Zeraphion lunged forward with the force of a hurricane, striking at Ren as if he were no more than a ragdoll. The impact sent him sprawling across the stone floor, his body slamming with bone-jarring force. "Shadow Monarch," Zeraphion sneered, his voice echoing through the hall, "I thought you were strong… but perhaps I underestimated you."
Ren lay on the ground, blood trickling from a wound on his forehead, his vision blurred. A thin stream of saliva escaped his mouth as he spat to the side, forcing himself upright. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, yet he moved with relentless precision, gathering the remnants of his strength. In a flash, he surged toward Zeraphion, weapons colliding in a blinding clash.
Clang! Clang!
The sound reverberated through the hall like thunder. Neither knight yielded an inch. They moved as one—a storm of steel and shadow. "Look at them go," the Monarch of Thunder muttered, his voice tinged with awe. "No ordinary eyes can follow their speed."
The hall groaned under the pressure of their fight, chunks of the ceiling crumbling as waves of energy tore through the stone. Panic erupted. Nobles and soldiers alike scrambled, their screams drowned by the destructive symphony. Some attempted to flee, only to be halted by Abyss soldiers, who blocked every path without harming them. Outside the chaos, winged soldiers fell instantly under the merciless assault of the Abyss army. Elite fighters threw themselves into the fray, striking and slicing at the Abyss knights—but their attacks were futile. Each fallen foe regenerated with eerie swiftness, their bodies knitting back together as if death itself were powerless.
Above, the fight escalated to the night sky. Ren and Zeraphion clashed amidst streaks of golden light and swirling black shadows, their movements so fast they seemed to tear the very air. The heavens themselves appeared to fracture under their might.
"You weakling bastard!" Zeraphion roared, fury and disdain lacing his words. "You are nothing! All your strength comes from the Abyss army. Without them… you are worthless!"
Ren did not reply. Silence was his weapon. He surged forward, a living shadow, only to be hurled back into the hall by Zeraphion, smashing into the floor with a deafening impact. Smoke and dust filled the air, clinging to every surface. The King of Ashes watched with a smirk, his amusement thinly veiled. "He is weak… nothing more, nothing less," he murmured. Yet fate had not abandoned the Shadow Monarch.
Zeraphion stepped back into the hall, his armor cracked and scorched, bruises lining his frame. His gaze swept the chamber. "Look, Yume," he called, his voice carrying over the roar of battle. "Look at your saviors! The Shadow Sovereign has fallen. I alone remain standing!"
"Who said I lost?" Ren's voice cut through the smoke, calm but carrying a weight that froze the hall. With an instant, the swirling haze of dust and smoke was torn apart by the immense pressure radiating from his body.
"I thought a fraction of my power would suffice to defeat you," Ren admitted, eyes closed, "but I was wrong."
Darkness began to seep into the hall, thick and heavy, swallowing light. The oppressive shadow did not merely dim the surroundings—it bent reality itself, twisting the air with its weight. "I cannot wield the power of darkness fully," Ren's voice resonated like a dark hymn, "but I can command shadows… at their fullest."
The shadows moved, slow and deliberate at first, weaving like sentient threads. Then, with a sudden acceleration, they became a storm, tearing through the hall, splintering stone, and scattering debris as if the building itself had become fragile. "What are you doing?!" Zeraphion shouted, panic creeping into his tone.
"What am I doing?" Ren asked, his voice calm, almost serene. "Nothing. Today… everyone bears witness to my true power."
"His full power," Zyra whispered to Yume, awe lacing her words. "And his Black Heart… it's all coming forth."
Suddenly, the chaos stilled. The hall fell quiet, the atmosphere seemingly returned to normal—but only at first glance. Shadows clung to Ren like a living cloak, coiling and writhing with intent. His armor gleamed faintly through the darkness, blue flames flickering across his body like a heartbeat made manifest.
Silence enveloped the hall—not the fragile hush of fear, but a suffocating stillness that pressed against every lung, every nerve. From within the coiled shadows, the blue flames pulsed with a living rhythm, an ominous prelude to devastation.
