The forest was a warzone. Broken trees, gouged earth, and the sound of clashing bodies echoed across the clearing. Rayon moved like a shadow of death, fluid, precise, untouchable, a symphony of martial mastery blended with the raw, terrifying power of Black Resonance. He wasn't just fighting—he was enjoying it. Every strike, every counter, every near-miss was a note in a dark melody only he could compose.
The man he faced, the vessel, stood tall but with sweat glistening on his brow. Rayon had already assessed his skill, his strength, his weaknesses. Even with all his primordial training, the vessel had underestimated the sheer adaptability, ruthlessness, and raw destructive force of the Black Primordial.
"Name's Vaeltherion," the man finally said, his voice cutting through the chaos. His aura was powerful, heavy, and cold—an extension of the primordial sealed within him, a being of shadow and storms called Eclipsion. "You think you're special, but you're just a child playing with forces beyond your comprehension."
Rayon froze mid-strike, his dark eyes narrowing. That smirk, that arrogance in Vaeltherion's tone—it didn't sit right with him. "A child?" Rayon's voice was cold, almost amused, but underneath, there was a dark undertone that sent a ripple of dread through the air.
Erethon's voice whispered in his mind, sarcastic but alert. "Careful, Little Monarch. Looks like someone's poked the wrong beast."
Rayon's smirk faded. He took a step back, allowing Vaeltherion a moment to speak further. But the words that followed—words laced with scorn, pride, and a subtle mockery of Nexus—were the final straw.
"You don't deserve her loyalty… you don't deserve anything! I would take her heart, and you'd be powerless to stop me, like all the rest."
Rayon's dark aura flared suddenly, black tendrils of resonance tearing through the air like living shadows. The forest itself seemed to recoil. Birds scattered. Even the distant mountains seemed to shiver in anticipation. Vorthalaxis hissed, sensing the change.
"This… ends now." Rayon's voice was low, calm—but each syllable carried the weight of annihilation.
Vaeltherion's confident grin faltered as he felt the wave of energy. Black Resonance pulsed outward from Rayon, thick, suffocating, oppressive. It wasn't just power—it was dominion. The sheer weight of it pressed on Vaeltherion's mind and soul, and fear—a thing he hadn't felt in centuries—seized him.
"No… this isn't possible…" he whispered, backing up instinctively as the shadows began to twist around him. His body trembled under the sheer force emanating from Rayon. Every strike Rayon had thrown before was playful, testing limits. Now, he was serious. Now, Rayon's power wasn't a performance—it was execution.
The fight resumed, but this time it was different. Rayon's movements were no longer fluid play; they were precise, calculated, lethal. Each strike carried the weight of Black Resonance, each touch corrupting Vaeltherion's defenses, dismantling his aura, tearing at his soul. The ground cracked and splintered where Rayon stepped, air itself bending and boiling under the presence of the primordial-infused Black Resonance.
Vaeltherion tried to strike back, but every attack he threw was anticipated, countered, or absorbed. Rayon adapted instantaneously, each motion feeding on the essence of the vessel before him. His strikes were no longer just to test—they were to kill. He moved closer, shadow tendrils entwining around Vaeltherion's body, piercing through armor, bone, and muscle, reaching deep into the primal essence Eclipsion had inherited.
Vaeltherion screamed, a sound of pure terror, as his knees buckled under the pressure of Black Resonance. His eyes, wide with fear, met Rayon's, and he stammered:
"P-please… I… I yield… I beg…"
But Rayon didn't pause. The air around him thickened, the black energy coalescing into a storm of darkness that radiated an instinctual, overwhelming fear. Vaeltherion's body shook uncontrollably, the primordial within him thrashing helplessly. The man who had dared to mock, to threaten, to strike at what Rayon considered his, was now broken—not just physically, but mentally, spiritually.
"I warned you," Rayon said simply, almost softly, but the words carried the weight of inevitability.
Then, in one final, devastating motion, Rayon's fist collided with Vaeltherion's chest. Black Resonance flowed into him, tearing through the mortal body, breaking bones, shattering organs, and finally collapsing the essence of Eclipsion into a formless void. The sound was like a mountain collapsing, a scream of existence itself being wiped away.
Vaeltherion's body disintegrated, leaving only traces of primordial essence lingering in the air. Rayon stood over the remains, calm, emotionless. His dark eyes scanned the clearing, noting the destruction, the silence, the aftermath of his wrath. Nexus transformed fully back into her black dragon form beside him, wings flexing, and gave a low, approving rumble.
"You'll remember this," Rayon said, voice low, almost philosophical. "You'll remember what it means to challenge the Black Primordial."
Erethon hovered slightly above, smirking. "Finally. Someone learned what fear really is."
Rayon's gaze shifted to the horizon, the weight of his victory settling over him. "This is only the beginning."
The forest seemed to breathe again, as if recovering from the storm of destruction Rayon had unleashed. Vorthalaxis adjusted around his arm, tail flicking lazily, sensing the power now fully asserted. The Black Primordial was no longer playing—he was in command, ruthless, unstoppable, and utterly dominant.
And somewhere deep inside, a small part of him—the old Rayon, the genius, the strategist—already began planning the next move, the next target, the next conquest.
The battle was over, but the war… had only just begun.