[Chp 17] Ninth Realm Collapses

Days had slipped by since Zero’s unsettling encounter with the cloaked entity, yet its ominous words—“The End is Here, and the Beginning Awaits!”—refused to leave his mind, twisting inside him like a silent storm that gnawed at the edges of his thoughts. Standing in the shadowed corner of the room, Zero’s fists clenched so tightly that his fingernails bit into his skin, drawing thin rivulets of blood as his breath came in shallow, uneven gasps; his wide, haunted eyes stared into nothingness. Behind him, Malik’s footsteps were quiet but steady, approaching cautiously as he sensed the turmoil raging beneath Zero’s calm facade. “Zero… what’s wrong?” Malik’s voice was low, filled with genuine concern yet carrying an unspoken warning. Zero didn’t respond at first, his eyes flickering to Malik’s face, searching for an anchor but finding none; finally, his voice broke, trembling with vulnerability rarely seen: “I… I don’t know if I can ignore it anymore. That thing… the one cloaked in shadows… it wasn’t just a threat. It was a prophecy. A death sentence.” Malik stepped closer, resting a firm, steadying hand on Zero’s shoulder. “You’re not alone in this. I’ve seen it too. Planets vanishing—whole parts of the Ninth Realm erased like they never existed. The air feels thinner, the shadows deeper. It’s as if the world itself is bleeding out.” Zero’s gaze dropped to his bloodied hands, his voice dropping to a whisper, “It’s worse than I thought. I feel it inside me—like something clawing, trying to tear through the walls of my mind. What if it’s already too late?” Malik’s eyes darkened with grim resolve. “It’s never too late. But if we don’t act fast, the darkness will swallow everything. Not just the Ninth Realm… but us too.” Zero swallowed hard, the weight of impending doom crushing him. “And what if we fail? What if I’m not strong enough?” Malik’s grip tightened, his voice fierce and unyielding. “Then we fight until there’s nothing left to fight for. But I believe in you, Zero. You’re the only one who can stand against this nightmare.” The room felt colder, the shadows closing in as Zero’s fear twisted into steely resolve—the end was coming—and with it, a beginning forged in fire and blood. Weeks had passed, but the shadow of that cloaked entity never truly left Zero’s thoughts. The Ninth Realm trembled quietly, as if holding its breath for the inevitable collapse. One cold, still evening, Zero stood alone at the edge of a forgotten clearing. The fading light struggled to push back the encroaching darkness. From the shadows, the figure appeared again—silent, foreboding, wrapped in that same unsettling cloak. The air around them grew thick, suffocating. Slowly, the entity approached, each step deliberate and unhurried. Zero’s heart hammered in his chest, but his body refused to move or speak. He was trapped—held captive by a fear deeper than any he had known. Without a word, the entity reached out and placed a heavy, icy hand on Zero’s shoulder. The chill cut through his armor, seeping into his bones. Then, just inches from his ear, the entity’s voice slithered out—cold, venomous, and unrelenting: “The end is upon you... the beginning, a curse reborn in shadow. You will be the first to watch your realm crumble into ash and despair. No flicker of hope will survive this nightmare—neither for you, nor for any soul clinging to this dying world. You will rot alongside it... a final breath in a tomb of ruin.” Zero’s breath froze, caught in a vice of icy dread. His limbs refused command, trapped beneath the crushing weight of those words. The entity’s hand remained—a merciless anchor—pressing down, sinking deep into his flesh and spirit alike. The entity’s icy fingers curled, then snapped sharply—a sharp crack that shattered the heavy silence like a thunderclap. In an instant, Zero’s senses twisted violently. Gone was the clearing, replaced by an endless void of shadows and silence. Suspended in midair, he found himself chained—thick, obsidian-black chains forged from an unholy metal that pulsed with dark energy, biting into his flesh and spirit alike. No matter how fiercely he summoned his flames or how hard he strained his muscles, the chains remained unbroken—unyielding to even the might of his power. Below him floated a solitary orb—his world, the Ninth Realm, glowing faintly against the darkness. Its surface trembled with unseen fractures, glowing cracks spreading like veins of rot across its lands. Shadows slithered over mountains and rivers, swallowing everything in slow, creeping death. Zero’s eyes locked onto the fragile planet, his heart pounding in helpless fury. Above him, the cloaked figure stepped forward, his presence a suffocating shadow over the captive warrior. “I am Sarkon, the Reality Shatterer,” the entity hissed, his voice a poisonous whisper that clawed into Zero’s mind. “The harbinger of oblivion, the one who rends existence itself.” His hand reached out, cold and heavy, resting on Zero’s chained shoulder. “You will watch—helpless and bound—as your precious realm fractures and crumbles beneath my will. The light you cherish will be snuffed out, and you will fall with it. There will be no savior. No escape.” The chains seemed to tighten, the dark metal cold as death, anchoring Zero in place, forcing him to bear witness to the slow, inevitable collapse of everything he loved. A silent scream welled in Zero’s chest, trapped behind locked jaws and frozen limbs—the harrowing torment of watching his world die while powerless to stop it. Before Zero could even blink, Sarkon’s shadowy form blurred and vanished into nothingness, leaving behind only the echo of his cold, cruel laughter. Below, the