[Chp 13.7] Echoes of the End

The sky was thick with ash. Meteors hung above like blades waiting to fall. Cold winds howled across the jagged, broken hill. Zero stood at the edge, cloak whipping in the wind. His eyes glowed faintly with embers. “Voragoth… I’m tired of waiting,” he muttered. Voragoth, looming nearby with shadow and flame curling off his form, let out a low chuckle. “You’re too impatient, Zero.” Zero clenched his fists, the ground beneath him cracking with heat. “Yeah? Well, screw it. I’ll go destroy Eldora myself. I’m done waiting on you.” Voragoth's laughter rumbled like a distant storm — dark, echoing, vile. “Fine. We go together.” His smile widened into something monstrous. “I’ve waited a long time to burn Kaku to ash.” “Tell the others to wait on their attack… the rest of the kingdoms can burn later. Azareth!” Voragoth commanded. Azareth’s eyes gleamed as his will pierced the minds of Karnas, Sylthra, Raveth, Zereth, Morthar, Xyra, and Arden. “Wait. Do not move until I say.” One by one, their voices echoed back, sharp and unwavering: Karnas said, “Yes, my lord.” Sylthra answered, “As you command.” Raveth replied, “At your will.” Zereth confirmed, “Understood.” Morthar responded, “Right away.” Xyra acknowledged, “Waiting, my lord.” Arden concluded, “Yes, sir.” The dark storm settled, tension thickening as the true reckoning drew near. “Let’s go Zero…” Voragoth said, He jumped and went straight towards Eldora, Zero follows. At Eldora, a tense stillness hung in the air as Kaku stood with narrowed eyes, staring beyond the horizon. “Kaku… I sense two massive energy signatures approaching,” came the calm, ancient voice of Zemini within his mind, uneasy despite its usual stillness. Malik, beside him, clenched his fists. “I’ve got a bad feeling. It’s him, isn’t it?” he asked, but Kaku didn’t answer right away. The wind carried ash and silence between them before he finally spoke. “How are the other kingdoms?” Malik exhaled, the weight of the truth heavy in his voice. “Six are already gone. Seven remain.” Zemini stirred again from within. “And the rest of the Ember Vow? They’ve stopped. As if… waiting.” Kaku’s eyes darkened, his voice low. “No. Not waiting… preparing.” He looked to the sky where unnatural storm clouds churned violently, and his voice grew grim. “Be on guard. Two figures are approaching—fast,” Malik warned, tension sharp in his voice. But before anyone could react, one of them vanished in a sudden flash. In the blink of an eye, a hand shot forward and grabbed Kaku by the face. A thunderous crack echoed through the castle as Kaku’s body was slammed into the ground, dragged with brutal force across the stone floor, leaving a trail of broken tiles and dust in his wake, before being hurled into his own throne, the impact shattering a portion of it in an explosion of splinters and stone. Kaku groaned. “Ugh, that hurt.” Has he stands up from the rubble Black and white flames ignited around his body, flickering with unstable fury. From his hands, dark red and shadowy black energy surged—pulsing, alive, hungry. “And who am I fighting right now?” Kaku asked, eyes narrowing with focused intensity. A deep, snarling voice answered, thick with pride and vengeance. “The name is Voragoth... the one and only. The one who escaped Zarif that day.” Kaku’s expression hardened, fury igniting in his gaze. “Oh, so you’re him?” he growled, voice rising into a furious roar. “Enough talk!” In a blur of motion, Kaku shot into the air, flipped mid-air to plant himself upside down on the ceiling, then launched off with explosive force straight toward Voragoth. But just as his fist closed the distance—CLASH! —a pair of crossed hands intercepted the blow, the sheer impact rattling the castle walls. Standing between them was Zero, his eyes glowing like dying embers, face shadowed with quiet resolve. “You’re not getting to him… not yet.” Zero said. “Dammit I was afraid you were going to be with him!!” Kaku growled, jolting back. He flared with power, eyes locked on Zero. “Let see who will win…Blue flames or Black and white flames!” Both ignited in a burst of flames, the ground beneath them scorching and cracking from the sheer heat—blue fire clashing with swirling black and white. In an instant, they launched at each other, fists colliding mid-air with a thunderous impact. The shockwave erupted outward, unleashing a massive gust of wind that tore through the surroundings, hurling debris and shaking the very walls of the castle. They clashed in a storm of rapid strikes, fists flying with blinding speed as shockwaves rippled through the air, shattering stone and sending tremors through