The light was blinding.
Even through his ship's shields, Mohit could feel the heat of the sun — a golden inferno roaring below him.
Floating just above that blazing surface was the Aether Nexus — a fortress forged of celestial metal, spinning like a crown of light.
Its walls shimmered with divine circuitry, and its core pulsed with the heartbeat of the gods themselves.
This was it.
The source of their immortality. The cradle of their power.
"Energy output off the scale," ISHA reported. "The Nexus is alive… aware. It senses you."
Mohit's hand hovered over the ship's controls.
"Good," he said. "Let it know who's coming."
He launched himself from the ship, the Aether Core flaring as he flew through space — a comet of golden fire cutting across the void. The fortress defenses activated immediately: torrents of plasma, divine spears of energy, fragments of shattered suns.
Mohit wove through them all, faster than light itself, his body surrounded by a radiant shield of Aether. He slammed through the outer barrier, landing on the fortress's surface in a burst of blinding light.
The floor rippled like liquid gold.
And from the center of the fortress, a voice thundered — deep, calm, and terrifying.
"At last. The child of flesh and flame arrives."
From the blinding light emerged a figure — tall, radiant, wreathed in solar fire. His armor was pure light, his eyes twin suns.
Zephyron.
King of the Gods.
The first creation of The Prime.
"You carry the power of gods, Mohit," Zephyron said, his voice echoing through the stars. "But you lack the wisdom to wield it. You would destroy the order that holds the universe together."
Mohit's boots dug into the molten floor.
"The only order you've made is slavery. The universe doesn't need gods — it needs freedom."
Zephyron's eyes flared.
"Then face your freedom."
He raised his hand — and the sun itself responded.
Flames curved like blades, gravity bent, and light became a weapon. The Nexus roared with divine fury as Zephyron unleashed a storm that could have destroyed planets.
Mohit charged.
The Aether Core erupted, gold and white energy spiraling around him. He met Zephyron head-on — their clash sending shockwaves through the solar system.
Planets trembled. Satellites shattered. Even time itself rippled.
"You fight like a god," Zephyron said, his tone almost proud. "Because you are one."
Mohit's eyes widened. "What?"
"You were never human," Zephyron said. "You are the tenth god — created to replace me. The Prime forged you as the perfect being, but feared what you might become. So he erased your memories… and sent you to Earth as a man."
The revelation hit like lightning.
His life, his memories, his pain — all part of a lie.
"No…" Mohit whispered. "I'm not one of you."
"You are," Zephyron said. "You always were. Join us, Mohit. Together, we can rebuild creation."
For a moment, silence.
Then Mohit's expression hardened.
"You're right," he said. "I am a god."
His aura blazed brighter than the sun.
"But I choose to be human."
He roared, unleashing all of the Aether Core's energy. The fortress cracked. Zephyron staggered as Mohit struck him with a blow that shattered light itself.
"This is for every world you burned!"
Zephyron fell, dissolving into a storm of golden fire. The fortress began to collapse, its core destabilizing.
"ISHA!" Mohit shouted. "What happens if the Nexus explodes?"
"Every divine network will collapse. The gods will lose their immortality… and so will you."
Mohit looked at the dying star before him — the light of countless lives reflected in his eyes.
"Then it's worth it."
He dove into the core, pressing his hands to the heart of the Nexus. The light consumed him. For a heartbeat, the universe went silent.
Then — a flash brighter than creation itself.
When the light faded, the sun burned steady again.
The fortress was gone. The gods… silent.
On Earth, the skies cleared for the first time in years.
And in the ruins of New Delhi, people looked up and whispered a single name —
"Mohit."
High above, in the endless stars, a faint shimmer of gold drifted —
neither god nor man, but something greater.
A legend.
A savior.
A Godslayer.