Ninth Realm—the world Zero called home—began to writhe in agony. At first, distant tremors shook the ground, barely perceptible, but rapidly growing into violent quakes that shattered mountains and tore the earth asunder. Cracks spiderwebbed across the landscape, glowing hot with molten magma that oozed like blood from the planet’s wounded skin. Cities—once bastions of life and hope—were reduced to smoking ruins in moments. Towers crumbled into clouds of dust and shattered stone, their skeletons collapsing under the relentless force. Rivers swelled and boiled, their waters vaporizing into choking steam that veiled the sky in a toxic haze. Forests caught ablaze in ferocious infernos, the flames roaring higher than the tallest trees, consuming everything in ravenous waves of heat and destruction. From the heavens, unnatural storms erupted, roiling with dark, twisting clouds laced with bolts of jagged lightning crackling with sinister energy—striking indiscriminately, igniting explosions that shattered entire valleys. The seas churned violently, waves clawing at coastlines and swallowing entire islands whole. The saltwater turned black and viscous, as if poisoned by the very essence of the realm’s collapse. Massive chasms split the land open, swallowing towns, roads, and people in endless, yawning maws that echoed with the screams of the lost. The ground itself seemed to be tearing apart in desperation, the world bleeding through its cracks. Creatures fled in terror—beasts of land, air, and sea—only to be caught in the chaos, crushed beneath falling debris or swallowed by raging floods. The sky darkened to a permanent twilight, thick with swirling ash and embers that blotted out the sun, turning day into an eternal dusk filled with despair. Amidst this apocalypse, the planet’s core shuddered violently, sending out pulses of destructive energy that ripped through continents, igniting fault lines and triggering a chain reaction of cataclysms. All life on the planet was at the mercy of an unstoppable force, dismantled piece by piece, reduced to nothing more than dust and memory. And there, bound by unbreakable chains, Zero was forced to watch—helpless and broken, the devastation burning itself into his soul. The cries of the innocent, the roar of collapsing cities, the roar of the infernos, the grinding of the earth’s death throes—all fused into a cacophony of despair that filled the void around him. Sarkon’s chilling voice cut through the chaos, a whisper that froze Zero’s heart: “This world will fall, and with it, your hope will die. You will witness the final breath of the Ninth Realm—and there will be nothing left but darkness.” As the world below descended into chaos, and the screams of his people tore through the silence, a cold fire awakened deep inside Zero’s core. The chains that bound him shuddered—not with brute force, but with an eerie, electric hum, crackling like lightning confined in metal. His fingers curled tightly, nails digging into his palms as a furious storm built inside him—calm shattered by a surge of savage power. Dark, sleek markings began to etch themselves across his skin—sharp, jagged lines of obsidian black that gleamed like polished onyx. These tattoos pulsed rhythmically, as if alive, weaving up his arms and across his chest with an unsettling grace. His form sharpened and refined—muscles tensing beneath skin now almost like liquid shadow, sleek and smooth yet exuding raw power. From his forehead, twin elegant horns curved backward, slender but deadly, like blades forged from midnight steel. His eyes ignited with blazing blue flames, cold and piercing, flickering with an unnatural calm that masked the raging tempest beneath. Blue flames surged along his arms and shoulders—not wild and chaotic, but precise and controlled, flickering like ghostly fire dancing along razor edges. Trails of icy embers drifted in the air, sharp and biting, leaving a chill that numbed the senses. A pair of ethereal wings unfurled behind him—translucent and sleek, outlined with sharp angles and wreathed in blue flames that whispered like cold fire, casting a spectral glow that dimmed the surrounding shadows. Zero inhaled deeply, and the air around him seemed to freeze, charged with a silent, lethal energy. The chains rattled violently, sparks flying from their bindings as they struggled to contain a force they were never meant to hold. Though designed to imprison, the chains began to fracture—thin cracks glowing with icy blue light that snaked along their lengths. Beneath him, Sarkon remained indifferent, consumed by the devastation he wrought on Zero’s home planet. But he had not seen this awakening—the elegant terror now poised to shatter his cruel designs. With a low, resonant growl, Zero’s restrained fury surged outward, a storm of cold flames and shadowy power that threatened to rend the very fabric of his prison. The time to wait was over. Zero was no longer a captive—he was a living weapon, a sharpened blade of frostfire and darkness, ready to carve his vengeance into the heart of destruction. The chains exploded, shards of crackling blue energy scattering like shattered glass across the void. Zero’s entire body surged forward, consumed by an unrelenting, savage rage. His demonic form—dark and sleek, adorned with icy blue flames licking from jagged horns and cracked obsidian-like skin—moved with terrifying speed. In a blur of frostfire and shadow, Zero teleported beside Sarkon before the Reality Shatterer could even blink. The clash between Zero and Sarkon shattered the very fabric of reality around them. Zero’s blue flames roared to life, engulfing his fists in an icy inferno that seethed with raw, unyielding