the castle. Each blow lit the air with heat and force, the sheer power of their exchange tearing through walls and ripping chunks from the floor. Amid the chaos, Zemini’s voice echoed within Kaku’s mind—calm but urgent. “Kaku…” — “What is it, Zemini?” Kaku responded internally, his focus locked on Zero’s movements, his instincts keeping him in the fight. “Zen and I… we’re going to unform. Look at Zero’s eyes. That’s his natural color.” In a fleeting moment between strikes, Kaku’s gaze flicked to Zero’s face, his pupils locking onto the boy’s eyes—and his breath hitched. They were not glowing, not possessed by Zen’s presence. They were calm, still, and burning with a cold, eerie blue. “Zen told me his eyes were purple the last time he checked,” Zemini continued. “Something’s changed.” “Your right, go ahead unform and have Zen enter his body while we’re fighting!” Kaku said “Got it!” Zemini starts unmerging from each other inside his mind, Zen emerges out of Kaku and goes straight into Zero. Zero paused for a half-second mid-strike, his body seizing as the lightless essence of Zen surged into him. His back arched, breath caught, and for a moment—everything fell still. Then his eyes ignited, glowing with a deeper, more haunting hue. Zen had returned “Zero, it’s me—Zen!” his voice echoed through Zero’s mind like a whisper in a storm. “Zen… good to hear you,” Zero responded, his thoughts sharp and focused. “Listen—I’m not under Voragoth’s control anymore. I’ve broken free.” There was a pause, the sound of battle rumbling around them like distant thunder. “I have a plan,” Zero continued. “Mid-fight, I want to team up with Kaku. The two of us—together—we charge Voragoth and hit him hard. But I don’t know how to tell Kaku without tipping him off…” Zen’s presence pulsed in silent approval, waiting for the right moment. “I tell him through your mind” Zen said, Zero’s eyes flickered as Zen reached out, weaving a thread of thought directly into Kaku’s consciousness. Suddenly, Kaku’s vision sharpened, and a clear, urgent voice filled his mind—Zen’s voice, calm but commanding “Kaku, listen carefully. Zero’s broken free from Voragoth’s control. Mid-fight, he wants us to join forces—strike Voragoth together. You two attacking in unison is the only way to end this. Trust him.” Kaku’s hands clenched, black-and-white flames flickering wildly around him as he absorbed the message. “Understood,” he thought back, his resolve hardening like tempered steel. Both warriors clashed their fists in a relentless storm of blows, each strike echoing like thunder through the shattered battlefield. Sparks flew as Kaku’s black-and-white flames met Zero’s blazing embers, their raw power colliding with devastating force. They moved with impossible speed, fists weaving and striking in rapid succession — a dance of destruction fueled by fury and unyielding will. Neither gave ground; every hit was answered with an equal, if not fiercer, counterattack. The air around them crackled and twisted with raw energy, the very ground trembling beneath the weight of their fury. “Now, Kaku! Go!” Zen’s voice surged through their minds. In perfect sync, they twisted away, flames of blue, white, and black merging into a single blazing inferno that roared around them. With a shared breath, they pulled back their arms and launched a devastating double punch — a fused strike that crashed into Voragoth’s gut with unstoppable force, sending him reeling from the impact. “You really think both of you can kill me?” Voragoth said. “Yeah…” Zero said. Without warning, Kaku lunged forward as flames erupted violently around him. The temperature spiked in an instant, the air shimmering from the heat. The ground beneath him cracked and scorched as blue flames spiraled around his body like a blazing comet. “Flare Blitz!” he roared, launching forward with explosive speed. He became a streak of fire and fury, a living missile of compressed inferno tearing through the battlefield. The moment he closed the distance, the flames erupted outward in a devastating blast—an eruption so intense it sent a shockwave through the castle, shaking walls and setting everything in its path ablaze. Smoke and fire swallowed the impact zone as Kaku slammed into Voragoth with the full force of his wrath. Voragoth’s eyes widened for the briefest moment as the blazing comet hurtled toward him. The sheer pressure of Kaku’s flames cracked the stone beneath his feet before impact. He raised his arms just in time, crossing them in front of his chest as Kaku slammed into him like a meteor. The force of the blow sent Voragoth skidding backward across the ground, his heels