after casting that firestorm? If there's anyone who doesn't know who they're dealing with, it's you."

"Those fools were merely cannon fodder," the warlock responded glaringly.

"And yet like them, you were nearly swallowed up," the lad replied with a chuckle. "Any true leader would've died with their men. Instead, you fled like a-"

"SILENCE!" bellowed the warlock as he the bottom of his staff against the ground, causing the earth to slightly shake. "Now I've had enough of your bickering! If it is a battle you want, then by all means, make your move! We'll see who the true cowards are!"

With an aggressive flick of his wrist, Golrok's left hand lit up in green chaos fire, crackling threateningly. In response, the two Wings of Midgard made the same move, with Astrid summoning up icy magic in her left hand, and Hiccup casting up flames in his right; both magics violently emanating with an arctic blue and volcanic orange.

In that moment, it all came to a standstill. Both vikings glared into the green eyes of the warlock, who in return glared back at them. He let out a growl as if he were an angered wolf, prepared for whatever spell that they had to cast at him...

...Hiccup let out a sigh. With a swing of his arm, he made the first move as he immediately sent a ball of fire hurling towards the warlock.

With a scoff, Golrok swiftly raised his staff, erecting a barrier of chaos energy, which in turn blocked the fiery spell as it exploded upon impact. But that was merely the beginning.

The warlock made his reply, and with a thrust of his arm, he conjured forth a bolt of chaos fire as it went flying towards Hiccup. But this did not go unanswered as Astrid quickly threw her hand forward, and in the blink of an eye, a wall of ice suddenly erupted upwards in front of the lad, taking the hit of Golrok's spell as the ice shattered, before quickly dissolving into snow, and then, into the air.

To that end, Astrid responded with a spell of her own as she swung her arm forward, summoning a ball of ice magic that went swirling towards the orc. Once again however, Golrok raised a barrier around himself, repelling it.

"Hah!" the brute chuckled, keeping his shield raised. "You are going to have to do better than that, fools!"

"Not a problem," responded Hiccup as he raised his open palm outwards, and through his intense rage, the lad began conjuring out multiple balls of fire that hailed down on Golrok like a volley of arrows.

Though the orc was able to hold them back, it soon became a dire struggle for him. Astrid was soon to follow up, once again directing her icy hand towards the brute as bolts of frost magic began barraging him like a hailstorm, pinning him down even further.

Golrok grunted as the shield surrounding him soon began to falter and close in.

"So," he growled through gritted teeth. "That's how it's going to be then!? HAVE IT YOUR WAY!"

To their unexpectations, the warlock suddenly straightened himself out, and with a bellowing roar, Golrok erupted the barrier and sent it bursting outwards in a torrent of chaos energy, causing both Hiccup and Astrid to be hurled back.

The two vikings braced themselves upon landing back several feet from where they stood, flat on their backs.

Golrok grinned as a chuckle escaped his lips. "Is that the best you can do, Wings of Midgard!?"

Hiccup let out a grunt, slamming his hand against the ground as he made the effort to swiftly stand back up, with Astrid quickly following along.

However, upon getting back to their feet, Golrok immediately snapped his fingers as he once again teleported away in a swirl of chaos fire, only to suddenly reappear on Astrid's right from a distance... with his staff pointed towards her.

"ASTRID!" yelled Hiccup.

Immediately, her gaze spun towards the orc with her hand raised out, and in unison, the two combatants conjured forth beams of magic that collided with one another, causing a burst of ice and chaos fire.

Astrid growled as her hand quaked beneath the force of the beam, yet neither side seemed to gain the upper hand, for the two streams of magic remained centered.

"I can't… push it back!" she called out.

"Hold on!" responded Hiccup, conjuring up bright flames that burned wildly in his open palm as he raised his arm out towards the warlock, bellowing out, "FÚRE!"

Suddenly the flames from his hand formed into an explosive ball of fire as large as his own head, and like a boulder let loose from a catapult, the fiery spell hurled towards Golrok with blazing speed.

The warlock, upon seeing this, let out a roar as he broke his beam of magic and attempted to teleport out of the way. However, Astrid had not broken her spell, and as such, Golrok found himself pushed back by a strong wave of ice, followed by Hiccup's blast of fire violently crashing into him.

The orc fell onto his back as the flames from Hiccup's spell scorched across his body. However, he did not scream. To Hiccup's surprise, the flames quickly died out, and upon diminishing, Gorlok merely stood to his feet and scowled at the two vikings with a death-stare.