fury. Each punch he threw sent arcs of electric blue energy crackling through the air, leaving trails of frostfire in their wake. Sarkon dodged with unnatural speed, his form dissolving into tendrils of darkness that writhed and twisted like smoke. He countered with a barrage of reality shards — sharp, crystalline spikes that tore through the air, ripping chunks out of the shattered ground where Zero had stood moments before. But Zero was relentless. With a guttural roar, he slammed his palm into the earth, sending a shockwave of frostfire that blasted the shards away like splinters. The ground beneath them cracked and splintered, fissures glowing with cold blue fire. Without hesitation, Zero lunged forward, claws extended. He swiped with savage precision, carving deep gashes into Sarkon’s arm. The entity hissed in pain, dark blood oozing from the wounds, sizzling as it met Zero’s frozen flames. Sarkon spun back, twisting the very air around them. Gravity warped violently, pulling Zero downward as crushing pressure threatened to squeeze the life from his lungs. But Zero’s body glowed fiercely with demonic energy — veins pulsing with crackling blue lightning — and he roared, breaking the invisible grip with a powerful burst of raw flame. His wings unfurled behind him — massive, jagged, and wreathed in searing blue fire — beating the air and sending gusts that shattered nearby rocks into shards. With a terrifying speed, Zero launched himself at Sarkon, claws bared like scythes. He slashed a brutal arc across the entity’s chest, tearing through layers of dark energy like paper. Sparks of frostfire erupted from the wound, sizzling and hissing. Sarkon retaliated, thrusting his hand forward. The space between them tore open, revealing a swirling vortex of black and purple void. From this rift burst tendrils of shadow that wrapped around Zero’s limbs, binding him tightly. But Zero wasn’t done. Summoning every ounce of fury, he ignited his blue flames to their maximum intensity. The chains of shadow began to burn and crackle, the bindings weakening under the onslaught of cold fire. With a roar that echoed like thunder, Zero shattered the bindings, sending fragments of shadow flying in every direction. He swept forward in a devastating flurry — fists, claws, and winged strikes landing with earth-shattering force. Each blow sent Sarkon staggering, his form flickering like a dying flame. But the Reality Shatterer was no mere mortal — his laughter rang out, cruel and mocking. Suddenly, he vanished, reappearing behind Zero with blinding speed. A bone-chilling clawed strike aimed for Zero’s spine. Zero twisted just in time, blue flames bursting from his forearms in a protective shield. The claws scraped through the fire, leaving glowing streaks of frost but failing to pierce. Zero spun around, swinging his tail — a whip-like appendage wrapped in burning blue flames — with lethal precision. The tail smashed into Sarkon’s face, sending him crashing into the jagged remains of a broken tower. Dust and debris rained down as the structure groaned, nearly collapsing. Sarkon growled and surged forward, claws glowing with destructive energy. He carved a violent slash through the air, unleashing a wave of tearing force that sent Zero hurtling backward. Zero slammed into the cracked ground, blue flames flickering weakly as pain seared through his form. But his eyes blazed brighter than ever, flames reigniting with renewed fury. He rose, the icy fire swirling wildly around him, wings flaring wide in a magnificent display of raw power. With a deafening roar, Zero took to the air, launching a blistering dive straight at Sarkon. They collided midair, fists crashing with the sound of exploding stars. Blue flames met void energy in a dazzling display of light and shadow. They exchanged brutal blows — punches, kicks, and slashes — each strike shaking the realm to its core. Lightning cracked across the sky, thunder roaring in the distance as the world itself seemed to tremble beneath the fury of their battle. Sarkon grinned wickedly, eyes blazing with malice. With a cruel laugh, he unleashed a devastating blast of reality-warping energy. The blast tore through the air like a cosmic storm, distorting space and time. Zero screamed in defiance, gathering his blue flames into a swirling sphere of pure cold fire. With a fierce battle cry, he unleashed the sphere — an explosive nova of frost and flame — directly into Sarkon’s attack. The two forces collided in a blinding explosion of light and shadow, shaking the very foundation of the realm. When the smoke cleared, both warriors stood, battered but unbroken, glaring at each other with burning hatred. Far from the battlefield, Kaku and Malik watched in horrified silence, their faces pale as the monstrous figure of Zero tore reality apart. Malik’s voice was barely a whisper, trembling with disbelief and dread: “That… that’s Zero? This demon… it’s not him. It can’t be.” His hands clenched into fists, shaking as his mind wrestled with the impossible. “Whoever this is… he’s lost to us. To me. I don’t know if he’s fighting for us… or if he’s become the nightmare we fear.” Kaku’s eyes narrowed, burning with conflicted pain and fear. His voice was low, cold — barely holding back a torrent of worry. “This power… this rage. It’s something I’ve never faced. It’s not just anger—it’s something else. Darker. More dangerous.” He swallowed hard, staring into the chaos. “If that is Zero, then the boy we knew is gone—replaced by a monster born from vengeance and pain. We can only hope… hope this demon still fights for our side.” Malik’s gaze hardened, shadows flickering in his eyes. “But if not… if he’s an enemy wearing