carving deep trenches into the floor as the explosion of blue flames engulfed him. He growled through gritted teeth, the fire licking at his armor, burning away parts of his cloak. Smoke hissed from his skin, but he didn’t fall. As the flames began to settle, a twisted grin spread across his face. His eyes glowed with chaotic energy, and he wiped a streak of blood from his mouth. “Heh… not bad, Kaku,” he muttered, his voice low and dangerous. “But it’ll take more than that to bring me down.” Then, with a roar, he stepped forward—unburned muscle flexing, shadows gathering around his fists—ready to retaliate. Kaku planted his feet firmly, gripping his blade tightly as he lifted it slowly above his head. The shadows around the blade thickened and roiled like living smoke, swirling in a fierce, dark tempest. His breath slowed and deepened, every exhale drawing in the darkness that gathered like a storm. "Kagekiba Senshō!" he shouted, voice sharp and resolute. A crescent of pure shadow energy pulsed along the edge of his sword, growing larger and more intense with every heartbeat. The air around him seemed to wrap and chill as the Kagekiba Sensho, waiting for release. With a sudden, forceful swing, Kaku unleashed the charged wave of darkness—a razor-sharp crescent tearing through the air like a phantom beast. It surged toward Voragoth with unstoppable momentum, slicing through the space between them with a haunting hiss, a silent promise of devastation. Voragoth raised his hand up, catching the attack with just the palm of hand. Both Zero and Kaku fell in shock as Voragoth grab Kaku’s attack. He bent his hand and threw it out of the castle, breaking the castle wall. “Now my dear little Zero…” Voragoth smirks. “It’s time for you to go…” Voragoth’s eyes narrowed as he raised his arm, extending a single finger toward Zero. Without a word, a concentrated orb of crackling crimson energy ignited at his fingertip. The ball pulsed fiercely for a moment, then a thin, blazing beam shot forth—swift and precise. The beam struck Zero’s chest with a searing impact, burning through armor and flesh alike, leaving a smoking, jagged hole where it pierced him. The air around the blast shimmered with heat as the deadly ray flickered out. Zero eyes widened as the Beam went through his chest. His eyes went from being the eyes of a demon to just Blank, lifeless, emptiness. “Zero!” Kaku shouted. Voragoth laugh was evil dark, nothing to care about. Zero’s body dropped to the floor, lifeless. “He’s dead…” Voragoth said. “No, he can’t be!” Kaku yelled in shock. But then, something impossible began to stir within Zero. His body pulsed rhythmically, his heartbeat booming through the chamber like a war drum. Yellow light flared fiercely in his eyes—intense and unnerving, glowing like twin suns in the darkness. From the wound in his chest—the hole Voragoth had made—dark, writhing stripes began to crawl out. They slithered and twisted over his skin like living shadows, spreading rapidly in jagged, razor-like patterns that burned with their own sinister energy. Zero’s breathing quickened as his form shifted. The shadows pooled and surged until they coalesced into a terrifying mask—an eerie, jagged visage with twisted horns and hollow eye sockets far more monstrous and brutal than any Hollow mask before. The mask’s edges cracked and flickered with dark energy, and a low, haunting roar echoed from deep within. The ground trembled violently beneath him, cracking and shattering as the ancient walls of the castle began to collapse, drawn apart by the raw power exploding from his core. As the surge of Veyrix Energy enveloped Zero, his entire form transformed into something terrifying and awe-inspiring. His jet-black hair lengthened rapidly, flowing wildly down past his lower back like a dark waterfall, each strand rippling with raw, crackling power. The hair seemed alive, whipping around him with every pulse of energy. From the top of his head, two razor-sharp horns erupted, curving upward and backward like obsidian blades—far sharper and more menacing than before. Jagged edges caught the faint light, gleaming with deadly intent. The mask that shrouded his face morphed into a nightmare forged of bone and shadow. Its edges sharpened into serrated, predator-like teeth, with hollow eye sockets burning an eerie yellow that mirrored the fierce glow of his own eyes beneath. The mask’s surface cracked and shimmered, revealing glimpses of the volatile Veyrix Energy trapped within. His nails extended into black talons, curved like deadly claws—perfect tools for destruction. Around his neck, wrists, and ankles, ethereal white flames