The Leader and the armored Creator stood across from each other in the vast void. Their eyes locked in a lethal glare—neither wanting the other to draw another breath.
Inside the armored Creator's mind, the three merged consciousnesses argued frantically.
'What are you actually trying to do?!' one of the minds demanded.
'My plan was to take advantage of his emotional breakdown and destroy his Core,' the second mind replied coldly. 'I didn't know Seraphiel's core was lodged right there inside his chest, sacrificing itself to shield him!'
'Wait, isn't that great for us?!' the third mind chimed in. 'Now he can't use Seraphiel anymore!'
'No, idiot! Seraphiel's combat abilities are still completely functional! The only thing destroyed was Seraphiel's conscious mind!'
'Guys... I think he's getting way too close!'
The Leader was already charging straight at him with terrifying speed.
The armored Creator tried to activate his teleportation—nothing happened! Panicking, he raised both hands and bare-handedly grabbed the razor-sharp edge of Seraphiel just inches from his face.
"Why can't I teleport?!" the armored Creator gasped, his hands bleeding profusely.
"Because the Aetherion branch was already destroyed," the Leader spat coldly. Before throwing it away earlier, the Leader had deliberately crushed the branch to pieces, severing his opponent's teleportation anchor.
The Leader forced the spear forward, pressing it closer to the armored Creator's eyes. Desperate to break the deadlock, the armored Creator released one hand, manifested a fresh Aetherion branch, and smashed it directly into the Leader's face!
BOOM!
The force sent the Leader stumbling back, dropping his grip on Seraphiel. The armored Creator capitalized instantly, driving a heavy punch into the Leader's chin, followed by an Aetherion strike straight to his head!
Seeing the Leader dazed, the armored Creator aimed a lethal blow directly at his exposed Core!
But before his fist could make contact—
STAB!
The blade of Seraphiel burst straight out through the front of the armored Creator's face!
He froze, blood pouring from his eyes and mouth. How...?!
When the Leader had punched him earlier with pure, concentrated rage, he had secretly inherited Seraphiel's manifestation orb beneath his own skin. The moment the armored Creator swung, the Leader manifested the spear directly inside his opponent's torso. Having no space to expand, Seraphiel tore upward and thrust straight through his head!
The Leader reclaimed Seraphiel's hilt, pulling the spear free and plunging it violently into the center of the armored Creator's chest.
"Just as I expected..." the Leader growled, twisting the weapon deep inside the wound. "With three consciousnesses merged into one, your chest is the only place large enough to store all three of your Cores! But I suppose there are still two left to shatter!"
Gout of crimson blood erupted from the armored Creator's lips. Yet, despite the gruesome wound, a sinister smile spread across his bloodied face.
"I think... you forgot... that magical abilities still exist, Big Brother..."
"What?!"
Before the Leader could react, thick, jet-black spikes erupted from the armored Creator's wounds! A colossal, razor-sharp spike tore out from his chest, violently blasting Seraphiel away and impaling the Leader straight through the torso!
"Last Sunset..." the armored Creator rasped, his eyes glowing with dark magic. "This is the true power of my new body... Last Sunset. Once activated, these black spikes grow so dense and indestructible that nothing in creation can break them!"
The Leader, impaled and coughing blood, looked down at the black spike. A calm, serene smile broke across his face.
"I appreciate it..." the Leader whispered softly. "You finally forced me to use my absolute trump card... Heart of Light."
FLASH!
The Leader's body began to glow with a divine, blinding white light—so intensely radiant that it was physically painful to look at.
KABOOM!
A catastrophic explosion of pure white light detonated across the dimension, engulfing the entire void in a sea of absolute luminescence.
...
Minutes passed. The blinding light slowly receded, revealing the quiet void once more.
The Leader descended gently from above, floating down until his boots touched the solid ground.
He dusted off his black suit, declaring with majestic flair:
"I possess a Heart of Light, therefore I do not fear the darkness!"
A few paces behind him, Leo, Null, and Lana were standing together.
Leo blinked, scratching his head. "Isn't that line totally stolen from a video game?"
The Leader turned around with a sheepish grin. "I know, I know... but didn't it sound so cool?!"
Null stepped forward, looking around the quiet space. "So... you're the one who won."
"Yes," the Leader sighed, his smile fading slightly. "Though I never expected I would have to lose Seraphiel's consciousness... or be forced to use Heart of Light."
He stroked his chin in thought. "I still don't understand why he was smiling right as Heart of Light activated... Heart of Light is a ultimate passive ability. When its user is placed in a absolute life-or-death scenario, it automatically triggers and completely erases every single potential threat in existence at that exact moment. The only downside is that it requires a lengthy recharge period after a single use..."
The Leader turned toward the group. "So... I suppose I have a lot of explaining to do—"
"Yes, Big Brother... you have a LOT of explaining to do."
The Leader's eyes widened in horror.
RIP!
Before he could process the voice, five sharp, blood-soaked fingers burst straight through the front of the Leader's chest, tearing his Core out from the inside!
"If we can't survive..." the dying voice rasped behind him, "...you don't get to live either, Big Brother!"
BOOM!
A localized shockwave exploded, and everything went pitch black.
Sometime later...
Leo's eyes fluttered open. He found Null and Lana kneeling over him, desperately trying to shake him awake.
Leo sat up, clutching his throbbing temple. "Urgh... my head hurts so bad..."
Lana let out a massive sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you're awake! You've been unconscious for two whole hours!"
Leo didn't respond. His eyes were wide, fixed on the space above them. "W-What happened to the sky...?"
Null frowned. "We know. The sky turned an eerie crimson red."
Leo shook his head violently, pointing his trembling finger upward. "No! Look closer!"
Null and Lana looked up into the crimson sky—and their breath hitched in absolute terror.
The red sky was covered in thousands of spider-web cracks. And right in the center of the firmament, a massive, door-shaped tear was carved into the fabric of reality itself—as if an incomprehensible entity on the other side was desperately forcing it open!
CREAK...
The colossal sky-door opened a crack.
Leo backed away in pure panic. "What... what is happening?!"
Then he hear:
"I know none of this is your fault... but I still blame you for this. And as for the answer to your question..."
"So Welcome to the day when the sky falls."