The Shining Knight hurtled through the air, his colossal blade forged from pure, searing light. As it descended, it cleaved through the air with an unrelenting, god-like ferocity. The Unrivalled's golden eyes, sharp as obsidian shards, locked onto the incoming threat, his focus narrowing into a razor's edge of determination.
A pulse of dark energy, previously encasing him in shadow, gave way to an eruption of fiery, molten magma that surged through his veins. His obsidian skin deepened into an abyssal black, while crimson veins of energy blazed and writhed infernally.
The moment the Shining Knight's blade connected with the air, an explosion of light erupted in a blinding conflagration that engulfed the Unrivalled. The force of the impact was cataclysmic; a shockwave of incandescent energy swept across the arena, obliterating the remains of fallen warriors and vaporizing the blood-soaked earth. The energy barrier encircling the combatants convulsed violently, its surface rippling under the strain, struggling against the overwhelming torrent of heat and power that threatened to tear it asunder.
As the blinding brilliance of the explosion began to wane, a dense shroud of smoke and steam lingered, veiling the arena in an oppressive silence. The chaotic symphony of light and sound gave way to an eerie, expectant hush. The Shining Knight's once-pristine armour, now marred by grime and sweat, stood amidst the dissipating haze. His breath came in ragged, labored gasps, each exhalation a struggle against the exhaustion that clung to him like a shroud. His shoulders sagged under the weight of his immense weapon and the toll of his divine assault.
Drenched in sweat and fatigue, the Shining Knight muttered hoarsely to himself, his voice carrying a rough, victorious edge. "It is finished. The heavens have spoken. This victory is mine. I am the Exalted One of this era... my path to godhood is inevitable now..."
But as the last vestiges of the blinding light receded, the smoke began to lift, revealing a sight that seized the Shining Knight's heart with icy dread. A dark, abyssal hand was firmly gripping the hilt of his blade, unmoved by the devastating force of his attack. His chest tightened as the victorious aura of his thoughts shattered, replaced by a cold realization.
Emerging from the receding smoke, the Unrivalled stood with an overwhelming presence. His darker-than-obsidian skin shimmered with a dark, ethereal sheen, veins of fiery crimson energy pulsing and writhing beneath his surface. His white cape, tattered but regal, fluttered ghostly in the waning wind, adding a particular grace to his imposing figure.
The Shining Knight's eyes widened in horror and disbelief as they locked onto the Unrivalled. "What… H-How... how can you still be…"
The crowd erupted again.
"He's still standing?! That attack was supposed to be the end! How is he even alive?"
"I can't believe my eyes. This is a moment that will be remembered forever. Unrivalled is showing a level of strength we never imagined!"
"The Overseers are stunned! They've never seen anything like this. Unrivalled is defying all expectations!"
The First of the Four Overseers, a middle-aged man with a stern face, stared in stunned silence. His usually impassive features were twisted into an expression of disbelief. His eyes were wide, riveted to the figure of Unrivalled, as if trying to comprehend the sheer impossibility of what he was witnessing. His mouth hung slightly open, the usual control of his demeanor slipping as he mumbled under his breath, "This... this defies all reason. How is he withstanding such a force?"
And then the Second, dressed in flowing robes of deep indigo embroidered with gold thread that shimmered with every movement, exuded an aura of divine authority. His blonde hair cascaded in elegant waves, framing his porcelain-like face, while his golden eyes gleamed with fascination and reverence. "To witness such power from one who has not ascended—this Unrivalled displays a strength that rivals even the Exalted Ones among us. It is as if he has transcended the very boundaries of humanity without ever having been blessed with divine elevation. This is truly astounding."
The Third remained silent yet again.
Then the Fourth, who had been mysteriously interested in the individual, smiled with glee. "Indeed... it seems we have a true monster on our hands."
All the voices were spoken in recognition of Unrivalled. His hand, seemingly forged from pure darkness, gripped the Shining Knight's blade with an effortless strength. With a mere flex of his fingers, the sword shattered into glowing fragments, scattering like shattered dreams.