Zero’s face… then we face a terror beyond anything we imagined.” They both turned back to the battlefield, hearts pounding in tense silence as the fate of everything hung on the battle unfolding before them—on whether the demon raging there was still their brother, or something far worse. The blazing frostfire crackled around Zero’s body like a living storm, his every movement a blur of icy blue flame and shadow. Sarkon’s dark form shimmered and twisted, as if reality itself tried desperately to pull him back together after each brutal strike. The air between them tore with the force of their blows, fragments of space and time unraveling as they collided again and again. Sarkon hissed, blood darkening his clawed hands, but his grin only widened. “You think you can break me? I am the end of all things, boy. You are but a flicker before oblivion.” With a sudden roar, Sarkon lunged, summoning tendrils of dark energy that snaked out like living shadows, aiming to ensnare Zero’s wings and crush them. Zero barely managed to twist away, a slash of icy flame cutting through the nearest tendril, sparks flying. The burning blue fire scorched through the shadows, momentarily illuminating the bleak battlefield with an ethereal glow. But Sarkon was relentless. He shattered the remnants of the broken tower and flung debris like deadly missiles. Zero dodged with supernatural agility, the frostfire shielding his skin from harm. Suddenly, Sarkon disappeared again — only to reappear beneath Zero, claws raking upward in a savage arc aimed for his chest. Zero grunted, blue flames flaring wildly as he caught the blow on his forearm, the impact sending a shockwave rippling through his body. Without hesitation, Zero slammed his claws into Sarkon’s side, ripping through dark energy like paper. The entity howled in fury, retaliating with a devastating burst of void energy that sent Zero crashing into the jagged ground. Rocks exploded outward as Zero struggled to rise, frostfire flickering weakly over bruised and battered skin. His eyes blazed fiercely with renewed fury. With a guttural scream, he unleashed a wave of cold fire that froze the very air, encasing Sarkon’s legs in jagged ice chains. Sarkon snarled, struggling against the binding frost, but the icy grip only tightened as Zero gathered his energy. “You will fall,” Zero spat, voice low and deadly. “By my flames… and my will.” With a sudden burst, Zero soared into the air, wings beating powerfully as he charged. Sarkon broke free just in time, summoning a void spear that hummed with destructive power. They collided midair again, the spear meeting the tail of burning frostfire with a thunderous clash. Zero’s tail whipped around, striking Sarkon’s wrist and shattering the spear into shards of dark energy. The Reality Shatterer screamed in rage, eyes glowing with pure malice. A swirling vortex of void opened beneath them, threatening to swallow them whole. But Zero clenched his fists, blue flames roaring to life with blinding intensity. He thrust his hands forward, releasing a massive wave of frostfire that surged upward like a tidal wave. The vortex collapsed under the onslaught, and Sarkon was thrown violently backward. Landing hard, Sarkon growled through gritted teeth, claws digging into the cracked earth. “You fight well, demon,” he hissed, blood dripping from his wounds. “But you cannot stop the end.” Zero stepped forward, flames licking hungrily along his limbs, wings spread wide in a terrifying display of power. “I am the beginning,” Zero said, voice echoing like thunder. “And I will burn this darkness away.” With a final roar, Zero surged forward, fists blazing with blue flame and electric fury, ready to end this battle once and for all. Zero’s blazing fists closed in for a crushing blow, but Sarkon twisted with impossible speed, his clawed fist swinging with brutal force. The punch connected squarely to Zero’s chest with a bone-crushing impact that echoed like thunder. A shockwave burst from the strike, blasting Zero backward like a missile. He tore through the air, a blazing comet of blue flames and shadow, crashing violently into the towering walls of Kaku’s castle. Stone shattered and splintered as the immense force tore through the fortress like it was made of paper. Massive chunks of the castle collapsed in a deafening roar, dust and debris filling the air as the once-mighty fortress crumbled around Zero. The impact threw him through broken battlements and shattered columns, his fiery wings folding weakly against his back. He landed hard on the cold stone floor of the ruined throne room, body slamming with a sickening crack. For a long moment, all that remained was silence — save for the soft, ragged rasp of Zero’s breath. The roaring blue flames flickered and dimmed, shrinking and melting away like ice under the sun. Zero’s demonic form faded, the jagged horns retracting, the cracked obsidian-like skin smoothing and returning to its battered human state. He lay there, bruised and broken, blood trickling from his lips and smearing down his chin. His chest rose and fell unevenly, each breath a struggle. Trembling hands reached out, clawing weakly at the ground as he fought to push himself up. Pain radiated through every muscle and bone; his body was battered, torn, and barely holding together. His eyes, once fierce with the blaze of his demon power, now flickered with vulnerability — wild, desperate, and aching. Slowly, painfully, Zero forced himself into a sitting position, gritting his teeth against the burning ache coursing through him. He was alive — but barely. Outside the shattered windows, the storm of battle raged on, but inside the ruined castle, the fallen demon