The sky was black with smoke.
Lightning carved jagged scars into the heavens.
Haven, once a sanctuary of hope, was now nothing more than a graveyard of fire and ruin.
And at the center of it all, standing atop a mountain of corpses, was Ethan Kael.
The bodies of Titans—immortals, warriors, legends—lay shattered around him. Some were torn apart, others burned to nothing but ash, their once-unrivaled power meaningless before the Apex Titan's wrath.
But the war was far from over.
The survivors still stood.
Lucian.
Ragnar.
Selene.
Vortus.
The last of the strongest. The final executioners.
And their mission had not changed.
Kill Ethan Kael.
But now—
Sofia stood in their way.
--
Sofia's hands glowed with golden light, her presence almost divine amid the carnage.
Soft golden eyes, once filled with warmth, now burned with unshaken resolve as she stood beside Ethan.
She had always hated war.
Hated the endless bloodshed.
She had fought beside Ethan not to kill, but to protect.
Yet today—she raised her hand against gods.
"Step aside, Sofia!" Lucian roared, his voice a storm of thunder. "This war isn't yours!"
Sofia didn't flinch. "This war should have never started."
Power flared from her, golden light expanding outward, forming a barrier that shoved back the storm raging around them.
Lucian's jaw clenched. "Don't make me do this."
Beside Sofia, Ethan's golden eyes burned. "You think I'll let you touch her?"
And then—
The battlefield erupted.
***
Lucian struck first.
His spear, wreathed in black lightning, split the air as he lunged forward, aiming for Ethan's heart.
Steel met lightning.
Ethan's blade intercepted, the impact sending out a shockwave that shattered the ruins beneath them.
Selene appeared behind Ethan in a whisper of shadows, her blade cutting through the air—a killing strike to his spine.
But Sofia was faster.
Golden chains exploded from her hands, wrapping around Selene's arms, burning through her dark magic.
Selene hissed. "Damn you, Sofia!"
"Then leave," Sofia said, voice like iron.
Selene ripped free—but Ethan was already moving.
His fist slammed into Selene's chest.
Bones snapped.
She flew through a ruined tower like a comet.
But then—Ragnar charged.
The Unbroken Titan, an avalanche of raw destruction, tore through the battlefield, his body glowing with runic power.
Ethan turned—but this time, Ragnar was ready.
A fist wreathed in crimson energy slammed into Ethan's ribs with the force of a collapsing star.
Ethan grunted.
For the first time in years—
He felt pain.
And then—Vortus struck from above.
The gravity-wielding Titan raised his hands, and the weight of the world collapsed onto Ethan.
Ten times heavier.
A hundred times heavier.
A thousand.
Lightning spears followed—Lucian's weapons—piercing through Ethan's shoulders, his legs, pinning him in place.
For the first time—Ethan could not move.
"Now!" Lucian roared.
Ragnar and Vortus closed in for the kill.
But then—
Sofia screamed.
Golden energy erupted, forming an impenetrable barrier around Ethan, shattering the lightning spears, sending the Titans staggering back.
And in that instant—
Selene reappeared.
Not behind ethan, behind Sofia.
Void energy coating her blade.
And drove it through Sofia's stomach.
***
Ethan's world froze.
Sofia gasped, blood spilling from her lips as Selene twisted the blade.
Her golden light flickered—dying.
"S-Sofia!"
Ethan vanished—reappearing behind Selene in an instant.
His fist shot forward—
But Selene was already gone, vanishing into the shadows.
Ethan turned back—catching Sofia as she collapsed into his arms.
Her blood was warm.
Too warm.
Her eyes—the ones that had always seen him, truly seen him—
Filled with pain.
Ethan's hands trembled.
For the first time since he was a child—
Since he lost everything—
Fear gripped his heart.
"No… no, no, no—"
His hands glowed as his power surged to heal her—
But something was wrong.
Selene's void energy devoured her lifeforce.
Even with all his strength—
Even with all his power—
He couldn't stop it.
And in that moment—
Ethan Kael realized one thing.
Sofia was dying.
Lucian stepped forward, his eyes dark. "Ethan… surrender. It's over."
Ethan didn't hear him.
His entire body shook.
His fingers clenched.
His teeth ground together as something inside him—something monstrous—awoke.
His golden aura darkened.
The very air became heavier.
The ground split apart beneath his feet.
Ragnar took a step back, a shiver running down his spine. "Lucian… something's wrong."
Lucian felt it too.
And then—
Ethan roared.
The sky shattered.
A shockwave ripped through the battlefield, sending Titans and war machines hurling through the air like broken toys.
Selene barely escaped into the void—but not before her left arm was torn from her body.
Ragnar, the Unbroken Titan, was launched through a dozen buildings.
Vortus collapsed, his own gravity power crushing him under its own weight.
Lucian barely had time to raise his spear before—
Ethan was upon him.
A fist crashed into Lucian's gut.
Ribs shattered.
Blood exploded from his mouth.
Ethan grabbed him by the throat, lifting him like a ragdoll.
"You hurt her," Ethan whispered.
His voice was no longer human.
Lucian struggled—his body screaming in agony—but Ethan's grip was unbreakable.
And then—
Ethan crushed Lucian's throat.
The Stormborn Titan—one of the greatest warriors in history—
Was dead in an instant.
The battlefield fell silent.
And then—
Ethan turned to the survivors.
His golden eyes burned with something new.
Hatred.
This war was not over.
It had just begun.
---
Ragnar clenched his fists. "We need to regroup."
Selene, bloodied, missing an arm, gasped, "No. We need to run."
Vortus did not move.
He only stared.
"We were wrong," he whispered.
They had fought Titans. Killed gods.
They had seen annihilation.
But this—
This was something else.
Ethan Kael was no longer just a Titan.
No longer a soldier.
No longer a warrior.
He was something worse.
Something that should never have been awakened.
And the Titans who had done this—
Still breathed.
Not for long.
Ethan lifted his blade, voice a whisper, yet carrying through the battlefield like a death sentence.
"You will all die today."
And then—
He moved.
TO BE CONTINUE...