The Shining Knight's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw his own reflection in the broken pieces of his weapon, the last vestige of his power slipping away. He gazed up at the Unrivalled, whose golden pupils were devoid of any trace of mercy. The Knight's world was consumed by darkness as the Unrivalled's voice cut through the silence.
"This is for Ayame."
The Shining Knight's eyes reflected realization and fear as he finally recognized who this "Unrivalled" was. But before he could utter a word or even form a coherent thought, the Unrivalled's darkened fist swung forward.
The moment the Unrivalled's fist collided with the Shining Knight's chest, it was like the hand of a vengeful god descending upon a mortal soul, eager to extract a brutal retribution. The Knight's armour crumpled inward like tin foil. The metal buckled and folded, screaming under the weight of the Unrivalled's wrath.
The Knight's ribs splintered, each bone snapping like brittle branches in a storm, the sound echoing with a haunting finality. His sternum, the anchor of his frame, shattered into countless fragments that shot inward like shrapnel, tearing through flesh and muscle ruthlessly.
The Shining Knight's body was a fortress, but this blow was an earthquake of such magnitude that no walls could stand against it. His lungs collapsed under the pressure, their delicate tissue rupturing as if they were fragile balloons popped by the crushing might of the Unrivalled's fist. Blood erupted from the Knight's mouth in a torrent, a crimson river that painted the air with streaks of his life force, each droplet suspended in the air like twisted stars in a dying galaxy.
The shockwave from the punch expanded outward in a ripple that bulldozed everything in its path. It was as if the air itself had been compressed into a cannonball of concussive force, launched with the singular purpose of erasing anything that dared to stand in defiance. The ground beneath the Shining Knight's feet fractured and split, the cement cracking open in jagged lines that radiated outward like the veins of a tortured earth. Dust and debris were thrown into the air, swirling into a chaotic storm that blotted out the light, casting the arena into a suffocating darkness.
The magical barriers that once separated the arena from the crowd were not just shattered; they were obliterated, vaporized by the force of the impact. The energy that had kept combatants contained, that had withstood countless battles and blows, was undone in an instant. The shimmering walls of protection exploded outward like glass under a hammer, their remnants dissolving into particles of light that were swept away by the shockwave's fury.
The Shining Knight was lifted off his feet and sent hurtling through the air, spinning uncontrollably, twisting and contorting in ways that no human form was meant to endure. The Knight's body finally met the wall at the edge of the arena with a bone-crunching impact that sent shockwaves through the structure.
The wall, reinforced with the same magic that had once powered the barriers, cracked and crumbled, unable to withstand the force of the Shining Knight's collision. His body was embedded into the stone, crushed and broken, held aloft only by the remnants of the wall's once-impenetrable surface. His armour, now twisted and shattered, hung loosely on his form, the proud, shining metal reduced to scraps of metal clinging to a dead man.
But the Unrivalled was not done.
The force of the punch continued to echo throughout the arena, and the air itself seemed to vibrate with the aftershocks, resonating with a frequency that was felt more than heard, a deep, bone-shaking hum that spread through the crowd like the tolling of a death knell. It was a sound that reached into the hearts of all who heard it, clenching around their souls and squeezing until fear was all that remained.
The shock-wave surged upward, in a spiralling column of energy that punched through the structure with relentless force. The ceiling buckled under the pressure, the beams and supports twisting and snapping like twigs underfoot. With a final, earth-shaking roar, the roof exploded outward, shards of metal and stone raining down in a deadly cascade. The night sky was revealed, the stars above twinkling innocently as if oblivious to the carnage below.
The cries of the crowd were stifled by the choking silence that followed the storm. The spectators, who moments before had been on the edge of their seats, were now frozen in place, their faces pale with terror and disbelief.
The Overseers, who had once watched with detached amusement, now sat in stunned silence, their minds struggling to comprehend the magnitude of what they had just witnessed. For the first time in their lives, they felt fear—fear of this human, fear of the power he possessed.
Fear of what he might become.
This was no mere man. This person was Unrivalled. And his story was just beginning.
Among The Overseers, The Third spoke at last.
"It looks like, the next Ascendant who will become Exalted has been decided."