The battlefield was a crucible, but Kael did not waver.
Ashrend howled in his grip, a weapon forged for slaughter and tempered by the weight of his will. Every stroke carved not just flesh but reality itself, the crimson aura burning through cinderborn soldiers like parchment.
They came in swarms, clawing, biting, screaming as molten chains wrapped their limbs. Kael tore through them, his body moving faster than his mind could name. Ashrend cleaved a path, each cut a killing word.
"Crimson Sever!" He split a towering brute down its molten spine, its shriek echoing like shattering iron.
"Riven Fang!" A diagonal slash sent five more crashing into the fire.
The names of his techniques weren't mere words. They were declarations, each one tightening his focus, feeding Ashrend's hunger, making every strike feel inevitable.
Lyra's arrows whistled at his side, cutting down anything his sword missed. Darric's steel kept their flanks secure, his roar a constant counterpoint to Kael's silence. Isryn's light burned away walls of fire before they could consume them.
But Kael—Kael was the heart of it all.
His crimson aura was a beacon in the inferno, each pulse hammering outward in waves that made enemies falter, tremble, and break. The Mark upon his chest burned brighter with every swing, a rhythm that matched his heartbeat.
The Sovereign of Cinders laughed, the sound like coal grinding against stone.
"Better. Show me the fury buried in your blood."
The titan raised a hand, and the ground erupted in flame. A dozen molten spears shot skyward, raining down like meteors.
Kael's boots slammed into scorched earth, his aura flaring outward. Ashrend rose.
"Crimson Guard!"
A black-red arc burst from his blade, a shield of destructive aura that shattered the spears mid-flight, fragments scattering as glowing dust. The impact cracked the ground beneath him, yet Kael stood firm, breath steady.
Smoke parted, revealing his eyes—red as molten steel, burning with unyielding defiance.
"You'll see more than fury," Kael said, voice low, dangerous. "You'll see why the world should fear me."
And then he was moving, faster than flame, Ashrend carving through the wall of cinderborn that dared to stand between him and the Sovereign. Each cut left silence where screams had been.
Each strike carried the promise of inevitability.
The Sovereign's masked face tilted, as if studying prey that had grown sharp fangs.
"Yes," it rumbled. "You might just be the one."
The chains at its back glowed brighter, writhing like serpents, preparing to descend.
Kael raised Ashrend, crimson aura spilling like a tide, his companions falling into step behind him. The Sovereign was waiting, but Kael was no longer a man advancing toward his enemy.