Chapter 3: Power Unleashed
The Hunter screamed as Hayden's golden flames and black lightning engulfed it. But instead of dying, it split into a thousand shards each one a smaller version of itself, writhing in hatred.
Hayden stepped back. So it multiplies… interesting.
The shards swarmed him like a storm. Mountains toppled, oceans churned, cities vanished. Yet with a mere thought, Hayden raised his hand. The void obeyed. The shards froze mid-air, suspended like insects in amber.
"Enough," he said, his voice echoing across the collapsing worlds.
The shards shattered silently. Hayden's power radiated outward, bending the very laws of existence. He felt it the hum of creation, stronger than ever, vibrating through his body.
But then… a piercing pain shot through his chest. Not physical. Something deeper. Warning. Danger. Cost.
Hayden staggered. The figure in the void appeared again, flickering between light and shadow.
"Power always comes with a price," it whispered. "Every life taken, every world created… it takes from you."
Hayden clenched his fists. "Then I will pay. I will pay anything to be the last god."
A shard of the Hunter's essence hissed from the void, speaking a single word: "Weak."
Hayden's eyes flared. In a heartbeat, the void shattered around him. Mountains rose again. Oceans poured anew. Cities rebuilt themselves instantly. And from the nothingness, he created his first minion a being of golden light and shadow, loyal only to him.
The battle was over. But Hayden knew this: the universe had noticed him. Enemies far stronger than the Hunter were already moving. And the last god's war was only beginning.