The Sovereign's hand split the sky.
Silver fire rained down like falling stars—each flame carrying whispers of despair. Where they struck, the earth twisted. Trees withered. Air turned sharp as broken glass.
But Kai didn't retreat.
He stepped forward—barefoot, blazing with root and flame—and raised both hands.
From the ground, a barrier of living roots surged up like a wall, catching the fire and absorbing it.
Ayaka stood beside him, sword glowing. "So what's the plan?"
Kai's voice was calm but thunderous. "Don't die."
Ren groaned. "Inspiring."
---
Then it began.
The armies of shadow surged from the portal.
Kai leapt into the air, cloak flaring behind him like wings. Fire spiraled from his palms, wrapping around vines that lashed and burned.
Ayaka carved through the front lines, her blade singing in the chaos.
Ren moved like a storm—fast, brutal, precise.
But the Sovereign?
He watched.
Patient. Calculating.
Until—
> "Enough."
He raised both hands—and the battlefield stilled.
Time froze for an instant.
Then, with a gesture—
The Sovereign shattered the land.
---
Kai was flung backward, crashing through trees.
Pain exploded in his ribs—but he stood.
He faced the Sovereign again, chest heaving, fire sparking across his skin.
"You're stronger than before," the Sovereign said. "Almost worthy."
Kai wiped blood from his mouth.
"I'm not here to be worthy. I'm here to end you."
The Sovereign smiled.
"Then try."
---
The clash began.
Blades of ash met spears of flame.
Sky shattered under their strikes.
The ground cracked with each impact.
And then—Kai's orb pulsed.
The final seal inside him began to break.