The sun was high in the sky as the group marched through the forest, a lone dirt path leading to their intended destination. Kevin was in the lead, with Amity, Gus, and Willow right behind him. When the last two had heard what happened, they were quick to accept Kevin's offer to help get their friend back from whoever or what, had taken her. They had defied Belos once before, and they could do it again with whoever was now in charge of his old guards. The three witches stopped immediately once Kevin raised his hand and stopped himself.

"Why are we stopping?"

"This is where we part ways," Kevin said, turning around while grabbing something from his pocket. He opened his hand to reveal a small device with a red button on the side, and after he pressed it, a holographic model of the castle appeared. Using his hand, he turned the castle around to show the others its backside. "There's a crack in the back wall, which should be weak enough for Willow to use her vines to tear a hole for the four of you to slip through."

"Four?" Amity asked with a raised eyebrow. Kevin nodded before summoning a clone next to his side.

"I'm sending One in with you. While the guards are focused on my assault, One will be able to get you inside the castle. From there, he'll protect you while you all look for Luz. Get in, find and grab Luz, and get out," Kevin said, turning off the device before pocketing it. "Luz is the mission, nothing else matters besides getting her out of whatever hell hole she's in right now. No matter what happens, I need you three to promise me you'll get her out and back to the Owl House. A shield is already set in place should they track you down and attack, and Hooty will be there as well in order to make sure you're all safe."

"But what about you?" Gus asked, feeling his stomach doing twists and turns at the idea of this plan. There was no telling what awaited them inside that castle... but that didn't matter. What mattered was getting their friend out safely.

"Don't worry about me. I've been in trickier situations; I can take care of myself," Kevin said, trying to calm them down ahead of the battle. "Now promise me you'll get Luz out of there and back to safety, no matter what happens to me."

"If we can, we'll try getting everyone out safely. Even you, should the situation arise," Amity said with a firm nod, vowing to try and keep everyone safe. "But yes, we promise to get Luz out, no matter what." She nodded, as did Gus and Willow.

"That's what I like to hear. Now go on. Once I summon my army, there's no turning back," Kevin said. The others nodded again before marching off with clone One. But Amity stopped in her tracks and cast a glance back at the human.

"In case things go wrong... I'm sorry for what I said the other night. And for all the trouble I might've caused you."

"Heh, apologize to me after we get Luz out of there. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry too." He gave her a smile before waving her off. "Now go with One. If you thought one of me was annoying, you don't wanna be around when there's 100," he said, causing the greenette to shudder in fear. The thought of two of him was bad enough, but a hundred? She'd need to break out the apple blood.

"Okay, okay… good luck," she said before running off to catch up with the clone and the others.

Once she was gone, Kevin rolled his neck from the left to the right, hearing it crack several times before rubbing his hands together. "Okay, you beautiful bastards, showtime!" he roared, raising his hands into the air and causing numerous clouds of smoke to poof into the air. His legs wobbled, and his breath became shallow and ragged, but he stood tall and stared at the sea of 100 clones he had managed to summon. "Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once: Luz has been kidnapped! We don't exactly know by who, but we do know where she's being held. We're gonna go there, knock some heads around, and get her and her friends out safely. Easier said than done, I know, but hey, that's never stopped me before," Kevin said before bringing back out the device and turning it on. He zoomed in on one of the stone towers on the wall.

"Intel suggests the enemy can use these turrets to summon a shield around the whole castle should they come under an attack. We'll take these out first before beginning our assault. As we close in, we must gain control of the walls before entering. The witches will use the high ground to their advantage; it'll be a slaughter unless we gain control and get a footing," he said.

"There's almost four hundred witches behind these walls, 398 to be exact, so we'll be met with heavy resistance as we make our way through," he said, causing many of the clones to murmur amongst themselves. Kevin raised his hands, demanding and receiving silence. "I know it's a lot, it means I'll need each clone to try and take out nine to ten witches before you get destroyed. That'll mean less work for me and a higher chance Luz and the others will get out safe. Any questions?" he asked, causing 57 to raise his hand.

"They've got the number advantage and magic on their side, we've got 100 of us and only a few powers. They probably know we're coming and, who's to say Luz is even still being held there? With all due respect, I say we cut our losses and leave, sir… Sir?" 57 asked, noticing how Kevin hadn't said a word, not a scream or shout for 57 to shut up. He pursed his lips, deep in thought.

"The healthy human mind doesn't wake up in the morning thinking this is its last day on Earth. But I think that's a luxury, not a curse. To know you're close to the end is a kind of freedom. Good time to take. inventory. The area is unknown to us. We're outnumbered, out magic'd, out of our minds. On a suicide mission. But the sand and rocks here will forever be stained with warfare the likes this realm has ever seen. They will remember us for this. Because out of our vast array of nightmares, this is the one we choose for ourselves. We go forward like a breath exhaled from the Earth. With vigor in our hearts and one goal in sight: We. Will. Save Her."

