Hiccup was standing there, sword drawn as he faced Licht, while Julius lay on his feet, bleeding out. Ruffnut and Tuffnut just looked at one another, trying to understand what they saw.
"Please tell me you're not seeing what I'm saying," said Tuffnut.
"If you're seeing the Captain of the Golden Dawn has just killed the Wizard King, afraid I do," said Ruffnut.
"Salutations," said Licht, looking at Hiccup. "Hiccup, is it? You may call me Licht."
"Your Licht?" said Hiccup, glaring at him.
"William is lying dormant within this body," Licht explained as tears formed in his eyes. "That's right, you and I watched it through these eyes, William. The end of the Wizard King."
"What?" Hiccup glared. "If that's the case, you better say your prayers."
Fishlegs just stood there in shock, unable to move. "This can't be happening. There's no way this is real… not Julius. Please, no!"
Hiccup looked directly at him. "Don't just stand there, Fishlegs! He's injured, so go get Owen to heal him. Hurry up!"
"Right," said Fishlegs in shock and ran off.
"Hang tight, Julius," said Hiccup. "We've…"
"Don't bother," said Licht. "He will be gone mere moments now. You protected your kingdom to the end; I must commend you for that, Julius Novachrono, but…"
Valtos' portal appeared, and he stuck his head out of it. "Master Licht, sir!"
Hiccup refused to let him get away. "Dark Magic…"
Licht was exhausted from his battle with Julius and did not want another battle with Hiccup, so he disappeared. He reappeared directly over Valtos' portal and began diving into it.
"…Dark Cloacked…" said Hiccup as he clutched his sword, now covered in darkness.
"Elves in humankind will never live in harmony again; it's over," said Licht.
"Dimensions Slash!" Hiccup yelled, swinging his sword straight down.
His slash attack cut through space itself as it headed straight towards Licht and Valtos. It sliced right through the portal, but unfortunately, they got away before it made contact.
'He's gone,' said Hiccup through gritted teeth.
The twins tried to tend to Julius, but his rooms were severe.
"We can't stop the bleeding," said Ruffnut frantically.
"We need a healer like right now," said Tuffnut.
Hiccup bent down next to Julius. "Just hold on, don't die on me."
Julius looked at him and smiled weakly. "H-Hiccup… that spell you did was amazing. You can cut through space itself."
"Save your strength; there's no time for you geeking out," said Hiccup.
"You've turned into a superb Magic Knight, haven't you?" Julius smiled.
Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Julius, like I keep telling you, I'm 28 years old. You don't have to treat me like a kid anymore."
"It's so inspiring seeing your generation was raised right," said Julius as he looked up towards the sky. "And knowing the next one is beginning to bud as well. My own hopes living on through all the Magic Knights to come."
'My goal,' said Julius. 'The future that I worked so hard to build, I believe it isn't that far off. It is a future that all of you will create. A nation that is free of hatred and prejudice.'
Back at the Midnight Sun hideout, Victoria was still bombarding her flaming fists at Rhya relentlessly without pause.
'I'll give you one thing, Miss Royal, you certainly know how to pack a fiery punch,' said Rhya. 'Which is why…'
Dak sensed something off with Rhya and watched as fiendish magic consumed his body.
"Before I burn up, I'm casting a self-destruct spell and taking you down with me!" Rhya announced.
Victoria didn't stop and clenched her flaming fist.
'Once you strike me, we'll disappear with a bang,' Rhya smiled.
Then suddenly, Dak appeared out of nowhere and used his Demon-Slayer Sword to cut through the magic surrounding Rhya, surprising everyone.
'That Anti-Magic brat,' Rhya cursed. 'He snipped out my self-destruct spell and counted it before she landed her attack. He reacted so fast it's incredible.'
"To other people already tried that, and I'm fed up with it!" said Dak, clenching his fist. "You can't kill yourself on my watch, you three-eyed jerk. Got it?! Don't throw your life away!"
He punched Rhya across the face and hit the ground hard.
"Seriously, what is the matter with you guys?" Dak asked. "You're mad at humans for taking something away from you, right? I'm still fuzzy on the details, but we're all people. I want you to tell me your side of the story, and then I'm going to tell you mine. No one is dying until that happens, okay?"
Rhya just stared at him.
"Good grief," said Zora, rolling his eyes. "That punk really runs hot, doesn't he?"
Dak then sensed Victoria, who was looking down at him furiously.
"I don't recall giving you permission to butt into my fight, boy," she said, grabbing him with her lion paw. "Should I burn you as well?"
Dak was a little too frightened to speak.
"He's part of the Eye of the Midnight Sun," she reminded him. "They plunged the kingdom into confusion and have taken a massive toll on its people. They are not interested in swapping stories now move."
She then tossed him to one side and then covered her fist in flames. "Even if it means killing them all, we must stop them."
"Yeah, why is that?" Dak asked.
