BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
One emerald streak.
One black streak.
The two kings of the battlefield collided.
Soul Reaver met the Emerald Behemoth's crystal fist.
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!
The impact split the northern battlefield outside Base 101.
A shockwave erupted across the plains.
The walls of Base 101 trembled.
Windows shattered.
Dust exploded into the sky.
Neither combatant yielded.
Inside his mind...
Rex's voice echoed.
Commander...
Weapon Evolution Progress...
99.8%.
Synchronization continuing...
Sam gritted his teeth.
"So close..."
The Emerald Behemoth pushed harder.
Ancient emerald mana poured into the clash.
The pressure grew heavier.
The blade trembled.
High atop the northern wall...
Runa's golden eyes widened.
"The Commander..."
"...he's absorbing the Behemoth's mana."
Ben tightened his grip on his shield.
"Come on..."
Kael smiled despite the chaos.
"Finish it."
The Emerald Behemoth laughed.
"You endure."
"But can your weapon?"
With a violent roar, emerald mana erupted from its arm.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Soul Reaver was forced backward.
A new crack appeared near the guard.
Sam's eyes narrowed.
"No..."
The crack spread.
Then another.
The blade trembled violently.
Inside his mind...
Rex spoke.
Warning.
Weapon stability failing.
Ancient Emerald Core approaching critical resonance.
Do not release the weapon.
Sam smiled.
"I wasn't planning to."
He wrapped both hands around the hilt.
"No matter what happens..."
"...we finish this together."
Soul Reaver answered.
THUMP.
A pulse echoed through the battlefield.
THUMP.
Another.
Every soldier felt it.
Even the monsters stopped moving.
The sword...
Was beating like a living heart.
The Emerald Behemoth's smile faded.
"...Finally."
"It awakens."
Emerald mana rushed toward Soul Reaver from every direction.
Not only from the Behemoth...
But from every crystal scattered across the battlefield.
The glowing runes spread across the blade.
Across the hilt.
Across the pommel.
Until the entire weapon shone with black and emerald light.
Inside his mind...
Rex's voice rang out.
No longer calm.
Filled with unmistakable excitement.
Commander...
Evolution Complete.
Soul Reaver has successfully evolved.
Golden windows exploded across Sam's vision.
Legendary Weapon Evolution Complete
Soul Reaver
⬇
Emerald Soul Reaver
New Weapon Traits Acquired
Legendary Trait — Emerald Core
Ancient emerald mana can be absorbed during battle to restore weapon durability and empower attacks.
Legendary Trait — King's Resonance
The weapon's power increases in proportion to the resolve of its wielder.
Legendary Skill — Emerald Requiem
Legendary Skill — King's Execution
The battlefield fell silent.
The transformed weapon looked magnificent.
The black steel had become darker than midnight.
Emerald runes flowed across its surface like living rivers.
The edge shimmered with emerald light.
A crystal set within the guard pulsed like a beating heart.
It was unmistakably the same sword Master Doran had forged...
Yet it had become something far greater.
Inside his mind...
Rex spoke once more.
Commander...
Master Blacksmith Doran's masterpiece has reached its first true evolution.
A smile spread across Sam's face.
"...Thank you, Doran."
Across the battlefield...
The Emerald Behemoth slowly lowered its fists.
Its ancient eyes reflected the transformed blade.
"The blacksmith..."
"...has surpassed my expectations."
Sam lifted Emerald Soul Reaver.
"He'll be glad to hear that."
The Behemoth smiled.
"I hope he lives long enough to forge another."
Ancient emerald mana erupted around the giant.
"This..."
"...is my strongest strike."
It raised one colossal fist.
Every remaining crystal on the battlefield answered.
Mana surged into its arm.
The sky darkened.
The earth shook.
Even the monster army retreated.
Sam lowered his stance.
Black shadows spiraled around him.
Emerald light wrapped around the blade.
He slowly inhaled.
Then...
He smiled.
"My turn."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Both combatants moved.
The Emerald Behemoth's fist descended with enough force to shatter a mountain.
Sam swung.
"Legendary Skill..."
The emerald runes across the blade ignited.
"...Emerald Requiem."
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!
A crescent of black and emerald light erupted from the sword.
The attack collided with the Behemoth's fist.
For one endless heartbeat...
Nothing moved.
Then—
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!
The heavens split apart.
A pillar of black and emerald light pierced the clouds.
The battlefield disappeared beneath the explosion.
Every soldier shielded their eyes.
No one could see the outcome.
Only the sound of the collision echoed across the northern plains.
The battle between the King of Base 101...
And the Emerald Behemoth...
Reached its final moment.