Both Hiccup and Astrid were stunned, for the warlock was uninjured.

With a snap of his fingers, a swirl of chaos fire once again surrounded Gorlok as he teleported into the center of the opening, and upon reappearing, both Hiccup and Astrid noticed the orc's hands and staff shaking. Anger boiled through him, and it became clear that he was finished playing their games.

Golrok growlingly raised his staff and slammed it roughly into the ground, embedding it, and before their eyes, a large circle of chaos fire formed around them, surrounding them from one end of the forest's clearing to the other.

"Only one of us will leave these woods alive," said the orc in a grim tone. "And it won't be either of you…"

Golrok raised both of his arms forward, and from his hands, two beams of raw chaos energy surged forth, speeding directly towards both of the vikings. In response, Hiccup and Astrid channelled out streams of fire and ice to combat the beams, but upon collision, they both found themselves unable to push the warlock's magic back.

Instead, the streams of chaos magic unexpectedly began pushing towards them. Soon, desperation took hold of them.

At one point, Astrid used her beam to erect a wall of ice in front of her, to which Hiccup did the same as he used his flames to summon up a magical barrier of fire. Though this slowed down the warlock's spell, their desperate attempt was folly, for the chaotic magic broke right through their conjured obstacles like a Timberjack cutting through a forest of trees.

There was nothing that could be done, and as the streams of chaos magic closed in on them, both Hiccup and Astrid braced themselves for what appeared to be their possible doom.

...Or so they thought.

Suddenly, the sound of thunder drummed through the ears, and from above, a large purple bolt of lightning came crashing down upon Golrok, striking both the warlock and the ground around him as the force of the spell threw him back more than a dozen feet, along with his staff.

"GRAAAGH!" roared the orc.

In that moment, Hiccup and Astrid felt a great weight lift from their shoulders, and as the beams of magic fizzled out along with the large circle of chaos fire that surrounded them, a renewed sense of hope filled their eyes. The two of them glanced up towards the top of the trees from where the powerful bolt of lightning came from, and from above, the figure of a Monstrous Nightmare came into view, carrying a certain viking atop his back...

Snotlout immediately leaped down from Hookfang's saddle, landing roughly yet harmlessly in front of Hiccup and Astrid. As he straightened out his back, the buffed viking looked back up at his dragon, and with a swing of his arms, the Nightmare swiftly flew off, back towards the battle.

"Freya have mercy," sighed Astrid in relief. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's good to have you here, Snotlout!"

"I came as fast as I could," the lad stated. "When Heather and Fishlegs told me what you guys were doing, I became worried. But then I saw the wall of fire, and I knew I couldn't sit by... so I decided to take action."

"Your timing couldn't have been any better, Snotlout," said Hiccup. "Golrok had us by a tight leash. If it wasn't for you, we'd be dead."

"Then I guess it's safe to assume that the orc himself is dead?" asked Snotlout. "I mean- he shouldn't have been able to survive that, right…?"

"GRR… YOU ASSUME WRONG, HUMAN!"

Golrok's voice instantly shattered the moment, causing Snotlout to turn his back as he caught sight of the orc walking towards them, gripping his staff with a shakened grasp. To his surprise, the warlock was unscathed.

Snotlout kept his eyes fixed onto the orc as he made way to Hiccup's side. "How is that ugly thing still standing!? Did I not hit him hard enough?"

"It doesn't matter how hard you hit him," said Astrid. "Even with fire and ice, it wasn't enough to stop him. Two elements aren't enough."

"Then maybe we should give him three…" said Snotlout as he flicked his wrists, causing them to light up with stormy magic.

"How do you know if all three of our magics will be enough?" asked Hiccup. "Unless you have a plan…"

"Nope, but it's still worth a try," replied Snotlout. "Also, if I were you, I'd put aside my weapon. I doubt they'll be of any use."

The two vikings obliged as they without question sheathed away their weapons, and with both their hands freed from the weight of their blades, they proceeded to conjure up fire and ice within both their palms.

Golrok sought a challenge, and they would give him one.

The orc halted in his steps, glaring down the three Wings of Midgard who stood before him. "Do you truly believe one more of your puny Wings will make a difference?"

"Our friend here knocked you off your feet," taunted Astrid. "If that lightning bolt was strong enough, it would've left a scar on that disgusting face of yours."

