The battlefield was in utter ruin. The Supreme Lord stood at the center, blood trickling down his silver armor, his breaths labored.
Around him, his Guardians lay fallen, their once bright, divine energy dimming with each passing second. The Evil Supreme's forces, monsters crafted from darkness and corruption, was overwhelming them.
The Supreme Lord's heart ached with every death, but he could not falter. Not now
Varael fought side by side with Lyra, his spear cutting through the creatures as he shielded her from their attacks.
"We can't hold them off much longer!" Lyra had shouted, her voice hoarse with desperation, even as she summoned the last of her power to send a blast of lightning through the creatures.
"We have to!" Varael had growled, his spear cutting through a twisted, snarling beast. "If the Supreme Lord falls, everything falls with him!"
But it had become painfully clear. No matter how hard they fought, no matter how much they pushed themselves beyond their limits, the battle was slipping away from them.
The Supreme Lord, though powerful, was beginning to tire. His silver armor dented and bloodied, he fought with every ounce of strength he had. His sword cut through the air with deadly precision, but the Evil Supreme was relentless, his every attack fueled by centuries of hatred.
"Look around you, " the Evil Supreme, towering over the battlefield spat. His sword, jagged and dripping with venomous dark energy, glinted in the dim light, his voice a rumble of hate.
"Your precious Guardians, your world, falling apart. You could have joined me, but you chose them. The weak, the undeserving."
The Supreme Lord met his gaze, weariness heavy in his eyes. "I chose balance, I chose life. You've forsaken everything we once stood for."
"You should have joined me," he repeated with a snarl, his dark eyes gleaming with malicious intent as he had swung his sword in a wide arc. "Together, we could have ruled the universe! You and I, Supreme Lord, brothers again!"
"I would rather die," the Supreme Lord had spat through gritted teeth, his sword flashing as he countered the attack with a powerful strike, the force of his blow reverberating through the battlefield.
Their battle had been one of titanic proportions, light and darkness, swirling together in a cataclysmic dance that had shaken the very core of the Supreme Realm. Each strike had sent ripples through the fabric of reality itself, the ground beneath them cracking and crumbling as their powers collided. The air had trembled, as if even the universe feared the force being unleashed.
Down on Earth, the storm had raged on, a reflection of the celestial war above. Dark clouds had blotted out the sun, and lightning had lit up the sky with violent intensity. Humans, oblivious to the battle waged above them, had run for cover, huddling in their homes as the wind howled and the rain lashed against their windows. To them, it had been nothing more than a violent storm, a freak of nature. They had no idea that their very existence had hung in the balance, that the storm had been a reflection of the heavens being torn apart.
But in the Supreme Realm, there had been no hiding from the truth. The Evil Supreme had laughed as he had driven his sword toward the Supreme Lord once more, his movements fluid and relentless.
"You're weak!" he had taunted, his voice dripping with venom. "You cling to your ideals of balance, of mercy. But there is no mercy in war, Supreme Lord. There is only victory or defeat!"
The Supreme Lord had parried the blow, his eyes flashing with defiance. But even he had felt the tremor of doubt in his heart. He had known that this battle could not be won in the conventional sense. Not as long as the Evil Supreme's hatred continued to fuel him.
And then, with a final, earth-shattering blow, their swords had collided one last time.
A wave of light and darkness had spiraled outward from the impact, engulfing the battlefield in a blinding explosion of energy. Everything had frozen in place, time itself seemingly suspended as the opposing forces had clashed. And then, silence. A stillness that had felt almost unnatural, as though the universe had been holding its breath.
The battlefield had slowly come back into focus, the blinding light fading to reveal the Supreme Lord and the Evil Supreme locked in their final struggle. Their faces had been inches apart, their eyes burning with equal intensity, one with fury, the other with unyielding resolve.
The Supreme Lord had felt the weight of the universe pressing down on him. He had known then what had to be done. There had been no other way.
Drawing on the last reserves of his power, he had reached deep into the cosmic forces that governed the realms. His body had glowed with the light of a thousand stars, his essence merging with the very fabric of the universe. It had been a sacrifice. One he had not made lightly. But it had been the only way to stop the Evil Supreme.
A powerful wind began to swirl around them, a vortex of light and shadow, the Evil Supreme, sensing the shift, staggered back.
"What are you doing?!" he demanded, his voice tinged with panic for the first time.
The Supreme Lord continued to draw powers from the universe.
The ground beneath them began to crack, and the air filled with a low, ominous hum. A rift started to form, swirling with darkness, reaching out toward the Evil Supreme and his creatures.
"No!" the Evil Supreme bellowed, thrashing against the pull of the rift. His dark creatures shrieked as they too fought against the pull.
The Supreme Lord's body trembled under the strain of the power he was using. He could feel the immense power slipping from his grasp as he poured it in sealing the rift. His vision blurred, his strength waning, but he couldn't stop. Not now.
With a final, heart-wrenching cry, the Supreme Lord had unleashed a torrent of divine energy, his sword carving through the air and severing the connection that bound the Evil Supreme to the Supreme Realm.
The Evil Supreme roared in fury, his form flickering as the rift had begun to tear open beneath him.
You can't defeat me!" he roared. "I'll return! I'll always return!"
The ground had split apart, a chasm forming as the Supreme Lord used the last of his power to seal his former brother inside the rift, along with the monstrous creatures he had created.
The rift had swallowed them whole, dragging the Evil Supreme and his dark legion down into the void. But not before the Evil Supreme had reached out one last time, his hand brushing against the Supreme Lord's chest in a final, desperate attempt to drag him down with him.
The Supreme Lord had stood firm, though the effort had cost him dearly. The wound the Evil Supreme had left on him had been deep, an injury that had burned with the taint of darkness. It had been a bittersweet victory.
The rift had sealed shut with a final thunderous crack, the air around it crackling with the remnants of the Supreme Lord's power. Silence had fallen over the battlefield once more, but it had been a hollow silence, filled with the weight of loss.
Varael had stumbled toward the Supreme Lord, his body battered and bruised from the fight. Lyra had been at his side, her face streaked with blood and tears. Together, they had looked at the Supreme Lord, their leader, their protector, and had seen the toll the battle had taken on him.
"You did it," Varael had whispered, his voice barely audible over the distant rumble of the storm. "You stopped him."
The Supreme Lord nodded, his eyes heavy with the cost of that victory. He looked down at the wound on his chest, darkness energy still pulsing there.