The battlefield roared like a storm without end. Screams, clashing steel, the hiss of fire and chains filled Argos. But among the chaos, three battles stood apart—each shaping the fate of Aetheris.
Hook staggered back, chest heaving, his blades trembling in the air before him. His telekinesis had been pushed to the breaking point. Every nerve in his body screamed from overuse, but still, he stood. Before him, Rigor twirled his wrist blades, his eyes calm and sharp as the wind itself.
"You've lasted longer than I expected," Rigor said evenly. "But playtime ends here."
Hook clenched his jaw, dragging up every ounce of willpower. He raised both hands, pulling dozens of blades from rubble and earth, suspending them around him in a floating storm. His breath was ragged, but his eyes blazed with defiance. "I'm not… done yet!"
With a roar, he unleashed them. Blades swarmed like arrows, raining from every angle.
Rigor didn't flinch. His blades shimmered with wind energy, and his form blurred. He moved faster than sight, faster than Hook's mind could follow. One by one, the storm of blades shattered, scattered, deflected.
A shadow flashed—Hook's eyes widened. Too fast—!
Steel ripped across his side. Then another strike, across his shoulder. Pain exploded through him. Hook dropped to one knee, clutching his wounds.
Rigor loomed over him, raising one blade for the finishing blow. But instead of death, the flat of the weapon slammed into Hook's temple.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
"Rest," Rigor murmured as Hook collapsed unconscious. "You were never the target."
---
In the heart of Argos, Bin and Malakar faced each other, both breathing heavy, both marked with battle scars. Around them, light and dark armies still clashed—but suddenly, Malakar lifted his hand.
Dark aura erupted outward, expanding like a tidal wave. It spread across the city, forming a colossal dome of swirling shadow. Soldiers—light and dark alike—were pushed back, hurled from the barrier. Cries rang out as warriors slammed into walls and streets.
Within the barrier, only two remained.
Bin. Malakar.
"Enough interference," Malakar growled. His voice carried like thunder within the dome. "This is our fight, brother. As it always should have been."
Bin raised the Sword of Light, its glow illuminating the suffocating darkness. His eyes narrowed. "So be it. If this is how it must end… then it ends here."
They lunged.
---
The Sword of Light clashed against Malakar's claws, light and shadow colliding with an impact that shook the ground. Cracks split the earth beneath them, energy tearing through the streets like lightning.
Malakar laughed, a sound filled with venom. "Do you feel it, Bin? The weight of true power? The darkness doesn't restrain itself with morals or mercy!"
Bin gritted his teeth, pushing back. "Power without purpose is nothing but destruction!"
The two separated, then struck again—blow after blow, faster and heavier, until their figures blurred. Light beams carved through the sky. Dark fire swallowed buildings whole. It was not a battle between men—it was a clash of gods.
---
And in that storm, flashes of memory returned.
Bin saw their childhood—the warmth of their father's hand as he placed Malakar beside the crib of a newborn. "Protect your brother, always."
He saw Malakar's smile, the one filled with pride when he carried young Bin on his shoulders.
And then, he saw the day their father chose him. Bin remembered the silence in the room, the shock in everyone's eyes. Malakar's fists clenched. His brother's hopeful gaze turning to cold fury.
Malakar's voice pulled him back. "You stole everything from me! Father's love, the family's trust, the destiny that should have been mine!"
Bin roared, slashing forward. "I stole nothing! Father chose—I never asked for this burden!"
The Sword of Light met Malakar's dark aura. The explosion leveled an entire block of Argos.
---
Malakar pressed forward, his aura twisting into wings of shadow. He soared into the sky, raining fire and blades of darkness. Bin's Susanoo flared around him, shielding the city from destruction. He countered with arcs of radiant energy, streaks of light tearing through the storm.
"You always hid behind excuses," Malakar sneered, his voice echoing like a demon. "That you 'carried the burden.' That you 'endured.' Lies to comfort yourself!"
Bin's chest burned with exhaustion, but he stood his ground. "If you had been chosen… would you have borne it better? Would you have carried the lives of countless innocents? Or would you have drowned them all in your hunger for recognition?"
For a heartbeat, silence. Malakar's eyes flickered—pain buried deep within—but it hardened into rage.
"I would have been the savior of Aetheris!" he roared.
He dove, striking with both hands. Dark fire engulfed Bin, pressing him down. The ground shattered into a crater beneath them. Bin strained, muscles screaming, as his Susanoo buckled.
"I'll show you!" Malakar bellowed. "I'll show the world that the true heir of light is the shadow itself!"
Bin forced his blade upward, his voice raw, desperate. "Then I'll remind you… what true light is!"
A beam of radiance exploded from the Sword of Light, piercing through the dark fire, tearing the dome itself for an instant. The night sky split open, stars shining down on them.
The brothers stood locked, their powers grinding against each other. Neither yielding. Neither willing to stop.
---
Outside the barrier, soldiers on both sides gazed upward, watching the cracks of light and dark clash within the dome.
"They're… like gods," one whispered.
And still, the fight raged.
Malakar's wings of shadow spread wide, covering the sky in endless night. Bin's Susanoo shone brighter, its form towering with radiant defiance. Every blow echoed across Aetheris, like thunder from heavens themselves.