"It doesn't matter the cost, we're gonna go there, and show these bastards the true meaning of fear. They've never fought someone like us before! We're fast, we're mean, and we're bloodthirsty!" he exclaimed, causing the army to cheer. "But before we go, I need to make one thing clear. No deadly force unless otherwise authorized. I want POWs, not body bags," he said with a savage grin, his clones mimicking him. "Now follow me, and let's show them why Xerxes and his army feared my name!"

(Several minutes later)

The sounds of marching and dirt crunching underfoot was loud as Kevin and his clone army neared the castle, its towers tall enough to peek over the treetops for them to see. The sound, the sight, everything about this was all too familiar to Kevin. He'd been hoping this would be the one dimension he wouldn't have to go to war, but no matter where he went, trouble and drama always seemed to follow. It wasn't long until they reached the end of the tree line, staring out into the clearing that held the castle.

"Make your first shots count and continue firing once those turrets are destroyed. Weaken their defenses and their resolve. Get ready," he said while raising his arm as several clones took their positions. "Fire!"

Upon command, the five clones slammed their feet onto the ground, causing several giant boulders to pop out into the air. They smacked their palms against the rocks, shooting them off and making them fly through the air and towards the unexpecting castle and the army it held. They made contact with the turrets, smashing into the sides and turning them to rubble, causing the towers to start collapsing, the horrid screams of those unlucky enough to be standing underneath the towers as they fell and crushed them as a result echoed through the woods. They did it again and again, destroying parts of the top wall to avoid any of the witches using it for the high ground advantage, and peppering the castle and wearing down the stone. An alarm started blaring inside the castle signaling to everyone that they were under attack.

"Forward march!" Kevin ordered. His clones let out their own cries as they rushed towards the castle, Kevin himself joining in as he led the charge. The doors to the castle walls creaked as they opened, allowing the opposing army of witches and abominations to counter charge.

Bolts of lightning and waves of fire were exchanged between the two armies as they charged towards one another, Kevin was ahead of his clones and his eyes zeroed in on the witches before him. Several pillars of varying heights appeared before him, allowing him to climb up them before he jumped off the final one. He flew through the air, bringing his fist down and smashing it into the ground, sending a resounding shockwave rippling through the earth. Multiple holes opened and swallowed several witches whole before they closed back up.

A sword formed in his hand as he stood, raising it and blocking the sword of one of the witches as they tried to cut him down. He grabbed onto the witch's arm, bringing them close before smashing his head against their own, knocking them unconscious. Kevin felt something slam into his side, a witch's leg as they kicked him, so he grabbed onto it and brought his elbow down, shattering the witch's lower leg. After that, he grabbed the new witch by his mask, lifting him up into the air before slamming him into the ground, knocking him out. A third came after him next, with Kevin dodging their attack before grabbing them and lifting the attacker over his head. He brought them down onto his knee, their spine breaking from the force.

As a fourth charged him Kevin swiped his sword towards him, his weapon slashing through the enemy's stomach, but not leaving a cut, not even through his clothes. The witch flinched before looking down, running a hand over her stomach to find nothing had happened. She grinned, believing Kevin had missed, but before she could attack she suddenly felt lightheaded and dropped to the ground, out cold. Her stamina drained and fed back to Kevin.

The human turned, sword raised as three others approached him, each witch holding a different weapon: a staff, a sword, and a mace. He twirled his sword around his hand, using his free hand to motion the witches to attack. The witches were about to, until a giant boulder suddenly came flying from the side and smashed into all three of them, knocking them away. He turned again, seeing as 23 gave him a small nod before he was destroyed by an incoming arrow.

The arrow landed in the ground before the ground started to shake. Several gigantic vines sprouted up from the ground and started swiping at Kevin and his clones. The vines lashed out, grabbing onto clones 31 and 88 and lifted them into the air before squeezing them like a snake, destroying them. The vines immediately started to thrash and smash into the ground with crazed and unpredicting motions as several clones started using fire to burn them down.

A volley of arrows was fired, each either striking a clone or the ground before the magic in them was set off. Pillars of ice, pools of abomination goo, more vines, and even pits of fire sprung from the arrows, further disrupting Kevin and his clones and making the battle even more one-sided than previously thought. In the midst of the attack, Kevin forced the remaining clones to gather in any groups they could before concentrating. Small domes formed around each group, protecting them from the onslaught.

