Chapter 46 — The Fractured Flame

The sword in Kael’s hand pulsed with black fire, reshaping itself from shards of steel into something half-real, half-dream. But the glow wasn’t steady. The blade flickered, warping between form and formlessness, as if reality itself resisted its existence.

The Sovereign’s chains recoiled, weaving into a living wall around its towering form.
“Impossible. The counter toll cannot reside in a fracture.”

Kael staggered upright, every breath ragged, his body trembling under the weight of the toll. Still, his lips twisted into a defiant smirk.
“Then watch me break your law.”

He charged.

The fractured blade screamed as it cut through the air, each swing leaving trails of distorted space. Chains lashed out in a storm, colliding against him. Sparks and fragments of light burst with each impact, shattering the ruins further. But the weapon in his hand wavered, its form constantly threatening to collapse.

Kael’s vision swam, his limbs heavy, his heartbeat a deafening toll in his ears. The power demanded more—always more.

“Kael!” The girl’s voice cracked with fear. “If you push further, you’ll destroy yourself—”

The Sovereign’s roar swallowed her words.
“Then let him collapse into nothing. That is the fate of those who should not exist.”

Chains struck, slamming him back. The weapon flickered violently, collapsing into sparks in his grip. For an instant, Kael held nothing but a fragment of flame—fragile, flickering, almost gone.

But he refused to let go. He clenched the ember tight, and the toll surged in response. A pressure crushed him from within, as if his own existence was tearing at the seams.

“I don’t… care what it takes.” His voice was hoarse, breaking, yet clear.
“If my existence is wrong… then I’ll force this world to accept it.”

The ember burst alive, becoming a blade brighter and darker than before. The air fractured as he swung, the impact splitting the Sovereign’s defenses.

The shockwave hurled the god backward, its form shattering with cracks of light.

Kael collapsed to one knee, his whole body shaking. The blade in his hand flickered wildly, unstable, feeding on him as much as it struck at the enemy.

The girl rushed to catch him, her hands trembling.
“Stop! If you keep forcing it, you’ll vanish before the Sovereign does.”

Kael’s grin was weak, but unyielding.
“Then I’ll vanish… but not before I carve my mark into this world.”

The counter toll rang again—deafening, merciless—promising that the next strike would decide not just the battle, but Kael’s very right to exist.