The battlefield was broken earth, rivers of molten metal cutting through stone, and the air itself warped under the Sovereign's presence.
The Iron-Sovereign towered above Kael, his body forged from blackened steel, veins of molten ore running through plated armor like living arteries. Every movement clanged like a forge hammer. His helm was faceless—only a slit of blinding orange light where eyes should be.
Kael stood firm in the ruin, cloak whipping behind him, Ashrend gleaming crimson in his grip. His aura flared red, snapping the ground like cracks of lightning.
"Another Sovereign risen from the grave," Kael muttered, his voice like sharpened iron. "And you think to chain this world?"
The Iron-Sovereign's voice boomed like anvils colliding.
"Not chain. Rule. Flesh bends. Stone breaks. Iron endures. You are but a spark—"
"Then I'll burn you down."
The duel ignited.
The Sovereign's blade—a colossal slab of black iron—came crashing down. The earth split, molten rivers spraying upward. Kael blurred, vanishing in red lightning, reappearing at the Sovereign's flank. Ashrend carved a deep crimson arc against the iron hide. Sparks shrieked.
The Sovereign staggered but turned with impossible speed, his gauntlet seizing Kael by the chest. He lifted him like a broken doll and slammed him into the earth, the impact rattling the battlefield.
Kael spat blood, aura burning hotter. The Crimson Mark across his chest blazed, arcs of red lightning dancing like veins. With a roar, he released the Crimson Spark—his entire body igniting in a storm of fire and lightning.
He erupted upward, blade slicing the Sovereign's arm free at the joint. Black molten ichor sprayed across the battlefield. The Sovereign did not scream. He forged a new arm from the earth itself, molten stone hardening into steel in an instant.
Kael's eyes narrowed. So this is Sovereign power at its peak.
The Iron-Sovereign swung again, and Kael met him head-on.
"Ashrend—CRIMSON SEVERANCE!"
The blade split the molten river in half, red lightning spiraling into the Sovereign's core. For a heartbeat, the world went silent—then the Sovereign's chest erupted outward, molten fire raining like meteors.
But the Sovereign endured. His body reforged, harder, thicker, as if the battle itself made him unbreakable.
The fight dragged into a storm of fire, lightning, and steel. Kael's companions—Lyra, Darric, Isryn—watched from the shattered ridges, their voices lost beneath the fury of titans.
Every clash cracked mountains. Every strike reshaped the ground.
Kael's aura began to twist darker, his Mark blazing out of control. His strikes blurred faster, stronger, the crimson flame fusing with black lightning.
The Sovereign pressed forward, his voice steady even through the destruction.
"You fight like the First. Reckless. Cursed. Do you even know what you carry?"
Kael's blade locked against his, sparks scattering like stars. His crimson aura roared higher, consuming everything around him.
"I don't care. I'll cut through every Sovereign until none remain."
With a final surge, Kael wrenched free, spun Ashrend in a blazing arc, and drove it into the Sovereign's chest.
"CRIMSON WRATH!"
The ground shattered. A storm of red lightning exploded skyward, engulfing the Sovereign in a pillar of fire.
When the light faded, the Iron-Sovereign was on one knee, molten cracks spiderwebbing across his body. He lifted his faceless helm toward Kael—and for the first time, hesitated.
"You… are no mere heir. You are… the end."
He shattered into molten shards, dissolving into the earth. The battlefield fell silent.
Kael collapsed to one knee, gripping Ashrend for support. His body smoked with crimson energy, his Mark burning like a brand of war.
Behind him, Lyra and the others ran forward—but the silence was broken by another sound.
A distant thunder, not of storm, but of footsteps.
The earth trembled.
From the horizon, legions marched. Black banners unfurled. The Voice-Eater Legions had come.