Step.
Ren moved, and the shadows surged with him, a storm contained in the figure of a single knight. The world held its breath.
Silence fell—not the fragile silence of fear, but a heavy stillness that pressed against the lungs.
From within the coiled shadows, blue flames pulsed like a living heartbeat.
Step.
The floor beneath cracked.
Step.
Shadows peeled away as if bowing.
The armored figure emerged slowly, deliberately. His armor was no longer merely shadow-forged—it was absolute. Plates layered with ancient sigils, veins of blue fire running through black metal like stars trapped in obsidian. A crownless helm concealed his face, yet the gaze behind it burned with cold authority.
Ren had not changed.
He had ascended.
"What… is that?" whispered one of the nobles, his voice breaking.
The Monarch of Thunder clenched his fist. "That pressure… this isn't just shadow. This is sovereignty."
Zeraphion's wings twitched. For the first time, his golden aura flickered—not dimmed, but disturbed.
"So this is your true form," Zeraphion said, forcing a laugh. "Hiding behind theatrics won't change the result."
Ren lifted his head.
When he spoke, his voice carried weight—measured, calm, final.
"You mistake revelation for desperation."
The blue flames intensified. Shadows surged outward, not violently, but with discipline—as if an army had been standing at attention, waiting for command.
"I did not rely on the abyss to become strong," Ren continued. "The abyss answered me."
In the distance, the Abyss Knights slammed their weapons into the ground in unison.
Boom.
The hall trembled.
Zeraphion moved first.
Golden light exploded as he vanished, reappearing above Ren, spear descending like judgment itself. The strike carried enough force to split the hall in two.
Ren raised his blade.
No flourish. No shout.
Just one precise motion.
CLANG—!
The collision released a shockwave that erased the remaining pillars. The ceiling shattered, opening the hall to the night sky. Fragments rained down like meteor fire as both kings were hurled backward—Zeraphion skidding across broken marble, Ren sliding only a few steps before stopping.
Zeraphion stared.
He had been blocked.
"You're faster," Zeraphion muttered. "Stronger."
Ren rotated his wrist once. The blue flames followed the motion like obedient serpents.
"I am complete."
Zeraphion roared, wings spreading wide. His golden aura ignited fully now, forming a radiant armor of light. Sigils of the sky monarch burned behind him, ancient and divine.
"Then fall with your kingdom!"
They clashed again—this time without restraint.
Sky and shadow collided midair, tearing the clouds apart. Every strike bent space, every impact thundered across the capital. The nobles who remained could no longer even track the fight—only flashes of gold and blue, colliding faster than thought.
Below, the battle between armies reached its end.
The last winged soldier screamed as an Abyss Knight's blade passed through him. His body dissolved into light before touching the ground. The Abyss army stood unscathed—silent, unbroken.
Regeneration complete.
Total annihilation.
The King of Ashes clicked his tongue, the smirk gone. "This is no longer entertainment."
The Monarch of Wind narrowed his eyes. "That knight… he's no longer fighting like a man."
High above, Zeraphion faltered.
A shadow tendril pierced through his golden armor, wrapping around his arm. Blue fire surged, freezing his movement for a fraction of a second.
That was all Ren needed.
Ren appeared before him and drove his knee into Zeraphion's chest.
BOOM!
Zeraphion crashed through the remnants of the hall, skidding across stone until he struck the throne steps. His armor cracked, golden light bleeding out like molten sun.
Ren descended slowly, hovering above the shattered ground.
Zeraphion coughed, blood staining his lips. He laughed weakly.
"So… this is the Shadow Monarch."
Ren landed.
"No," he said quietly. "This is the king you failed to erase."
Zeraphion struggled to stand, spear trembling in his grip. "Even if you kill me… the sky will never bow."
Ren raised his blade. Shadows gathered—not wild, not chaotic, but perfectly aligned.
"The sky does not bow," Ren agreed. "It falls."
He brought the blade down.
Before it could strike—
"Enough."
