Alzwalt stood before Ferax. No body, flesh or physical form. Only an immeasurable existence of golden radiance.
The Supreme Light. The God of Heaven. The undead army that had once covered the battlefield had been completely erased. Not defeated. Not destroyed in the conventional sense. Simply removed by the overwhelming presence of Alzwalt's light.
Even the darkness surrounding Kael'Ar had been forced to retreat. Ferax narrowed his eyes. For the first time, uncertainty appeared within his expression. Yet a smile slowly returned.
"Took you long enough."
Alzwalt's golden radiance intensified. His voice no longer sounded entirely human. It was layered, carrying an echo that resembled thunder rolling across the heavens.
"You are bound to be erased by my Supreme Light."
A force immediately struck Ferax. The Abyss itself seemed to resist.
Ferax was pushed backward through the air, his six black wings spreading as he stabilized himself. His grip tightened around Dark Lord. He raised the black blade toward the heavens.
"Abyssal Manifestation."
Dark energy descended from the sky. A column of primordial darkness shot downward and entered the tip of Dark Lord. The weapon trembled. Darkness spread from the blade and covered Ferax completely.
A dark cloak formed around his body, its hood rising over his head and concealing most of his face. Ferax pointed toward Alzwalt.
"Authority of Death."
The darkness behind him expanded. A gigantic Grim Reaper silhouette appeared. It towered over the battlefield, holding an enormous scythe. The entity raised its weapon. Then swung. Alzwalt did not move.
The Supreme Light surrounding him moved on its own. Golden radiance gathered before him and blocked the scythe. The collision produced no explosion.
The scythe simply stopped. Unable to pass through the light. Alzwalt raised his right hand. He slowly moved it downward. A slash appeared across Ferax's chest. Blood scattered into the air.
At the same instant, an enormous slash extended across the landscape of Kael'Ar, cutting through the already devastated terrain.
A wave of Supreme Light followed. It washed over Ferax. The Grim Reaper silhouette disappeared instantly. Ferax was thrown backward. He quickly recovered. A portal opened beside him.
Ferax entered. The portal vanished. Then another opened behind Alzwalt. Ferax emerged from it and immediately threw a punch.
"Hand of Shadow!"
The attack struck toward Alzwalt's face.
Alzwalt didn't move. The Supreme Light intercepted the fist. Ferax clicked his tongue. Then his expression changed. "Beast of the Abyss."
The darkness behind him opened. Something enormous emerged from its depths. A monstrous serpentine giant appeared beneath a rapidly forming storm. Typhon. The Father of All Monsters.
A creature so enormous that its emergence alone distorted the battlefield. Great winds tore across Kael'Ar. Lightning flashed through the clouds. The storm expanded across the heavens as Typhon emerged completely from the Abyss. Its monstrous form rose above the landscape. Its mouth opened.
A beam containing fire and poison erupted from within it. The attack traveled directly toward Alzwalt. Alzwalt raised his right palm. The beam struck his hand and stopped. The Supreme Light absorbed the force.
The attack was redirected behind him, where it continued forward and melted the landscape in its path. Ferax attacked immediately. At the same time, Typhon began growing and growing even more. Its enormous head rose higher into the heavens until it brushed against the stars.
Its arms stretched across the horizon, reaching from east to west. Ferax appeared before Alzwalt and hurled two spears of darkness.
Alzwalt stepped aside. The first spear passed harmlessly beside him. The second reached his face. It stopped. The darkness surrounding the weapon disappeared. Then the spear vanished. Ferax clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
Alzwalt raised his hand. He looked briefly at his palm.
"Supreme Light Manifestation."
The heavens filled with golden light. Countless gigantic swords appeared above him. They stretched across the sky like a celestial army. Alzwalt moved his hand. The swords descended. They pierced Typhon from above.
The massive creature released an enormous roar. The sound shook the world. The ground beneath them violently fractured. A 12.7-magnitude earthquake spread across Kael'Ar. Mountains trembled. The ocean surged.
The landscape shifted beneath the pressure of Typhon's roar but Alzwalt had already disappeared. He reappeared directly before Typhon's head then he accelerated. The Supreme Light became a streak. Alzwalt burst through Typhon's head.
He didn't stop. He continued forward, passing through sections of the enormous creature's body and piercing through its immense form. Typhon attempted to move. Alzwalt appeared above its head. He raised his index finger.