flickered and danced manifestations of Veyrix Energy itself. These flames pulsed rhythmically, alive with a cold, intense heat and fierce warmth intertwined. They crackled softly, whispering forgotten power with every movement. Dark, living stripes slithered out of the wound in his chest, wrapping around his limbs and torso, pulsating with a sinister, hungry energy that demanded battle. Zero stood transformed—Nexaris, the living embodiment of Veyrix Energy—an unstoppable force of fury, power, and unyielding will, ready to face any challenge with primal intensity. “I forgot about this form… of yours…” Voragoth chuckled darkly, his grin widening. But before he could say another word, Zero vanished in a blur of motion. A crack echoed through the air. Zero’s fist slammed into Voragoth’s jaw from below, launching him skyward with explosive force. “Shit… I didn’t even see him coming…” Voragoth muttered midair, his body twisting from the impact as he crashed through the ceiling like a comet—but before he could recover, Zero was already above him, a flicker of white flame in the sky, his yellow eyes blazing with wild fury, devoid of humanity—only pure, unrelenting rage. With a blood-curdling, inhuman roar, Zero spun midair and drove his heel into Voragoth’s back, sending him plummeting like a meteor; the ground erupted on impact, a violent shockwave ripping cracks through the ancient stone ruins. Voragoth groaned, struggling to rise as dust and debris swirled around him—then a deep, haunting howl tore through the air as Zero descended again, landing hard just feet away, the force splintering the earth beneath him. His breath came in ragged bursts, teeth clenched behind his jagged mask, white flames burning brighter and wilder around his wrists, ankles, and neck. Voragoth barely raised his arm before Zero lunged, black talons slashing—each strike fast, brutal, reckless; there was no technique, only raw instinct, pure destruction. Claws tore through armor and flesh, each blow slamming Voragoth backward, the air shaking with each savage impact. “Zero! Control yourself! Don’t let it consume you any further!” Kaku shouted, his voice breaking over the chaos—but Zero didn’t stop, didn’t hesitate, didn’t hear him. Voragoth skidded across the stone, coughing blood, yet grinning wildly. “Yes... that’s it! Let it out!” he roared. “Let the Veyrix devour you! Show me its true power!” Zero let out another deafening roar, his jagged mask cracking at the edges as more white flames erupted from his limbs, trailing like tendrils of divine fury—and then, suddenly, he stopped. Silence fell. The air warped. Zero slowly raised his clawed hand, and from his palm, a sphere of pure darkness began to take form, pulsing and swirling with dense Veyrix energy; lightning crackled across its surface, and the ground fractured beneath him as the unstable orb expanded, no longer just energy but concentrated annihilation itself. Kaku’s eyes widened in horror. “No… No, no, no—ZERO!” he screamed, taking a desperate step forward. “Don’t do it! You can destroy this entire kingdom!” But Zero didn’t flinch. His glowing yellow eyes stared through Kaku, unblinking, consumed by the storm raging inside. Voragoth staggered upright, his laughter sick and triumphant. “YES! Do it! Fire it! Burn this kingdom to ash! Show them the wrath they tried to bury!” The orb reached its peak—its center now glowing a blinding white, rimmed with jagged violet and flickering with unstable crimson threads as the wind screamed, the sky split open, and reality itself bent beneath its weight. Kaku dropped to his knees, slamming his fists into the ground in desperation. “Please… Zero, fight it… You’re stronger than this…!” But Zero’s arm began to move forward—aiming—poised to unleash the wrath of oblivion. Zero’s arm inched forward, and the sphere in his palm pulsed—then expanded. Slowly at first, then rapidly, swelling like a dying star about to go supernova. The very air trembled around it, distorting light, warping reality. Voragoth’s grin widened, eyes glinting with savage delight. “YES… That’s it! Don’t hold back, boy. Let the world feel your hatred!” The orb doubled in size. Then tripled. The clouds overhead spiraled inward, pulled by the sheer gravitational pressure radiating from the growing mass of energy. Lightning cracked from the heavens, arcing into the sphere. The earth below cracked open in spiderweb patterns, magma hissing up through the ruptures. Buildings in the distance began to crumble, unable to withstand the pressure. Kaku rose to his feet, eyes wide with disbelief. “He’s… still expanding it…!” he whispered. Then he