The Underlayer shuddered, its foundations cracking under the weight of battle. A darkness deeper than night itself twisted around the Forsaken King, his form barely contained within the mortal realm. His violet eyes burned, locking onto the four warriors who still stood against him.
They had wounded him. A miracle in itself.
But he was far from finished.
With a slow, deliberate movement, he raised his clawed hands, and the shadows answered his call.
The battlefield itself shifted, the very air turning against them. Black tendrils lashed at Kael, Mary, Lela, and Loosie—whipping through space with a force that could sever time itself.
The world tilted.
Kael barely managed to leap aside as the ground where he once stood collapsed into nothingness, swallowed by the abyss. His celestial blade flared, burning against the darkness. He landed in a crouch, his golden eyes locked on their foe.
They couldn't let this drag on.
The Forsaken King was growing stronger.
This had to end.
Kael's Charge
Kael didn't hesitate.
With a surge of divine energy, he rushed forward, his celestial blade burning brighter than ever. Each step shattered the ground beneath him, the sheer force of his movement cracking the obsidian battlefield.
He struck.
A downward slash, fast as light, powerful enough to cleave mountains.
The Forsaken King met the attack with his bare hand.
The moment their energies clashed, a shockwave ripped through the battlefield, sending violent arcs of light and darkness in every direction.
Kael's blade screeched against the King's shadowy grip.
Then—a counterstrike.
A backhanded swipe caught Kael in the ribs.
Crack.
Kael was sent flying, his body slamming into an obsidian monolith with enough force to shatter it. He gasped for breath, blood dripping from his lips.
But he wasn't done yet.
Through sheer will, he pushed himself up.
His hands trembled, but he tightened his grip on his sword.
His golden aura burned brighter.
Mary's Last Resort
Mary saw Kael falter and clenched her teeth.
There was no time for hesitation.
With a swift motion, she raised her Mist Blade, the mist swirling around her weapon condensing into a pure, razor-thin edge.
A secret technique. A forbidden strike.
Mist Blade: Phantom Requiem.
She disappeared.
For a heartbeat, the battlefield was silent.
Then—three simultaneous slashes erupted from the mist.
They came from every direction at once, each one targeting a vital point.
The Forsaken King twisted, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid them all.
The first slash carved into his chest.
The second gouged his arm.
The third—he caught with his bare hand.
"Impressive." His voice was a whisper of death itself.
Then darkness surged.
A single pulse of void energy erased the mist, revealing Mary as she staggered back, her breath ragged.
Her body felt numb. She had poured everything into that strike.
And it wasn't enough.
She fell to one knee, gripping her blade for support.
The Forsaken King turned his attention away from her—a mistake.
Lela's Divine Retribution
Lela had waited for the right moment.
She could see it now.
The King was weakened.
Blood—his own blood—dripped from his wounds.
A rare sight.
A sign that he could be defeated.
Her grip tightened around Gáe Bolg.
The spear pulsed with divine power, responding to her resolve. The power of the heavens. The fury of a goddess.
She spun the spear once—then hurled it with everything she had.
A comet of light. A spear of divine judgment.
It flew straight for the King's core.
A direct hit.
Light exploded outward.
The Forsaken King screamed, his form recoiling as the divine energy burned through him.
For the first time—he staggered.
He was weakening.
They had a chance.
Loosie's Final Trick
Loosie had been watching, waiting.
Now, it was time for his final play.
He dashed through the battlefield, moving like a shadow within shadows. His twin daggers were coated in poisonous enchantments, deadly even to a god.
And the King?
He was distracted.
Loosie struck—both daggers sinking deep into the Forsaken King's back.
The King let out a low growl of pure rage.
And then—he turned.
Loosie had just enough time to register the massive clawed hand before it slammed into him.
A shockwave of darkness sent him flying across the battlefield.
He crashed to the ground, struggling to breathe.
But he had done it.
The King was faltering.
Now. Now was the moment.
Kael's Divine Judgment
Kael rose to his feet.
The golden flames around him had never burned brighter.
He could see it.
The end.
This was their only chance.
He lifted his celestial blade high, channeling every last ounce of his power into a single, final strike.
His ultimate attack.
The Sun's Wrath.
Light burst from his sword, illuminating the entire battlefield. The Forsaken King's violet eyes widened for the first time.
Kael struck down.
A beam of pure divine light erupted from his blade, engulfing the Forsaken King completely.
For a single, eternal moment—time itself stopped.
Then—
A blinding explosion.
The End of the Battle
The battlefield fell silent.
The darkness began to fade.
The Forsaken King's form shuddered, his body breaking apart under the weight of divine judgment. His violet eyes dimmed.
He had lost.
His final words were barely a whisper.
"It seems… fate was not mine to command after all."
Then—he was gone.
His form dissolved into nothingness.
The war was over.
The Forsaken King was defeated.
Kael let out a slow breath, his legs trembling.
Mary, Lela, and Loosie gathered beside him, all of them battered, bleeding, exhausted.
But they had won.
The Underlayer was saved.