10—

  The fabric of time tore in that moment.

  The sky split open like a bck wound; lightning roared like filing dragons, and a deadly melody trembled in the veins of the earth. And at the center of that darkness, stood V. The waves of shadow spilling from his shoulders painted even the night in a deeper shade. His eyes had turned into hollow voids of endless bck. Every cell in his body burned with the pure energy of destruction he had absorbed from the cores of the Deviants.

  The Eternals stood frozen just a few steps behind. The air was so dense, each breath felt like sharp bdes scraping their lungs.

  And Ikaris…

  He descended from the sky, eyes bzing, gliding steadily toward V. Every step he took bore the unwavering resolve that could dim the stars themselves.

  “Enough!” Ikaris roared, his voice powerful enough to silence the thunder.

  But V did not answer. He merely tilted his head slightly—like a predator. Shadow was now his cloak; even the wind recoiled at his steps.

  Ikaris did not hesitate for even a second. He soared forward, rushing at V with a punch emanating raw energy. V stepped back, nearly vanishing into the shadows. When Ikaris’s punch struck the ground, the earth exploded; rocks, tree roots, and clouds of dust erupted into the air.

  Yet V drifted through the explosion like a phantom.

  As he fused his cane with shadows, it gave birth to a bck spear, which he hurled at Ikaris. The air itself seemed to crack; the spear surged forward like lightning. Ikaris tracked it with his eyes, dodging it with millisecond precision before unching a counterattack.

  Two powers collided.

  Ikaris’s fists, fueled by light, cshed against V’s shadow-born strikes. Each impact bent the very air around them. Trees were uprooted; stones were sent flying.

  The first round had begun.

  Ikaris shot upward, then dove down like a thunderbolt, his fist descending like a divine seal from the heavens. V used the shadows to leap back; but before the motion was complete, Ikaris grabbed him by the right shoulder and nded a brutal blow. V’s bones cracked—but he welcomed the pain like a greeting.

  V forged a dagger from shadows and plunged it into Ikaris’s arm. Sparks of energy burst forth. Ikaris narrowed his eyes; for the first time, a flicker of unease crossed his face.

  This would not be an ordinary battle.

  This was a csh of divine powers.

  ?

  V summoned the shadows. The surrounding darkness responded to his call. Tendrils of shadow burst from beneath the ground, spiraling through the air. Ikaris unleashed a beam of concentrated energy from his eyes, but with a single thought, V created a shield of shadows. The beam pierced the defense, but its speed waned—and V stepped out of Ikaris’s line of sight.

  When Ikaris turned his head, V was behind him.

  A strike—right to his back, like a shadowy fist woven from stardust. Ikaris was sent flying forward, but recovered quickly. He flipped midair, found bance, and turned back toward V, pure fury igniting in his eyes once more.

  Ikaris roared, extending his hands forward and unleashing a current of light that devoured the distance between them.

  V sank into the earth with his shadows, merging with the very soil. When the wave of light passed above, he emerged from the ground once again.

  This was not a chess match.

  This was a war to determine the nature of the stars.

  ?

  As the battle progressed, V’s movements became more feral. He shaped the shadows into spears, chains, even colossal hands—assaulting Ikaris with relentless fury. Ikaris, in turn, blocked each strike or overwhelmed them with sheer force. Two opposing natures—light and darkness—writhed, refusing to submit to one another.

  Suddenly, V seemed to split in two—one part slithered like a serpent around Ikaris’s legs, while the other descended like a sword from above. Ikaris dropped to his knees, smmed a fist into the ground, and released a shockwave of energy. The shadow arms shattered.

  But V was smiling.

  Because hidden within those shadows… was something else.

  In a blink, Shadow appeared—its eyes gleaming blood-red. It pounced on Ikaris, pinning him to the ground for a few precious seconds. Griffon, from above, rained down bolts of lightning. The battlefield had turned into a chaotic symphony of war.

  Ikaris struggled to rise, his chest heaving.

  V stepped closer with each breath.

  And in that moment…

  V unleashed his full chak energy.

  A dark aura resembling bck fmes erupted from his body. For a brief moment, the sky turned crimson. The stars trembled.

  Ikaris stepped back—for the first time.

  V surged forward with the shadows at his side. Each step was like an earthquake. As he thrust his cane forward, shadows whipped into a hurricane, enveloping Ikaris. Ikaris fired powerful energy bsts from his eyes—but V’s chak energy devoured them, growing even more immense.

  Ikaris unched himself forward. Punches, kicks, beams of light—V countered each with shadow, overpowering him step by step.

  But darkness comes with a price.

  V’s body began to tremble. His veins glowed with bck fire. His chak energy had gone out of control.

  Ikaris noticed.

  And with one final hope, he gathered all his energy into a single point. From his hands, he forged a spear born of pure stelr energy. He charged forward, pouring everything into this strike.

  At the same time, V gathered all his darkness.

  Two forces collided.

  The sky tore open.

  The earth trembled.

  And for a single instant… everything was still.

  ?

  As the dust clouds cleared, V was on his knees. His cane was shattered. The shadows swirled around him but could no longer support him. Ikaris too had fallen to one knee, panting—but he remained on his feet.

  V tried to lift his head.

  His eyes still shimmered with darkness.

  But his body… could no longer bear the weight.

  He tried to take a step—he failed.

  The shadows curled around him as if to help, but even that darkness could no longer keep him standing.

  And finally…

  V colpsed into the arms of the shadows.

  Unconscious.

  The sky fell silent with him.