screamed—desperate. “ZERO! If you fire that—THERE WILL BE NOTHING LEFT! NOT EVEN YOU!” But Zero stood unmoved. Unshaken. Unreachable. His breathing was ragged. The mask on his face had cracked further, revealing flickers of unstable energy beneath. His arm shook—not from hesitation, but from the sheer force he was containing. The sphere ballooned outward, now as large as a mountain’s peak, glowing with an eerie blend of white, black, and violet. It floated ominously, humming like the heartbeat of a god. And still… it grew. The sky darkened into night. Animals fled. The world seemed to fall silent waiting. Voragoth staggered forward, drunk on madness, laughing wildly. “YES! YES! DESTROY IT ALL! DO IT!” Kaku’s eyes burned with resolve. He clenched his fists. “I can’t let this happen… Zero… forgive me for what I must do.” Kaku vanished from the ground in a burst of air. He appeared behind Zero in midair, his blade already drawn. “I’m sorry, Zero…” With one clean, precise slash—he severed one of Zero’s horns. The moment the horn flew from his head, the Sensoka pulsed violently… and imploded. Then—BOOM. A blinding shockwave burst outward, vaporizing the ground beneath them, flattening trees, shattering mountainsides in the distance. The sky turned white for a second. The Center of the Kingdom was in a crater. Kaku was thrown backwards, blood trailing from his mouth,Zero collapsed midair, falling like a puppet with its strings cut—his form flickering, unstable, the mask beginning to crack. And in the crater where Sensoka had formed… only silence remained. Pain radiated through his shattered form—half of his Naxaris essence was gone, flickering like a dying ember. His mask cracked deeper, but his eyes burned with fierce determination. Slowly, painfully, he pushed himself up, every movement a defiance against the ruin inside him. “What the hell happened…” Zero mumble. Voragoth laughed “You lost control, Moments after I sent a beam into your chest, you began transforming into your Nexaris form! But sadly, Kaku interfered it by cutting a horn off, but it still exploded only destroying this entire Castle! HAHAH!” With a deep breath, Zero reached into the remnants of his power. Darkness swirled, condensing and coalescing into a sleek, midnight-black katana. The weapon pulsed with silent menace, as if hungry to taste battle. “You still want to fight me!” Voragoth yelled. In a flash of black flame, Zero vanished reappearing behind Voragoth with ghostlike silence. Before a single breath could be drawn, a blade of midnight tore through flesh and bone—driven straight through Voragoth’s heart with ruthless precision. “How…?” Voragoth choked, blood spilling from his lips as he looked down at the weapon embedded in his chest. His eyes rose slowly, locking onto the figure before him—Zero, or what remained of him. His Nexaris form flickered, half-dissolved, the white flames dimming, stripes fading. But his eyes—they still burned bright yellow, glowing with something far deeper… older… familiar. “This isn’t… Zero…” Voragoth muttered, his voice cracking. “It’s me…” There was a pause—a cruel silence. “Zentistu.” The name hung heavy in the air like a curse. With terrifying calm, Zentistu slowly twisted the blade buried in Voragoth’s chest. “AGHHHH!” Voragoth screamed, the agony ripping through him like lightning. The blade pulsed with a dark resonance that seared deeper than just flesh—it cut the soul. Panicking, Voragoth raised his bloodied arm and screamed to the heavens, his voice echoing across every realm. “A-Azareth… DROP THEM! DROP YOUR METEORS NOW!!” The sky trembled, the world itself holding its breathe. Above the shattered sky, Azareth stood like a god of extinction. His fingers opened. The meteors fell. Each one a blazing titan, roaring through the stratosphere with apocalyptic fury. They weren’t just weapons—they were extinction incarnate. Ebonreach, fortress of shadow in the Twilight Realm, was the first to fall. A meteor slammed into its heart, ripping through the eternal dusk. The citadel shattered, and black flames swallowed the land, leaving only a scorched void where twilight once lingered. Cravarn, the great stronghold of Forests & Fortresses, was next. Trees centuries old were vaporized in an instant, fortresses shattered like glass beneath the blast. A second wave of firestorms raced through the woods, turning a continent of green into ashes and silence. From high above the Mountain Kingdom of Thalorim, a meteor pierced the sky like a divine spear. It struck the highest peak, detonating with a force that split the mountain range in half. Avalanches cascaded as the kingdom crumbled into an abyss