The Stormvault faded behind him—
And Matt stepped into flame.
One flash of the starmap, and reality twisted. He emerged into a suffocating blaze. Air thick with sulfur. Ash clung to his skin like powdered death. Firestorms danced across the sky, and every step cracked the molten land beneath him.
Welcome to Flare Abyss—Namgari's prison, throne, and grave.
Black stone bridges jutted from cliffs of obsidian. Lava slithered through fractured veins in the land. Overhead, a red sun flickered like it might collapse at any moment.
And everywhere… shadows moved.
Flamebound Undead—once-human warriors fused with molten metal—marched in warped ranks, dragging chains, eyes glowing like furnace coals. Their wails echoed through the cracked horizon.
Matt kept low.
The Shadowsidian Blade pulsed with every heartbeat.
The Void stirred.
"He's close."
The closer Matt came to the caldera, the more he saw them—visions.
Flickers of his old life.
His mother, burning.
His father, choking on blood.
Amiya, screaming.
Pailance, walking away.
But the visions… fought back.
They took form.
From a wall of fire stepped a burning knight—his past self, twisted and cruel. Red eyes. Scorched grin.
"You were supposed to become me," it hissed.
Matt raised his blade.
The doppelgänger charged.
Fire clashed with Void. Each swing shattered illusions, but every blow Matt absorbed echoed with poisoned whispers:
"They left you."
"You are nothing without your rage."
"Mercy will kill you."
Matt struck one final blow.
The image dissolved to cinders.
His knees buckled.
Void Surge: 61%
Corruption Fracture imminent.
He trembled.
Then—a voice. Closer now. Real.
"Frail flame. You stumble into my domain… and dare to wear the crown of rebellion?"
A pillar of fire erupted from the caldera's center. Lava split wide.
From it rose a titan in dragon-bone armor. A greatsword ablaze with sunfire. Horns curled from a face cracked by heat and hatred.
Namgari—King of Fire.
He stood atop a hill of charred corpses.
"You bled once. You broke once.
What makes you think the fire won't consume you again?"
Matt stepped forward.
"I'm not here to die."
Namgari ignited.
"Good."
—
The duel was apocalyptic.
Namgari moved like wildfire—his sword melting stone with every swing. Matt ducked, dodged, countered with Rift Slashes and Stormpulse bursts.
Nothing pierced Namgari's armor.
Each strike drained Matt's mind.
Void Corruption: 73%
His vision blurred.
The Void howled.
"Let us burn him."
Matt hesitated.
Namgari struck.
Matt went down.
Smoke filled his lungs. His blade slipped from his fingers.
Flames whispered:
"Let go."
He looked up—
And saw Amiya's face in the skyfire.
Just for a second.
He screamed.
And stood.
—
Void Fusion Triggered: Ember Rift Form
He ignited—not with fire, but anti-flame.
Black-red embers surged from his skin. The Shadowsidian Blade reformed, now burning with a tricolor core—Void, Thunder, Ember.
Namgari charged.
Matt met him.
They struck.
One blow.
Namgari's greatsword shattered.
The Fire King fell to his knees, flames flickering weakly.
"You bear it," he whispered. "The rebellion's echo."
Matt stood over him, breathing hard.
Namgari smiled.
"Then I burn… for you."
He placed a hand to his chest—
And ignited.
—
Matt staggered back.
From Namgari's ashes rose a fire glyph. It seared into his arm.
Flare Sigil Acquired
Ember Rift Technique Unlocked
A new path revealed itself.
One final Nayron King remained.
In a jungle drowned beneath the bones of a fallen god.
Ondharo awaits.
Not as enemy.
But as key.
And far above, five stars aligned.
The Imperial Paladins were watching.
War was near.