On top of the wall stood the several witches that were causing this harm, armed with bows and arrows fused with magic. They aimed and fired, obliterating several more clones before setting their sights upon the original as he fought off other witches and Abominations while still trying to keep his clones safe. They drew back and stilled their breaths, ready to fire and hopefully end this once and for all. But before they could, the first witch felt something penetrate his back. A shocked and pain-filled gasp escaped him as something ripped and tore through his body, exiting his stomach and leaving an open wound. Blood leaked from his lips, his eyes rolling backwards as he suddenly dropped to the ground, dead.

The others saw this immediately and turned, gasps of shock escaping them as they realized they were no longer alone on top of the wall. Along with them was one of the clones, adorned in a white robe with red collar, a belt with a strange symbol resembling something similar to an eagle's skull on the front, black boots and a piece of armor covering his right wrist. His hood was pulled over his head, the shadow hiding his eyes but revealing a sickening and sadistic smile. A blade hidden within his sleeve was extended past his wrist, blood dripping off its end.

The witches pulled away, pulling back on their arrows and readying to fire, except this clone was fast, dashing forward in front of the second witch and slicing, his blade tearing through the witch's neck and slitting his throat, the gushing blood staining his white hood. The clone grabbed onto the witch and used his body to block the oncoming arrows before grabbing a single arrow from his quiver. The clone then proceeded to throw him off the wall. His body fell and on impact, a sickening crunch echoed throughout the courtyard. His body suddenly erupted into flames from the magic arrows, the stench of burning flesh filling the air.

Before the remaining three could counter, the clone was already on them, stabbing the arrow directly into the third witch's eye before shoving her, screaming, off the wall and to her death, her body cracking and breaking as she hit the ground before the arrow in her eye blew up, blowing her skull into hundreds of pieces while also blowing up several witches that were closeby.

The fourth and fifth weren't going down without a fight. They counter charged the clone, trying to get one good hit in to destroy him. The clone was quicker, ducking under the first's staff and using his wrist armor to block the fifth's bow. He reached forward, grabbing both witches by their heads before activating his blades, the weapon slicing through their skulls before popping out the back side, instantly ending their lives. With a smile, he threw them off the walls, one landing in the courtyard and the other landing outside the wall.

Once the arrows had ceased, the clones were back out and joining the fight. Kevin held one witch by his throat, lifting him off the ground and readying to render him unconscious, when a sudden splat next to him caught his attention. He turned, eyes widening in surprise at the dead witch laying in front of him, blood seeping out of her broken body. He looked up, a sudden anger filling him upon seeing one of his clones on top, having obviously killed this witch and, possibly, the others. He grunted, sword cutting into the witch he held and rendering him unconscious, body slumping to the ground.

"What the fuck?" he growled, eyes meeting the clone's and seeing the clone smile down at him. He grunted, figuring he would deal with this little incident later. "We've taken the wall! Push forward!" he called out as he knocked out another two witches. His remaining clones gave war cries as they finished off their own witches and abominations and charged towards the open doors.

The witches closest to the doors retreated, making it back behind the supposed safety of the walls as they closed and sealed the doors, needing some time to gather their forces and create a counter attack. The clones pounded against the door, throwing boulders against the old magical wood, some even creating battering rams and using those.

"Four and Seven, gather the prisoners and get them ready for transport. 16, 22, 71, and 97, get charges on those doors. Two, to me!" Kevin barked out orders and was met with instant action Four and Seven gathering up the unconscious witches as the other four created explosive charges and littered them around the door while Two made his way to their leader. "Give me a casualty report," Kevin ordered as he approached the door, number Two jogging right beside him.

"28 clones are KIA. Teams Eight and Three never stood a chance. One and his team have infiltrated the castle walls and are readying to infiltrate once we begin our final assault."

"Their sacrifices will be remembered. How many witches are we dealing with now?"

"It's hard to say; the magic within the castle makes it difficult to read. Less than 300 if I had to guess. The most accurate number I could try giving is about 240."

"Gather the survivors and set them up into teams. We'll need all hands on deck for the final breach," Kevin said before his eyes settled on the hooded clone, a growl escaping his lips as he approached, grabbing him by the shoulder and forcing the clone to look at him, noticing the number 13 imprinted where all clones numbers usually were. "What the fuck were you thinking? I said no deadly force!"

"These bastards were killing our own; why shouldn't I return the favor?" 13 asked with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "Besides, I got us the wall, didn't I? Seems like it all ended well."

"That's not the point! I'm the original, you listen to me and do as I say. No more killing, understood?" Kevin asked, getting right into 13's face before letting him go.

"Sir, charges are set," 16 informed the human, causing him to grunt.

"Someone keep an eye on 13. Poof him he acts up again," Kevin said. "Everyone stack up on the door. Team One and Two, flank the left, Three and Four the right, and Five and Six are with me down the middle. Team Seven, half of you transport the prisoners and the other half stay outside to make sure no one escapes. Are we ready?"

"Sir yes sir!"