of fire and stone. The floating cities of Kael’Thar, proud empire of the Crystal Caverns, stood no chance. A meteor arced upward before crashing down through the sky-bound realm, crystal spires bursting apart in a rain of glass and light. The caverns below collapsed into a single blinding explosion, leaving only a crater glowing with molten crystal. Mirevale, the cursed kingdom of Swamps, boiled under the heat. As the meteor struck, the bogs ignited—green fire surged through the marshlands, twisting and roaring, melting the land into a toxic sea. The cries of creatures native to the deep were swallowed by the flood of searing gas and poison. Nocturne, the hidden empire of the Canyon and Wildlands, was engulfed next. The meteor didn’t just strike—it tore the canyon open further, ripping its walls apart like paper. Flames poured through the cracks, filling every crevice with light and fury until the wildlands became a wasteland of scorched earth and howling wind. And finally—Voldar, the eternal kingdom of the Frozen Tundra, met its end. The meteor descended like a second sun. Ice cracked, glaciers shattered. The tundra boiled. Entire lakes of frozen water vaporized in seconds, and the coldest kingdom on earth was consumed in a blaze brighter than day. One by one, the Seven Kingdoms vanished—their glory reduced to ruin, their lands swallowed by fire and sky. Above it all, the skies wept ash, and the world ended in silence. Zero collapsed to the ground, his chest rising and falling with shallow, ragged breaths. Kaku knelt beside him, eyes wide with worry. “You okay?” Zero gave a faint, shaky nod, his voice barely steady. “Yeah… I’m fine. But this world… it isn’t.” He lifted his gaze to the shattered sky above—the smoke still curling from scorched earth and broken ruins all around them. “This world… it won’t suffer under Ember Vow any longer. Voragoth is gone.” A long, weary sigh escaped him as he clenched his fists, trembling slightly. “As for me… I don’t know. This power… it’s too much. I have to learn control… or it will destroy me.” Kaku said nothing, the silence between them heavy with unsaid fears. Zero’s voice dropped to a fragile whisper, as if each word drained the last of his strength. “If it wasn’t for Zentistu… I’d be dead already.” “Let this world know… the terror of this threat is over…” His voice grew fainter, like a dying ember struggling to burn. “Zero?… Zero! Don’t you dare leave me here! We still need you!” Kaku’s voice cracked, desperation breaking through. Zero’s breath hitched—and then stopped. From his still form, Zentistu’s ethereal figure floated upward, cold and silent. “He isn’t dead,” Zentistu said softly, his voice carrying a weight beyond time. “I’m taking him away from this world… away from this pain. For years, maybe longer… until he can master the power I bestowed. He will return… when the new darkness comes.” Kaku’s eyes searched Zentistu’s face, heart pounding with dread. “What new darkness? Zen… what do you mean?” But before an answer could come, Zentistu and Zero vanished—dissolving into thin air like a fading dream. The battlefield lay still, the echoes of war dying in the cold wind. Voragoth’s terror was ended. The war was finally over. Yet beneath the silence, a somber truth lingered—this peace was fragile, temporary. From the shadows, the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms emerged, their faces etched with exhaustion and worry. Queen Virelia’s sharp eyes scanned Kaku, Warchief Grondar’s heavy steps thudded with guarded strength, Queen Skadara’s calm mask barely hiding her concern, King Kaeron’s brows furrowed deeply, Lord Veshar’s voice was low but steady, King Umbros’ gaze was dark and searching, and King Thaelion’s regal posture hid the weight of his questions. One by one, they approached Kaku, their voices blending into a chorus of urgent inquiry. “What happened here?” “Where is Zero?” “Is the threat truly over?” Kaku looked up at them, every muscle aching, every breath a struggle. He searched their faces—each a pillar of their realms—each counting on him for answers he didn’t fully have. He swallowed hard, voice low but steady, carrying the burden of both hope and dread. “Voragoth is dead… but Zero… he’s gone, taken by Zentistu to learn control over a power far beyond us. The war is over… for now. But a new threat looms on the horizon—one we must prepare for.” The rulers exchanged grim glances, the weight of his words settling like a shadow over their hearts. Kaku closed his eyes for a moment, the memory of Zero’s fading breath burning in his mind. We won this battle… but the war for this world’s soul is far from over.