While Basil was immersed in his inner struggle, confronting the darkness trying to consume him, the battle outside was still raging.
On the other side, amid the destruction and bloodshed, Hamza was struggling in his fight against the bloodthirsty Galimon, who had vanished within the thick smoke.
He received blow after blow, trying to fend them off, but his opponent's strength was overwhelming. Wounds began to accumulate across his body, and exhaustion started gnawing at his muscles, while the dense smoke filled the area, obscuring his vision and turning him into an easy target for his enemy.
He stared at the shadows moving within the haze, trying to pinpoint his foe's position, yet the strikes kept raining down on him from different directions, and his blood flowed along his limbs.
Hamza muttered to himself, attempting to gather his strength, and said, "I need to find a way to clear this smoke."
At that moment, an idea flashed through his mind.
He gripped his sword tightly, then began swinging it violently, spinning around himself repeatedly, trying to generate an air vortex. The first attempt wasn't strong enough, but he didn't give up. With the second attempt, the air began to swirl around him, and with the third, the winds rose violently, surging like a storm.
Then he shouted with all his might: "Winds of Saqar!"
The vortex surged forward, sweeping the smoke away entirely and revealing the battlefield once more.
Galimon appeared, standing firm, his eyes filled with savagery, and a bloodthirsty smile stretched across his face. Then he said mockingly, stepping forward, "I will tear you to pieces—your blood is what satisfies my craving!"
Hamza lifted his head with confidence, a defiant smile on his face, and said:
"A fool I humored in his ignorance... until a predator's hand and maw fell upon him.
If you see the fangs of the lion bared,
Do not ever think that the lion is smiling."
Then Hamza extended his hand, and a massive red flame erupted from his sword, growing ever more intense. As he dashed toward Galimon, he said, "You are merely another victim of the Sword of Al-Farouq."
Fury intensified upon Galimon's face as he charged at him, and Hamza rushed forward with his full strength.
Both of them lunged at each other in a violent clash!
Hamza shouted as he brought his sword down: "Destruction of Saqar!"
At the moment of impact, Galimon attempted to deliver a fatal strike with his double-headed spear, but Hamza partially evaded it. Even so, the tip of the spear sliced the skin above his left eye, leaving a long wound running alongside it. At the same instant, Hamza's sword pierced through Galimon's chest with a devastating blow.
The two paused for a brief moment. Then Galimon's body began to split apart gradually, flames rising from within him before he let out his final scream… and completely collapsed.
As Hamza stood before Galimon's body, with flames consuming it, he remembered his friend Basil and decided to move to find him.
As he walked, he began to feel exhaustion weighing down his body. His breathing grew rapid, and his steps became heavy.
Despite the pain, he forced his body forward, dragging his steps with difficulty toward Basil, then said in a weary voice: "I must reach him… I must save him."