"Do you think I am afraid, little girl?" the warlock asked. "No matter how hard you try, your pathetic magics won't do anything to me! Lord Maldragor's power protects! The blessing of a GOD!"

"You would all be wise to surrender…"

The moment became a standstill as the three vikings came to a silence. Hiccup, whose hands were still ignited in flames, glanced first at Astrid, who stood on his left with icy magic sparkling in her palms. Then his eyes fell onto Snotlout, who stood on his right with bolts of purple lightning that struck across his fingers.

Neither of them showed signs of backing down.

The lad's eyes gazed back at the orc. "God or not, your Dark Master will fall eventually, just like you."

"...So be it," grunted Golrok.

With nothing left to lose, the warlock raised his staff outwards, and with a bellowing roar, a great green stream of raw chaos energy flooded out of it, making its way directly for Hiccup.

Immediately, the three vikings aimed their arms forward, and in unison, they casted forth powerful beams of fire, ice, and lightning towards the warlock's spell. Eventually, all four collided, and the impact sent out a magical burst of power, shaking the earth beneath them for many yards.

However, what followed was utter madness.

Neither side gained any ground. All four streams of magic reacted violently - curving, bursting, and crackling as the ground constantly shook from the intensity of the battle. The trees around them were set ablaze like torches. The snow from the skies began to fall harder. And the clouds above them boomed with purple lightning and thunder.

Yet as Hiccup, Astrid, and Snotlout continued funnelling their magics towards Golrok's beam, the warlock's power suddenly began to intensify. The stream of chaos energy started to grow ever larger as green lightning struck against the three elements like an uncontrollable tempest of terror.

Though the Wings of Midgard remained determined, their determination would not last for long...

"YOU'RE MINE, HICCUP HADDOCK!" growled Golrok as he tightened the grip on his staff, and all of a sudden, the young vikings felt a great escalation in Golrok's magic as the orc began to slowly push their beams back. As such, the three Wings of Midgard were forced to their limits.

"PUSH... HARDER!" shouted Hiccup as his rage grew tenfold, causing his flames to burn brighter.

"I'm… doing my best!" replied Snotlout as his beam of lightning began to crackle violently. "It's getting hard to focus!"

"Don't, give, IN!" called out Astrid. "We can… do this!"

Eventually, Golrok's spell came to a stop, halting a mere ten feet away from the three vikings. But even then, they knew well that they would not be able to hold back the orc's energy for very long. If they were going to win, they would have to strike the orc where it would hurt.

...And almost instantly, Hiccup's brows rose up in thought as an idea formed at the top his head.

His eyes quickly narrowed down to the hand-cannon that hung on his belt. Luckily, it was already loaded with several shots - but one shot was all he needed, and the thought of it caused him to smirk…

"Astrid, Snotlout!" he called out. "I need you guys to maintain the beam as long as you can! I have an idea, but I'll need one of my hands for this!"

"Are you joking!?" called out Snotlout. "Are you trying to get us killed or what!?"

"Just trust me on this!" replied Hiccup. "If all goes well, this battle will be ours!"

"If you say so!" responded Astrid, still keeping her eyes fixated on the stream of chaos energy. "Now get to it!"

Without hesitation, Hiccup pulled back his right hand from the stream of magic, leaving only his left to keep the beam of fire channelling. Immediately his eyes fell back onto the hand-cannon, and not a moment later, the weapon was in his grasp, armed and ready.

His eyes then fell upon Golrok, who was still occupied with keeping his chaotic spell maintained. As such, he then proceeded to point the weapon forward, aiming towards the warlock's left hand, which remained exposed and in his sights.

And then…

BOOM!

The barrel bursted with smoke and flames as the weapon finally fired, shooting out a bolt of metal that flew through the air as fast as a Night Fury. But what followed was a gruesome sight.

Golrok's left hand exploded into pieces, causing him to scream out in pain and agony as all of his fingers were completely blown off, and in its wake, all that remained was a bloody bump where his hand once was.

At the same time however, Hiccup, Astrid, and Snotlout felt the warlock's spell weaken greatly.

"This is our chance!" said Hiccup as he dropped the hand-cannon to his side and lunged his right arm forward, unleashing flames from his palm like a violent river as his beam of fire was empowered.

"PUSH IT BACK!" shouted Astrid, bolstering her efforts.

