Kael and the Sovereign blurred into motion, two storms colliding, too fast for mortal eyes to follow. Ashrend's black edge streaked like a comet of midnight lightning, meeting the Sovereign's halberd in detonations that tore cities from their roots far below.
Every clash was a symphony of annihilation.
The halberd descended—Kael ducked low, sparks of flame scalding his cheek, then drove Ashrend upward in a brutal counter. Black lightning swallowed the Sovereign's crown of fire for a heartbeat before it reignited, burning hotter still. Their blades locked, and Kael snarled through blood-soaked teeth.
"You rule by fear. I fight for more."
The Sovereign's laugh was like molten iron poured over stone—cruel, unyielding. "You fight for nothing. And nothing is what you shall return to."
He wrenched the halberd free, spinning in a wide arc that unleashed a wave of fire across the battlefield. Entire mountains vaporized in its wake. Kael's companions shielded themselves desperately—Serenya's wards crackled and nearly collapsed, Lyssandra gritted her teeth against the torrent, Darius braced like a wall before the weaker soldiers.
But through the inferno, Kael advanced.
He cut through fire as if it were mist, his crimson aura devouring flame. Each step left craters of searing black where lightning met stone. And then he roared, a sound torn from the depths of his soul:
"Ashrend—Severing Eclipse!"
He swung in a downward arc, and the world broke. A cleave of black-red lightning surged forward, splitting the Sovereign's wall of flame in two, shattering it like glass. The blast carried him straight to his foe, forcing the Sovereign back, sparks of disbelief flashing across the monarch's golden eyes.
From the sidelines, the reactions were immediate—raw, human, and desperate.
"He cut the Sovereign's flames…" Serenya whispered, hand trembling over her lips, tears in her eyes. "He cut them."
Darius slammed his fist against the ground, voice hoarse. "That's it, Kael! Show him the Rivenhart blood still burns!"
Even soldiers who had once bowed to the Sovereign faltered, their fear cracking as they watched the impossible unfold. Murmurs spread through ranks: Could he win? Could the Sovereign actually bleed?
The Sovereign answered their doubt with fury.
"I am eternity incarnate!" He struck downward, halberd igniting in an explosion that outshone the sun. The blast hurled Kael across the void, breaking his ribs anew, black blood scattering like rain. Yet even as his body screamed, Kael forced his legs beneath him.
And he smiled.
Not the smile of a man confident of victory, but the grim smile of someone who would fight until the very last breath—because to him, defeat was no longer possible.
The companions, the world, even his enemies felt it. That smile carried more weight than any crown.
The Sovereign's flames roared. Kael's lightning answered.