The sound of explosions was more than noise — it was a wave of physical terror, an unrelenting hammer smashing every thought. Each blast felt closer, more personal. It was not just hearing. It was feeling the world break apart.
"Sir, Division Five has fallen!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The earth shook. Explosions, fire, and lightning tore through the sky, crashing to the ground. Solcaris had never seen a war like this.
The Tiryel and Vortan families clashed fiercely against the Rhenmark and Therin — four ancient war powers of Solcaris, playing their deadly chess game where the pieces were smaller families and humans desperate to rise.
Kael Vortan looked down from his command tower, eyes scanning the battlefield.
"Sir, Division Five has fallen!" an officer repeated.
"Tsk… I heard you. Now where are you, you rat?" Kael muttered.
His gaze darted across the chaos, searching for the one person who could change the tide by simply being there.
"Found him! Inform Auren Therin that I'm coming."
"But sir, Division Five is waiting for your orders!"
Kael was already moving, flying through smoke and screams like a black spear.
---
On the other side, Auren Therin sensed something deadly approaching. He turned to his wife, Ilyena.
"Tell the Iglesias family it's all right. This will lead nowhere."
"Darling, we can still run."
"Run where? People are dying for us. I can't abandon them."
"I understand. If you go, I go too. I can't live without you."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Tell the Iglesias to start the DNA capsule for ninety years from now. Today a family will fall, and this will change the war's course. If I don't survive, I want our son born in a peaceful time."
Auren looked upward and took flight, leaving Ilyena with hands on her heart, staring thoughtfully at the sky.
---
"HA HA HA HA HA! WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO COME, AUREN?" Kael Vortan shouted, thrilled to see the solution to his problem heading his way.
Auren said nothing, whispering softly. Kael had seen this before — never sure if it was a prayer to his god or an invocation to enhance his Points.
Not wanting to fall behind, Kael closed his eyes, gathered his Points, and forced essence into them, swelling his veins dangerously close to bursting.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rippled through the center of Solcaris, then all fell silent as two titans clashed.
The shock released energy comparable to 40 megatons. The air molecules vibrated violently, creating a roar never before heard on Earth — pure fury, condensed into human form.
---
On the ground, soldiers shouted, "Take cover!" as men were flung aside.
"Hey Xiao, is it smart to stay in the crossfire of these two lunatics?" a soldier asked.
Pedro looked up at the two family leaders and replied, "No. Tell everyone on the radio to fall back to the post. Let's see what the Major will do."
---
Kael and Auren faced each other silently, bodies still but eyes locked in war.
One was a master of Lethwei — brutal, unyielding, an extension of the earth itself. No flourishes, just raw strength, using fists, elbows, knees, even his head as weapons. He embraced pain and returned it tenfold.
The other cultivated Muay Boran — a rhythmic, ceremonial art marked by grace and precision. His steps traced circles, each attack measured, each dodge deliberate — honoring ancient masters with technique, respect, and lethal efficiency.
Two schools, two worlds.
No words remained.
Only breathing, blood pulsing...
And the certainty that only one would leave standing.
"Really? Muay Boran? Where's your family's martial art?" Kael taunted.
Auren studied him silently, wary of distractions. A minute passed with only their gaze exchanged.
"Come on! I'm curious why the Köhler style, not your own."
"Theirs is better — against you."
"If Talion Tiryel were here instead of me, you'd be at a disadvantage. Didn't think of that?"
"I did. But I know your short fuse and that you want this war over fast." Auren whispered again.
Kael lunged first, guard down, fists clenched, chin low, forehead forward — a moving wall. He threw a dry, direct right hook aimed at the chin.
Auren twisted his torso lightly, dodging and returning a side kick to Kael's knee. The impact echoed. Kael stepped back half a pace — and smiled.
They measured each other.
Kael exploded with a jab-cross combo, forcing Auren to retreat. Then, a flying headbutt aimed at nose and forehead. Auren ducked under and countered with an upward elbow hook to the jaw.
Clac.
Kael's neck snapped but he stayed balanced. At close range, they clinched.
Auren struck knees — stomach, spleen, chin.
Kael responded brutally, pushing forward with his head, smashing temples and nose bridge, even as blood poured.
The clinch broke violently.
Auren stepped back, spun, and delivered a spinning elbow. Kael blocked with forearm and retaliated with a front kick to the abdomen, followed by a flying knee to the chest.
Both retreated.
The rhythm shifted. Silence weighed heavy.
Auren flowed with a lateral step, rising kick, spin, and descending elbow — a continuous attack stream. Kael absorbed, closed in, grabbed Auren's neck with both arms, and dragged him into a final headbutt.
Foreheads collided with an explosive shockwave in the air. Both stepped back, eyes locked.