Setting: The Ruined Cathedral Core — Now a battlefield soaked in memory, fire, and blood.
The stained-glass collapsed behind them. Light no longer filtered through. Only fury remained.
Drevan circled, breathing like a beast unchained. His Mourneclipse crackled with entropy.
Adexander bled from his temple, but his grip didn't shake.
The Fangblade pulsed.
And then—
> [SYSTEM TRIGGER: BLOODFORGE — BERSERK PATH ENGAGED]
[Conditions Met: Bond Severed. King Betrayed. Brother Fallen.]
[CRIMSON LIMITER REMOVED.]
[New Title Acquired: The Crimson Requiem]
Adexander's veins glowed red-hot. His eyes darkened—not black, not crimson, but the color of a dying sun.
The ground cracked.
Drevan's mouth parted slightly—not in fear, but understanding.
He whispered, "…So that's what you were hiding."
Narration:
> Once, Adexander reigned as the Crimson King—but in this moment, he transcended even that.
He became Requiem. The end-song of empires. The dirge of kings.
Adexander (walking forward):
"You think I broke because of her.
Because of you.
But you never understood."
He raised the Fangblade—
—and with one breath, the entire cathedral ignited in crimson flame.
The pillars melted. The air warped. Time itself twitched.
Kael and Velessia shielded themselves with pure mana. Kaien had to stab the ground to stay rooted.
Drevan (charging):
"Show me, then! Show me why she chose you!"
They collided.
Not like men. Like forces. Like a cataclysm meeting an apocalypse.
Each strike shattered history. Every blow echoed with memories of Lysira, of the throne, of the war that made them enemies.
Flashback Interlude: The True Past
Lysira stood between them in the throne room, years ago.
Lysira:
"If either of you falls, the world falls with you. So stop fighting—just once.
Remember who you were."
But they didn't stop. They couldn't.
That's why she died.
Present — Final Exchange
Drevan drove his blade into Adexander's ribs.
Adexander grinned through the blood—and drove his through Drevan's chest.
They both dropped.
Breathing.
Bleeding.
Alive.
Drevan (whispers):
"Still the king, huh?"
Adexander (coughs):
"No… just the one who stayed standing."
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Drevan Status — Defeated]
> Echo of Ruin has exited combat.
Memory Cycle trigger pending…
Drevan vanished into smoke.
And Adexander, broken and burned, rose once more—alone in the ash.