The explosion of energy rippled across the battlefield, shattering the ground beneath them.
The First King held firm, his divine blade burning with celestial fire.
But Gral'Zhor… staggered.
His bone axe, once an indestructible weapon, now had cracks running through it.
His abyssal aura wavered, flickering like a dying flame.
For the first time in his immortal existence, he felt something alien—weakness.
A King's Final Strike
The First King raised his sword high, golden flames twisting around the blade.
His warriors, the people of Astralis, watched in silence.
They knew—this would be the final strike.
Leon's interface pulsed.
───[Final Ability Unlocked: Divine Judgment]───
Unleashes a purging strike, erasing abyssal entities from existence.
One-time use per battle.
Cannot be blocked.
The First King breathed in.
He focused all of his remaining strength.
And then—he swung.
A blinding golden arc tore through the battlefield.
Gral'Zhor had no time to react.
SLASH!
The abyssal warlord froze.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—his body split apart.
A single clean cut, from shoulder to hip.
The black flames in his eyes died.
The warlord—the nightmare of Astralis—was dead.
The End of the Battle
The Dreadborne warriors watched in horror as their master's body collapsed into nothing but dust.
Panic spread through their ranks.
They had lost.
Their god of war was gone.
The battlefield turned.
The Astralian warriors, fueled by their king's victory, charged forward with newfound strength.
The Dreadborne faltered… then broke.
Some fled into the darkness.
Others fought and died.
Within moments, the tide of battle had completely reversed.
Leon's interface flickered.
───[Battle Status: Victory Achieved]───
Dreadborne Army: Annihilated.
Astralis Survival Rate: 72%.
Threat Level: Neutralized.
Leon exhaled. It's over.
The war had ended.
And the First King of Astralis… had become a legend.
But in the Shadows…
As the battlefield settled into silence, something stirred deep within the abyss.
Far from the light, in the endless void…
A pair of burning crimson eyes slowly opened.
And a voice, deep and ancient, whispered.
"So… the game has finally begun."
Whispers in the Abyss
The Aftermath of War
The battlefield was silent.
The once-chaotic warzone, filled with the clash of steel and the screams of the fallen, had become a graveyard. The air was thick with the stench of blood, burnt flesh, and the remnants of abyssal corruption.
Astralis had won, but at a heavy cost.
The First King stood at the center, his divine aura slowly fading, his body trembling from exhaustion. His once-polished armor was cracked, smeared with blood—his own and his enemies'.
Leon watched from his divine interface, observing everything.
The Astralian warriors gathered around their king, some collapsing to their knees in relief, others mourning fallen comrades.
"Your Majesty…" One of the knights, his face smeared with dirt and blood, staggered forward. "We… we have won."
The words felt unreal.
They had fought against an army that should have been unstoppable. Against a warlord who had never known defeat.
And yet, Astralis stood.
The First King nodded. He turned his gaze toward the battlefield, his expression unreadable.
"We have won," he murmured. "But at what cost?"
Leon's interface flickered.
─── [War Summary] ───
Total casualties: 28,712 Astralian warriors lost.
Dreadborne casualties: 95% annihilated.
Remaining Abyssal Forces: Minimal, scattered.
Even in victory, thousands had perished.
And something told Leon… this was only the beginning.
The Abyss Stirs
Far from the battlefield, deep within the void… something was awakening.
Beyond the mortal realm, in a place untouched by time, an ancient presence stirred in the darkness.
A colossal throne stood in the heart of the abyss.
Upon it sat a figure, his form obscured by swirling shadows, his eyes glowing with crimson malice.
The Abyssal Lords had many names, but this one… he was different.
He had watched the battle. He had felt the death of Gral'Zhor.
And he was not pleased.
The Gathering of the Dark
A whisper spread through the void, reaching beings who had long slumbered in darkness.
In distant lands, blackened towers trembled.
Deep beneath the oceans, forgotten horrors stirred.
On the highest peaks, where the sky was forever cloaked in storm, figures clad in obsidian armor knelt before the abyss.
The death of one Abyssal Warlord had sent ripples across existence.
And now… the true war was about to begin.
The voice from the abyss whispered a single command:
"Awaken."
Leon's Choice
Leon's interface flashed violently, alerts flooding his vision.
─── [Critical System Alert] ───
Abyssal Lords Detected.
New Threat Levels Unlocked.
War Progression: Stage Two Begins.
Leon frowned. I knew it. That was just the first battle.
The system was adapting. The true enemy had yet to make their move.
The First King had ascended, but if stronger foes were coming…
Leon had to decide.
Does he intervene further?
Or does he let the world develop on its own?
A New Era Dawns
As the sun began to rise over the bloodstained battlefield, a single truth became clear:
This war was far from over.
And the next battle… would determine the fate of the world.