Eclipse Requiem

The battlefield trembled.

Kael's transformation was complete. **His crimson aura had darkened into something deeper—something unnatural.** Shadows pulsed from his body, distorting reality itself. His eyes, once fierce and determined, now **gleamed with abyssal power.**

Orin took a step back. **For the first time, uncertainty flickered in his golden-crimson gaze.**

Kael **vanished.**

**BOOM!**

A sudden impact sent Orin flying **across the battlefield.** The moment his body crashed into the ground, Kael was already **there.**

No hesitation. No mercy.

Kael **grabbed Orin's face—**

And **slammed him into the earth.**

**CRACK!**

The ground beneath them shattered, sending massive shockwaves in every direction. **Stone, debris, and bodies flew into the air, torn apart by the sheer force of Kael's power.**

Orin gasped—**he couldn't move.**

Kael was **too fast.**

Too strong.

Too… **inhuman.**

---

### **Power Beyond Limits**

Orin growled, his aura flaring in defiance. **He pushed Kael away with a surge of divine energy**, flipping backward to regain his stance.

"You…" He panted, wiping blood from his mouth. His wound, regenerating before, now **struggled to close.**

Kael stood tall, silent.

His abyssal energy swirled around him, forming tendrils of **pure destruction.**

Orin's eyes narrowed. "This isn't you, Kael."

Kael tilted his head. "Isn't it?"

His voice…

It didn't sound like him anymore.

Orin gritted his teeth. He **rushed forward—**

Kael didn't move.

Then—

**SLASH!**

Blood sprayed into the air.

Orin's **arm was severed.**

He **staggered back, gasping.** Pain, real pain, surged through his body.

Kael **hadn't even moved.**

Orin stared at him in disbelief. "What… the hell?"

Kael simply stepped forward. **His shadow stretched unnaturally, swallowing the ground beneath him.**

The air **felt heavy.**

Suffocating.

Saren, still struggling to stand, **felt her knees buckle under the pressure.**

**This wasn't the Kael she knew.**

This was something… **else.**

Abyssborn.

---

### **Orin's Desperation**

Orin **roared in defiance.** His golden-crimson aura exploded outward, trying to **match** the overwhelming presence before him.

He clenched his remaining fist. "I won't let you win!"

His power surged.

Lightning crackled in the sky. The ground beneath him **glowed with divine sigils.** The energy of gods and devils **merged into one final attack.**

Orin **dashed forward.** His entire body **burned with golden fire.**

Kael **watched him come.**

Then—he raised his hand.

And **pointed.**

Abyssal energy **lashed forward—**

**A single tendril.**

It **pierced through Orin's chest.**

Orin's breath hitched.

The energy **spread through his body.** **His golden aura flickered, fading.**

"No…" Orin gasped, eyes wide. **His power… was being devoured.**

Kael simply **stared down at him.**

"You lost."

Orin collapsed to his knees. His vision blurred. **He felt his life draining away.**

This wasn't how it was supposed to end.

**Not like this.**

---

### **The Choice**

Kael **stood over Orin.** His abyssal aura **coiled around him like living shadows.**

He raised his sword.

Saren **gasped.** "Kael! Stop!"

Kael's blade **hovered over Orin's throat.**

Orin, barely conscious, **stared up at his former friend.**

For the first time since the battle began—

Kael hesitated.

His abyssal power screamed for **blood.**

For **vengeance.**

For **annihilation.**

But somewhere—**deep inside**—Kael heard another voice.

His own.

"…Kael."

His hands trembled. His grip on the sword faltered.

He could feel it now.

**The abyss was trying to consume him.**

If he killed Orin now—

He might never come back.

The abyss would **own him.**

Kael's heartbeat thundered in his ears.

Then—

He **lowered his sword.**

Saren collapsed in relief.

Orin's body slumped forward, unconscious. His golden aura **faded completely.**

Kael exhaled. The abyssal energy around him **began to retreat.**

For now—

He had won.

But at what cost?

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