The heavens wept crimson light.
Thousands of Fallen Seraphs unfurled their black wings, blotting out the sky as the air trembled under their chorus of war. Below them, Wolf Fang Army raised their weapons in defiance — men and women whose mortal hearts now faced the divine.
Arden stood at the front, cloak torn, Heavenbreaker gleaming with both golden Qi and faint divine light. At his side stood Celestia, her halo flickering, hands clutching her staff tightly.
"Arden," she said, voice low but steady, "if we combine our powers… we may destroy her essence completely."
Arden glanced at her. "And the cost?"
Celestia hesitated. "…Your soul might burn. Mine will break."
He smirked. "Then let's make it count."
Seraphine descended like a comet, wings spread wide. Her corrupted choir screamed from above, and blades of light rained down upon the earth.
The ground split, mountains cracked, and fire devoured the snow.
Arden raised his sword, Qi erupting like a sun. "Heavenbreaker Formation: Solar Domain!"
A barrier of blazing gold expanded outward, meeting the divine storm. The impact tore through the battlefield, forcing mortals and angels alike to stagger.
Celestia lifted her staff, chanting in the old tongue of Heaven. Her words carried sorrow, yet every syllable burned with faith.
"O light once pure, I call thee to judgment… Through mercy, let justice shine again!"
Golden script encircled her body, merging with Arden's blazing Qi.
Their powers — Qi and Divinity — began to intertwine.
The air warped. The world trembled.
Arden gritted his teeth, veins of light crawling up his arm. "It's working—!"
Celestia cried out, voice cracking, "Don't lose yourself, Arden! You're drawing too much!"
He roared in defiance. "Then Heaven will just have to survive it!"
✦ Mortal and Divine as One
From their fusion rose something new — neither holy nor mortal.
Divine Qi.
It surged from Arden like a storm, engulfing the entire field. Even the Fallen trembled, their corrupted wings quivering before the raw force of evolution itself.
Seraphine's red eyes widened in disbelief. "What… what is that power?! No mortal—no god—should wield both!"
Arden raised Heavenbreaker, now glowing with an impossible light — a blade forged from mortal will and divine fire.
"This is balance," he said coldly. "The thing Heaven forgot."
He launched forward, his movements faster than thought. The golden flare of his blade met Seraphine's divine sword, and the shockwave shattered the sky.
The clouds above were ripped apart, revealing the bleeding rift of Heaven beyond.
Celestia joined the fray, her wings unfolding in a blaze of white flame. Her staff transformed into a spear of light — elegant and fierce.
"Seraphine!" she shouted, voice echoing with grief. "I loved you like the dawn itself! Why did you fall?"
Her sister's expression twisted in rage. "Because dawn abandoned us! Heaven's silence broke us! I only continued the mission the Voice gave!"
Their weapons clashed midair, light and shadow exploding in bursts of sacred fire.
Below them, the Wolf Fang soldiers fought against the descending Fallen, their battle cries echoing through the ruined valley. Lirian's arrows rained like meteors, the cat-girl martial artist Mira spun through the battlefield like a storm, and even mortal mages dared to challenge angels.
But none could look away from the duel above.
Arden and Celestia fought together, two beings of different origins now sharing one rhythm, one heartbeat.
Each strike of Heavenbreaker left trails of blazing light. Each sweep of Celestia's spear erased corruption.
Seraphine screamed, wings torn, blood of silver dripping down like rain. "I am Heaven's Blade! I cannot be defeated!"
Arden's eyes burned like molten gold. "Then let Heaven fall with you."
He drew back, gathering all the energy within him. His body cracked, light pouring from his veins.
Celestia gasped. "Arden, stop! That much power—"
He only smiled. "I told you. I'll make it count."
Then he roared — a sound that split the world.
"Heavenbreaker Art: Final Requiem!"
The blade descended.
A sun was born upon the battlefield.
The explosion erased everything — divine, mortal, and shadow alike. The shockwave reached the horizon, and for a heartbeat, the heavens themselves went dark.
When the light faded, Seraphine's wings were gone. She fell, her divine armor shattered, her body glowing faintly as she looked up at the two who had defeated her.
"…Celestia…" she whispered, tears falling. "I see it now. The light… was never up there…"
Celestia knelt beside her, holding her fading hand. "Sleep, sister. You've fought long enough."
Seraphine smiled faintly — then dissolved into light, scattering into the dawn.
Arden staggered, blood dripping from his lips. The divine energy burned through his veins like fire.
Celestia caught him, holding his trembling body. "You idiot! You took too much divine Qi — you'll die!"
He chuckled weakly. "Then I'll just… reincarnate again."
"Don't you dare joke about that!"
Her tears fell onto his chest, glowing faintly as they touched his wounds.
Light seeped into him — warmth, gentle and pure.
"Celestia…" he murmured. "You used the rest of your divinity."
She smiled softly. "For you. For this world."
The morning sun rose over the bloodstained snow, casting a golden glow on the battlefield. The Fallen were gone, Heaven's crack fading to silence.
Arden stood again, the world around him still trembling with his presence.
"The war with Heaven isn't over," he said quietly. "That was only one Seraph."
Celestia nodded, her eyes weary but resolute. "Then we prepare for what comes next."