Riah's eyes snapped wide open as the world around her shifted. The air turned a deep, ominous blue, swirling with an ethereal mist. The earth beneath her feet hummed with power, and she looked up to see a massive wormhole tear open in the sky. Lightning cracked, violently streaking across the atmosphere. The storm raged, and with it, time seemed to snap back into motion.
"Xavier!" Riah's voice cut through the chaos. "Time's back. It's happening!"
Xavier stumbled, looking around in confusion as the world settled into its bizarre, otherworldly hue. "What the hell happened? Why is everything blue… and misty?"
Gendai's face paled, her breath quickening. "That's the nullity! It's Kazimir! He's—he's letting it out!" She gripped her arms tightly as if to hold herself together. "It's dangerous. If you go near him… you'll die."
Tojo, ever calm, stepped up beside her, his hand resting gently on her trembling shoulder. "Relax. It's going to be fine. Trust him."
Raijin's gaze narrowed as he watched the power surge from Kazimir. "Riah said it was coming. Guess this is it."
Riah's heart surged. She wasn't afraid. Not anymore. Kazimir had done it—finally. She watched as his hair flared to a deep blue, veins of energy flickering along his skin. His eyes were the same—no longer human, but impossibly alive with raw, unstoppable power. He had embraced it, become one with it.
She rushed toward him, her pulse racing with pride. "Kazimir! You did it!"
Kazimir's eyes flicked toward her, a calm resolve in them. "Riah… protect the others."
Riah's smile faltered for a split second, the weight of his request heavy on her chest. "I know. I can't let them get close. They won't survive this."
Without hesitation, she extended her hand, a barrier snapping into place around the others, the shimmering field blocking out the chaotic energy around them.
Gendai spun toward her, eyes wide with panic. "Why aren't you staying with him?"
Riah's gaze was steady, a fire in her eyes. "Because Kazimir's got this. It's too dangerous for you to be near him. He's not holding back. You'll be better off here."
With that, Kazimir moved. His body was a blur, his power erupting in a violent wave. He lunged at the Dynasty, his fist connecting with its monstrous form in a brutal backhand. It crashed backward, but quickly recovered, meeting him head-on in a furious clash.
Kazimir roared, his aura flaring as the black hole of the nullity activated. Energy surged through the air in violent arcs of lightning, crackling and sparking as he absorbed it all, feeding the growing black hole in the sky. It sucked everything in—lightning, power, and all that surrounded them.
The Dynasty charged, but Kazimir was faster. His sword slashed through the air, a streak of blue light that carved deep into the Dynasty's shoulder. It staggered back, eyes glowing with fury as it prepared to retaliate.
But the Dynasty wasn't finished. With a guttural growl, it raised its hand, summoning a ball of energy that expanded, stretching to the size of the entire realm.
Raijin's voice trembled with fear as he watched the massive energy swell. "That's going to shatter this realm! If it spreads outside—"
Tojo cut him off, voice steady despite the rising tension. "We trust Kazimir. He knows what he's doing."
Kazimir's eyes flared with an even brighter intensity. He clenched his fist, and with a single command, the Primal Catastrophe erupted. The world around him seemed to distort, bending and warping as the black hole's power expanded rapidly, consuming every ounce of energy in its wake.
Raijin's jaw dropped. "Is that a black hole? Is he actually doing this?"
Tojo, stunned, shook his head in awe. "This… this is beyond anything we could've imagined."
Gendai's voice wavered in fear. "That's more dangerous than anything the Dynasty has thrown at us…"
Riah stood firm, her barrier protecting the others as the energy whipped around them. "It feeds on everything… but I can resist it. We're safe, for now. But out there…" She glanced toward the battle, her face hardening. "Everything outside this barrier is at risk."
Without hesitation, the Dynasty charged once more, slamming toward Kazimir with brutal force. It had no idea what it was up against.
Kazimir dropped to the ground, sliding beneath the Dynasty's massive form before delivering a lightning-fast dropkick that sent the creature flying straight into the black hole. Kazimir didn't hesitate. He followed it in, disappearing into the abyss.
Inside the void, the battle became a blur. Kazimir was everywhere. A blur of blue light, his sword slicing through the emptiness, exploding with violent bursts of lightning with each strike. The Dynasty had no time to react, no place to run. Kazimir's sword cut through its arm, then its leg, leaving it helpless, unable to fight back.
Kazimir stood above the Dynasty, his eyes burning with cold fury. "Do you remember what you did to my mother?"
With a swift, brutal motion, Kazimir thrust his sword into the Dynasty's mouth, twisting it. He stabbed again and again, each blow sending shockwaves through the creature's body. The Primal Catastrophe exploded around them, consuming the last of the Dynasty's energy, obliterating everything.
Then, nothing. Silence.
In an instant, the two of them were back in the real world. The world trembled as the aftermath of the battle rippled outward. The explosion had been colossal. Six million square miles of devastation. Wind tore through the landscape, ripping everything in its path as the remnants of the blast spread out, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
Tojo took a shaky breath, looking out over the chaos. "If that had been in the real world… It could have destroyed entire countries."
Raijin, his gaze still locked on the horizon, couldn't help but admire Kazimir's power. "Kazimir… he's something else. But… how did we end up on a beach?"
Xavier scratched his head, glancing around in confusion. "No idea. But I'm not complaining. Look at them." He pointed toward the shore, where Kazimir and Riah stood side by side, the Eclipse casting a soft, eerie glow over them. "It's peaceful now. After everything."
Riah stood beside Kazimir, her eyes meeting his as the storm settled behind them. The battle was over, but their journey had only just begun.