The first sound was music.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
A chorus of voices rippled through the heavens, every note trembling the soul of the world.
Then came the light — a river of radiance pouring down from the broken sky.
The Choir of Judgment had arrived.
Thousands of Seraphim descended in perfect formation, their wings weaving patterns of divine geometry.
Each carried a blade of pure sound — every swing echoing like a hymn that could erase existence itself.
The mortals and jinn at the Covenant camp looked up in dread.
Even the bravest among them fell to their knees, clutching their ears as the celestial song shook the air.
Kael's eyes widened. "No… they sent the Choir?"
Selara whispered, voice trembling, "They're not soldiers. They're executioners."
---
Arhaan stepped forward, his cloak rippling in the storm of light.
"Everyone, stand back," he said quietly.
The ground around him began to crack — golden light spilling through the fractures.
Kael grabbed his arm. "You can't take them all alone!"
Arhaan looked back, eyes glowing white. "I'm not alone."
He raised the Oathbreaker.
The runes along its length ignited, and from the cracks in the earth, chains of crimson light burst forth, weaving into the sky like fiery serpents.
Each chain wrapped around a descending Seraph, halting their motion midair.
The divine song faltered.
Arhaan's voice cut through the silence like thunder.
"Sing your judgment all you want—"
He pulled the chains tight.
"—but today, Heaven listens to me!"
---
The ground exploded in light.
Arhaan leapt into the air, propelled by waves of energy as Kael and the Covenant followed.
Selara raised her staff, chanting in the old mortal tongue.
"By flame and dust, by oath and breath, may unity not fall!"
A dome of violet light formed over the army, shielding them as the Seraphim retaliated with blades of sound. Each impact sent shockwaves through the sky, but the barrier held — fueled by every race fighting side by side.
Kael soared upward, his twin swords blazing. "Cover me!"
He crashed into a formation of angels, their hymn distorting as his blades clashed with theirs.
Meanwhile, Arhaan met the leader of the Choir — Seraph Althriel, the Voice of Judgment.
Althriel's six wings burned with a thousand hues, his face serene.
"You were given chance after chance, mortal," he said. "Now your defiance ends."
Arhaan's chains tightened around his arms. "Funny. I was about to say the same thing."
Their weapons met — sound against flame.
The impact shattered the air, bending light and time around them.
---
From below, the Covenant soldiers watched as the heavens tore open.
Every clash between Arhaan and Althriel sent ripples through creation itself.
Kael gasped, shielding his eyes.
"He's fighting a Seraph General alone…"
Selara whispered, "No. He's outshining him."
Arhaan's chains struck in patterns beyond mortal comprehension — flowing like water, striking like thunder.
The Oathbreaker hummed in his grip, resonating with the rhythm of the battle.
Althriel's expression finally cracked.
"You wield the Flame… but it will consume you."
Arhaan pushed forward, forcing the Seraph back.
"Then I'll burn as bright as I can!"
With one final strike, his chain whipped forward, wrapping around Althriel's wings and yanking him downward.
The Seraph crashed into the plains below, his light sputtering.
Arhaan landed beside him, eyes blazing.
"Tell your Arbiter," he said, voice echoing through the burning clouds,
"—the age of blind faith is over."
---
High above, in the Holy Citadel, the High Arbiter watched through a veil of golden flame.
His hand trembled for the first time.
"He's no longer mortal," he whispered. "He's becoming the next Dawn."
The Divine Annihilator stirred again — its eye burning brighter than ever.
> "Then I shall extinguish the new sun before it rises."