"When gods bleed, the Tower remembers."
The silence before the storm was almost holy.
Zero stood on the fractured bridge of obsidian that stretched across an endless crimson void. The air shimmered with energy—dense, metallic, and alive. Behind him, Kalen staggered, his armor cracked and dripping with blood that hissed when it touched the bridge.
"They're… still coming," Kalen rasped, staring at the horizon.
Zero didn't respond. His gaze was fixed ahead—where the sky tore open like ripped fabric. From that wound in reality, dozens of figures emerged—warriors of the Tower, clad in runic armor that burned with crimson sigils. Their steps thundered like war drums as they surrounded the bridge.
A voice, deep and layered, echoed through the air."Zero of the Fallen Path. The Tower remembers your betrayal."
The one who spoke appeared last—a towering entity clad in black and gold armor, a jagged crown of red crystal growing from its helm. The energy that radiated from it warped the air. A High Arbiter, one of the Tower's enforcers—executioners of divine will.
Zero's fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. "Arbiter Vrahn."
"You remember my name," the creature's voice resonated. "Good. It will make your erasure meaningful."
Behind Zero, Kalen weakly lifted his weapon. "There's… too many. Zero—"
"Stay back," Zero interrupted, stepping forward. His tone wasn't angry—it was absolute. The kind of calm that made even monsters hesitate.
Vrahn's blade slid free from its sheath with a scream that shook the void. "You should have stayed dead."
Then the storm broke.
The first Arbiter charged, spear flashing like lightning. Zero vanished from sight. The shockwave that followed shattered half the bridge. When he reappeared, it was already behind the attacker—his sword carving a perfect diagonal through armor, flesh, and bone. The Arbiter dissolved into light.
Another lunged, two more followed—one from above, one from below.Zero moved like a phantom. His blade traced arcs of white fire, his movements so fast they bent the space around him. Sparks and blood filled the air, painting the void in crimson ribbons.
But Vrahn was faster.The High Arbiter raised one hand, and reality screamed. Chains of molten light erupted from the sky, slamming into the bridge. One coiled around Zero's arm, another around his waist, dragging him down with crushing force.
"Submit," Vrahn thundered. "The Tower will not tolerate your rebellion."
Zero's eyes flared with pale gray light. "I don't rebel… I reclaim."
He twisted—energy rippling through his body like a storm unleashed. The chains shattered in a blinding pulse of power. Every Arbiter within reach was thrown backward, crashing into the void below.
Kalen's voice broke through the chaos. "Zero! What are you—?!"
"Ending this."
He raised his sword, channeling energy so intense it cracked the bridge beneath his feet. The air trembled. Symbols of ancient language spiraled across the blade—the same language that pulsed through the Tower's own veins.
Vrahn lowered his stance, his crown blazing brighter. "So you've remembered some of your power. Let's see if you've earned it."
They clashed.
It was not a duel—it was apocalypse in motion.Every strike detonated with seismic force. Shockwaves rolled through the void, tearing apart what remained of the bridge. Kalen barely held on as chunks of obsidian fell into endless nothingness below.
Vrahn struck with raw might, his blade an avalanche of divine fury. Zero countered with precision, each parry a whisper of death. When their blades locked, the space between them screamed as if the universe itself was being split open.
Vrahn's crimson eyes burned behind his helm. "You were a god once, Zero. Before you fell. Before the Tower stripped you bare."
Zero's gray gaze was unshaken. "I didn't fall. I was cast down."
With a single motion, he broke the lock—vanishing in a flash of motion that even light couldn't follow. He reappeared behind Vrahn, sword descending like judgment.
The High Arbiter caught it mid-strike, one hand gripping the blade. Blood—black and smoking—ran down his gauntlet.
"You can't kill me," Vrahn growled. "You're still chained by the Tower's law."
Zero's expression remained unreadable. "Then I'll break the law."
He released his sword—and the blade dissolved into light, reforming instantly into dozens of spectral blades around him. They spun like a storm of divine weapons, each one vibrating with killing intent.
Vrahn raised his weapon, summoning a dome of crimson fire. The impact was cataclysmic—light and flame devouring the void. Kalen shielded his face, screaming as the shockwave flung him into the air.
When the light finally dimmed, the bridge was gone. Only fragments floated in the void.
Zero stood on one. Smoke curled from his armor, his breathing ragged. Vrahn knelt several meters away, cracks spreading across his armor as molten ichor spilled through them.
"You… are still the same," Vrahn rasped. "Defiant. Arrogant. Damned."
Zero stepped forward, dragging his sword through the air. The blade hummed, eager. "And you're still talking."
He moved again—one final, perfect strike.
The world split.
Vrahn's armor shattered. His body disintegrated into fragments of light, dissolving into the endless crimson around them. The echo of his voice lingered briefly—"The Tower… remembers…"
Then silence.
Zero stood alone, his sword lowered, the void trembling quietly around him. His breathing steadied, though his aura flickered faintly—unstable, dangerous.
Kalen crawled to a nearby ledge, coughing blood. "You… killed a High Arbiter."
Zero looked at him, gray eyes unreadable. "No. I erased him."
He turned his gaze upward—toward the wound in the sky that had not closed. From within its depths, something vast stirred. The next trial had already begun.
Zero sheathed his blade, crimson wind tearing at his cloak. "The Tower's waking up."
And somewhere deep within the crimson void, a voice whispered through the air:
"Welcome to the Third Cycle, Zero."