The sky above Arctis split open like a wound.
Lightning tore across the heavens, streaks of red and gold flashing through clouds thick with demonic smoke. The air itself burned, every breath filled with the metallic taste of ash. Beneath the storm, Kaien soared upward, his black-and-gold aura blazing like a comet as he rose toward the colossal figure waiting above the rift.
The Demon King stood suspended in the sky, vast and terrible. His body seemed forged from molten stone and shadows, crowned with horns that shimmered like blades of obsidian. His wings stretched wider than the horizon, each beat sending shockwaves across the battlefield below.
His voice thundered across the realms. "You dare raise your blade against the abyss that birthed you?"
Kaien didn't answer. His eyes—one red, one faintly golden—burned with defiance. "I don't care what birthed me. I only care about what I end."
The Demon King's grin was slow, cruel. "Then end this."
The world exploded.
The Demon King swung his arm, and a storm of dark fire burst across the sky. Kaien darted through it, his wings trailing streaks of gold-tinged shadow. Noxveil met the blow head-on, clashing with such force that the heavens themselves screamed. The shockwave tore through the clouds, blasting open a window to the stars.
Below, on the broken plains, Lira and Arven watched the gods clash. The air trembled with each strike, the light and shadow colliding like twin suns.
"He's actually fighting him head-on," Arven said, disbelief mixing with awe.
Lira's eyes didn't leave the sky. "No. He's surviving—for now." She pressed her hand to the ground, tracing glowing sigils. "But he can't win like this alone. Not against that."
Arven turned toward her. "What are you doing?"
"Channeling the world's ley lines," she said quickly. "If I can open a conduit, Kaien might draw power without burning out."
"You'll kill yourself doing that!"
She met his eyes, her voice trembling but steady. "If Kaien falls, we all die anyway."
Up above, the battle raged like creation undone.
Kaien slashed through a wall of flame, his aura flaring. He spun midair and brought his sword down on the Demon King's chest. Sparks of crimson and gold burst like meteors. But when the smoke cleared, the Demon King's body was unscathed.
"You strike like a mortal," the King growled, his voice shaking the heavens. "You are still bound by fear."
Kaien's breath came heavy. His body was covered in burns, his armor cracked and smoking. "If fear means I remember what I'm fighting for—then I'll take it."
The Demon King raised both hands. The sky turned black. Countless spears of molten energy formed above him, each one large enough to level a mountain. He smiled darkly. "Then remember this, Kaien Draven. The world ends by your hand."
He sent the spears raining down.
Kaien's eyes widened. There was no time to dodge. But before the storm hit, the ground below flared with light—Lira's barrier sigil, bursting to life. Golden shields rose from the ruins, intercepting the barrage. Explosions shook the city, but the light held.
From far below, Lira shouted through the roaring wind, her voice carried by magic. "Kaien! I've linked you to the ley lines! Take it—before it kills me!"
He hesitated for half a breath. Then he slammed his sword into the air, absorbing the surge of energy. The mark on his chest erupted in gold fire. His wings expanded, no longer shadows but radiant arcs of light laced with darkness.
The Demon King blinked in surprise. "You—what have you done?"
Kaien's voice echoed like thunder. "I'm no longer your vessel."
He vanished—reappearing in an instant above the Demon King's crown. His sword came down like divine judgment. The strike shattered the King's horns, tearing half his mask away. For the first time, the Demon King bled—a stream of black fire spilling into the air.
The world gasped. Even the lesser demons faltered, their roars breaking into silence.
The King staggered, his laughter low and menacing. "So… the light and the dark have chosen to coexist within you. Foolish child. Do you know what that means?"
Kaien raised his sword again, panting, his aura flaring brighter with every heartbeat. "It means I don't belong to either side. I belong to the ones still fighting."
The Demon King roared in fury, his massive hand swinging upward. He caught Kaien midair and slammed him into the ground with cataclysmic force. The shockwave flattened the ruins for miles.
Lira screamed, collapsing as her connection broke. "Kaien!"
Dust and fire rose in a pillar that touched the clouds. For a long moment, nothing moved. The world seemed to hold its breath.
Then, through the smoke, Kaien rose. His sword burned brighter than ever, the flame of his will alone holding back the darkness pressing in. His body shook, his eyes half-glazed with exhaustion, but his voice was steady.
"I will never kneel to you."
He leapt again—straight through the Demon King's chest. Noxveil's light erupted outward, carving a path of brilliance through the King's massive body. The explosion that followed shattered the sky, and for one breathless instant, it seemed as though the darkness itself screamed.
The Demon King's voice echoed faintly as his form began to fade. "This… is not the end. You are me, Kaien. You will always be me."
Kaien's feet touched the ground, his sword dissolving slowly into embers. He looked up at the collapsing rift in the sky—the last remnants of the abyss closing like a dying wound.
Lira and Arven ran to him. She caught him before he fell, tears streaking down her face. "You did it… it's over."
Kaien's breathing was shallow. "No… not yet."
Lira frowned. "What do you mean?"
He looked toward the horizon. "The King wasn't destroyed. He retreated—back into the deep void." His eyes glowed faintly, the light dimming like a sunset. "And I'm connected to him still."
The winds calmed. The stars began to return, peeking through the dissipating storm clouds. But in the faint reflection of Kaien's eyes… there was a flicker of something else.
A whisper not his own.
Soon.