struggled alone against the darkness closing in. The thunderous crash of stone and fire echoed across the realm. Kaku and Malik spun around as a streak of burning blue light hurled across the sky — and then boom. A violent explosion tore through the heart of Kaku’s stronghold. The towering castle crumbled in a single, deafening instant — walls collapsing like dominoes, pillars erupting in a storm of dust and debris. “No!” Malik shouted, eyes wide in horror. “That was the castle!” Without hesitation, the two surged forward, dashing through the shaking landscape, dodging falling debris and flames licking at the air. They leapt over fissures carved into the earth by the force of the battle. As they reached the smoking ruins, Malik’s heart pounded like a war drum. “Zero… tell me that wasn’t Zero...” Kaku’s expression was grim, his jaw locked, eyes scanning every inch of the wreckage. “Brace yourself.” They stepped through the shattered archway of what was once the throne room, now reduced to a ruinous crater of broken stone and dying embers. And there — among the dust and fire — they saw him. Zero lay amid the rubble, his form human again. His body was scorched, bruised, and barely breathing. His hair clung to his blood-slicked face, and his arms trembled as he weakly tried to lift himself from the cracked floor. “Zero!” Malik rushed forward, falling to his knees beside him. “Hey—! Hey! Don’t move, you’re— you’re hurt bad!” Zero groaned, coughing up blood. His lips parted, but no words came. Just a wheeze — a broken, ragged breath. Kaku stood back, shaken. His eyes — wide, almost disbelieving — locked onto the broken boy before him. “That… that demon… was him…” Malik’s hands trembled as he touched Zero’s shoulder, feeling the residual cold fire still clinging to his skin. “That thing — that thing wasn’t Zero… was it?” Kaku didn’t answer right away. His fists clenched at his sides as memories of the battle flashed in his mind — those eyes, that rage, that power. “No…” Kaku said quietly. “It was something born inside him. Something ancient. And we just witnessed it unleashed.” He slowly approached, kneeling beside them. His voice lowered, steady but grim. “If that power is truly his… we’re all standing on the edge of something far darker than we’re ready for.” Zero stirred again, weakly gripping Malik’s arm. “…M-Mal…ik…” he whispered. Malik leaned in. “I’m here, brother. I’m here.” “I… I lost… control…” His eyes, barely open, shimmered with something deeply human — fear. Kaku’s expression hardened, and he placed a hand on Zero’s chest, channeling a bit of healing energy to stabilize him. “Save your strength. You did enough.” Malik looked to Kaku. “What do we do now?” Kaku’s gaze drifted to the shattered sky above. “…We prepare,” he said, eyes cold as steel. “Because whatever that form was… it will return. And next time, if Zero isn’t strong enough to master it—” He glanced down at the boy, battered but breathing. “—it may destroy us all.” “I must keep fighting…” Zero said, Has he struggles on getting up. “I… must… keep fighting…” Zero croaked, his voice strained, barely more than a whisper as blood dripped from his lips. His arms trembled beneath him, barely able to hold his weight, fingers digging into the rubble, nails cracking as he forced himself up inch by inch. Every movement sent jolts of pain through his ribs — at least three were broken. One eye was swollen shut. His demon form had vanished, his aura gone. He felt… empty. Weak. But still… he rose. Not all the way. Just to one knee. But it was enough. “I… can’t let it end here…” he growled, breath hitching. “Not now… not after everything…” Kaku stepped forward, placing a hand firmly on his shoulder. “You need rest. If you move like this, your body will—” “I DON’T CARE!” Zero roared suddenly, his voice tearing from his throat like a beast’s snarl. His whole body shook with rage and despair. “I have to fight… or he’ll keep hurting everyone…” His hand clenched into a fist, and his nails cut into his own palm. “Sarkon… I couldn’t stop him… I lost control, and he still stood…” Malik stared at him, wide-eyed. “Zero…” Zero coughed again, blood splattering across the cracked floor. “I saw it… just for a second… in his eyes. He wasn’t scared. He wasn’t even angry.” He lifted his head, teeth gritted, rage burning behind the bruises. “He was bored.” Kaku’s face darkened. “That bastard wasn’t even trying.” Suddenly, the rubble behind them shifted, and Malik turned fast — expecting another strike. But nothing came. Just the wind. Zero forced himself to his feet now, swaying violently, but standing. Barely. “I’ll fight until my body breaks… until my soul burns to ash…” he growled. “Because if I don’t… he’ll kill everyone.” Kaku stepped in front of him now, firm. “And if you fall again — like this — who will stop him then? Get stronger, Zero. Control that power. Or the next time… your mind won’t return.” Malik nodded, his voice softer. “We’re not letting you die here. Not like this. You’re going to stand… but we’re going to help you stand right.” Zero’s breathing was ragged. But for the first time, his eyes lit with determination, not terror. “Then help me. Help me get strong enough to tear him apart.” The three stood amid the rubble of the fallen castle — broken, but united. Above them, far in the sky, Sarkon hovered silently in the distance — arms crossed, eyes narrowed. And for the first time… he smirked. Malik and Kaku stood close beside Zero, their forms barely lit beneath the rising smoke of the shattered castle. The night had turned silent — no howls, no screams, only the crackling of embers and the faint heartbeat of something awakening. Zero swayed forward, blood dripping