VOIDBLADE: THE LAST SWORD OF THE END

The night sky bled fire.

Siege engines roared from Emberrest's ranks, hurling blazing projectiles into Blackthorn Keep's towering walls. Stone cracked and splintered under the onslaught, sending shockwaves through the fortress with every impact. The scent of burning wood and molten rock filled the air as flames licked the battlements.

But it wasn't the siege that terrified Blackthorn's defenders.

It was the shadows moving through the firelight.

Jin stood at the front of his advancing army, lightning crackling along his staff as his eyes stayed locked on the keep. His face was calm, but the storm inside him surged with anticipation. Blackthorn's fall would mark the first true step toward claiming Briarstead — and he had no intention of dragging this out.

Beside him, Kaela emerged from the darkness, her voice a whisper only he could hear. "Their forces are stretched thin. Greth and Malyce pulled most of their elite guards to the inner keep. The outer walls are vulnerable."

"Then we end this before they can regroup," Jin replied. He raised a hand — and the signal went up.

The sky erupted.

From the flanking positions, Emberrest's mages unleashed a storm of destruction. Arcs of lightning, torrents of flame, and spears of ice rained down on the fortress. The enemy's archers barely had time to notch their arrows before their towers were obliterated.

And then the gates fell.

The first wave poured through the breach, clashing with Blackthorn's defenders in a cacophony of steel and screams. Jin watched the battle unfold, his eyes calculating — but his patience had limits.

"Enough," he murmured.

Lightning surged around him as he stepped forward. In an instant, he was among the enemy, his staff a blur of motion. Every strike unleashed a burst of electricity — soldiers convulsed and fell before they even registered his presence.

"Push forward!" Jin's voice thundered across the battlefield. "Show them what it means to defy us!"

Emberrest's forces rallied, driving deeper into the fortress. But even as they advanced, Jin felt it — the cold pulse of something darker on the wind.

Void God had arrived.

A wave of silence rippled through the battlefield as the shadows deepened unnaturally. From the far side of the keep, a black figure stepped into the firelight. The air itself seemed to recoil from his presence.

And then the killing began.

Void Step.

He was among them — faster than thought. Voidfang flashed, and bodies fell. There was no sound, no warning — just the sudden weight of death. Greth's elite guard barely had time to react before their ranks were decimated.

The survivors broke.

But there was no escape.

Presence of the Abyss rolled out from him — a suffocating wave of stillness. The fleeing soldiers stumbled, their movements sluggish, their fear turning to paralysis. And in that stillness, Void God moved like inevitability.

Jin reached the inner keep first. The doors burst inward with a single, thunderous strike from his staff. Inside, Lords Greth and Malyce stood waiting — their faces pale, their weapons already drawn.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Greth snarled, desperation flickering in his eyes. "You're throwing this county into chaos!"

"No," Jin said calmly. "I'm bringing order."

And then the fight was over.

It didn't take long. Even together, they were no match. Greth fell first, his sword shattered, his body broken. Malyce tried to flee — but the lightning caught him at the door.

Jin stood over their bodies, his expression unreadable. "Briarstead belongs to me now," he said softly.

Behind him, the battle outside fell silent.

Void God stepped into the chamber a moment later, his blade still dripping with shadow. He didn't speak — but the slight tilt of his head told Jin everything he needed to know.

It was over.

Blackthorn Keep had fallen.

And Briarstead's true war had only just begun.