A single breath.
That's all the time I had before the battle erupted.
The Core above us pulsed like a second sun, glowing brighter with every heartbeat. The silver ring shimmered under our feet, locking us inside this floating death arena.
System Notice:
Final Duel — Initiated
Remaining Combatants: 4
Victory Condition: Last One Standing
Dreg roared and charged first. Of course he did.
His body was more monster than man now—spikes ripping from his spine, one eye sealed shut by burns. He moved like a tank that forgot what brakes were.
Alecto didn't wait.
She summoned a sound barrier, then launched herself forward, twin sabers humming with vibration.
Shade vanished in a blink, reappearing behind me.
I ducked. Barely.
His blade grazed my shoulder. Cold and silent.
"You're slow," he whispered.
"And you talk too much," I growled, punching backward with a flaming fist.
He dissolved again, shadows scattering.
No use chasing him. I focused on the others.
Dreg was hammering away at Alecto's shield, each blow sending shockwaves through the air. She couldn't last long trading hits.
I took a deep breath and ran straight at them.
"Move!" I shouted.
Alecto rolled aside just as I leapt into the air and brought down my Sin Blade with both hands.
It met Dreg's arm—and finally cut deep.
He screamed, his flesh splitting open as the sword fed on Wrath and Pride.
System Notice:
Target Health: 23%
He staggered back.
I didn't stop.
I grabbed his mutated jaw and released a burst of fire down his throat.
He fell, writhing—still not dead.
That's when the sky turned black.
Literally.
Shadows erupted like a tidal wave from behind me.
Shade had dropped the mask.
No more tricks. Just pure Sovereign power.
Dark tendrils spiraled across the platform, grabbing everything—Alecto, Dreg, even the floor beneath me.
System Alert:
You are within a Shadow Domain
All stats decreased by 30%
Enemy stats increased by 25%
"Nope," I muttered, slamming my palm to the ground.
Skill Activated: Sin Domain – Wrathflare
Flames burst outward in a circle, colliding with the shadows. The darkness recoiled just enough for me to breathe.
"Impressive," Shade said, stepping into view.
He looked more solid now—no longer flickering, no longer hiding. A cloak of pure shadow curled around him, his eyes glowing faintly red.
"I'll admit… I didn't think you'd survive this long."
"I'll admit," I said, "you're uglier up close."
His smile faded.
He struck.
We clashed again, fire and darkness spinning across the arena in a violent storm.
Alecto managed to slice herself free of the tendrils and launched sound blades toward Shade, trying to break his focus.
For a moment, I thought we had him.
Then Shade raised a single hand.
Alecto's body froze midair—suspended, trembling.
Her wings bent unnaturally.
Her scream was muffled as a shadow spear impaled her shoulder.
She dropped to the ground.
"NO!" I shouted, charging forward.
But Shade blocked me with a wall of living darkness.
"You still don't get it," he said. "This world doesn't belong to you."
"It will."
I punched through the wall, flames spiraling.
My fist hit his mask.
It cracked.
A single piece fell away—and I saw his face.
It was mine.
Or close enough.
Same eyes. Same jawline. Just older. Colder. Like a reflection from a darker life.
"What—" I whispered.
He tilted his head.
"You're not the first Kael."
Then he vanished.
The wall shattered. The tendrils shriveled.
Alecto lay unconscious on the ground, bleeding.
Dreg was crawling, barely alive.
And I was standing alone under the Core.
System Notice:
Final Combatants: 2
Initiating End Phase
The sky above opened. The chains returned.
This time, they reached for me.
Wrapped around my limbs. My chest.
Lifting me into the air.
System Notice:
Claimant Detected
Sovereign Core — Bonding Process Begins
Warning: Incompatible Memory Signature
The pain hit instantly.
Flashes. Burning images.
A throne of skulls. An empire of ash. A woman's voice screaming again.
My head throbbed.
I fell.
And landed on my knees as the light dimmed.
Shade stood in the distance once more, whole again, watching me.
"You're not ready," he said.
Then he stepped backward—
And walked off the edge of the platform, disappearing into the fog.
---
I crawled toward Alecto.
She was still breathing. Just barely.
"I should kill you," I muttered, "but you helped me back there."
I tore fabric from my cloak and wrapped her wound.
Then I turned to Dreg.
He was half-conscious, steaming from the inside.
I stood over him.
He looked up at me with one remaining eye.
"No more," he croaked.
"Agreed."
I raised my blade and ended it.
System Notice:
Final Combatant: Kael
Sovereign Core Claimed
Initializing Authority Transfer…
The Core floated down before me.
It opened like a flower, light pouring out.
Inside it—was my name.
Burned in glowing script.
KAEL
Not Shade. Not anyone else.
Just me.
The Core entered my chest.
A wave of power surged through my veins.
Sovereign Core Integrated
New Authority Unlocked: Dimensional Gate (Sealed)
Unique Title Gained: First Flame of Ashborne
Then everything went dark.
---
When I woke up, I was back in the crater outside the fortress.
The world was quiet.
Sky gray. Ash falling.
No system voice. No glowing screens.
Just the wind.
And footsteps.
I turned my head.
Alecto stood there, leaning on a broken spear.
She looked exhausted. Wounded.
But very much alive.
"You won," she said softly.
"Barely."
"What now?"
I looked up at the ruins of the sky above me.
The Core pulsing inside my chest.
And answered:
"We build a kingdom."
---
Chapter 11 Summary:
The final duel begins between Kael, Dreg, Alecto, and Shade
Dreg is nearly defeated, Alecto wounded, and Kael faces off with Shade
Shade reveals his true face—almost identical to Kael's—and hints that Kael is not the first of his kind
Kael claims the Sovereign Core but suffers memory shock
Shade disappears before Kael can learn the full truth
Kael spares Alecto and kills Dreg
The Core accepts Kael as the new Sovereign
Kael awakens back in Ashborne with Alecto at his side
Kael declares the next phase: building a kingdom