The clash between sun and darkness reached its peak in a single, blinding moment.
Darius stood firm, both palms forward, his entire focus drawn into the heat forming before him. The air bent and shimmered as energy gathered, spinning tighter and brighter, growing hotter with every heartbeat. The light burned white, then gold, then something deeper, like the core of a star pulled down to the battlefield.
"Horizon Break!"
Five beams of pure solar force erupted from his palms, roaring forward in perfect alignment. They merged mid-air into one massive stream of blinding light, its heat so intense that the ruins beneath began to melt and crack.
Across from him, Xekar answered with a roar of his own.
Darkness swallowed his form as corrupted energy wrapped around his body, thick and heavy like liquid night. The air screamed in protest as that power condensed, pressing inward before exploding outward.
"Oblivion Crash!"
A torrent of corrupted darkness burst from his mouth, dense and violent, tearing through the air in a straight, unstoppable path.
The two forces collided.
The impact tore the battlefield apart.
A shockwave ripped outward, flattening broken structures and blasting debris into the sky. Stone shattered into dust. The ground split open in jagged lines. Light and darkness screamed against each other, neither willing to yield. The sound was unbearable, an ear-splitting roar that shook everything that still stood.
Then came the explosion.
A massive burst of energy swallowed everything in its reach. Smoke, dust, and fragments of stone filled the air, blotting out all vision. The ground trembled violently as if the ruins themselves were screaming.
For several long moments, nothing could be seen.
Then, slowly, the dust began to fall.
When the battlefield finally came back into view, both Darius and Xekar still stood.
Neither had fallen.
They faced each other from across the shattered ground, eyes locked, breathing steady but heavy. Both knew the truth now, this fight would not end quickly. Neither was willing to give way.
Then something changed.
A strange sound echoed from beneath the battlefield.
A deep, unnatural cracking noise spread through the ground, growing louder with every second. Dark light burst upward from the cracks, shooting into the sky like black lightning. The earth split apart as something began to rise.
The ground broke open completely.
From within it, a massive dark sphere emerged, hovering just above the shattered earth. Its surface was smooth and pitch black, glowing faintly with unstable energy. The air around it vibrated, heavy with pressure.
Then the sphere began to crack.
Thin fractures spread across its surface, glowing brighter with every sound. A loud, echoing crack split the battlefield as the sphere shattered apart like an egg breaking open.
From within it floated the Obsidian Jewel.
Dark. Perfect. Silent.
The power it released pressed down on everyone present, making even the air feel heavier. Every eye locked onto it instantly. This was the reason for everything, the cause of the war, the prize that had been sealed away.
Now it was unprotected. Whoever claimed it would decide the outcome.
Xekar moved first.
He launched himself forward, reaching out for the jewel without hesitation. But Darius was already reacting. Flames gathered at the edge of his shovel as he swung it hard, sending a wave of fire straight at Xekar.
Xekar halted mid-air, twisting his body, then grew an extra arm from his palm and reached again. At the same time, Darius hurled a bottle forward. It struck the jewel with force, knocking it away from Xekar's grasp.
Both turned at once.
They charged.
Blow after blow was exchanged as they ran, neither giving the other even a second to breathe. Fists, claws, flames, and corrupted strikes collided as they moved, each step shaking the ruined ground.
Then Xekar slowed.
Just for a moment.
Darius noticed, but too late.
Darius reached the jewel first and was about to grab it when a sharp pain exploded behind Darius.
A spike burst from Xekar's stomach, shooting backward with terrifying speed. Darius sensed the attack and shifted left instantly, abandoning the jewel to avoid the strike.
But Xekar adjusted the spike at the last second.
It grazed Darius's right side, tearing through flesh.
The impact threw him off balance. Xekar didn't waste the opening. A hand formed around the spike, and he seized the Obsidian Jewel tightly in his grip.
Darius didn't stop.
Ignoring the pain, he roared and raised his fist.
"Scorching Fist!"
The sun above responded instantly, releasing a torrent of fire downward. Darius caught the flames with his hand, wrapping his fist in blazing heat, and charged straight at Xekar.
Scales formed rapidly across Xekar's body as he braced himself.
Darius struck.
Punches rained down from every angle, each one carrying intense solar heat. The scales cracked, blackened, and slowly turned to ash under the relentless assault. Though Xekar's body endured, the damage was clear.
Xekar opened his mouth wide.
"Fusion Lance!"
A beam of corrupted darkness fired at point-blank range. Darius had no choice but to leap back, narrowly avoiding the blast as it tore through the ground behind him.
Despite pressing the attack, Darius understood the problem clearly. Xekar could regenerate endlessly. He could not. And worse, Xekar adapted faster with every exchange.
Still, Darius moved again, recklessly.
He charged straight toward Xekar, even as corrupted energy gathered once more.
Xekar fired another Fusion Lance.
This time, Darius didn't dodge.
He smashed both fists forward.
Solar flames collided directly with the corrupted beam. The impact burned through the dark energy itself, tearing a path forward. Xekar wasn't prepared for such a move.
His focus broke. Darius's fists broke through. They slammed into Xekar's face.
The impact drove Xekar straight into the ground, his head crashing down with explosive force. The Obsidian Jewel slipped from his grip.
Darius grabbed it instantly.
Xekar screamed.
"Not yet!"
He rose in a twisted motion, grabbing Darius's arm as his burned face regenerated rapidly. The scream wasn't just pain, it was a command.
Across the battlefield, every beast stopped moving.
Then they ran.
All of them rushed toward the center, ignoring their battles entirely. Confusion spread among the rest of the group who were fighting those beasts, as they followed the beast drawn toward the source of the scream.
Xekar raised his free hand.
"You beasts are mine."
Dark energy surged from his fingers. Thin, black strings shot outward, attaching to every beast at once. The darkness rushed through the strings, swallowing them whole.
Their bodies dissolved.
Everything was absorbed into Xekar.
His form flickered violently. His body grew thinner, more unnatural, yet the power radiating from him became far more intense. Corrupted energy poured out endlessly, oozing like living darkness.
At the same time, the heat around Darius surged higher.
Sun and darkness burned against each other once more.
The Obsidian Jewel was in grasp of both of them.
Now, it was only a matter of time.
Only one would claim it.