The desert wind carried whispers of forgotten gods.
Taye Okonkwo walked barefoot across the cracked earth, each step leaving behind faint trails of golden light. Around his neck hung a charm woven from ancestral beads — each one representing a soul he had once saved. Or failed to save.
For three days, he had walked without rest. The world trembled under Adrian's spreading aura; even here, in the heart of the Sahara, the air shimmered with purple threads of corruption.
Everywhere he looked, the horizon seemed to bleed.
> "So… this is the reach of your power, Adrian Leclerc," he murmured.
Behind him followed a caravan of monks and warriors — those who still believed in the old spirits, older than the Heroic Council, older than nations. They carried drums, relics, and chants, their voices merging into a rhythm that fought the silence of despair.
Taye raised his hand, signaling them to stop.
He turned toward the rising sun.
"We march no further," he said. "The path ahead belongs only to the gods — and to me."
One of the monks stepped forward, worry in his eyes. "Master, if you face him alone, you'll—"
Taye smiled gently. "If I fall, then let my light guide you to rise stronger. That is faith."
He unstrapped his gauntlet, pressing it to the sand. The moment it touched the earth, symbols of light flared in all directions — a vast circle of divine inscriptions.
He began to chant in a language older than magic. The air vibrated. Sand lifted. The sky darkened.
> "Spirit of the Lion. Guardian of the Sun. I call upon you."
A roar split the heavens. A colossal lion made of golden fire materialized behind him, its mane crackling like lightning.
> "Carry me to France," he whispered. "To the heart of the storm."
The lion lowered itself, and with a leap that shook the world, they vanished into light.
---
Meanwhile, in the ruins of Mont-Saint-Michel, Adrian stood at the edge of the sea. The fortress that once stood proud was now half-submerged, twisted by mana surges. His reflection in the dark waters rippled with shadow.
He spoke softly, as if to someone unseen.
> "He's coming."
The system answered immediately:
> [Confirmed. Taye Okonkwo detected within continental radius.]
[Power signature: 87% synchronization with Divine Core.]
Adrian smirked faintly. "A priest? They think faith can save me?"
He turned toward the storm clouds gathering above. His aura pulsed, spreading through the ruins. Every drop of rain turned violet before touching the ground.
> "Then let faith drown."
---
Hours later, thunder rolled across northern France.
A beam of light crashed from the sky, splitting the storm apart.
Taye landed in the center of the devastated island, golden energy radiating from his body. His lion spirit circled him, roaring at the waves.
He looked around — no sound but the wind. No life. Only the stench of mana and rot.
Then a voice echoed.
> "You shouldn't have come."
Adrian appeared above the ruins, standing on what remained of the monastery tower. His cloak fluttered in the corrupted breeze, his eyes glowing faintly violet.
He looked nothing like the hero of old — and yet, Taye still saw him. Buried beneath the darkness, there was a soul.
Taye raised his staff. "I came not to kill you, Adrian Leclerc, but to free you."
Adrian chuckled. "Free me? From what? From truth?"
"You've mistaken vengeance for truth," Taye said calmly. "You think pain justifies pain, that injustice breeds clarity. But all it does is make you its mirror."
Adrian's expression darkened. "Don't preach to me, priest. I know the kind of world you defend. You call it justice — I call it rot."
He descended slowly, his feet touching the shattered ground. Waves exploded around him as he landed. The air warped from his aura.
Taye didn't flinch. "And yet, you once fought to protect it."
"That was before I realized protection was just another form of control," Adrian hissed. "Before I saw how easily people worship power over truth."
He clenched his fist. "I won't protect them anymore. I'll end them."
Taye sighed. "Then let's see if your conviction can stand against faith."
---
The battle began.
Golden and violet lights clashed, tearing the clouds apart.
Each strike shook the ocean, sending tsunamis across the coast.
Taye's staff moved like lightning — every blow reinforced by divine chants. Each strike carved ancient symbols into the air, sealing fragments of Adrian's power.
Adrian countered with shadows that split into hundreds of copies, each one whispering his rage. Blades of darkness spun through the storm, striking with surgical precision.
Taye dodged, parried, countered — but Adrian was fast. Too fast.
A dark tendril caught Taye's arm, burning his flesh. He gritted his teeth, punching through it with divine energy.
> "You've grown strong," Taye said. "But you've lost your rhythm."
Adrian smirked. "Rhythm is for the living."
He unleashed a blast that obliterated the mountain peak behind Taye. The explosion sent him flying through debris, crashing into the shore. Blood dripped from his lip.
But as Adrian approached, the priest began to laugh.
Adrian frowned. "What's so funny?"
Taye wiped the blood away and stood tall. "You've become so consumed by hate that you can't see it — you're fighting like a mortal again. The Abyss has limits, Adrian. You've just forgotten yours."
He slammed his staff into the ground. The earth cracked, golden runes flaring outward.
> [Divine Invocation: Sunheart Overdrive.]
The storm split open, revealing a burning sun in the night sky. Its light washed over the battlefield, purging the shadows temporarily. Adrian shielded his eyes, hissing as his skin smoked under the radiance.
Taye walked forward, his aura blazing. "You're not beyond salvation yet. Come back, Adrian!"
Adrian growled, pain mixing with fury. "There's no 'back' for me!"
He lunged forward — a blur of shadow and lightning. Their fists collided. The shockwave shattered the sea itself, creating a crater of boiling water around them.
For a moment, time slowed.
Taye saw it — the flicker of humanity in Adrian's eyes. The same fire that once drove him to protect others. It was still there, buried deep.
He reached out, touching Adrian's chest. "You're not the monster they think you are."
Adrian's body trembled. His expression faltered.
Then the system screamed:
> [Warning: Emotional Instability Detected.]
[Corruption Spike: 91%. Initiating Defensive Overload.]
Adrian's scream tore through the heavens.
His aura exploded outward, swallowing light, sound, everything.
Taye was thrown back, crashing into the ruins. The lion spirit roared in agony before dissolving into sparks.
When the dust settled, Adrian hovered above the sea, surrounded by a black sun. His voice was hollow — distorted.
> "You should have killed me when you had the chance."
Taye coughed blood, but smiled faintly. "I didn't come to kill you… I came to remind you."
He pressed his hands together, whispering one final prayer. The beads around his neck shattered, releasing hundreds of lights into the sky.
Each light was a soul — pure, untainted — ascending like stars.
> "Even if darkness wins," Taye said softly, "light never kneels."
The stars descended toward Adrian, piercing through his aura. For a heartbeat, everything went still. The ocean turned silent. The air froze.
And in that silence, Adrian saw flashes — faces, laughter, the echo of who he once was.
Then it vanished, swallowed by the void.
He descended slowly, standing before Taye's fallen body. The priest was still smiling, even in death.
Adrian stared at him for a long time.
"Why smile?" he whispered. "You gained nothing."
But as he looked closer, he saw something carved into the sand beside Taye's body — a sigil glowing faintly gold. It pulsed once before fading.
> [Seal of Compassion — Activated.]
Adrian's knees buckled. His aura flickered, unstable.
For the first time, he felt something pierce through the darkness — guilt.
He clenched his teeth, shaking his head violently. "No… NO!"
The system's voice returned, colder than ever:
> [Emotional interference detected.]
[Initiating Abyssal Core Purge.]
Darkness swallowed him whole.
---
When the sea calmed hours later, only silence remained.
The ruins were gone.
Taye's body had vanished — leaving behind only a golden feather drifting on the waves.
And deep beneath the ocean, Adrian's eyes opened again — but this time, they no longer glowed violet. They glowed black.