The world held its breath.
Qi Shan Wei—half-conscious yet radiating a terrifying, ancient majesty—stood in the ruined crater.Prismatic light flared behind him in six fractured wings, each flickering between stability and chaos.
Drakonix hovered above, wings tattered but blazing with divine fire.Jin Wei stood beside Shan Wei, golden runes burning brighter than ever before.Xueya, pale but unbroken, tightened her grip on her Frost Lotus sword.
And across from them—
Three Abyssal Executioners trembled.
Not from injury.Not from strategy.But from memory.
A memory they should not possess.
The voice of the Red Emperor—spoken through Shan Wei—still echoed in their souls.
"Have you forgottenhow you knelt before me?"
1. The Executioners Lose Their Composure
Veyruth, the Moon-Splitter, staggered backward, spear shaking in his hand.
"N-No… the Emperor died. He died. The heavens erased him! The Abyss erased his name!"
Serakai's shadow-body flickered violently.
"We… we saw the erasure. We witnessed the seal collapse!"
Morkhul, the brute, growled deeply.
"But that aura… that authority…There is only one being in all realms whose presence bends the Abyss…"
His voice cracked.
"…and it is him."
2. Shan Wei's Dual Self — Emperor vs. Mortal
Shan Wei's eyes flickered crimson—ancient power swirling like a galaxy collapsing inward.
But then—
They softened to warm gold.
The dual states warred inside him:
The Red Emperor—an ancient sovereign with dominion over fate.Qi Shan Wei—a young cultivator fighting for his friends, his honor, his life.
His voice echoed with both past and present:
"I am not your Emperor."His tone hardened."But I am not your prey."
A tremor ran through the Executioners.
Drakonix landed behind Shan Wei, lowering his head.
"Brother… command me."
Xueya's breath hitched.Even wounded, even unstable—the moment Shan Wei stood, the battlefield shifted.
Control returned to him.
Destiny bent toward him.
3. Abyssal Executioners Break Formation
Veyruth hissed sharply.
"Prepare formation—NOW!"
Serakai leapt into the air, shadows forming a dome overhead.
Morkhul dug his hammer into the ground, summoning a shockwave.
The three forces converged—
MoonlightShadowAbyssal force
—all aimed directly at Shan Wei.
Xueya stepped in front of him instantly.
"Over my dead body."
But before she could move—
A warm hand touched her shoulder.
Shan Wei's.
"Xueya," he whispered, voice trembling yet steady,"Thank you. Let me handle this."
She froze.
Because the look in his eyes was not just power—it was trust.
She nodded.
"I'll stand with you."
He smiled faintly.
"Good. I need you to."
4. The Emperor's Flame — Incomplete but Terrifying
Shan Wei extended his hand.
Prismatic fire ignited at his fingertips—not bright, not stable—but dense, heavy, tinged with tiny cracks of void.
The Observer panicked instantly.
"No—NO—NOT THAT! You'll tear your soul apart!"
Shan Wei did not answer.
He whispered the name of a forbidden technique—a technique the Red Emperor once used to erase armies:
"Fateburn Petal: First Bloom."
Xueya gasped.
Drakonix's wings stiffened.
Jin Wei instantly increased shield output by 240%.
The Executioners screamed:
"HE'S AWAKENING A PETAL—STOP HIM—NOW!!"
But it was too late.
5. The First Bloom — Petal of Fateburn
A single petal—a harmless-looking, gently glowing petal—formed above his palm.
Except it was not harmless.
It contained:
• compressed prismatic flame• fractured fate strands• slivers of void resonance• lingering Red Emperor will• the unstable Overdrive core inside Shan Wei's body
The air collapsed around it.
Colors died.
Sound muted.
Even gravity warped.
Xueya's eyes widened.
"…It's beautiful…"
Drakonix whispered:
"…and lethal. That petal alone can erase cities."
Veyruth roared.
"BLOCK IT!"
Morkhul raised his hammer.
Serakai unleashed a wall of shadow knives.
The petal fell.
6. Impact — The World Remembers the Emperor
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
The crater vanished.The mountain behind the Executioners cracked open.The entire region shook like a dying star.Moonlight shattered.Shadow dispersed.Abyssal armor melted.
When the light cleared—
The Executioners stood—
Barely.
Veyruth's spear was gone.Serakai's shadows were flickering like dying sparks.Morkhul's hammer lay cracked in half.
The petal's power was incomplete—but still far beyond anything this world had felt in ages.
Blood dripped from Shan Wei's nose.His legs trembled.He nearly collapsed—
But Xueya caught him.
"Don't overdo it—please!"
He smiled weakly.
"Sorry… I forgot I'm not a cosmic tyrant anymore."
She choked on a laugh—half relief, half devastation.
"You're an idiot…"
He leaned slightly against her, whispering:
"I'm your idiot."
She went red to her ears—right as the Executioners roared again.
7. The Executioners Refuse to Retreat
Veyruth tore off his cracked mask, revealing four enraged golden eyes.
"YOU—YOU ARE NOT FULLY AWAKENED!WE CAN STILL KILL YOU!!"
Serakai hissed with hatred.
"The heavens erased you once.We'll finish the job."
Morkhul raised his broken hammer.
"The Abyss commands your death."
Shan Wei stepped forward.
Drakonix roared behind him.Jin Wei raised all weapons.Xueya lifted her sword.
The battle wasn't over.
It was just beginning.
Shan Wei wiped the blood from his lip, golden and crimson eyes narrowing.
"Come, then."
He raised his hand—
Fire swirling.
Void spiraling.
Prismatic resonance cracking the ground beneath him.
"Let the Abyss learn—I don't kneel."
And then—
A deep rumble echoed from beneath the battlefield.
Something ancient.Something sealed.
Something now awakened by the Fateburn Petal.
The ground split open—revealing a titanic door of silver stone covered in glowing runes.
The Empress screamed.
"No—NO—THAT SEAL WAS NEVER MEANT TO OPEN!!"
Shan Wei's heartbeat thundered.
Because carved across the door was a symbol—
A six-winged crown of prismatic fire.
Xueya's voice trembled.
"Shan Wei…that's… your… emblem."
Drakonix's eyes widened.
"That's the entrance to—his vault."
The Executioners froze in horror.
"NO.NOT THAT PLACE.NOT THE EMPEROR'S HIDDEN VAULT—!!"
Shan Wei stared at the door.
It pulsed.
Waiting.
Recognizing him.
Calling him.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
All rights reserved.