The sky above Earth 10 twisted with unnatural storms. Smoke, fire, and flashes of lightning streaked the horizon as portals continued to spit monsters across cities. Yet, amidst the chaos, one presence was untouchable: Everos, the lightning wraith, moving faster than thought, his sword slicing through reality itself.
But then the ground shivered as a massive ripple of white energy emerged. The last portal erupted, and from it came a presence that made even Everos pause for the briefest heartbeat: Thanatos, the great white snake.
Its scales shimmered like polished ivory, impervious to ordinary attacks. Its eyes burned with intelligence and malice born from the Era of The One, a time when gods, mortals, and all life were far more volatile and brutal. This was not a mindless monster—it was a conscious predator, a relic of a world that had long passed.
Everos gripped his blade, the stormlight around him coiling like a living thing. "Then it's time," he muttered, and they clashed in the sky, faster than light, higher than mountains, moving across cities as if the earth itself were their arena.
The first strike made skyscrapers tremble. Everos lunged with lightning speed, swinging his sword in arcs that sliced through clouds and shattered air currents. Thanatos twisted and coiled midair, scales deflecting the strike, retaliating with a blast of white energy that could annihilate an entire city block. Lightning clashed with primal apocalypse energy, each strike warping space around them, leaving trails of destruction in their wake.
Everos unleashed one-fifth of his true power, the first time he allowed even a fraction of his full authority to manifest. Black lightning arced from his sword, igniting the air, and as he struck, Thanatos hissed in pain as a deep gash opened along its immense torso. White energy seeped from the wound, burning with the intensity of apocalypse-era magic.
Yet even as the wound widened, Thanatos did not retreat. Instead, its colossal form twisted through the air, forcing Everos to react with precise strikes and lightning-infused parries. Buildings beneath them cracked and exploded. Streets became rivers of fire. The monsters summoned from other portals, sensing the overwhelming auras, scurried in terror or were incinerated instantly by stray arcs of Everos's stormlight.
Finally, Everos landed a blow so precise and violent that Thanatos felt the pain of mortality for the first time in centuries. Massive cracks split the cityscape below, and the great white serpent hovered, wounded, eyes narrowing in recognition of defeat.
"I… choose… to die," Thanatos rasped, its voice echoing like the last sound of the apocalypse itself. Its massive body slowly lowered, coiling in the air as its energy dimmed.
Everos lowered his blade, his stormlight dimming to a calm hum. "If it's your choice… I will honor it," he said, gently. The lightning aura around him softened, turning from destructive energy to a serene, controlled brilliance.
Thanatos's eyes met Everos's, and in a whisper that trembled with centuries of knowledge, it spoke:
"The Absolutes… they've enslaved the Nameless One's past enemies… slowly preparing them… to invade Earth… through portals…"
Everos's brow furrowed. The weight of this revelation pressed on him even as he carefully ended Thanatos's suffering, allowing the great white serpent to fade into nothingness, leaving no trace of its ancient apocalypse aura behind.
As the last portal monsters disintegrated under Everos's white lightning, he hovered silently above the city. The air was heavy with the scent of ozone and ash. His mind raced, analyzing what Thanatos had revealed.
"If they are enslaving the Nameless One's enemies…" Everos murmured, gripping the hilt of his sword. "Will… that Person… be willing to comply and fight for them?"
Lightning danced along his armor as he pondered, eyes narrowing. Somewhere, somewhere beyond time and realms, a plan was taking shape—a plan that could force even the most indomitable wills into submission.
And Everos knew one thing with certainty: Earth 10 would not fall without a fight, and its guardians, strengthened by the lessons of centuries, would rise to meet whatever horrors the Absolutes prepared.
The stormlight around him flared once more, brighter than before, a silent promise of judgment, wrath, and unwavering vigilance.
Everos looking toward the horizon, the last whispers of Thanatos echoing in his mind, a warning and a question that only time would answer.
"Will Earth 10 survive the coming tide… or will history repeat itself under the Absolute's command?"