The Obsidian Jewel floated freely now, no seal holding it back, no barrier protecting it. The war that had torn the land apart had come down to this single point. Flames and darkness twisted through the air as Darius and Xekar faced each other once more. Both of them understood it clearly. This fight was reaching its end. Whoever stood last would decide everything. The Obsidian Finale had begun.
Xekar's body still looked wrong. Thinner than before, yet far more terrifying. The corrupted energy inside him moved like something alive, crawling under his skin and leaking out in slow waves. With a sharp motion, he summoned his scythe back into his hand. The weapon formed from darkness itself, its curved blade flowing with thick, black energy that distorted the air around it.
Darius stood opposite him, unmoving. Above him, his sun hovered in the sky, blazing brighter than before. The heat spread across the battlefield, turning cracked stone red-hot and drying the air until every breath burned the lungs. Darius looked at Xekar's twisted form without fear. Calmly, he pushed his shovel into the ground. The moment it touched the earth, he raised his free hand toward the sun.
The sun answered.
Flames reached down like living arms, wrapping around Darius's hand and shaping themselves. Slowly, a sword formed, forged completely from solar fire. The blade burned white-hot, its edges sharp with pure light. The heat was so intense that the ground beneath Darius's feet began to melt.
For a brief moment, neither of them moved.
Then they charged.
Scythe and sword collided with explosive force. Each clash sent shockwaves rolling through the ruins. Sparks of black and gold tore through the air, carving deep scars into the battlefield. Neither Darius nor Xekar slowed down. Their movements were fast, brutal, and precise. Blow after blow rang out, each strike strong enough to kill lesser beings instantly.
Xekar moved first with intent.
"Void Reap."
His scythe swung with almost no visible effort. The motion was small, almost lazy, yet terrifying. A thin, pitch-black cut flashed through space itself. It ignored distance, ignored direction. Reality split for a heartbeat.
Darius reacted at the very last moment. He twisted his body aside. The cut missed his core, but a sharp pain burst through his hand. Blood spilled as a shallow wound opened across his palm. The attack had nearly taken it clean off.
Darius did not stop.
"Sunburn Pulse."
A burst of solar heat exploded outward from his body. The ground beneath him flash-burned, turning into glowing glass. Xekar barely managed to evade, sliding back as the heat passed where he stood moments earlier.
Darius pressed forward relentlessly.
"Zenith Split."
He raised his flaming sword high and brought it down in a straight, vertical strike. A narrow column of solar fire shot forward, ripping through the ground like a blade. Stone shattered, earth split apart, and everything in its path was consumed by fire.
Xekar answered instantly.
"Abyssal Pierce."
He thrust his scythe forward. Darkness compressed into a deadly lance, drilling through the solar fire and tearing through the land beneath. Light and darkness collided head-on, exploding outward and shaking the battlefield yet again.
Xekar clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Tchh. Such a waste of time," he said coldly. "Let's end it right now, shall we?"
He planted the tip of his scythe into the ground.
All sound died.
Not silence as people knew it, but something deeper. The world itself seemed muted. Even the wind stopped moving.
"Black Silence Requiem."
The corrupted energy around Xekar changed. The red veins that once pulsed across his body faded away, replaced by pure black lines. Everything collapsed inward, as if the power he had consumed was being compressed into a single point. The battlefield darkened, not with shadows, but with absence. It felt as though parts of reality had been removed.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then thin black lines appeared.
They spread across the air, the ground, and even the bodies of those within range. They looked like invisible cuts, barely noticeable, hanging in place like marks waiting to be activated.
Xekar slowly lifted his scythe.
He swung it once, horizontally.
The lines activated.
Space fractured along those paths. A delayed distortion followed. Portions of the terrain vanished cleanly, as if erased from existence. Broken stone, lingering flames, and corrupted energy constructs disappeared without sound. Void-like residue drifted where matter once existed.
The wave of erasure moved toward Darius.
It devoured everything in its path.
Darius took a deep breath.
"Final Light: Sun-Crowned Sword, Last Horizon."
He stopped suppressing himself.
Behind him, his miniature sun fully manifested. It rose like a second dawn, crowning his silhouette in blinding radiance. Solar flares descended from it, pouring directly into his flame-forged sword. The blade thickened, growing wider and heavier, transforming into a pillar of pure stellar fire. The air ignited instantly. The ground turned to molten glass. Every shadow vanished.
Darius did not rush.
He took one slow step forward.
Then he swung.
The slash did not explode on contact. Instead, it drew a horizon. A vast, glowing arc traveled forward in perfect silence. Everything it touched was not destroyed by force, but erased by finality. Nothing remained.
Only after the arc completed its path did the aftermath arrive.
The horizon collapsed inward.
A delayed, sun-born detonation erupted, flooding the battlefield with blinding light and overwhelming heat. Darkness was swallowed whole. Flames roared across the ruins, consuming everything left behind.
Those watching from the sidelines shielded their eyes as light and darkness clashed one final time. The explosion shook the land, sending waves of heat rolling outward.
When the light faded, the battlefield became clear once more.
Darius stood alone.
Smoke rose from his body as he calmly lit his cigar and took a slow drag. The miniature sun behind him dimmed instantly, collapsing back into his body. The sword flickered… then vanished completely.
Darius exhaled smoke and turned away. He did not look back.
Blood covered his body. His steps were heavy. Exhaustion weighed on him with every movement as he walked toward the others.
Xekar's body was nowhere to be found.
Cheers erupted. Everyone ran toward Darius, eyes filled with joy and relief. The pain, the fear, the suffering, they all felt distant now. Everyone laughed, some cried in joy. All felt relaxed, as few body collapsed in relief. The war that had consumed them had finally ended. Victory was theirs.
Or so they thought.
A voice echoed through the ruins.
"I cannot be ended."
"Black Thread Severance."
From the ashes on the ground, a hand emerged. Burned, broken, yet moving. From its fingertips, a massive orb of ultra-condensed dark filaments fired straight toward Darius.
Everyone saw it.
Darius was too tired to move.
The orb struck.
Boom.
A massive explosion erupted, dust and debris filling the air. The joy vanished instantly, replaced by fear. Silence fell as everyone waited for the dust to settle, hearts pounding, afraid of what they might see.