from his mouth, one knee buckling under him. “He’s at his breaking point…” Malik said, his voice tight with urgency. “If we don’t act now—” Kaku’s hand was already moving. “We act.” Without speaking further, Kaku placed his palm against Zero’s spine, Azuraflames bursting forth like veins of liquid light. Malik stepped in front, jamming his palm into Zero’s chest — Crimson and Violet fire swirling like a storm, drawn from deep within his soul. Zero’s eyes snapped open, and for a moment — they were human. Then the power surged. It didn’t heal him. It didn’t soothe him. It shattered him. Zero screamed — the kind that tore through dimensions. A scream layered with other voices — old, ancient, monstrous. Bones cracked, his chest split open with light, and energy poured from the cracks in his flesh like molten lava. His body arched backward unnaturally. White mask-like bone began to form across his face — not grown, but forced through his skin, clawing its way to the surface. Jagged horns pierced out from the sides of his head, twisting backward like a demon’s crown. His skin paled unnaturally, splitting at the arms and shoulders as plated bone armor pushed through like exoskeletal shards. Black veins spread across his arms, glowing faintly with silver fire. His jaw unhinged briefly as he roared — revealing rows of serrated fangs. The air began to hum violently. A pulse. A rhythm. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. It wasn’t just his heartbeat. It was the rhythm of something trying to fully emerge. Zero’s body snapped upright. The ground beneath him cratered inward as a shockwave burst out from his core, vaporizing the remaining rubble around him. A tail of coiled shadow-fire lashed behind him, whipping the air. His hands ended in obsidian claws, digits elongated unnaturally. A massive, serrated wing of fire and bone tore through the air from his back, then another — each malformed but majestic in its own grotesque way. His mask fully locked in — white, asymmetrical, with sharp ridges down one side and an open, fanged jaw. Only one eye glowed through it — silver with a black slit, flickering with violet flames. The transformation ended in eerie silence. And Zero… stood tall. A thing between god and nightmare. Kaku blinked, lips parting slightly. “He’s not wearing it…” Malik nodded slowly. “He is it.” Zero’s hollow Nexaris form was complete — a creature of rage and vengeance, now honed into perfect control. His voice, when it returned, was distorted — like a choir of broken spirits bound to a single will: “I’m not losing control anymore…” With every step forward, the world around him seemed to flinch. “I’ve made this power mine.” Then — he looked up at Sarkon. No more words. Only the hunt. He vanished in a blink — and a thunderous BOOM tore the sky open as he launched himself toward his enemy like a missile of divine fury. The flames trailing behind him were no longer just fire. They were vengeance. They were war. Sarkon barely had time to react. A shriek of pressure split the clouds as Zero’s fist collided with his, the shockwave rupturing the heavens above. The clash sent spirals of raw energy outward, warping the sky and shattering the remains of the floating mountain they hovered over. BOOM! The impact hurled Sarkon backward, skidding through the air, tearing through layers of cloud like a comet crashing through a stormfront. His body flipped once — and then stopped midair, heels grinding against nothing as he stabilized. His arms trembled. His fingers ached. And for the first time… his lips curled downward. “…He’s changed.” Zero hovered there — not with flight, but sheer presence. Wings of bone and flame beat once, sending a ripple of heat across the battlefield. Every movement screamed of violence barely contained. He tilted his head slightly, the mask cracking at the edges with twitching muscle underneath. “You feel it now?” Zero said, his voice distorted, a low rasp wrapped in echoes. “This… is what happens when I stop holding back.” Without warning, Zero shot forward again — blinking in and out of visibility, like a phantom stuttering through space. Sarkon blocked the first strike, then ducked under a kick — but a third arm made of fire erupted from Zero’s shoulder and punched Sarkon directly in the ribs. CRACK! Sarkon grunted — blood spraying from his mouth. Zero wasn’t done. He grabbed Sarkon’s face mid-fall and slammed him into the air itself — the force creating a shock-ring of distorted wind. With a roar, Zero hurled him into a mountain below. The peak cracked — then shattered into rubble as Sarkon’s body exploded through it. Smoke. Silence. But Zero’s instincts didn’t let up. He dove after him — spiraling down, his body cloaked in burning trails. His claws ignited as he neared the wreckage. Then— Sarkon exploded out of the debris, now with his own dark aura flaring violently around him. His eyes burned with pure wrath. “ENOUGH!” He caught Zero mid-descent, elbowing him across the jaw, shattering part of his mask. Zero spun from the blow — but recovered with a midair twist and unleashed a bone-shattering roar that distorted gravity around them. The two clashed again — midair, mid-power, mid-madness. Fists. Fire. Blood. Rage. Zero swung low — his tail wrapping around Sarkon’s leg, yanking him downward. Sarkon retaliated with a blast of condensed gravity, sending Zero upward. The two became blurs of destruction, carving the sky like celestial monsters. Every punch broke sound barriers. Every block sent storms spiraling below. Every scream echoed through the world. Down below, Malik shielded his eyes from the sheer light flashing in the sky. Kaku stood with his arms folded, jaw tight. “He’s holding