Alden's breath was ragged. His vision blurred as he tried to push himself up, but his body refused to move. Seraphina lay motionless a few feet away, her divine aura barely flickering. The battlefield, once a realm of gods, was now a wasteland of destruction.
Kael approached slowly, his footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. Shadows coiled around him like living creatures, drawn to his presence. His golden eyes, once filled with amusement, now held only cold finality.
Alden forced himself to his knees, gripping his spear. His entire being burned with exhaustion, but he refused to fall. Kael sighed. "You never learn, do you?"
He raised his hand, and the void trembled in response. A swirling mass of darkness formed above his palm, its presence warping reality itself. The weight of it pressed down on Alden like an invisible force, threatening to crush him.
"This is the end," Kael said. "No more battles. No more resistance. Just—"
A sudden pulse of golden light erupted from Alden's chest. Kael's eyes narrowed as the energy flared, pushing back the creeping darkness.
Alden exhaled sharply, his fingers tightening around his spear. His wounds burned, his strength nearly gone, but there was something deeper—something unyielding—that refused to let him die.
"I don't care if I lose," Alden murmured, his voice steady despite the pain. "As long as I make you bleed." Kael's smirk returned. "Then try."
Alden roared as he lunged forward, golden light trailing behind him like a comet. His spear, once dim, ignited with divine radiance. He moved faster than before, his exhaustion forgotten in the face of sheer determination.
Kael didn't dodge.
Instead, he met Alden's attack head-on. His hand shot forward, grasping the shaft of the spear just as it aimed for his heart. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, splitting the ground beneath them.
For the first time, Kael's expression shifted.
Pain.
The divine energy seared into his palm, burning through the darkness that cloaked him. His grip trembled for a fraction of a second. Alden saw it.
With a final surge of strength, he twisted the spear, forcing it deeper into Kael's grip. The golden energy flared, breaking through Kael's defenses, cutting through the void.
Kael exhaled sharply. Then, he laughed.
Not in mockery, but in genuine amusement.
"You actually did it," he murmured, looking at the wound forming on his palm. The darkness around him recoiled for the first time. "Impressive."
Alden staggered back, his body finally giving in. He collapsed onto one knee, barely holding himself upright. Kael flexed his fingers, watching as the wound slowly healed, but it didn't vanish immediately. The divine energy still lingered, resisting the void.
"I suppose I should reward you," Kael mused. He lifted his gaze back to Alden. "But mercy isn't my style."
He raised his hand once more, void energy swirling into a final attack.
Alden, unable to move, could only watch.
The end had come