Minwoo's breath steamed in the fractured air of the Veil.
The Crucible of Echoes had opened the door—but the true test waited beyond.
Varya's voice rang through the emptiness like a judgment.
"You've passed the trial. But now you must survive the Ruler's Arena."
The stars above twisted into a spiral, then collapsed inward—forming a massive coliseum of obsidian and fire, suspended in a void of howling gravity wells. Jagged seats formed from celestial bone surrounded the arena, and in the center floated a throne of dark glass.
Upon it sat a being cloaked in endless twilight. Skin like cracked marble, eyes that held supernovae.
The Ruler.
One of the immortal arbiters who governed the Veil—a being so old that time bent to his will.
"Another Riftborn whelp," the Ruler said, standing slowly, voice echoing across realities. "Prove yourself, or be shattered."
A howl cut through the sky as Kinro descended—Minwoo's bonded storm dragon, his scales shimmering with starlight and runes branded from Riftflame. The beast landed beside Minwoo with a thunderous roar, lightning crackling in his breath.
"We fight together," Minwoo said, gripping the Riftblade.
The Ruler smirked. "Then you'll fall together."
With a gesture, the arena convulsed—walls rising, gravity shifting. Spears of energy rained down. Reality split as the Ruler summoned constructs of light and ruin, each echoing with past lives devoured.
Minwoo didn't hesitate.
"Kinro—Ascend."
The dragon leapt into the sky, wings unfurling with a deafening clap. He exhaled Riftfire, melting the Ruler's first barrage into slag.
Minwoo moved like a shadow, blinking through rifts mid-swing. The Crownblade extended into dual forms—one edge starlit, the other shadow-bound.
New Ability: Astral BreakA dimensional strike that ignores armor and cuts through immortality's bindings—usable only against beings of immense power.
New Bond Skill: Stormflare UnityMinwoo and Kinro synchronize attacks—Kinro's lightning fuses with Minwoo's blade, amplifying each strike into a shockwave of stellar force.
The battle lit up the arena like a dying sun. Kinro dove from above, smashing constructs while Minwoo clashed blade to blade with the Ruler, the immortal's scythe warping space with each swing.
"You wield chaos like a toy," the Ruler sneered, driving Minwoo back. "You think power makes you worthy?"
"No," Minwoo growled, eyes blazing. "But I've earned every drop of it."
As the Ruler lunged, Minwoo spun beneath the strike, Kinro arcing overhead in a storm of lightning—
—And together, they struck.
Astral Break and Riftflame collided at the Ruler's core.
With a scream of unraveling time, the immortal was driven to one knee. His armor cracked. Bloodless light spilled from the wound.
Minwoo stood over him, blade to throat.
"Yield."
The Ruler laughed, even as his form began to dissolve.
"You are not what we expected, Riftborn. You are… disruptive."
He faded into ash and stars, voice lingering.
"Others will come. Stronger. Angrier."
Silence fell.
Then the arena roared—not in hate, but in awe.
Throughout the Veil, the duel was felt. Witnessed. Across shattered realms and cursed dimensions, Riftborn exiles, rebels, and forgotten champions felt the surge.
A new force had made a statement.
And it had a name.
Later, as the coliseum faded and Kinro curled beside a flickering portal, Varya approached.
"You challenged an immortal," she said. "And won. They'll come for you now."
Minwoo sheathed the Riftblade, sweat cooling into stardust.
"Good. I want them to see what's coming."
Varya glanced to the sky.
"They already do. And some want in."
Portals began opening across the Veil.
Figures stepped through—warriors drawn by the clash, pulled by instinct, hunger, or loyalty.
Minwoo turned to face them, Kinro rising behind him like a storm.
"Welcome to Oblivion's Edge," he said. "The war's begun."
And this time, he would write the rules.