THE HALO SWORD

The battlefield was a storm of chaos, the air thick with the scent of blood and the raw energy of warriors locked in mortal combat. Every clash of steel and fire sent shockwaves through the war-torn land, but within the heart of the carnage, the tides were shifting.

Zaia gritted her teeth, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Leo was relentless, his twin blades moving like crashing waves, each strike flowing seamlessly into the next. She dodged, her Venom Kissers flashing, carving precise arcs through the air. She struck, her poisoned dagger slicing across his chest—a solid hit. But Leo barely reacted. He twisted with the momentum, absorbing the pain, and then his tail came crashing against her side.

The impact was like being hit by a hammer. Bones cracked. The force sent her tumbling, rolling violently through the dirt. She coughed, tasting blood, struggling to rise. But Leo was already there, his movements as fluid as the water that shimmered along his weapons. He struck downward, a killing blow—Zaia barely brought her daggers up in time. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, her arms shaking under the sheer force of his strength.

Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Rubi had overwhelmed Reo, the massive warrior barely holding his ground against her blistering speed. The snake-woman moved like liquid fire, her flaming claws carving through the air. Reo parried desperately, his massive blade meeting her strikes in thunderous clashes, but he was slowing. His breath was heavy, his feet dragging slightly with each step.

Rubi feinted right before darting left, slamming a flaming fist into his stomach. He staggered. She was too fast. Too precise. The moment he dropped his guard, she pounced on him like a predator striking its prey, her body twisting as she lashed her claws across his back. A sharp grunt escaped him, blood spraying into the air.

Reo roared, forcing himself to move through the pain, swinging Tenshiryu in a wide arc. The blade hummed with power, but Rubi ducked, her body slipping beneath the strike like smoke. Before he could recover, she was behind him.

Zaia saw it happen in an instant—Rubi's claws ignited brighter, her fangs bared in a wicked grin. She struck, both hands plunging into Reo's back. Fire erupted from the wounds, and for a brief moment, Reo stood rigid, his body trembling from the sheer agony.

Then, the fire exploded outward.

Reo's chest burst open in a gruesome display of charred flesh and searing embers. His breath hitched, a choking gasp escaping his lips. His massive form staggered forward, his grip on Tenshiryu weakening. He tried to turn, to fight, but his body had already betrayed him. His knees buckled. The sword slipped from his grasp, embedding itself into the earth.

Rubi stepped back, watching as the life drained from his eyes. Then, with a cruel smirk, she kicked his body forward. He crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Zaia barely had time to register what had happened before a sharp pain tore through her stomach.

She gasped.

Looking down, she saw the shimmering blade of Leo's sword buried deep into her gut.

For a moment, neither of them moved. The battlefield around them seemed to fade, the sounds of war muffled by the deafening silence in her head. She tried to breathe, but it came out in a weak, ragged wheeze. Blood dripped from her lips.

Leo watched her, his reptilian eyes calm, indifferent. Then, with a sharp twist of his blade, he ripped it free.

Zaia staggered, her legs barely holding her up. She tried to lift her daggers, to strike one last time, but her arms felt like lead. The strength was leaving her. Her vision blurred. She dropped to one knee.

And then, with a final, shuddering breath, she collapsed.

The battlefield raged on.

Benji stood over Solomon, his flames burning hotter than ever, his grin wide with satisfaction. To his side, Leo and Rubi turned to face the Nordian general, their expressions unreadable but their intent clear.

Solomon hadn't moved.

He stood frozen, his Halo Sword still glowing at his side, but his grip on it had tightened. His knuckles were white, his entire body rigid. His eyes were locked on the bodies of his fallen comrades, the lifeless forms of Reo and Zaia lying broken in the dirt.

For the first time since the battle began, he did not strike. Did not counter.

He only stood there.

Silent.

Still.

Benji's grin widened. He rolled his shoulders, stepping forward, flames licking at his claws.

"What's the matter, Nordian?" he sneered. "Losing your nerve?"

Solomon did not answer.

The battlefield burned around him, but inside, something darker ignited.

And then, slowly, his head lifted.

His eyes, once cold and calculating, now burned with something else. Something raw.

The moment before the storm.

A deep, seething rage consumed Solomon, burning hotter than any flame Benji could conjure. His breath came slow and heavy, his grip tightening around the Halo Sword until his gauntlet groaned under the pressure. The divine steel trembled, reacting to the storm of emotions surging through him. Then, it began to glow.

At first, the light was faint, a soft pulse along the blade's edge. But with every passing second, it grew—brighter, stronger, blinding. The blue radiance spread, crawling up Solomon's arms, seeping into his very being. His eyes flickered, the icy blue deepening, until they were no longer eyes at all—just pure, incandescent light.

The glow intensified, swallowing him whole. The Halo Sword's divine energy surged, its true power awakening. The battlefield trembled beneath him as the sword's brilliance became unbearable, radiating like a second sun. The light flared, expanding outward in a violent pulse.

And then—

A cataclysmic blast of divine energy erupted.

The sheer force of it tore through the battlefield, an explosion of pure, celestial radiance. Benji, Leo, and Rubi instinctively shielded their eyes, staggering back as the blinding light consumed everything. The air vibrated with power, a deafening hum reverberating through the earth.

When the light finally receded, they looked up—

And saw him.

Solomon stood in the center of the devastation, his form wreathed in a halo of shimmering blue light. Above his head, a radiant halo hovered, spinning slowly, casting an ethereal glow upon his face. His eyes, no longer human, blazed like twin stars, filled with unrelenting fury. The Halo Sword, now fully awakened, shone with divine intensity, the runes along its blade pulsing like a heartbeat.

This was no longer the calm, calculating general they had been fighting.

This was something else.

Something unstoppable.