Chapter 41 — Clash Against the Divine

The Sovereign’s hand descended.

Kael roared, swinging his blade upward. Black fire surged, meeting the divine strike in a storm of collapsing light and shadow. The collision shattered stone, split the sky, and sent shockwaves across the city. Towers crumbled. Streets ripped apart. People screamed as the very ground rebelled against existence.

In the chaos, Kael staggered back, his chest heaving. His arms felt like lead, his blade cracked and bleeding sparks. But he stood. He refused to fall.

From beyond the battlefield, voices carried: the terrified masses of the kingdom staring into the sky.

—“What… what is that thing?”
—“A god… no, it’s worse.”
—“This isn’t salvation… it’s the end.”

Priests fell to their knees, praying with trembling lips, while soldiers dropped their weapons, their will broken. The tolls of the bell had been warnings. Now the world understood what had come through the rift.

The Sovereign’s voice thundered across the earth, every syllable undeniable.
“This world is mine to rewrite. My scripture will not be denied.”

Kael wiped blood from his lips, snarling through the pain.
“I was erased once. Never again.”

He swung his sword with both hands, pouring every ounce of hatred into the strike. A river of black flame surged skyward, splitting the Sovereign’s vast form in half for a heartbeat before the wound sealed instantly.

The Sovereign’s countless eyes glowed, its voice a rumble of inevitability.
“You cannot kill a story that has already been written.”

Kael’s knees buckled. His strength wavered. But still, he raised his blade. Even if he couldn’t win—he would fight. Because if he stopped now, there would be nothing left to fight for.

And somewhere, across the horizon, another bell began to stir. Not the Sovereign’s. Something older. Something forgotten.