The warlock grunted in anger and desperation as he struggled from keeping the three oncoming spells back. Despite the effort he made however, he found himself unable to focus up the energy of his beam, nor able to muster the strength to empower it. To his utter shock, all of his attempts were futile, and slowly but surely, his magic started to dwindle, and his staff began cracking underneath the force of the elements, like a twig ready to snap.

It was in that moment that Golrok realized that he had failed…

"NOOOOOOOO!" he screamed.

With a final push from the vikings, all three waves of magic rammed back the warlock's chaotic energy as if it was nothing, and in a flash, it was over. The elements struck Golrok with an explosion of immense power, hurling him into the air with a scream as his staff finally broke into pieces.

However, Hiccup, Astrid, and Snotlout were nearly thrown off their feet from the energy's magnitude. The ground beneath them shook for a final time, and as the dust settled, all that remained of the once beautiful opening was a ruined battlefield. Trees burned, snow fell, and thunder boomed from above.

Hiccup sighed, falling gently to a knee as he began taking a moment to recover.

"I- Is everyone alright?" he asked, glancing back at the others.

"I'm still here- all in one piece," waved Astrid, breathing heavily. "I- I just need a moment to breathe."

"I think we all do, Astrid," said Snotlout as he slowly crouched down to regain his breath. "And I also think it's easy to say that this was the hardest fight of my life. Odin's beard… Not even that battle against the giant in Votunheim was as difficult as this."

"You can say that again," nodded Astrid. "Still- I thought we were going to die to that orc..."

"Question is, is he alive or dead?" asked Hiccup. "We can't let him stay ali-"

"Gaaagh…"

It was then that a sudden groan broke the silence, causing all pairs of eyes to gaze up ahead as the three vikings straightened themselves out.

Gorlok laid in the distance, nearly unconscious.

The orc was heavily scarred. Aside from the hand that Hiccup blew off, the crippled brute was now missing an eye, and half of his body was covered in burns and bruises. What remained of the spellcaster was now nothing but a broken husk.

However, Hiccup was not yet finished with him...

The lad's eyes fell upon the hand-cannon he dropped earlier. Almost immediately, he reached down with a glare to pick up the weapon before stomping his way over to Golrok's broken body, with the intention of finishing him off.

Drago took his father's life. To Hiccup, it was only fair he did the same to the warlord's right hand, and upon approaching the orc, he aimed the hand-cannon for his head, ready to bring an end to him.

"If there are any last words you want to give, spit them out, orc," growled Hiccup.

"WAIT!"

The voice of King Elendar suddenly filled Hiccup's ears as he turned around towards where Astrid and Snotlout stood, only to see the king, along with ten of his elven guards, making their way towards him - bloodied, as well as covered in scratches and bruises.

"Stand down, Hiccup!" said Elendar as he approached the lad. "I understand you want to kill him for what he has done, but your friends, Fishlegs and Heather, have just told me much about him."

"And?" questioned Hiccup, tightening the grip on his hand-cannon.

"This warlock is no ordinary warlock, and I have reason to believe that he holds information that is vital to helping us. As such, I've decided it would be best to interrogate him."

"Interrogate him!?" asked Hiccup angrily. "Did they forget to mention about how he played a part in my father's death!? He deserves to die! Why can't you let me-!?"

"Because," interrupted the elven king as he calmly laid his hands on the lad's shoulders. "The simple answer is that it is not the right thing to do. Even if you were to kill Golrok, your sense of relief would not last for long, and nor would your father be avenged. If you truly want revenge, save your anger for Drago. I promise you, after Golrok's interrogated, he will not live to see another day."

"Please… you know well your father would know better than to do this."

His last words were all it took for Hiccup to lower his weapon. The lad sighed as he strapped the hand-cannon back onto his belt, before making room for Elendar's guards to lift the orc to his feet.

"I guess you're right," said Hiccup softly. "I- I'm sorry about the outburst, Elendar... I just want to make things right."

"No worries, my friend," he replied. "In time, everything will be set right. But for now, I suggest you take what time there is to rest up."

"Now go. I'm certain your friends would like to speak with you. This battle is over, and victory is ours..."

The lad nodded as the elven king firmly patted his shoulder, and without another word, Hiccup calmly began his way back towards Astrid and Snotlout, who were already making their way out of the clearing.

As soon as they were out of sight, Elendar gazed back at the orc with a grim expression.

"Take him to the dungeons beneath the palace. Make sure to bind him in tight chains…"