A Battlefield of Blood and Ash
The sky had turned black with smoke, and the once-thriving sanctuary of Haven was nothing more than a burning wasteland.
Ethan Kael stood amidst a mountain of corpses.
The bodies of Titans, warriors who had once been seen as immortal, now lay scattered across the battlefield. Some were torn apart, others incinerated, their legendary powers proving useless before the Apex Titan's wrath.
But the battle was far from over.
The survivors—Lucian, Ragnar, Selene, Vortus, and a dozen other elite Titans—still stood. And they were not giving up.
Their mission was clear.
Kill Ethan Kael.
And now—Sofia stood in their way.
---
Sofia's hands glowed with golden light, her presence almost angelic amidst the destruction. Her soft blue eyes, usually filled with warmth, were now filled with determination as she stood beside Ethan.
She had always hated war.
Hated the endless bloodshed.
She had fought alongside Ethan not to kill, but to protect.
And yet, today—she was forced to raise her hand in battle.
"Step aside, Sofia!" Lucian roared, his voice like thunder. "This war isn't yours!"
Sofia's voice was firm. "This war should have never started."
Her power flared—a radiant, golden aura spreading around her, forming a protective barrier that pushed back the storm raging around them.
Lucian gritted his teeth. "Don't make me do this."
Ethan's golden eyes narrowed. "You think I'll let you touch her?"
And then—the battle resumed.
---
Lucian struck first, his lightning-infused spear splitting the air.
Ethan met him head-on, his blade colliding with the spear, sending shockwaves that shattered the ground beneath them.
Selene appeared behind Ethan in a blur of darkness, her blade aimed for his spine.
But Sofia intercepted.
Golden chains of pure healing energy erupted from her hands, wrapping around Selene's arms and burning through her dark magic.
Selene's eyes widened. "Tch. You're in the way, Sofia!"
Sofia didn't flinch. "Then leave."
Before Selene could break free, Ethan's fist slammed into her chest, sending her crashing through a ruined tower.
But that was when Ragnar charged.
The Unbroken Titan, a monster of raw strength, bulldozed through the battlefield, his body glowing with runic power.
Ethan turned to meet him—but this time, Ragnar was ready.
A massive fist, covered in crimson energy, slammed into Ethan's ribs with the force of a collapsing star.
Ethan grunted—for the first time in years, he actually felt pain.
And then—Vortus struck from above.
The gravity-wielding Titan raised his hands, and an invisible force pressed down on Ethan, making his body feel ten times heavier.
Lucian followed up, lightning spears impaling Ethan's shoulders and legs, pinning him in place.
For the first time—Ethan was immobilized.
"Now!" Lucian roared.
Ragnar and Vortus moved in for the kill.
But then—Sofia screamed.
Her golden energy erupted, forming a massive barrier around Ethan, shattering the lightning spears and pushing the Titans back.
And in that moment—
Selene reappeared.
Her blade, coated in pure void energy, stabbed through Sofia's stomach.
---
Ethan's world froze.
Sofia gasped, blood spilling from her lips as Selene twisted the blade.
Her healing aura flickered, the golden light around her dimming.
"S-Sofia!"
Ethan vanished, reappearing behind Selene in an instant.
His fist shot forward—
But Selene was already retreating, her void magic pulling her into the shadows.
Sofia staggered, her knees buckling as she collapsed into Ethan's arms.
Her blood was warm. Too warm.
Her eyes—the ones that had always looked at him with kindness—were now filled with pain.
Ethan's hands trembled.
For the first time since he was a boy, since he lost his family—
Fear gripped his heart.
"No… no, no, no—"
He pressed his hand against her wound, his power surging to heal her—
But something was wrong.
Selene's void energy was eating away at her lifeforce.
Even with his Titan abilities—he couldn't stop it.
And that was when he realized—
Sofia was dying.
---
The Breaking Point
Lucian stepped forward, his eyes hard. "Ethan… surrender. It's over."
Ethan didn't hear him.
His entire body trembled. His fingers clenched. His teeth ground together as rage—pure, unfiltered rage—built inside him.
His golden aura darkened.
His very presence shifted—becoming something primal. Unstoppable.
Ragnar took a step back, a shiver running down his spine. "Lucian… something's wrong."
Lucian saw it too.
The air became heavier. The ground cracked beneath Ethan's feet.
And then—
Ethan roared.
The very heavens trembled at the sound.
His power, once controlled, now exploded outward, shattering the battlefield, sending massive shockwaves that tossed Titans and soldiers into the air like ragdolls.
Selene barely managed to escape into the shadows, but not before her left arm was torn from her body.