Mereleona looked at him, confused.
"We're the same, aren't we?" he said. "So we should be able to talk things over. Both sides are mad because we lost someone we love. I've been thinking a lot about this; everyone is fighting because we can't forgive the other side, so how do we get rid of all their anger and hatred? I asked Captain Hiccup about this before we left…"
He then began to think back to a conversation he had with Hiccup before they departed.
"It sounds to me that they want revenge for something," said Hiccup. "My father once told me that revenge can go down a treat, but it is no plan. All it does is add to the piles of hatred to one another, creating a never-ending cycle."
"So, how'd we break that cycle?" Dak asked.
Hiccup shrugged. "I have no clue; that is something you must find out for yourself. However, I know that even if one achieves one's ends and gets revenge, one seeks that victory is short-lived. Very soon, it leaves an emptiness in one's heart."
Dak looked back at Mereleona. "He didn't give me a clear answer to the question; I don't think anyone can, to be honest. But we can do it. I mean, we have to, don't we?"
Rhya looked at him, shocked.
"Whether you're nobility, a citizen or just a peasant or even if you're not a human," Dak continued. "I just want a kingdom where all of us get along and laugh together. And when I, the Wizard King, we will have one. You'll see."
Mereleona smiled. 'You imbecile. Proudly proclaiming something so outrageous.'
Rhya stared at Dak, speechless. 'I think he's being actually serious. In fact, it reminds me of something someone else said once before.'
His memories then turned to Licht, claiming that the child he conceived with his human lover would bridge the gap between human and elf.
'If only all the human race thought about it the way these guys do, then maybe…' said Rhya, but then he smiled fiendishly. 'No, it's too late to stop now.'
Licht and Valtos had returned to the demon skull where the other magic stones resided.
"Hey, welcome back," said Sally.
"Took you long enough," said Rades. "You snacked the last of the magic stones, right?"
"Watch your tongue, Rades," Valtos warned. "Everything went as we planned. In fact, it's even better. Our Master Licht has assassinated the Wizard King."
"Seriously? That's awesome!" said Rades.
"Oh, wow, Master Licht, great going," said Sally.
"Yes, but it was not an easy fight," Licht admitted. "Additionally, we were almost stopped by the Black Dragon Captain. It would seem as if he has gotten stronger and can now cut through space itself."
"Whoa, really?" said Sally in awe.
"Yes, quite the accomplishment, and I have no doubt that the Wizard King will have him take over, but once we achieve our final goal, that won't matter," said Licht.
Back at the capital, Hiccup and the twins were doing their best to keep Julius alive, but none of them had any healing magic.
"Come on, stay with us," said Hiccup. "Just hang them a little longer. Once Owen gets here, he'll fix you right up."
Julius, however, knew he was not going to live long. "Their leader was so powerful. He could have easily killed everyone in the land, even without collecting all the magic stones. That means he must be gathering them for something else. I fear that Clover Kingdom may yet suffer a devastating fate. I let him steal the stones, I'm sorry. Such a failure is below the Wizard King."
"Don't say that you just saved thousands of lives," said Hiccup.
"Ours included," said Ruffnut.
"No one else could have done that," said Tuffnut.
Fishlegs had located Owen and was flying back by magic carpet as quickly as possible.
'I hope we make it in time,' said Fishlegs frantically.
"Fishlegs is going to be so disappointed in me for how things ended," said Julius. "It's a shame I won't be there when Thuggory finally wakes up. Hiccup, there are still so many things… things that I wanted to tell you."
"Don't go talking like that," said Hiccup, tears in his eyes. "You can't die on me now. That's something I can't forgive because I still haven't…"
Hiccup owed so much to Julius. Thirteen years ago, he was all alone, apart from his mentor, Gobber. Julius then found him and brought him into the Magic Knights, changing his life. He met his best friend, Ragnar, and his future wife, Astrid. He then made him a Magic Knight Captain, where he was able to help all those who were ostracised and give them a place where they belong.
"Hiccup," said Julius, clearly fighting to stay alive. "I'm leaving the rest to you."
Hiccup fought back the tears and then saluted. "Yes, sir."
The twins began crying as they saluted, and Toothless growled sadly.
The star-like mark on Julius' forehead began to fade, and his grimoire began to disintegrate.
"I got to meet so many wonderful people and see so many spells," Julius smiled as the sunset. "It was a fun life. A good life."
He then closed his eyes and fell silent.
"Julius?" said Hiccup.
Toothless nudged Julius's hand but remained limp, and he howled.
"What do we do now?" Tuffnut asked.
"I've got no idea," said Ruffnut.
"I'll tell you what we will do," said Hiccup as he stood up. "We will ensure that Julius did not die in vain and that we keep the people and the kingdom safe."
At the Midnight Sun hideout, Cob remained outside and maintained a spatial barrier around the base.