his own,” Malik muttered. “But how long can he keep this up?” Kaku narrowed his gaze. “…Long enough.” Back above — Sarkon gripped Zero’s face and slammed him into the atmosphere, dragging him across the sky in a streak of flame. But Zero bit down on his wrist mid-flight, blood spraying — and detonated a point-blank burst of Nexaris fire from his mouth. The explosion split the sky. Both were thrown in opposite directions. Zero caught himself midair — body cracked, mask now fractured in several places, silver flames pouring from his core like blood. He breathed heavily. But he was smiling behind the bone. “This power…” he whispered, “I’m only just beginning.” Then he flared again — wings roaring wide, tail coiling behind him like a scythe. And with that, Zero charged again — the second round just beginning. The sky split once more as Zero’s burning form rocketed forward. His claws slashed the air, aiming directly for Sarkon’s throat. But this time… Sarkon didn’t move. He stood there, arms down, chest exposed. Zero’s claws connected— but stopped. A black, jagged sigil had appeared on Sarkon’s chest — pulsing, ancient, and unnatural. The moment Zero touched it, his entire body spasmed with shock. A blast of pure darkness surged out, hurling Zero backward like a ragdoll, spinning through the air and crashing into a floating cliff face with enough force to split it apart. Dust rose. Zero coughed, clutching his ribs. His Nexaris form flickered for a second—unstable. Sarkon hovered calmly, a strange glow now bleeding from his skin. He began to laugh — low, guttural, growing louder by the second. “You thought that was my full strength?” He raised a hand. The sky darkened. Not just with clouds… but with chains. Hundreds of shadow-forged chains rained from above, anchoring into the air itself, forming a massive circle behind him. A black sigil larger than the sky itself pulsed behind his back — ancient glyphs rotating like a demonic clock. “You’re not the only one who’s been hiding a transformation.” Sarkon spread his arms. His muscles expanded. His eyes turned from crimson… to void. His mouth split with a soundless screech as his body began to change — horns erupting from his forehead, curved and jagged like obsidian blades. His back tore open as wings of black iron and blood unfurled, drenched in malice. His skin darkened to a molten grey, marked by glowing red lines like lava veins. His voice now echoed in multiple tones — distorted, divine, and demonic. “This is my true form…” The sky cracked above him. His aura drowned the light. “Sovereign Sarkon — The World Reaper.” Zero’s eyes widened as he struggled to stand, the sheer pressure from Sarkon’s released power pushing down like a mountain. His flames flickered, his Nexaris form starting to fray at the edges, straining to stay together. Sarkon raised his hand once more — and from above, a colossal sword of gravity-forged darkness descended from the clouds, pulsing with condensed destruction. “You're strong, boy. I’ll give you that. But you’re still mortal. Still breathing. Still breakable.” He aimed the sword at Zero. “Let me correct that.” With a single motion, the blade dropped — like a falling star. Kaku and Malik both screamed out — but it was too fast. Zero looked up at the descending blade— And roared. Flames exploded from within him as he tried to stand, trying to hold onto his form — trying to fight back. But as the sword fell— Everything went white. The colossal sword of shadow crashed down toward Zero like the end of the world itself. Time seemed to slow. Zero’s silver-violet-blue flames flared into a blinding inferno, swirling around him like a protective storm. His Nexaris form pulsed, every ember line on his skin glowing hotter, burning brighter, his wings spreading wide like a celestial war banner. With a primal roar, Zero threw himself straight upward into the path of the falling blade, fists clenched tight. The sword slammed into his flames with a deafening explosion — shockwaves ripped through the battlefield, shattering rock and scattering embers. The blade pressed down with unimaginable weight, crushing, trying to cleave him in two. But Zero did not break. He gritted his teeth, channeling every ounce of fire, spirit, and willpower into a counterforce. The flames around him flared, becoming a vortex of pure energy — silver lightning crackled through the violet and azure fire. The sword began to glow and crack, fissures appearing along its dark surface. With one final, earth-shattering burst, Zero’s aura detonated outward in a massive shockwave. The shadow sword shattered — exploded into shards of obsidian and darkness — scattered to the wind. Zero’s chest heaved, his entire body screaming with the effort, but he pushed forward — ignoring the pain. His eyes locked on Sarkon, whose expression twisted in disbelief and fury. Without hesitation, Zero surged forward, flames blazing into a razor-sharp spear extending from his clenched fist — a lance of pure, burning Nexaris energy. With explosive speed, he pierced through the shadow wings and jagged horns, driving the spear straight into Sarkon’s core — the very source of his corrupted life force. Sarkon screamed — a sound that cracked the air like thunder — and staggered backward, clutching his chest as the blazing spear seared through him. Energy erupted from the wound — a violent, chaotic storm of darkness and fire battling inside Sarkon’s body. Zero held on. “I’m not done yet,” he growled, eyes blazing like supernovae. The battle had turned. Sarkon’s eyes widened in shock as the blazing spear burned deep into his core. The chaotic storm inside him raged, but for the first time, he faltered. “Impossible…” he