Ragnar, the Unbroken Titan, was sent flying through a dozen buildings.
Vortus, the gravity-wielding Titan, collapsed to his knees, his own power turning against him.
Lucian barely had time to raise his spear before—
Ethan was upon him.
A fist crashed into Lucian's gut, breaking bones, sending blood exploding from his mouth.
Ethan grabbed him by the throat, lifting him into the air.
"You hurt her," Ethan's voice was not human anymore—it was something else. Something darker. Something monstrous.
Lucian struggled, his body screaming in pain—but Ethan's grip was unbreakable.
And then—
Ethan crushed Lucian's throat.
The Stormborn Titan—one of the strongest warriors to ever exist—was dead in an instant.
The battlefield fell silent.
And then—Ethan turned to the others.
His golden eyes now burned with something new.
Hatred.
This war was not over.
It had just begun.
---
The world burned.
Lightning still crackled in the sky, the earth was shattered beyond recognition, and the air smelled of blood and ash.
But none of it mattered.
Because Ethan Kael had snapped.
Sofia lay bleeding in his arms, her golden light fading, her once-healing hands now too weak to move.
And the Titans who had done this—they still breathed.
Not for long.
--
Ragnar, Selene, and Vortus stood frozen in shock.
They had fought Titans before. They had killed gods. They had seen destruction on scales unimaginable.
But this was different.
Ethan wasn't fighting like a warrior anymore.
He was something else now.
Something beyond rage.
Beyond reason.
Beyond Titan.
Ragnar clenched his fists. "We need to regroup."
Selene, missing an arm, her breathing ragged, whispered, "No. We need to run."
Vortus didn't move. He simply stared at Ethan, the realization sinking in. "We were wrong."
Lucian had been the strongest among them. A god of storms.
And Ethan had killed him in an instant.
This was no longer a battle.
This was an execution.
----
Ethan gently laid Sofia down, brushing her silver hair from her face. Her breathing was weak, her golden eyes barely open.
She was watching him.
Even now, she was still trying to understand him.
But there was nothing left to understand.
He stood up, his bloodied sword at his side, his golden eyes now burning with something beyond human comprehension.
He spoke, his voice a whisper—yet it carried through the battlefield like a death sentence.
"You will all die today."
And then—he moved.
---
Ragnar charged first, his fist crackling with power, his Titan-enhanced muscles bulging with enough strength to crush mountains.
He had never lost in raw strength.
Until now.
Ethan met him head-on.
Not with a blade.
Not with an energy attack.
But with his bare hands.
The moment Ragnar's fist collided with Ethan's palm, the entire battlefield shook violently—and then Ragnar screamed.
His arm shattered.
Not broken—shattered into dust.
The Unbroken Titan, the immovable wall of destruction, staggered back—his face pale with horror.
Ethan grabbed him by the throat, his fingers crushing into his flesh like steel.
"You're nothing," Ethan said.
And then, he ripped Ragnar's head from his body.
Blood sprayed across the ruins.
The Unbroken Titan was no more.
Selene tried to vanish into the shadows, her body flickering like darkness itself.
But Ethan had fought her kind before.
He didn't need to see her.
He felt her.
Before she could strike, his hand lashed out—grabbing her by the hair, pulling her out of the void like she was nothing more than a child.
She gasped, eyes wide. "P-Please—"
Ethan didn't let her finish.
He drove his blade into her heart, twisting it slowly.
She convulsed, her golden eyes filling with fear—before fading into nothingness.
She collapsed.
Dead.
---
Vortus did not run.
He was the last one standing.
His massive, cybernetic body, enhanced beyond Titan limits, pulsed with raw energy.
He had one chance.
One final strike.
He launched forward, his entire body transforming into a gravitational singularity, warping the very air around him.
A final, desperate attack to consume Ethan completely.
But Ethan didn't move.
He simply raised a single hand—
And stopped Vortus in mid-air.
The Colossus's eyes widened. "Impossible—"
Ethan's fingers clenched.
And Vortus imploded.
His massive, indestructible body crushed into itself, collapsing like a dying star.
A moment later—he was gone.
Nothing left but dust.
---
The Battlefield Grows Silent
It was over.
The greatest Titans had fallen.
The army that had gathered to kill Ethan Kael had been wiped from existence.
Ethan stood alone, the wind carrying the blood-soaked scent of war.
And yet—his rage did not fade.
He turned back toward Sofia, her body still unmoving.
He was no longer a warrior.
No longer a soldier.
No longer just a Titan.
He was something worse.
He was Ethan Kael, the Apex of All.
And the world was his to destroy.
---