"Let's make Eivor and the Raven Clan proud! Breaching, breaching!" Kevin shouted, pressing down on the detonator and setting off the charges.

A giant explosion rocked and shook the castle and the surrounding area. The door to the wall was blasted off its hinges and smashed two witches against the wall of the castle. The clones summoned shields and started to invade, the first three getting poofed as soon as they made it through before they could return fire, blasting fire and setting witches ablaze and forcing them to retreat in order to put the fire, and themselves, out. Kevin walked through the large doorway, clones running on either side of him as they tried taking the castle, a blue sword forming in his hands and smoke rising above his head, twisting and moving to form a set of devil horns.

One of the witches rushed him, raising their sword above their head and slashing it downwards. Kevin blocked, swinging his sword upwards with enough force to knock the witch's sword out of their hands. He grabbed the witch by their mask, slashing his sword through the witches abdomen before letting go, watching as they fell to the ground unconscious.

Two more rushed him, with one brandishing a sword and the other using their staff. The first witch with the sword attempted to strike first, moving in to try and stab the human. Kevin dodged, bringing his arm down to capture the opposing witch's arm, trapping him before twisting his arm, making him drop the sword. Kevin turned the witch around, his arm wrapping around the witches throat, using him as a living shield. The second witch hesitated, fearful of hurting his friend. His hesitation allowed Kevin time to push the first witch into the second, knocking them both to the ground. Changing his handling of his weapon, Kevin threw it like a spear, impaling both witches and, their energy draining at once and knocking each of them out.

One of the witches hit by the door was still conscious, trapped under the heavy door with his leg broken. He watched this all unfold, the unstoppable human machine and his army tearing through the others like they were nothing. The screams of terror and pain echoing throughout the courtyard and the smell of burning flesh made him want to gag. With all his might, he tried lifting the door, but to no avail. His heart rate increased as the original human locked eyes onto him and walked towards him.

"Where is she?" Kevin asked, stomping on the ground and causing several small pillars of stone to launch the door high into the air. He grabbed the witch by his uniform before slamming him against the wall. "Where is she?"

The witch didn't speak. Instead, a knife fell from his left sleeve and into his hand before he tried to stab his attacker. Before it could though, Kevin grabbed the witch's wrist and bent it, snapping it and making him drop the knife as he screamed. Kevin grabbed the knife before it could fall and stabbed the witch nearly in the middle of his abdomen, making him scream louder.

"You don't wanna answer me? That's fine," Kevin said, letting go of the knife before summoning a card in his hand. He shifted the witch, placing the card right behind his head before slamming him back into it.

The witch could only watch in helpless fear as Kevin grinned, not knowing and unable to see what the human had done. His eyes widened in fear as out of the corner of the eye holes of his mask, he watched as a pair of green, wrinkly hands with razor sharp, black nails slowly started seeping out of the wall behind him before they phased into his head and touched his brain.

(Inside the castle)

Screams wailed outside the castle as the witches attempted to fight off their attackers, and the witches inside weren't faring any better. Numerous witches had been taken out of commission, trapped in abomination goo, tied up by vines, or knocked out thanks to Gus and his illusions and One. With many of the witches outside fighting the major battle, it gave the rescue team more leeway to go about their mission.

"You three take the door down the hall, I've got this one. Keep going until we find Luz," One ordered, ejecting the magazine out of the gun he had created using Kevin's energy. He shook it, the mag instantly refilling before he popped it back inside and cocked it. The bullets worked similarly to Kevin's sword. By passing through or even nicking an enemy, they would be knocked out and drained of stamina, which was then fed right back to Kevin. "And we don't wanna draw any more attention to ourselves, so try doing this quick and quie—"

One didn't get a chance to answer as Amity surrounded her hands in abomination goo, forming two giant, spiked gauntlets. With a war cry, she smashed open the door and charged in, with Gus and Willow sighing as they rushed in after her, ducking as a witch suddenly flew head first from the room into the wall outside. One sighed, running his hand down his face in annoyance before he turned and kicked his door open. He aimed, entering the room slowly while surveying left and right for any threats before a horrible stench hit his nose. His face wrinkled in disgust as he quickly took in the room.

Every surface was stained with a mixture of dried blood and fresh blood, some of which was slowly dripping down the drain in the center. He moved further into the room upon not seeing any threats, gun still raised just to be on the safe side. He grimaced upon passing some kind of miniature operating table. A little pink, monkey-like creature had been strapped down and dissected, its organs spread all around the table, with a large and spiky gray shell sitting close by. Judging by the creature's twisted face, it had been alive and conscious when this little game of 'operation' had begun.

"Why the hell would someone do this?" One muttered, flipping through the papers and books that laid around the room. Other creatures had been dissected as well: several fairies, some kind of insectoid creature with a boomerang-shaped head, a large monster that had the body of a worm and head of a rat, a large serpentine creature, and a large seal-type creature, although based on its characteristics, it appeared to be just a baby.

