The heavens trembled.
A golden radiance flooded the streets of Solara as Darius vael stood before Ryojin, his celestial wings burning like miniature suns. The sheer weight of his presence made the air heavy, suffocating, as if the gods themselves had descended to judge Ryojin's existence.
This was no ordinary warrior.
Darius had once been Ryojin's closest comrade, a man who fought beside him during their time in the abyssal clans . Now, he stood as his executioner.
Ryojin tilted his head, cracking his neck. "So, you really believe you can kill me?"
Darius's grip tightened around his Divine Greatblade, a massive weapon inscribed with celestial runes that pulsed with holy energy. "The world must be cleansed of your corruption."
Ryojin smirked. "Cleansed?" His fingers curled around his katana's hilt, abyssal mist rising from its blade. "That's a fancy way of saying 'I'm afraid of what you've become.'"
Darius said nothing.
He moved.
A single step—and the street shattered.
Ryojin barely had time to react before a wave of golden force surged toward him, splitting the earth like a divine judgment. He leapt, flipping backward onto a rooftop just as the street exploded in a blast of holy fire.
Darius was already airborne, wings carrying him with terrifying speed. He descended like a meteor, his blade swinging in an arc meant to cleave Ryojin in two.
Ryojin met him head-on.
Steel clashed against steel.
A deafening shockwave tore through the district, sending tiles and stone flying. The sheer force of their impact flattened the surrounding buildings, reducing them to rubble.
Ryojin landed smoothly, katana raised. Darius didn't relent.
Another swing—faster.
Ryojin parried, but the impact sent him skidding backward, his boots carving deep trenches into the stone.
Darius raised a hand—golden sigils formed in the air, each one crackling with divine energy.
Ryojin's eyes narrowed. "Oh shit!".
The air boiled.
"Judgment Spear!"
The sky itself answered Darius's command. A lance of pure light, burning hotter than the sun, descended toward Ryojin at blinding speed.
Dodge? No time.
Instead, Ryojin embraced the Abyss.
A pulse of black energy erupted from his body, warping the very fabric of space. The moment before impact, he vanished.
The Judgment Spear struck the earth—and detonated.
A shockwave of divine energy ripped through the city, reducing an entire block to nothing but scorched ruins. The force sent even Darius reeling, his wings flaring to stabilize himself.
But Ryojin had already reappeared—above him.
The Abyss surged.
His katana, wreathed in black flames, came down in a devastating arc. A direct hit.
Darius barely raised his blade in time. But even with his strength, he was forced downward, crashing through three buildings before landing in a crater of shattered stone.
Dust and smoke filled the air.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—a golden glow.
Darius rose. Blood dripped from his forehead, his armor scorched and cracked. His eyes burned with unshaken resolve.
"This isn't over," he growled.
Ryojin grinned, licking a stray drop of blood from his lip. "Good."
He pointed his katana at Darius.
This is only the beginning.
The war between light and darkness had begun in earnest.
Ryojin exhaled slowly, feeling the rush of battle pulse through his veins. The night air crackled with residual energy from their clash—divine and abyssal energy warring in the very atmosphere.
Across from him, Darius vael stood in the ruins of a once-proud district, his golden aura flickering, his celestial armor cracked but not broken. His grip on his Divine Greatblade remained steady, unwavering.
"You haven't changed," Darius muttered, wiping the blood from his forehead. "Still reckless. Still arrogant."
Ryojin smirked. "And you're still pretending to be a god's loyal pet." He rolled his shoulders, letting abyssal mist coil around his katana. "Tell me, Darius, do you ever think for yourself? Or do the gods have to whisper every move into your ear?"
Darius didn't react to the provocation. Instead, he lowered his stance—a sign that he was done talking.
A golden ring of light formed beneath his feet.
Ryojin's eyes narrowed. Something's coming.
Darius lifted his free hand.
"Solar Baptism!"
The sky split open.
A column of pure holy fire erupted from above, descending toward Ryojin like divine judgment itself. The heat alone warped the air, turning shattered stone into molten slag before it even touched the ground.
But Ryojin didn't move.
He lifted a single hand.
The Abyss answered.
Black tendrils erupted from the shadows, forming a swirling vortex of nothingness around him. The divine flames struck the barrier—and vanished.
Consumed. Erased.
Darius's eyes widened, just for a fraction of a second.
Ryojin grinned. Got you.
He moved.
Faster than sound.
One moment, he was standing still—the next, he was inside Darius's guard.
His katana flashed. A clean, perfect slash aimed at the exposed joint in Darius's armor—
Blocked.
Darius had barely managed to intercept with his greatblade, but the force of the impact still sent him skidding backward, his boots tearing through the rubble.
Ryojin didn't let up.
He struck again. And again. A relentless storm of blows, each one infused with the Abyss's unnatural weight. The sheer pressure of his attacks forced Darius onto the defensive, cracks forming in the street beneath them.
Then—an opening.
Darius misstepped—a fraction too slow.
Ryojin's blade plunged forward, aimed for his heart.
But—
A blinding explosion of golden energy erupted from Darius's body, hurling Ryojin back.
He crashed into a broken column, the force rattling his bones. Darius was panting, but his aura had changed. The golden light surrounding him was no longer a controlled radiance—it was wild. Chaotic.
He was preparing something big.
Ryojin wiped a smear of blood from his lip, smirking.
"Getting serious, huh?"
Darius lifted his greatblade, his expression unreadable. "I made a promise, Ryojin. Remember?"
The ground trembled. The sky darkened.
"I promised you I'd be your God, and now am judging you."
And then, he vanished.
Not with speed—with teleportation.
Behind him.
Ryojin had less than a second to react before Darius's greatblade came crashing down.
For the first time in the battle—Ryojin felt pain.
The impact tore through his defenses, slamming him into the ground so hard the street itself collapsed, forming a deep crater.
Everything went quiet.
Then—a laugh.
Low. Dark. Amused. Echoing.
Inside the crater, through the dust and broken stone, Ryojin stood up.
His body was battered, his clothes torn, blood dripping from fresh wounds—but his smirk never wavered.
His violet eyes glowed.
The Abyss… was awake.
Ryojin lifted his katana, its blade now wreathed in pure black fire. The city trembled beneath him.
"Alright, Darius." He grinned, fangs bared. " I'll also be your Judicator."
And with that—
The real fight began.