The blood moon tore apart completely, the sky like a bleeding maw spewing endless gray flames and soul fragments. The true form of the Shattered Moon King slowly revealed itself—Its body composed of countless eyes and obsidian shards, wings spanning the sky, blotting out all stars. With each breath, It seemed to siphon the very life force of the world.
Lucian and Elea stood side by side on the broken altar, soul flames still burning between their bodies. These were flames forged from desire, pact, and sacrifice, exceeding all mortal limits of endurance.
"He's here," Elea whispered, her gaze fierce to the point of madness. Her lips still carried the heat of his breath, her chest heaving violently.
Lucian took her hand, fingers interlacing, his voice as low as a vow: "Then let our Soul-Scorching Ring be His cage."
The Shattered Moon King looked down upon them, Its voice thundering amid the wails of countless souls:
"Your desire… is the key to My arrival."
In an instant, It unleashed a tidal wave of gray flames, transforming into countless tentacle-like soul chains that surged toward them.
Elea clung to Lucian, murmuring ancient incantations between her lips and teeth. Their bodies pressed together, and the fire of the soul-scorching pact flared into a blazing halo within their intertwined souls. Desire and pain merged in the flames; her moans and his low gasps echoed together, halting the blood moon's power.
The altar cracked amid the,yet their figures remained embracing amid the gray flame storm. Elea's body trembled from overburning, tears sliding down her cheeks—yet she smiled: "Lucian… if we must die, I want to burn away with you."
He bit down gently at her ear, whispering hoarsely: "You won't die. Because we'll make Him fall."
Then Lucian channeled power into the soul-scorching pact binding them. The soul flame expanded in a ring, transforming into blazing chains of light that ensnared the Shattered Moon King's illusory form.
The Shattered Moon King roared, the sky shattering, the blood moon's light exploding in a. But the ring of flames burned brighter, each flicker costing them their desire and life force.
Elea's body arched, her breathing ragged, her voice hoarse yet sweet: "I can feel it… He's retreating…"
Lucian held her tightly, wrapping her completely in his embrace, his gaze like burning fire: "Then let our love be the flame that ends Him."
The soul-flame ring rose amid the roar, swallowing half of the Shattered Moon King's body. Its howls echoed through the depths of the Gray Realm, shattering countless undead.
And at the center of the flames, the intertwined figures of Elea and Lucian shone like the only hope. They were no longer mortals, but the embodiment of the soul-scorching pact.
In this moment, the world burned for them.