The halberd descended in a burning arc—Kael met it head-on, Ashrend's edge splitting the flames in two. The impact tore a shockwave across the battlefield, flattening ridges and hurling entire armies to their knees.
Every strike from the Sovereign was finality made flesh. Every counter from Kael was defiance given form.
The Sovereign spun his halberd, the weapon lengthening into a burning spear that sought Kael's heart. Kael twisted aside, lightning exploding from his heels as he vanished in a blur, reappearing behind his foe with Ashrend raised high.
"Crimson Severance!"
The blade came down, coated in thunder and shadow. The Sovereign turned in time, the halberd catching the strike—but the ground beneath them cracked into a canyon, plunging cities into ruin far below.
Watching from the cliffs, Serenya's voice cracked:
"He… he's matching the Sovereign blow for blow…"
Lyssandra clenched her fist, her usual composure stripped away. "He's not just matching him. He's forcing him back."
The Sovereign's eyes burned hotter, fury searing away his mask of regal calm. Golden flames erupted from his back, wings of fire blotting out the sky. With a roar, he hurled Kael through the storm, chasing with inhuman speed.
They clashed mid-air, again and again—lightning and fire spiraling around each other, forming a storm that swallowed the heavens. To the armies below, it looked less like a duel and more like two suns colliding.
Kael bled with every impact, bones fracturing, aura shattering and reforging itself in desperate bursts. But his eyes—burning crimson—never faltered.
He slammed Ashrend against the Sovereign's chest, the blade digging in, sparks of bloodless flame spilling from the wound. The Sovereign snarled, halberd raking across Kael's ribs, tearing flesh.
They both staggered back, battered, but unbroken.
The world itself seemed to hold its breath.
And then Kael's voice thundered, low and ragged, but unwavering:
"I am no king… no god… but I will tear down your throne, Sovereign."
The Sovereign's reply was a scream of hatred, his flames erupting in an inferno that consumed the horizon.