The word echoed across existence itself.
Time froze.
The shadows halted mid-motion. The blue flames stilled. Even the wind stopped breathing.
A presence descended—ancient, vast, unbearable.
The Monarchs felt it instantly.
The King of Ashes dropped to one knee.
The Monarch of Thunder gritted his teeth, veins bulging.
Yume's breath caught. "That presence…"
From the torn sky, a colossal sigil formed—older than the Gate, older than the realms.
A voice followed, neither male nor female.
"Two kings fighting beneath my seal… have forgotten their place."
Ren did not lower his blade.
Zeraphion did not move.
For the first time, both kings looked upward—equals not in power, but in defiance.
Ren spoke first.
"This battle is unfinished."
Zeraphion smiled through the blood. "On that… we agree."
The presence lingered, heavy with warning.
"Then remember this," the voice said. "The next time you clash… the world will not survive."
The sigil vanished.
Time resumed.
Ren withdrew his blade.
Zeraphion slowly stood, wings folding with effort.
This was not victory.
This was a declaration.
Ren turned his back, shadows parting as he walked toward Yume. The Abyss army followed, kneeling as one.
Behind him, Zeraphion watched—silent, wounded, but burning with resolve.
The war between kings had not ended.
It had officially begun.
Ren took one step forward—then stopped.
The shadows around him stirred again, low and restrained, like a sea held back by will alone. He did not turn fully toward Zeraphion, yet his voice carried with absolute clarity through the broken hall.
"If that sigil had not intervened," Ren said calmly, "you would no longer exist."
Zeraphion's fingers tightened around his spear. He did not answer—because he could not deny it.
Ren continued, his tone even, almost instructional.
"And what you witnessed tonight…"
He gestured lightly. The Abyss Knights, the shattered hall, the fallen sky-soldiers.
"…was nothing."
The monarchs stiffened.
"The Abyss you see is only the vanguard," Ren said. "The real army has not yet revealed itself."
A pressure swept the hall again—not violent, but terrifying in its implication. For a fleeting moment, some of the monarchs saw it—an endless horizon of shadows beyond shadows, ranks without number, silence deeper than death.
"If they were to descend," Ren concluded, "this place would not fall."
He paused.
"It would be erased."
Zeraphion finally spoke, his voice low. "You threaten the heavens."
Ren turned his head slightly, blue flames reflecting off broken marble.
"No," he replied. "I am warning them."
And this place called heavens of yours.
TCH!
Heaven is a place where people with good heart goes not for those who has sins on their shoulder.
So, stop calling this place heaven.
But Zeraphion remained silent. Nothing to speak at Ren.
Ren raised his hand.
"Umbra."
From the shadows, Umbra stepped forward instantly, kneeling.
"Zyra."
Zyra appeared beside him, her expression solemn, eyes burning with quiet pride.
"Althric."
The fallen knight straightened, placing a fist over his heart.
Ren's command was simple.
"We leave."
At once, the Abyss army began to withdraw—not in retreat, but in perfect order. Shadows folded inward, bodies dissolving into darkness as if they had never been there. The pressure receded, leaving behind only ruin and silence.
Ren turned fully now.
Yume stood frozen, eyes still reflecting the echoes of gods and kings. Ren reached out and took her hand—firm, steady, undeniable.
"We're going," he said softly. Not as a king. Not as a monarch. But as Ren.
She nodded.
The shadows rose around them one final time, forming a gateway of living darkness. Umbra, Zyra, and Althric stepped through first, vanishing without a sound.
Ren looked once more over his shoulder.
Zeraphion stood amid the wreckage—wounded, proud, and burning with unfinished fury. Around him, the monarchs remained silent, none daring to speak.
"This world has been spared," Ren said. "Do not mistake that for mercy."
Then he stepped into the shadow gate with Yume.
The darkness closed.
The hall was left in ruins, the sky torn open above it, and the monarchs standing among the echoes of a truth they could no longer ignore.
The Shadow Monarch had not come to conquer.
He had come to announce his return.