'One? Come in One. Have you found anything yet?'

"I found a house of horrors. Dozens of monsters have been cut open and dissected, their organs ripped out and placed on tables. Whatever the leader has going on, it isn't something good."

'Collect any research you can. We'll have the place burned down once we get Luz out safely. Over and out.'

One nodded before he started collecting and pocketing any papers that looked like they could be informative. As he continued searching, his eyes stopped on the last table in the room, and he felt his heart stop. A white cloth had been laid over a table, with whatever laid underneath it had a humanoid shape. The cloth was red with dried blood, various bloody tools surrounding it. One swallowed thickly, holstering his gun and walking towards the table, a somber feeling of fear and dread washing over him as he stood in front of it. With shaky hands, he grabbed onto the cloth and tore it off.

A sigh of relief left him when it wasn't Luz underneath the sheet, but a regular witch instead, although he wasn't fully relieved upon seeing that the sick bastard in charge here wasn't above experimenting on their own. The witch's chest had been cut open, and unlike the other creatures, he only had one mystery organ missing. One noticed a book with a bookmark in and opened it, noticing the title of the chapter he had opened to.

'Bile Sac Transplant'

"Bile sac? The thing that allows witches to use magic?" One asked, confused. Why would a bile sac need to be transplanted? The only reasons he could think of were if the current bile sac or a witch was damaged…or they didn't have one at all. "72? Come in, 72."

"72 here. What's wrong, One?"

"Check the bodies of the captured witches . See if any of them have an incision on their chest near the heart, about seven inches. Check five or six to be thorough."

"Uh, okay? Gimme a sec," 72 said before cutting comms. One waited in silence, letting out a cough as the stench of the decaying bodies finally got to him before the crackling of the comms came back to life. "I checked four of our captured and two dead witches. Five of them had an incision matching your description. Wanna tell me what cult shit is going on here?"

"This explains why most weren't using magic," One whispered to himself. "Gather the remaining prisoners and get them out of here. I gotta tell Prime what we've—"

"One! One, we found her!" Willow shouted from down the hall.

With wide eyes, One tossed the book back down and ran out the room and towards Willow's voice. The room was gigantic, with a giant cone of yellow light shining down from the ceiling, and in the middle lay an unconscious Luz. Willow, Gus, and Amity stared at the cone with great concern and worry etched onto their faces.

"What the hell is that?" One asked as he approached them.

"It's some kind of electrical field or something. We used some of my illusions, Willow's vines, and Amity's abomination to check it out, and it zapped all of it," Gus explained, causing One to nod in understanding.

"Good work. Now we know what we're dealing with," One said before trying to call Kevin. "Prime, come in Prime."

'I'm here, One. What's going on?'

"We've located Luz. Condition unknown and she's cut off from us by some kind of electricity field. Sending you the location now."

'I'm on my way. Get with the others and start planting charges,' Kevin said before cutting off the comms again.

"Stay here and keep Luz safe. Prime will be here shortly," One ordered as he walked out the room, several other clones running past with their orders. "Let's go, let's go! Collect what you can before we blow this place to kingdom come!"

"Are they really going to blow this place up?" Gus asked.

"I don't know, but let's not wait around to find out," Willow said.

"Gather the rest of the witches up and ready them for transport! I want half the clones planting charges down here and the other half planting them up top as well. I don't want a trace of this place left," Kevin ordered from down the hall. Several more clones ran past the door before the real Kevin walked through, his face hardening upon seeing Luz held captive. "Is this the electricity field One was telling me about?" he asked while walking up to the device.

"It is. We've tried a few things, and none of our magic is getting through," Amity said, concern laced in her tone. It was killing her that Luz was so close, yet so far out of reach.

Kevin hummed in acknowledgment, walking around the cone and searching for any faults or defects he could exploit. When none caught his eye, he kicked a small rock into the field. The rock disintegrated as soon as it made contact. So braving the electricity and pulling Luz out was definitely not an option. Looking towards the top, he could see the small device above that was producing the cone.

"There's a small device on the ceiling that's doing this,.We take that out and the field should come down," he said before summoning his deck.

"Do you really think you have a monster that can help? Everything we've tried has gotten fried," Gus said.

"Theoretically speaking, there is one thing that can get through this field and knock out that device," the human said before grabbing a card and placing it on the ground.

A purple mist enveloped Kevin soon after, followed by an ear-piercing screech. A shadow formed in the mist before it rose into the air. The trio backed away in fear as a gigantic skeleton with purple under the rib cage and around its appendages, green eyes, and a large set of dark blue bat wings emerging from its back came out of the mist. The skeleton growled and clicked as a way to communicate with Kevin.