hissed, voice trembling with rage and disbelief. “How can you—?” Zero’s grip tightened, the spear’s flames intensifying, scorching through layers of darkness that had protected Sarkon for eons. “You underestimated me,” Zero growled, his voice low and thunderous, resonating with power beyond mortal bounds. Around them, the shattered realm quaked violently, caught in the grip of their titanic struggle. Reality bent and warped under the weight of their clash. Sarkon roared in defiance, dark energy exploding from his body in a tempest of shadows — an attempt to purge the burning spear. But the flame was relentless, a celestial fire born of ancient power and unbreakable will. Suddenly, Zero pulled back the spear, ripping it free with a violent surge. Sarkon stumbled, clutching the gaping wound, black blood seeping like ink into the cracked earth. But even wounded, Sarkon’s cruel smile returned — twisted and venomous. “You think this ends here?” he spat. “I am the shatterer of worlds! The breaker of realities! You are nothing but a fleeting flame against the void!” With a sudden burst, Sarkon unleashed a massive wave of corrupted void energy, swirling and tearing at the very air. But Zero stood his ground, wings spread wide, flames blazing like a storm. Raising his hands, Zero summoned a blazing vortex of Nexaris fire — a spiral of silver, violet, and azure flames — a concentrated storm of pure destruction. With a roar that echoed through the shattered realms, Zero hurled the vortex straight at Sarkon. The two forces collided with a deafening roar — a clash of light and shadow, fire and void — shaking the foundations of existence. Sarkon screamed as the flames engulfed him, his form flickering violently. The vortex tore through him like a cosmic tempest — relentless, unforgiving. As the firestorm faded, Sarkon collapsed to his knees, weakened, gasping for breath. Zero stepped forward, eyes burning brighter than ever. “This ends now,” he said, voice calm but absolute. And with a final surge, Zero unleashed a devastating strike — a burst of Nexaris flames that pierced through the shadows and sealed Sarkon’s fate. Zero’s final strike tore through Sarkon’s dark heart, a blaze of Nexaris fire that shattered his essence into fragments of shadow and flame. With a guttural scream, Sarkon crumpled to the ground, defeated at last. But with the last breath of his fading power, a cruel grin spread across Sarkon’s lips. “You... may have won the battle, but not the war...” he hissed, voice rasping like wind over gravestones. Raising his hand, Sarkon snapped his fingers. In that instant, the entire Ninth Realm — a vast cosmos filled with countless planets, blazing suns, and swirling galaxies — began to unravel. Stars exploded in violent supernovas, planets shattered into drifting shards, and galaxies twisted and collapsed into nothingness. The heavens themselves seemed to scream in agony as the cosmic web of the Ninth Realm tore apart. An apocalyptic cascade of destruction swallowed all light and matter. Then — silence. Complete and absolute. Zero, Kaku, Malik, and every living soul were cast into a boundless void — weightless, motionless, and utterly silent. No sound. No movement. No breath. Just endless black emptiness stretching infinitely in every direction. No stars to guide them. No ground to stand on. No sky to shield them. Only the cold, endless void. Their bodies floated, suspended in eternal stillness. Frozen. Alone. Time lost all meaning. No breath stirred the stillness. No heartbeat echoed in the endless silence. Zero’s silver flame flickered faintly — a fragile spark swallowed by the infinite black. Around him, the others hovered motionless, shadows suspended in the vast emptiness. Kaku’s eyes, usually burning with fierce resolve, were closed, his form unmoving. Malik’s crimson and violet flames dimmed to mere whispers of light, fading like dying stars. No voice escaped. No thoughts found their way into sound. Only the crushing quiet of oblivion. The void held them in its cold grasp, a prison without walls or bounds. No past. No future. Only the endless now — a frozen moment stretched across eternity. Zero’s body drifted slowly, powerless, tethered neither by gravity nor hope. A question lingered in the nothingness — was this death? Or some cruel purgatory? But no answer came. Only silence. Only emptiness. Only the void. Suddenly, Zero’s body convulsed, a violent shock ripping through him. With a deafening crack, his Nexaris form shattered—exploding off his frame like shards of burning glass. Flames that once roared and danced around Zero vanished in an instant. Malik’s violet fire sputtered out, fading into nothingness. Kaku’s radiant Azuraflames flickered once—and then died, swallowed by the overwhelming darkness. No ember glowed. No flicker of light remained. Only absolute blackness. Their bodies floated, bare and powerless, swallowed whole by the void’s merciless silence. No warmth. No hope. No sign of life. Only the cold, endless abyss. The silence stretched, deep and unbroken—like the breath before a storm, or the heartbeat of a world long dead. Zero, Malik, and Kaku drifted through the endless void, their bodies weightless, their minds heavy with the unknown. No light to guide them. No sound to comfort them. Only the void—a vast, merciless emptiness that swallowed all. Somewhere, far beyond their fading senses, a faint pulse lingered—a whisper of something waiting. Waiting for them to awaken. To fight. To survive. The Ninth Realm was gone. But their story was far from over. As darkness closed in, a single, unseen spark flickered—fragile, but defiant. And somewhere in the infinite silence, destiny waited to be rewritten.