'I can't help but wonder how everyone is doing,' he said as he continued to outstrip his arms. 'I have been casting my spatial jamming spell for several hours. It's getting rather difficult to hold my arms up, but this is no time for complaining. The Royal Knights are battling the Eye of the Midnight Sun with everything they've got. The future of the Clover Kingdom hangs in the balance. Please, team, do your very best.'
On the inside, Leyla's team approached the base's centre and could hear the heartbeat getting louder.
"Hey, look up there," Summer pointed.
"What's that?" Klaus asked.
"It's an abundance of mana," said Hammon.
"We're heading straight for the centre," said Maple. "You guys, be careful."
"I don't know what we might face up there, but get ready for anything," said Leyla.
"Let's take them down, Ley," said Summer.
They then entered the central chamber, but what they found didn't make a watt of sense. It was a large room, but it was empty apart from the massive ball of light, and it looked like someone was inside it. In the centre of the room was a black and rusty-looking sword with a curved blade. It certainly bore a resemblance to Dak's Anti-Magic swords.
"This place is so bizarre," said Klaus.
"Yes," Hammon agreed and looked into the ball of light. "Is that a person?"
"The mana it's so…" said Summer in awe.
"Yes," said Maple as she backed off. "It's unbelievably powerful."
Meanwhile, Licht had just inserted one of the magic stones into the tablet. The moment he did, it began to glow even more, and all the magic stones began to resonate.
"All it needs now is the last of the magic stones," said Licht as he held up the last of them. "We will awaken our true might and with the Monument of the Tree of Life to guide our every step."
"Yes," said Valtos. "The fateful day that we have waited for has arrived."
"Yes, since we were lucky enough to be chosen by the mana, our magic power is about to go through the roof," said Rades. "This is going to be fun. Those Magic Knights are going to be dead even before they realise what hit them."
"With our new power plus my dark magic items, we'll be unbeatable!" said Sally excitedly. "Oh, I can hardly wait. Soon, I'll get my hands on Dak and experiment to my heart's content."
"Enough," said Valtos. "This newfound advantage is to be used solely to establish the society Master Licht envisioned." He then turned his eyes to Licht. "You know, Master, if we never became acquainted with you, we would still be eking out the same lonely, pathetic existence despised by everyone."
Valtos began thinking back to when he was ostracised by everyone simply by his appearance. However, that all changed when Licht appeared before him and offered his hand.
"But you… you gladly welcomed us into the Eye of the Midnight Sun, changing our lives. Master Licht, I have been happy to serve even if we were just a small help."
"Are you done yet?" Rades grumbled. "Because I can only listen to so much kissing up before I puke. Anyway, we'll be able to wreak even more havoc, so you know I'm in."
"And my research will be extra helpful after we get this post," said Sally.
Licht smiled and held his hand out towards them. "Yes, you three have done well during our time together. Thank you for that, and please know that I'm exceedingly proud of your efforts. At last, the time has come to fulfil our highest goal, the rebirth of our true forms to create our new kingdom."
"Yes, sir," said Valtos.
"Since I've met you all, I have been speaking as Licht, your humble leader," he said, and the three of them frowned when they noticed his expression darkened. "From now on, I will express my true feelings instead. You have acted out of greed and selfishness, casually harming others while prioritising your interests.
"You hate, envy and discriminate against your fellow human beings for the most fleeting of reasons. And then you justify your sins and shortcomings with your blind devotion to me, all for the sake of your lousy, filthy, disgusting selves. Humans are really the self-serving, shameful worms that I always knew you were. You're absolutely irredeemable."
The three of them just stand him, shocked.
"Master…" Valtos stared.
"I don't understand," said Rades confused.
"This is where we must bid each other farewell," he said and inserted the last magic stone. "The great rebirth will start with you."
The moment he inserted the last of the magic stones, the tablet began to glow so brightly that it could be seen from the capital.
"Is that bright light coming from the Forsaken Realm?" Tuffnut asked.
Hiccup grimaced, knowing that this was Licht's doing.
The light could also be seen from the Midnight Sun hideout.
"Oh no," said Cob.
Leyla's team were blinded by the ball of light, which began to glow even brighter.
"What's going on here?" Maple asked.
Dak's group watched as the glowing light covered Rhya.
"Well, look at that, it's finally begun," he said.
"What are you talking about?" Dak asked.
"His power just shot up through the roof," said Zora. "Hey, something's not right."
"This is it; today, we are going to assume our true forms and reclaim our old strength," said Rhya as his hair turned white and his ears began to become pointed.
Maple had no idea what was happening, but she knew it was bad.
"What's happening?" she asked.
She then saw the person inside the ball of light open his eyes.
"Whatever power he's wielding, it's not human mana," she gasped. "Listen, let's get out…"
Her eyes widened as she saw Leyla had transformed into an elf.
"Leyla? What's wrong?" she said.
Leyla just stood there in silence with a blank expression.