Chapter 963 – Gods and Daemons
The heavens wept fire.
The cathedral of Saint's Gate was no longer a place of worship — it was a crucible. A shattered temple that bled gold and crimson as two titans clashed within.
Kael's blade screamed through the air, black steel trailing streaks of red lightning as chaos magic coiled around his arm. Each swing cracked stone, each parry split the floor. His blood sang with the thrill of combat — raw, feral, intoxicating.
Eiden met him strike for strike, divine light blazing from every movement. His blade was weightless, holy energy bending reality around him. Every motion was grace and precision, honed by the will of the gods themselves. When their swords met, it wasn't metal clashing — it was creation itself straining under the collision of two opposing forces.
"Tell me, Daemon Lord!" Eiden shouted through the roar of battle. "Do you fight for your people — or for your pride?"
Kael's laugh cut through the chaos, low and dangerous. "Why not both?"
Their blades locked. Sparks of gold and crimson erupted, painting the ruined altar in molten color. The force of their struggle split the air, a sonic boom tearing through the church's walls.
Eiden pushed forward, divine fire wrapping his sword. "You are a creature of sin! Every breath you take corrupts the balance!"
Kael gritted his teeth, eyes burning like coals. "If the gods' balance means slavery and fear, then let it burn!"
He broke the lock with a brutal twist, spinning into a sweeping cut that nearly took Eiden's head off. The hero ducked low, countering with a glowing thrust that pierced Kael's shoulder.
Pain blossomed. Kael staggered, snarling as his chaos magic surged reflexively, cauterizing the wound in an instant.
"You bleed like any man," Eiden taunted, golden light swirling behind him like wings. "No god. No savior. Just another beast pretending to be something greater."
Kael's laughter echoed through the collapsing hall. "You talk like you've already won."
He raised his hand — and the entire cathedral shook.
Chaos burst from his palm in an explosion of raw power. The energy coalesced into a dozen crimson blades, hovering around him like orbiting moons. They shot forward all at once, stabbing through marble and air, forcing Eiden into a desperate defensive flurry.
Each impact sent shockwaves up his arms, divine light flickering, his armor fracturing.
Kael advanced through the storm, unrelenting. His every movement was precise yet primal, his aura filling the air with a tangible pressure that bent the candle flames sideways.
Outside, the night split open. The Hollow's banners burned bright against the darkness as Eris and the others continued dismantling what remained of the Church's defenses. The earth quaked with the sounds of battle — but within the cathedral, time seemed to freeze, bound to the rhythm of two heartbeats locked in mutual destruction.
Eiden swung wide, unleashing a crescent of golden energy that tore through the floor and walls alike. Kael blocked it, the blow driving him to one knee, marble cracking beneath him.
Eiden lunged — and Kael caught the blade barehanded.
Divine steel sliced through his palm, blood spattering the hero's face. Kael's eyes blazed as he forced the blade aside, shoving Eiden backward with impossible strength.
"You want a monster?" Kael growled, his voice low, his aura flaring brighter than ever. "Then fight one."
The cathedral screamed as chaos energy erupted outward.
Stained glass shattered into dust. Holy symbols melted from the walls. Every trace of divinity in the air evaporated, drowned beneath Kael's infernal energy.
Eiden stumbled back, shielding his eyes from the blast of crimson light. "What… what are you?"
Kael stepped through the smoke — his armor cracked, blood streaking his face, yet his eyes glowed like dying suns.
"I am what your gods fear," he said, and lunged.
Their blades collided again.
The impact sent waves of force through the city, ripping the spire clean from the cathedral's roof. Lightning arced through the sky, illuminating their silhouettes — two figures locked in a dance of annihilation.
Eiden ducked, slashing upward — Kael deflected and countered with a knee to the ribs, then followed with a downward strike that cracked Eiden's armor open.
The hero retaliated with a headbutt, divine energy bursting from his core. Kael was thrown back into a pillar, stone exploding around him.
He rose slowly, breathing hard, blood dripping from his lip — and smiled.
Eiden spat blood, his divine light flickering. For the first time, doubt crept into his gaze.
"You're slowing down," Kael said, voice steady despite the exhaustion creeping into his limbs.
"I… can still—"
Kael was already there.
He struck faster than the eye could follow — chaos igniting his blade in a burst of red light. Eiden barely raised his weapon in time. The clash detonated like thunder, sending both men sprawling apart.
When the dust settled, both were bleeding, both panting.
And neither looked ready to yield.
Eiden straightened, his voice a low growl. "This world belongs to the gods—"
Kael interrupted him with a snarl. "Then I'll take it back."
They charged again, the air itself bending around them as chaos and divinity collided once more.
The cathedral — the city — the very sky trembled as Daemon Lord and Hero clashed in a battle that would be spoken of for generations to come.
The storm had not yet broken.
It had only just begun.