"It's nice to see you too, but now isn't the time to catch up. I need you to fire a bolt of lightning at that device up there. Think you can manage?"

The skeleton growled in understanding. A gray cloud formed high above it, roaring and booming with thunder before a bolt of lighting shot down and hit the monster. Raising one of its giant claws, the skeleton aimed and fired, a brilliant bolt arcing from its hand and splitting the electric field, striking the device headon. There was a loud boom as the device blew up, causing the field to disappear, freeing Luz.

"Luz!" The four shouted in unison, rushing to her side. Kevin and Amity dropped to their knees to check on their friend. The condition she was in making their blood boil.. The girl's clothes were ripped and tattered. cuts and bruises littered the skin they could see, and dried blood stained the ground around her.

"Luz? Luz!" Amity exclaimed, slightly shaking as she tried waking her up. When she received no response, not a twitch nor mutter, she leaned down and touched Luz's forehead, flinching at how cold she felt, a stark contrast to her usual warmth. "She's ice cold," Amity muttered in fear before she started shaking Luz harder. "Luz! Luz, please wake up!"

"You shaking her will cause more harm than good. She's unresponsive!" Kevin berated, grabbing Amity's hands and forcing her to stop. Letting go, he grabbed onto Luz, placing two fingers on her wrist before moving to the side of her neck and doing the same thing, his expression looking more grim and distraught with each passing second. "Her heart rate is dangerously low. She's suffering from bradycardia," Kevin said, noticing the various cut and needle marks around her skin. The cuts had been terribly sewn together, causing a greater risk of infection, and there was a large, deep purple area of skin around the stomach. "She's also suffering from ecchymosis. She must be bleeding internally from trauma of some kind. Her symptoms and wounds are signs of heavy blood loss, bastards must've drained her nearly dry for some reason, perhaps ritual or scientific. If we don't do something in the next minute or two…" he trailed off, not having the strength to finish his sentence.

"What?" The three shouted in unison, worry and fear lacing their tones at the news their friend could die at any minute.

"We-we need to do something! What's her blood type? Maybe we could do a transfusion or something!" Gus offered as an idea.

"She has O positive, but she's lost too much blood. She'd never make it in time," Kevin muttered, biting his thumb as he tried to think of a plan.

"There must be something you can do! A monster or something you can summon!" Amity exclaimed, watching as Kevin stared down at their friend. "Kevin!"

"Let me think, goddammit!" he shouted back at her, making the three flinch. "I have a monster or two that could help, but Luz is too far gone for treatment right now, my monsters would take too long to help," he sighed, rolling his neck. "I can save her, but it'll cost me a lot of strength and stamina. I need total concentration and silence, understand?" he asked, and the three nodded.

The three stood quiet, watching in curiosity as Kevin placed both his hands on Luz's stomach. He breathed in and out, letting the energy flow through him before his hands started glowing blue. A small whirring sound emitted from his hands as the energy traveled through Luz's body. The girl glowed a faint blue, the purple area on her stomach slowly disappearing, sweat dripping down Kevin's face as he concentrated. Seconds and minutes felt like hours and days before the light slowly faded away until it was gone. Kevin looked much paler than usual before he turned and threw up black and red bile. As Willow and Gus patted his back, Amity looked over Luz and felt her forehead, a sense of relief and happiness blooming in her chest when she felt warm again and looked much healthier than before as well.

"What did you do?" Amity asked in awe, wondering what sort of power could bring someone back from the brink of death.

"I-It's called O-One's Own Life R-Reincarnation. I-I gave my-my own life f-force to heal h-her," Kevin barely managed to gasp out as he attempted to stand, faltering and nearly falling until Gus and Willow caught him and helped him up.

"Will you be okay?" Willow asked, concerned.

"I'll live, even if b-barely. I j-just need to absorb a f-f-few clones, and I should b-be better," he said before pressing against his ear. "Clones, p-package has been secured, I repeat, package has been secured. Drop what you're doing and start moving out," he told his clones before gesturing down to the girl. "P-pick her up. We're leaving," he ordered before a growling from his monster made him freeze, his face shifting to worry as the others looked at him in confusion. "We aren't alone."

He, Gus, and Willow turned as Amity scooped Luz up into her arms, entering a stare down with a single witch that stood in the doorway, preventing their escape. The witch was enveloped in a white cloak and hood, a mask made of gold and shaped like a bird covering their face. A heavy tension fell over the room as they stared on another down, Kevin clutching his fists as he sensed something about this newcomer.

They weren't like any of the other witches they had fought. This one was stronger, a new league all their own.

"Who is th-that?" Kevin asked.

"T-That's the Golden Guard. They were Belos' second in command when he was still alive," Amity answered.

"This witch is stronger than the rest. We can't take them. Get out of here and run," Kevin said, pushing off of Gus and Willow and making them stand beside Amity.

