[Scene: Aftermath of the Clash Hollowspire Ruins]
Smoke curled from the edges of Hollowspire's shattered towers. The air was thick with burnt ash and divine residue. Kael stood over a crater glowing with heat, his body trembling, lungs rasping for air.
His strike had held back a god's lance—for mere seconds.
But seconds were all he needed.
[System Alert]
· "Sovereign Potential: Validated"
· "Ashmoon Core is stabilizing…"
· "Warning: Overload state in 47 seconds…"
Kael coughed blood but laughed anyway.
"Still alive. Take that, system."
---
[Selena's Choice]
Selena dropped beside him, armor cracked, shield reduced to a glowing shard. She looked at Kael, truly looked—and saw not a reckless fool anymore, but a leader rising through fire.
"You're insane," she said softly.
"No," Kael muttered, eyes wild with ashlight. "I'm sovereign."
"We're not done yet," she added, pointing upward.
The sky shimmered with heat once more.
Solarian hadn't descended fully—only an echo had clashed.
Now the real presence began pushing through.
---
[Descent of True Divinity]
A second sun ignited above Hollowspire.
The world held its breath.
"Trash," came Solarian's full voice.
"Even gods were once mortals. But you? You are a mistake."
Kael gritted his teeth.
"Then I'm the last mistake you'll ever make."
The broken crown on Kael's head reassembled, reforged in the flames of defiance. A ring of symbols appeared behind him, glowing with the fragments of ten broken realms.
---
[New Skill Unlocked]
[Skill Unlocked: Flame Sovereign's Mandate]
· Class: Mythic (Sovereign-Tier)
· Effect: Command subrealms born from ash and grief; negate all divine suppression within 100 meters
· Limit: Usable only once per moon cycle
Kael slammed his foot into the charred ground.
A pillar of ashlight erupted from beneath him.
Hollowspire shook.
Solarian's image above wavered.
---
[The Crownless Return]
Suddenly, dozens of sigils began lighting up across the battlefield.
From cracks in the air and space stepped others—rogue sovereigns, exiled cultivators, forgotten heroes.
All wearing cracked or half-shattered crowns.
"Who dares defy the heavens?"
"We do," Kael said, standing tall as the ashstorm roared.
"The Crownless. The Broken. The Trash."
---
[Final Clash]
Solarian's true form had not yet fully manifested, but his divine essence lashed downward like chains of burning law.
Kael lifted his hand. His Flame Sovereign's Mandate activated.
And for the first time—
The divine chains shattered before they could reach him.
---
[Final Line]
Kael turned to the others.
> "If heaven wants a war…
…then we'll give them a revolt."