The divine realm trembled, a cataclysmic quake shaking its very foundations. Zoreth, the god of greed, stood at the pinnacle of his empire, surrounded by the wreckage of his once-glorious palace. What was once a sanctuary of opulence and excess now lay in ruin—golden pillars cracked, jeweled windows shattered, and the very sky above seemed to be unraveling. This destruction, this collapse, was the result of Zoreth's insatiable hunger for power.
But it was not just the divine realm that was crumbling, it was the god himself.
Lucian, King of the Gods, approached. His armor glistened in the dim light, radiant with an aura of unmatched power. His blue eyes burned with cold fire, every step he took resonating with divine authority. He was the embodiment of justice, order, and strength, and as he strode through the desecrated palace, the walls seemed to bow in reverence.
Zoreth's amethyst eyes flicked toward Lucian, and for a brief moment, a flicker of fear passed through them. The god of greed's lips curled into a twisted smile, though his voice betrayed a touch of desperation.
"You," Zoreth sneered, his voice echoing with disdain. "The self-righteous King. You think you can destroy me, just because you believe your order is better than my freedom?"
Lucian's expression remained stoic, but the weight of his presence seemed to press down on Zoreth like a storm cloud about to burst. He did not need to speak, for his aura alone conveyed the words: You are a stain on this realm, and I will purge it.
Lucian raised his hand, his palm glowing with divine energy, and the air around them seemed to warp as his power surged. "You are an abomination, Zoreth. You have taken and corrupted what was never meant to be yours. You consume without end, without purpose. Your greed poisons the divine realm, and I will see it purged."
Zoreth's laughter was bitter and hollow, echoing through the hall like the rattling of chains. He lifted his staff, its once-glorious form now crackling with unstable energy. "You cannot understand," Zoreth hissed, his eyes gleaming with madness. "I am the god of more! There is no end to what I can take, no limit to the wealth I will gather. You, Lucian, are limited. You only take what serves your hollow ideals, your perfect order."
Lucian's eyes narrowed, and with a swift motion, his blade—the Blade of Kings—materialized in his hand, its edge gleaming with the light of the heavens. The blade hummed with an almost sentient hunger, eager to end this parasite that had festered in the divine realm. Without a word, Lucian advanced, his strike cutting through the air like lightning.
Zoreth, sensing the incoming attack, threw up a wall of green flame, thick with greed and power. The flames burned with an unholy light, curling like serpents around his form. But Lucian's strike cleaved through them effortlessly. The green fire scattered, its heat dissipating before it could even touch him.
"Your power is hollow," Lucian said, his voice calm but deadly. "A god who feeds on others, who hoards and consumes, is nothing more than a parasite. And parasites must be eradicated."
Zoreth's eyes flashed with fury, and with a roar, he raised his staff high. The ground beneath them cracked open, and golden chains erupted from the earth, wrapping around Lucian's limbs like serpents. Gold and jewels materialized from thin air, forming into grotesque monsters that lunged at Lucian with slavering mouths. But the King of the Gods moved with divine speed, cutting through the constructs with each swing of his blade. His strikes were precise, relentless—each movement tearing through the greed that Zoreth had woven into existence.
Zoreth staggered backward, his illusions crumbling in the face of Lucian's wrath. "You don't understand," he spat, his voice trembling with a mix of rage and desperation. "You think you can defeat me with your purity? My hunger is infinite! I am more than you! I will consume everything you have ever built, Lucian!"
Lucian's eyes grew colder. "You are nothing. A parasite who thinks it can transcend its own weakness. Your endless hunger is your prison. You will never know true power, because you can never create—only consume."
With that, Lucian closed the distance in an instant. He moved like a storm, his blade cutting through the air with divine precision. Zoreth, seeing the end drawing near, unleashed the last of his strength. A massive wave of green fire erupted from him, thick and suffocating, the very embodiment of his greed. The wave swept through the palace, scorching the heavens themselves as it sought to devour Lucian in its consuming heat.
But Lucian was the King of the Gods. His blade met the wave with a flash of light that ripped the air asunder. The green flames dissipated as if they had never existed. With a single motion, Lucian struck through the heart of Zoreth's power.
Zoreth's scream echoed in the void as his staff shattered and his illusions shattered like glass. His body flickered, and his divine essence began to unravel. He fell to his knees, the weight of his failure crashing down on him. His form began to disintegrate, crumbling like sand in the wind.
"Your time has passed," Lucian said, his voice low and final. "You will not be allowed to corrupt this realm any longer."
Zoreth's final words came in a strained whisper, filled with malice and defiance. "You think... you've won? Greed will always find a way to return. It always returns... and you will not stop it."
With a final, violent burst, Zoreth's body disintegrated completely, his essence scattered into the ether.
Lucian stood above the ashes, his expression unreadable. The divine realm grew still once more, the air heavy with the absence of the god who had once threatened to consume it all. The King of the Gods raised his blade high, the blade humming with victory. Yet, even in the silence, there was something gnawing at him.
Zoreth's last words lingered in the air, an unsettling promise that, perhaps, this battle had only been the beginning.
........
Far below, in a small village untouched by the divine turmoil, a young boy named Rowen lay asleep beneath the stars. In that moment, the last remnants of Zoreth's shattered essence found a new home.
And with it, a spark of greed was reborn.