The courtyard buckled.
Stone split like paper, and from the cracks bled darkness—not just the absence of light, but something that ate it.
The villain didn't flinch. He stepped backward onto the throne, his armor alive with shadow, his voice deepening as if something else was speaking through him.
"You thought my ambition was to rule this world," he said. "No… my ambition is to unmake it."
The throne's runes flared white, then bled into a deep crimson, pulsing like a heartbeat.
The Seal Shatters
Gia dragged Kyle and Felix back as the ground in front of them caved in entirely. From the abyss below came an arm—if it could even be called that. Its shape shifted between flesh, smoke, and pure shadow, fingers longer than any human's, claws scraping against stone.
The air went thick, and Kyle's blood weapon felt heavier in his grip, as if it didn't want to be wielded here.
"What is that?" Felix muttered, voice tight.
The villain smiled faintly. "A god from before time… and now, mine."
The First Surge
The massive arm slammed down. The impact sent a shockwave through the courtyard, tossing rubble and knocking Felix off his feet. Gia barely managed to open a portal in front of the blast to redirect it upward, but the strain made her knees buckle.
Kyle rushed forward, stabbing his sword into the god's arm. The crimson steel bit deep—only for shadow to flood into the wound, pushing the blade back out. The weapon dissolved into mist before reforming in his hand.
"It's not staying down!" Kyle shouted.
"You can't kill what isn't alive," the villain said, now standing in the center of the chaos like it was his throne room.
A Fight on Two Fronts
The god's second arm emerged, followed by a head that was almost featureless—just a shape with an endless void where its face should have been. The sound it made wasn't a roar but a chorus of whispers, each one speaking in a language none of them understood.
Gia's voice trembled. "It's… trying to talk to us."
"Don't listen," Kyle snapped. "That's how it gets in your head."
But Felix was already shaking his head like he was trying to clear it, his eyes narrowing. "It's not just talking. It's… offering something."
"Felix!" Gia barked, grabbing his arm to pull him back.
The Stakes Rise
The god's body began to drag itself higher, each movement tearing the courtyard apart. The villain's own form started to blur at the edges, his shadow armor spilling off him and merging with the god's limbs.
Kyle realized with a cold jolt—this wasn't the villain summoning the god.
This was the villain becoming it.
"We need to stop the merge!" Kyle shouted.
"How?!" Felix yelled back, slicing through a tendril that shot toward Gia.
Kyle's eyes locked on the throne. "Break the seal before it's complete."
Gia's expression hardened. "Then open every portal I've got."
The Final Push Begins
Portals flared into existence all around the courtyard, each one angled toward the throne. Wind howled through them, pulling at everything not bolted down.
The villain's voice deepened again, booming through the ruins. "Too late. The god wakes… and so do I."
The last chunk of the seal crumbled.
The ground fell away.
And all three of them were staring into the abyss—with the abyss staring back.
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