"There we have it! Great, isn't it?" Oblivion spread his arms wide, his laughter echoing through the eternal dark as though he had already claimed victory.
The Living Tribunal's three faces turned toward him, each one burning with disapproval. His voice cut like judgment itself."You cannot simply decree this, Oblivion. Such trials must be voted upon. And why—" his three mouths spoke as one, "—have you chosen the mortal inheritor of Infinity?"
Oblivion's grin sharpened into a frown. "Oh, you're no fun at all. Why not him? He is the aggressor here! My dear child simply wished to free me, and yet he attacked, slaughtered, and brought this end swifter than I could have dreamed. So tell me—if he wants to save his world, let him prove it! Let him show his grit!"
Master Order rose, his voice ringing like law carved into stone."I approve. Order demands a trial, and if a trial is to be held, then combat is an acceptable verdict."
Eternity's cosmic form stirred, galaxies shifting across his being as he nodded."There is no reason for refusal. Let this end by the hands of the mortals who began it."
Lord Chaos doubled over in laughter, her voice wild and shrill."Now that's more like it! A chaotic end to all things! A fight at the heart of existence itself! Oh, boy—win this for us, will you? Shatter the order they cling to, and spread chaos to the void!"
Death alone was silent, her skeletal face unreadable. Finally, she raised her gaze to Aiden. Her hollow voice pierced through him like an eternal whisper."Fight. Fight for what is yours. And win… human."
Oblivion clapped his hands together in mock glee."Well then! Looks like everyone approves! Shall we? I haven't seen that arena in ages!"
The Living Tribunal's three heads bowed, solemn as judgment was cast."In the name of the One Above All… we hereby open the Gate of the Arena. Let the Trial by Combat commence."
The void rippled—then shattered.
In an instant, everything changed. Aiden blinked, and the endless darkness was gone. Around him rose colossal walls—stone-like yet not stone, forged of a material no mortal tongue could name. He stood within a massive arena, circular and endless, like the gladiatorial coliseums of ancient Earth—but this was no mortal construction. Here, a world-shattering attack could not so much as leave a scratch upon the surface. It was a stage meant to endure the wrath of gods.
Aiden turned his gaze forward.
There, standing opposite him, was Knull. Power radiated from him like a tidal wave of dread. No longer just the god of darkness, no longer merely a thief of dead gods' essence—now, he bore three legacies: his own abyssal might, the power of the Beyonders he had consumed, and now the raw authority of Oblivion itself.
Knull's grin was sharp as his blade, his eyes wild with hunger. His voice was venom and certainty."Well then… looks like my wish has been delayed. No matter. Your death, Dragon, shall only affirm it."
Aiden closed his eyes. He steadied his breath. The weight of Infinity's gift burned within him, merging with the draconic fire in his soul. His flames had torn through gods, his will had broken beyonders—but now he stood against the very void itself.
The Abstracts gathered around the arena, each seated in their own silent majesty. They did not move. They did not speak. They only watched.
The Living Tribunal raised his hand, his three voices booming across the eternal coliseum.
"May the best prevail. May truth decide the fate of all."
He lowered his hand.
"Let the Trial… commence!"
The Arena thundered without sound.
Two stood at its heart: one cloaked in eternal shadow, the Necrosword in his hand dripping with the essence of dead gods; the other wreathed in scales of flame and lightning, eyes burning like a dragon who had swallowed infinity itself.
Knull.Aiden.
They moved.
The first clash shook the Arena, not with explosions, but with the density of existence straining against itself. The Necrosword slashed across Aiden's chest—scale met edge. Sparks of reality itself flew like molten metal. Aiden countered with a fist crackling with thunder. It smashed into Knull's jaw, jerking his head sideways with a spray of divine blood.
Neither flinched.
The next instant, Knull drove his knee into Aiden's ribs, the impact so sharp it fractured the dragon-god's form. Aiden's counter came as a gout of white-hot flame, so intense it burned even the Necrosword black. Knull hissed and slashed again, this time severing Aiden's arm at the elbow—only for the limb to reform in fire and ash, scales knitting over the wound.
They circled, each panting, sweat mixed with ichor dripping onto the perfect Arena floor.
From the stands, the Abstracts watched.
Eternity's voice rolled like thunder across galaxies "A duel that even stars would cower before… yet here it is contained, made small. Fascinating."
Master Order's tone was clinical, sharp "Every exchange is equal. Precision. Balance. It is combat reduced to its purest form."
Lord Chaos cackled "YES! Look at them bleed, look at them break! Oh, this is BEAUTIFUL!"
The battle raged on.
Knull roared, stabbing forward with a thrust meant to pierce Aiden's heart. The Necrosword went through him—but Aiden seized the blade with bare hands, his palms shredding, blood spraying. Instead of retreating, he pulled Knull closer and smashed his forehead into the god of darkness's skull. Bone cracked. Both staggered, reeling.
Aiden didn't pause. He spun with draconic fury, his tail lashing into existence and whipping Knull across the torso. Scales dug like serrated blades, carving flesh. Knull snarled, then retaliated with a downward swing that split Aiden's shoulder in half, his body almost cleaved to the waist.
The wound glowed—then sealed in fire, reality bending to stitch his body back together.
Again, fists. Again, claws. Again, blade and flame. The fight was not grand. It was not distant. It was up close, raw, human.
Aiden's knuckles shattered against Knull's ribs. Knull's teeth sank into Aiden's neck, ripping free a chunk of scaled flesh. Aiden screamed and answered with a point-blank blast of lightning down Knull's throat, the sound of thunder muffled by the Arena's impossible walls.
The Abstracts murmured as the fight went on.
Eternity remarked "They are more than gods now. They fight as men. Mortal. Desperate. And for that… they terrify me more than any star-killer."
Master Order nodded "This is proof. True judgment comes not from scale of power, but from resolve."
Lord Chaos, still delighted like a child watching his favorite cartoon "And I LOVE IT! Tear him apart, dragon-boy! Or die trying! Either way, the chaos will feed me for eons!"
Blow after blow. Cut after cut. Each moment that passed was another universe ended in scale, but here it was reduced to grit and agony.
Knull impaled Aiden through the chest, pinning him to the ground. Black ichor poured into the wound, trying to rot him from within. But Aiden roared, his eyes blazing, his claws digging into Knull's wrist. Flames, ice, lightning, space—all of it erupted at once, blasting Knull backward, tearing the sword free.
Aiden rose, blood-soaked, scales shattered, wings torn to ribbons. Yet he still stood.
Knull licked the blood from his lips, smile wild. He too bled from countless wounds, his armor shredded, but his grip on the Necrosword never faltered.
They stared at each other. Two Gods. Two monsters. Two absolutes...Reduced to mere man...Who bleed, Sweat, and cry in pain....For a normal person...Who would have observed this...He would have seen to normal back ally man fighting it to death.....Yet in reality this was a battle for the fate of Exictance itself.