Eclipse Requiem

The battlefield stood still.

Kael's **crimson aura** burned like a raging inferno. His grip on his sword tightened, his body tensed like a coiled spring. His abyssal energy **crackled violently**, warping the air around him.

Orin simply smiled. His **golden-crimson glow pulsed**, divine and abyssal power mixing into something **twisted and overwhelming.**

The final clash was **moments away.**

Saren **staggered back**, clutching her injured arm. She could **barely breathe** under the pressure of their combined power.

"This isn't… a fight anymore," she muttered. "This is a **war.**"

Orin **tilted his head.** "You're serious this time, huh?"

Kael's **eyes burned.**

"I should have been serious from the start."

Then—

**They vanished.**

---

### **The Unstoppable Force vs. The Immovable Monster**

Abyssal Step. **Kael reappeared above Orin.** His sword **descended with monstrous force.**

**CLANG!**

Orin **blocked**, but the ground beneath him **shattered.** His feet **sank into the earth** from the sheer impact.

Kael didn't let up.

He **twisted mid-air**, his second strike **aimed at Orin's side—**

But Orin **moved faster.**

His **fist slammed into Kael's ribs**, sending him crashing through a ruined tower.

**BOOM!**

Dust and debris exploded outward.

Kael hit the ground **hard.** Blood **dripped from his mouth.** His body screamed in pain—but he forced himself to **rise again.**

Orin was already **charging.**

Kael's eyes **flashed.**

He **dashed forward**, their attacks **colliding in a storm of destruction.**

**SLASH!**

Kael's blade **tore across Orin's chest.** A deep, gashing wound.

But—

Orin **grinned.**

His wound **sealed instantly.**

Kael's breath hitched.

**He's regenerating.**

Orin **wiped the blood from his lips.** "What's wrong?" His aura flared. "Weren't you going to kill me?"

Kael **gritted his teeth.**

His power wasn't **enough.**

Not against **this.**

---

### **The Awakening**

Kael **focused.**

His mind reached **deep into his Fragment.**

It was there.

The abyssal power **that had been growing inside him.**

It had always been there, waiting.

Waiting for him to **let go.**

Kael's heart **pounded.**

If he unleashed it completely… would he still be himself?

Or would he become **something else?**

But then—

He looked at **Saren, barely standing.**

At the **slaughtered soldiers, the burning battlefield.**

And at **Orin—his best friend, now his worst enemy.**

This **had to end.**

Kael **closed his eyes.**

And let go.

**BOOM!**

His aura **exploded outward**, no longer just crimson. **Shadows surged from his body, a deeper abyss than ever before.**

The power was **uncontrollable.** It **devoured the ground beneath him**, the very air **vibrating with raw destruction.**

Saren's eyes **widened in horror.** "Kael… what did you do?"

Orin's grin **vanished.**

For the first time—

His **eyes showed fear.**

Kael **opened his eyes.**

And they weren't human anymore.

They were **abyssal.**

He **vanished.**

Reappeared.

**And struck.**

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