"Supreme Purification."
The light erupted. It washed over Typhon.
The enormous creature began disappearing beneath the radiance. Its monstrous form was consumed by Supreme Light until nothing remained. Typhon had been erased. Ferax suddenly coughed. Blood escaped his mouth.
The connection between him and Typhon had been far deeper than an ordinary summon. Typhon had been connected to the Abyss itself. Its destruction had struck directly at Ferax. Alzwalt appeared before him. His golden radiance illuminated Ferax's dark cloak.
"As I've said before, Ferax…" Alzwalt's voice echoed across the battlefield. "This was just unfinished business." Ferax slowly raised his head. "This is not destiny." The Supreme Light surrounding Alzwalt grew brighter. "History is not repeating itself." He looked directly at Ferax. "It is being rewritten." Ferax remained silent for several seconds.
Then he slowly pushed himself upright. "Even if I die…" His voice was strained, but he continued. "A Circuit cannot die. It always finds a way to come back."
Alzwalt looked directly into his eyes.
"That is true. No doubt." His voice softened. "But the person who inherits that Circuit has the option of choosing whether he will be righteous or evil." Ferax's expression changed. "It is the same as you choosing to participate in this war by using history to justify your actions."
The words lingered. For the first time, Ferax didn't immediately respond. Then he started laughing.
At first, it was quiet. Then louder. "So what?" His laughter echoed through the ruined battlefield.
"Does that make my life meaningless?" Ferax's eyes hardened. "Am I wrong for thinking the way I think?" He tightened his grip around Dark Lord. "I refuse to believe such a thing."
His expression became almost desperate beneath the darkness.
"Someone had to make all of this possible." Alzwalt remained still. "Even if they did…" The Supreme Light surrounding him flickered like a distant star. "Aren't you in control of your own life?" Ferax stared at him. "You are capable of making your own decisions."
Alzwalt's voice became firm.
"Don't blame anyone for your own selfishness."
Silence. Ferax lowered his head. Then slowly raised it again.
"Say what you want."
Darkness began gathering around him.
"You're the God of Heaven."
His eyes remained fixed on Alzwalt.
"What do you know about the Abyss?"
The darkness around Ferax intensified.
"I made up my mind."
He raised Dark Lord.
"One of us has to die today."
Alzwalt stared at him then calmly answered.
"Very well, then."
Ferax suddenly stopped moving. Every remaining fragment of energy within him began gathering. The darkness surrounding the battlefield rushed toward a single point. His six black wings trembled. The Abyss condensed.
The energy became denser and denser until even the surrounding space began bending around it. Ferax brought both hands together. A black sphere formed between them.
The sphere grew. The darkness became so concentrated that it began absorbing everything around it. Ferax's entire remaining power had been gathered into one attack. He looked directly at Alzwalt.
"Point of No Return."
He released it. The dark energy sphere exploded forward. Everything in its path disappeared. The earth was absorbed.
The remaining landscape vanished. The surrounding energy was consumed. Even space itself twisted around the attack. It wasn't simply traveling through reality. It was tearing reality apart as it moved. Alzwalt watched it approach.
He did not retreat. He brought his palms together. Then slowly pulled them apart. Golden light covered his hands. His left hand and left foot moved forward. His right hand and right foot moved backward. He lowered his body. Then looked directly at the incoming darkness.
"Supreme Equinox."
Alzwalt punched. The Supreme Light erupted from his right hand.
It collided with the Point of No Return. For one moment, darkness and light remained locked together. Then the golden radiance began spreading across the attack. The Supreme Light engulfed the darkness. It traveled backward. It covered Ferax's left hand. Then his feet.
The primordial darkness surrounding him began vaporizing. Ferax's eyes widened. The Point of No Return disappeared beneath the Supreme Light. The punch continued.
A tremendous impact struck Ferax. The landscape beneath them collapsed. A gigantic crater expanded across Kael'Ar, stretching farther and farther across the ruined land. The shockwave swept over the battlefield. Then silence.
Ferax fell…he struck the ground and remained there. His dark cloak had disappeared. The darkness around him was gone. Ferax stared upward at the night sky. His breathing gradually weakened.
The stars above him remained silent. For a final moment, his eyes stayed open for a few seconds then they closed. Ferax died beneath the sky of Kael'Ar and the battle between the Supreme Light and the Abyss came to an end.