I pointed the tip of my sword towards him as well, and snarled. "Do you honestly think you can beat me?" I said. He angrily charged forward, but he stopped when he heard shouting from behind him. He and his men turned, and I looked over them and saw The Order, with their swords drawn and ready. "Fight them! I'll take Marius!" Athad shouted, before continuing his charge at me. I saw The Order wait as the Black Shadow's men charged at them and engaged them sword to sword. Quexos cut down four men before he was put on the defensive, them man whom he duelled he struck down easily. Luke swung his shimmering blade about, and cut through a few men before he continued forward, continuing to slay anyone who challenged him. Athad swung high at my neck, and I ducked to avoid the attack. I swung my sword at his gut, and slit it open. He grasped the wound and stepped backward. I swung at his chest, and he didn't bring his blade up in time to block it. The slash cut his chest open, and he continued to stagger backward. He slashed out at me, and I dodged the attack with ease before launching another one of my own. I missed my attack, and almost tumbled forward. I leaned forward though and put out my leg to prevent me from falling further, and Athad slammed his blade through my shoulder. Had I felt pain, I would be sure I would've felt sharp tendrils of pain jet through my entire body and would've dropped to the ground. But I didn't, so I jumped to my feet, and when I did I gave Athad a savage uppercut. He sailed backward through the air and landed hard on his back. I grabbed his sword's hilt and pulled it from the wound, and gripped it tightly in my left hand, with my own sword in the right. As I approached him, he got to his knees and glared at me as I placed my ebony blade on the left side of his neck, and his own blade on the other. "Time to die. And the Black Shadow with you." I said. He snarled and was about to say something, but I brought both blades through his neck. The vampire killing metal worked like a charm, and his head rolled away, and his headless corpse dropped to the ground. I watched The Order quickly finish off the Black Shadow's men, and when they had done so, Luke approached me. "Well fought." I said. He nodded. "You too. I see the vampire killing metal really works." He commented as he observed Athad's blade in my left hand. I threw it at the ground. It skittered along the floor until it stopped alongside Athad's corpse. "Lets get out of here. Our mission is finished." I said. And with The Order behind me, we went outside. I met up with Kathleen, and she scolded me over the wound to my shoulder, but I kissed her and told her I'd be alright. She smiled and returned it, and together we walked back to the mountains.