"But—"

"I'll hold them off. I'll give you a signal to start running. Get as far away from here as you can."

"We aren't—"

"Skull, now!"

The monster growled at the command, another gray cloud forming above and lighting striking the creature. The skeleton turned, aiming and firing the bolt at the nearest wall, striking it and causing the wall to explode.

"Run!" the human shouted, the force and hint of desperation in his voice making them realize the gravity of the situation before they ran for the hole, a wall of vines rising courtesy of Willow as they made their escape. "Let's do this bud. Summoned Skull, Lightning Strike attack!"

Lightning fell from the heavens and struck Summoned Skull like the times before. The monster raised both its hands and fired off two high-powered bolts of lightning at its target. The golden witch merely stood there, watching as the bolts swirled and mixed and became a much bigger one. The witch raised a black gloved hand from beneath their cloak and drew a spell circle, forming a portal and absorbing the bolt. Another portal opened and shot the lightning out the side, destroying another wall. The witch brought out from under their cloak a brown staff with a white head with a red jewel at the top, a single white and gold wing protruding from the side. The witch slammed the end of the staff into the ground, a wave of ice suddenly shooting out and covering the distance between them quickly, a pointed edge slicing through Summoned Skull's chest, causing the creature to poof as it was destroyed.

"Skull!" Kevin shouted in sorrow watching as his monster fell. He got into a fighting stance, but before he could even blink, the witch was in front of him. Time seemed to slow down for the human as he stared at the golden mask, staring into the red eyes that hid behind it. The witch took their staff and swung it into Kevin's chest, launching him into one of the walls where he cratered on impact. From the wall, he watched as the golden witch did another spell circle, a wave of flames emitting from their hand and burning the vines down before they ran out after the others.

Kevin struggled against his stone imprisonment, tearing his arms and legs out of the walls before he fell, landing on his hands and knees and wheezing for air. He shakily raised his hand back to his ear.

"C-Clones, p-package is in danger. I-I need some juice, I need several of you now!" he shouted before gasping for air, finding it difficult to speak.

His orders met with a mixture of chatter and 'yes sir' before he heard rapidly approaching footsteps. Five clones entered the room and ran to him, helping him to his feet as they questioned what was going on. Kevin didn't answer, instead reaching out and placing his hands on the faces of 74 and 21, absorbing them and poofing them, gaining some energy back.

"We're dealing with a tiger level threat. Luz and the others are in danger," he explained to the remaining three, who nodded in understanding. He placed his hands onto 16, 49, and 51, absorbing them too before breathing in and out deeply, managing to feel slightly like his old self again. He turned to the hole in the wall with a hardened stare. "Okay bastard, round two," he said, blue electricity suddenly enveloping his body before zipping out the hole.

(With the others)

Gasps of breath and crunching of leaves played through the woods as Amity, Gus, and Willow continued to run away from the castle. They didn't dare look back, hoping Kevin would be able to take the Golden Guard on and buy them time to fully escape, maybe even defeat them as well. But given how Kevin could barely stand when they left him… their hearts and minds turned grim at the realization of what may happen to their friend.

The three shouted as they felt something wrap around their ankles, making them trip and fall onto the ground. Amity twisted her body in order to fall onto her back to avoid hurting Luz anymore. They could see the Golden Guard coming at them at an incredible speed, straight at them. The three witches summoned spell circles, throwing whatever they could at the witch. Illusions, vines, abominations all worked as one and attacked their purseror, wrapping them up and dog piling onto them.

There was an orange light as the witch suddenly erupted into flames, burning all the attacks except for themselves. The Golden Guard took their staff apart, revealing a sword hidden inside before running at them.

Time seemed to slow as the Golden Guard dashed at Amity, piercing red eyes staring down at her and Luz with eyes full of hatred and bloodthirst. Their sword was raised, readying to end their lives, and Amity turned her body so she could shield Luz, hoping and praying that her body would be enough to save her. Willow and Gus could only watch in horror.

A blue light gleamed suddenly from deep in the forest, catching the Golden Guard's attention for all but one second before they felt something hard connect with the corner of their mask. The witch was launched through the trees of the forest like they had been shot from a cannon. The force was strong enough to kick up dust and dirt like a dust bowl, ripping nearby trees from their roots and sending them flying, blinding Amity and the others as the dirt around their legs kept them from flying away as well. A shockwave erupted from the blow and seemed to shake the whole area, perhaps even the entire planet.

"It's fine now. Everything will be okay," a voice spoke through the dust, causing their eyes to widen. As the dust began to settle, the sun's rays shone down upon them, revealing Kevin standing in front of them all like a shield after having sent the Golden Guard flying away. He turned to them with a smile and a thumbs up. "For I am here!"

