The battlefield fell into silence.
Xel'Varyn stood at the center of a war-torn plain, her three arms flexing in anticipation as Emperor Vaelric strode forward. His golden armor gleamed beneath the corrupted sun, his radiant presence an unyielding pillar of faith.
Around them, soldiers on both sides hesitated. This was no longer a battle of armies. This was a war decided by rulers.
[System Update: Supreme Duel Initiated]
"A duel between sovereigns has begun. The fate of this war hinges upon the outcome."
Combatants:
Xel'Varyn, Eclipse Queen (Shadow, Corruption, Qi Mastery, Cultivation: Demon Ascendant Stage)
Vaelric, Emperor of the Sun-Blade Dominion (Celestial, Divine Radiance, Holy Martial Arts, Cultivation: Saint's Apex Stage)
Effects of the Duel:
Victory: Shadowveil will gain complete momentum; Sun-Blade forces will break.
Defeat: The enemy will regain their faith, rallying to Vaelric's banner.
The First Clash
Vaelric moved first.
His sword ignited with blinding flames, a celestial arc of destruction cutting toward Xel'Varyn.
She countered instantly, her demonic glaive clashing against divine steel. Sparks of black and gold erupted into the air, reality itself quaking beneath their power.
The sheer force of impact sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.
The ground beneath them shattered.
The sky above cracked with divine and abyssal energy.
Soldiers from both armies were forced back as their rulers clashed.
Vaelric's movements were precise, each strike a manifestation of divine law. His power was raw, unyielding—an emperor who had never known defeat.
Xel'Varyn, however, was chaos incarnate.
Her three arms moved independently, one blocking, one striking, one weaving corruption into the air. Every move she made was unpredictable, adapting to his rhythm, then shattering it.
For every divine strike he unleashed, she returned a shadowed curse.
For every sacred flame he conjured, she smothered it in abyssal night.
Yet neither could land a decisive blow.
---
[System Combat Log]
Vaelric's Blessing of Radiance mitigates corruption effects.
Xel'Varyn's Shadow Qi absorbs 20% of divine energy on contact.
Both combatants' Qi reserves remain at 80%.
---
Breaking the Faith
Vaelric's face remained calm, but his eyes betrayed something new—uncertainty.
Xel'Varyn saw it immediately.
A slow, cruel smile spread across her lips.
"What's wrong, Emperor?" she taunted, parrying his strike effortlessly.
"Your gods are watching, aren't they?"
Her words sank into his mind like a venomous whisper.
"Are they proud? Or are they… silent?"
For the first time, Vaelric hesitated.
And that was all she needed.
With a surge of power, Xel'Varyn unleashed her trump card.
[Eclipsing Will: Divine Corruption Activated]
A dark sigil erupted beneath Vaelric's feet, tendrils of abyssal energy wrapping around him. It was not an attack. It was a curse.
His golden aura flickered. His divine light dimmed.
His faith… wavered.
Xel'Varyn lunged.
Her glaive, now wreathed in midnight fire, pierced through his armor—through divine flesh.
Vaelric staggered, golden blood dripping onto the battlefield.
A collective gasp rose from his soldiers.
The unbreakable emperor had been wounded.
---
[System Update: Duel Outcome Detected]
"The Sun has faltered. The Eclipse rises."
Xel'Varyn has inflicted Divine Corruption on Vaelric.
Vaelric's faith has been shattered—combat effectiveness reduced by 40%.
Shadowveil gains overwhelming momentum.
---
The Emperor Falls
Vaelric dropped to one knee.
His sword trembled in his grip. His golden eyes, once filled with divine certainty, now reflected doubt.
Xel'Varyn stood over him, triumphant.
She pressed her glaive against his throat.
"It's over."
Silence.
Then, Vaelric spoke—softly, yet resolutely.
"…No. Not yet."
A pulse of golden Qi exploded from his body.
Xel'Varyn's eyes widened as the battlefield itself began to shift.
Vaelric's wound closed instantly. His aura flared brighter than ever.
And then—the sky itself split open.
A presence descended.
Not Vaelric's power.
Something greater.
Something divine.
---
[System Alert: Divine Intervention Detected]
"A god has answered the Emperor's final prayer."
??? Descends upon the battlefield.
Vaelric enters the State of Divine Awakening.
Xel'Varyn faces a true celestial challenge.
The battlefield trembled under the presence of an unknown god.
And Xel'Varyn laughed.
"Finally."
"A real fight."
---
[To Be Continued...]