The sky churned with a sickly crimson hue as the battlefield trembled under the weight of clashing powers. Altharion stood at the center, his obsidian armor slick with blood—some his own, most from those who dared challenge him. The air around him warped as his qi surged, shadows writhing like serpents eager to taste the essence of life.
Across from him, the enemy commander, a hulking warlord named Vaedric, bared jagged teeth. His greatsword crackled with lightning, each spark igniting the air with lethal intent. "Your tricks end here, shadow spawn," he growled.
Altharion's eyes narrowed. "Tricks?" His voice was calm, but the ground beneath his boots fractured, bleeding darkness. "This… is inevitability."
In a heartbeat, he vanished. Shadowstep. The world blurred, and before Vaedric could swing, Altharion's blade erupted from a portal of black mist behind him. The strike was parried, sparks flying, but the momentum pushed Vaedric back several steps.
"Fast," Vaedric admitted, "but not enough!" He swung in an arc wide enough to split a fortress gate. Altharion ducked, palm striking the ground. Blood magic seeped from his fingertips, spreading in crimson runes that pulsed like a beating heart.
"Blood Bind."
The ground erupted with chains of coagulated energy, wrapping around Vaedric's legs and arms, constricting like venomous serpents. The warlord snarled, struggling against the crushing force.
But Altharion didn't pause. Shadows congealed in his free hand, forming a spear tipped with a vortex of qi. He thrust it forward—straight into Vaedric's chest.
The impact was like a thunderclap. Vaedric roared, lightning surging from his body, shattering the Blood Bind. The counterforce hurled Altharion across the field, smashing him into a crumbling pillar.
Pain lanced through his ribs, but Altharion smiled. "Good. I was starting to get bored."
He stood, shadows knitting his wounds shut. His qi flared, merging with the blood magic until his aura became a swirling cyclone of black and crimson. Above, the clouds twisted, forming a spiraling eye of darkness.
Vaedric's expression faltered. "What… are you?"
Altharion answered by raising both hands. "Final Seal—Abyssal Convergence."
The battlefield went silent for a breath—then the world screamed. Every shadow, every drop of spilled blood, surged toward Altharion. Tendrils of darkness thickened into colossal arms, each the size of towers, clawing at the sky. The ground beneath Vaedric disintegrated, the air crushing in on itself.
He fought against it, lightning exploding in a desperate storm, but the abyss swallowed light itself. The giant shadow arms slammed down, driving Vaedric to his knees. Blood magic seeped into his wounds, draining his strength.
Altharion stepped forward, each pace echoing like a drum of doom. "You fought well," he said softly, almost respectfully. "But the storm within me… cannot be stopped."
With a final gesture, the shadows closed in, swallowing Vaedric whole. The crimson light in the sky dimmed, replaced by an eerie calm. The air tasted of iron and ash.
Altharion exhaled, letting the magic disperse. The shadows retreated into his body, though they whispered, eager for more.
From the ridge above, his allies watched in stunned silence. No cheers, no words—only the realization that they had witnessed something beyond mortal comprehension.
Altharion turned to them, his expression unreadable. "The war is not over," he said. "This… was just the beginning."
And with that, he vanished into the shadows once more, leaving only the faint trace of blood on the wind.