The three let out a breath they hadn't realized they had been holding, and before any of them could blink, Kevin had already chopped away the dirt and got them all up onto their feet.

"Whoa, I didn't know you could move so fast!" Gus said in awe.

"I've been taught to always hide a trick or two up my sleeves. There's still a lot you guys don't know about me," he said while lifting Amity up to her feet. "Are you all okay? Is she?" he asked worriedly, checking Luz's wrist for a pulse. He sighed in relief when he felt one.

"A couple of scraps and bruises—"

"And, no doubt some trauma that'll take years to get over," Willow chimed in.

"But we're fine. And so is Luz. I made sure of it," Amity said, adjusting the girl in her arms and holding her closer to her chest.

"That's good. Keep her safe and get her and yourselves out of here," he said, surprising them.

"Wait, what? No, no, no—"

"Get back to the Owl House. The shield should still be up and Hooty's there as a backup plan in case the shield falls. I'll hold them off, maybe try to beat them too."

"We are not leaving you," Amity said firmly, trying to leave no room for argument. "We've come so far; we're not leaving anyone behind!"

"This isn't up for debate. The mission was to get Luz out of that castle and the four of you home safely. I was never part of that mission," Kevin said, placing his hands on Amity's shoulders. "You promised me that you'd get Luz to safety. Well, she isn't safe as long as that bastard is running around. So for once, listen and leave this to me. Okay?"

Amity bit her lip, staring down at the girl in her arms before looking back to Gus and Willow. They seemed just as unsure and conflicted as she was. Deep down though, Amity knew that they were sitting ducks out here and would just get in Kevin's way. She sighed before looking back at the human.

"Stay safe, and… don't die. Boscha would kill me if you did," Amity said, attempting to joke to lighten the mood, Something she had picked up from the world's most irritating human.

"Solid advice. You should become a guidance counselor, or maybe even a therapist," Kevin said in a dry tone, no real malice behind his words. "Now go, run as fast as you can, and no matter what you hear, don't look back."

The three nodded before turning on their heels and sprinting as fast as their scraped and bruised legs could take them. Amity looked one back one last time, staring as Kevin turned and faced away from them. Part of her was screaming to stay and fight, but the part of her screaming to get Luz out of here and to safety was louder. She shook her head and stared forward, not looking back again as she and the other ran for their lives.

When Kevin could sense they were finally out of range. He sighed in relief before feeling something coming up. He bent over on shaky legs, throwing up blood and bile, painting the ground red. When it was all over he was left panting, grabbing onto a nearby tree for support. The clones, the weapons, healing Luz, all of it had taken a lot out of him. Kevin was surprised he was still standing after it all; he truly was one stubborn bastard.

"Gotta admit, you have a nice right hook," a voice said from the side. Kevin turned and watched as Golden Guard walked towards him, the voice revealing him as a guy. Kevin took pride upon seeing the new crack in the witch's mask.

"Ah, you're a guy. Good to know."

"Yeah, why? Would you have felt bad if I was a girl?" Golden Guard snorted.

"Not at all; I believe in true gender equality," Kevin joked before coughing up more blood.

The Golden Guard rolled his eyes. "You're weak, ready to collapse at any second, and yet you continue to fight. Is that girl really worth fighting over?" Golden Guard asked with a hint of irritation in his tone. Kevin sneered, spitting out more blood before wiping his mouth and standing tall.

"Luz means the absolute world to me; I'll do anything to keep her safe. And if that means I gotta open my arms and embrace death, then so be it. Can you say the same?" Kevin asked, and he could see his red eyes scowl underneath his mask.

"She took Belos away from me. I won't stop until I get my revenge, even if I have to slay you where you stand."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I refuse to die as long as you're still standing. So come at me with everything you've got," Kevin challenged as he got into a fighting stance. He couldn't see as the Golden Guard smiled under his mask and unclipped his cloak, giving Kevin one less thing to grab onto.

"We'll see about that. My name is Hunter, by the way. I figured you'd wanna know the name of the witch who's gonna kill you," Hunter spoke with bravado as he, too, got into a fighting stance.

"The name's Kevin, and your name is quite ironic," Kevin said as blue electricity danced across his body, a manic grin forming as his eyes flashed red for a split second, "considering you're my new prey."


I'M BACK Y'ALL!

Sorry for the delay! School, work, and family issues really effected my mental health and I went into a horrible depression. But I've been going to therapy so I'm feeling so much better! And as a result, new chapter!

I don't know what else there is to say? I hope you enjoyed it! Hard to believe the story is coming to an end in...idk 3 chapters? Yeah, 3 sounds right, as well as the bonus furry chapter.

This year has been an insane rollar coaster of emotions, but I'm getting my life back on track and couldn't be happier! Thank you all for this making this possible!

Join me next time as two titans duke it out! See ya in chapter 20!