Smoke choked the sky, painting the heavens in sickly shades of gray and crimson. The once vibrant city of Noctera lay in ruin beneath the relentless storm of power unleashed by Kev and Dorell. Streets cracked open like broken bones, homes collapsed into heaps of rubble, and cries of despair were swallowed by the howling winds.
Kev stood at the center of the chaos, his crimson and violet eyes glowing with ruthless focus. The shadow tendrils wrapped around him like living armor, pulsing with dark energy as his breathing remained steady and controlled. Across the ruined square, Dorell's face was a mask of fury and exhaustion, blood dripping from a dozen wounds but his spirit unbroken.
"You still fight," Kev said coldly, voice slicing through the chaos like a blade. "You should have given up long ago."
Dorell spat blood but grinned fiercely. "Giving up isn't in my nature. Neither is letting a monster like you destroy my home without a fight."
With a guttural roar, Dorell summoned the last of his strength, activating Blood Echo once more. Crimson spears of energy rained down, piercing the shattered buildings and searing the earth. But Kev was already gone — a blur of shadows melting into the ruins, avoiding the deadly assault with uncanny speed.
The shadow eyes analyzed every movement of his opponent, calculating weaknesses in real-time, and guiding Kev's strikes with brutal precision. His Shadow Maw ripped through the spears of blood like a tempest, turning Dorell's final assault into a pale echo of its terrifying potential.
Kev's own attack was merciless. Shadow claws erupted from the ground, ripping through the debris and closing in on Dorell with unrelenting force. The air itself seemed to warp around Kev, the boundary between reality and shadow dissolving with every step he took.
Dorell staggered as a tendril sliced across his side, tearing flesh and armor alike. Pain blossomed, but his eyes burned with desperate defiance. He lunged forward, his hands glowing with concentrated blood energy as he prepared to strike at Kev's exposed flank.
But Kev was ready.
With a swift motion, Kev's violet eye flashed with the power to read hidden clues and emotions — fear, desperation, even the faintest hesitation. In that split second, Kev shifted his weight, vanishing into the shadows before Dorell's strike could land.
Suddenly, Kev reappeared behind his opponent, the Shadow Maw extending like a monstrous jaw to engulf Dorell's body. The crushing force of shadow overwhelmed the general, shattering his defenses and forcing the breath from his lungs.
Dorell gasped, his body trembling as the shadows constricted, but his mind remained defiant. "You might have won this battle... but you'll never win the war."
Kev's voice was cold and final. "Then you'll die trying."
With a violent surge, Kev squeezed, the shadows crushing with the weight of a thousand storms. Dorell's scream was cut short as his body collapsed into the dark abyss, swallowed whole by the ravenous shadows.
The city of Noctera trembled as the battle's final echo rippled through its bones. The earth cracked wide open, swallowing entire districts beneath gaping chasms. Flames consumed the remnants of buildings, painting the night with flickering death. The cries of the city's inhabitants dwindled to nothing but distant memories, buried beneath the wreckage.
Kev stood amidst the ruin, unyielding and cold. His crimson eye scanned the destruction, unmoved by the devastation.
Noctera was no more.
He had no sympathy for the city or its people. They were but obstacles in his path, and like all obstacles, they were crushed underfoot without hesitation.
From the depths of his shadow, the voice whispered again — ancient, dark, and hungry.
"You have grown strong... but your journey has only begun."
Kev's eyes flickered with a shadowy fire. The sixth abyss was calling him onward, deeper into mystery and power. But before that, he had to find a way back to weton .
He turned away from the smoking ruins, stepping through the collapsing city with purpose. The battle had changed him; he was no longer just a boy seeking revenge. He was a force born from shadow and blood, a king of an abyss that few dared to understand.
And as the last embers of Noctera faded into ash, Kev disappeared into the darkness — a harbinger of chaos and a seeker of truths buried beyond realms.
***