Chapter 11: When Gods Fall

The air cracked with energy as Kael's Celestial Cleaver met Executor Veyran's twin plasma blades. The impact sent a shockwave through the warship's corridor, sparks raining down from ruptured power conduits.

Veyran moved first, fast as a viper, his blades spinning in a deadly blur.

Kael dodged left, twisting mid-air as one of the plasma blades sliced inches from his throat. His own weapon shifted in his grip, morphing into twin sabers as he countered.

Metal sang as their weapons clashed again.

Veyran's attack pattern was relentless—each strike measured, each movement optimized for the kill.

Kael barely blocked a downward strike, his arms straining against the sheer force. Veyran was stronger than he looked. Faster.

But Kael had faced worse.

Kael had killed gods.

With a snarl, he twisted his grip, hooking Veyran's blade and wrenching it sideways. The Ascended warrior staggered back, recalibrating.

Kael smirked. "You fight like a machine."

Veyran's golden eyes flashed behind his mask.

"And you fight like a relic."

Then he attacked again.

🔥 Meanwhile – The Bloodsworn Fight to Survive

The ship was collapsing around them.

Dain threw an Ascended enforcer against the bulkhead, crushing its skull with one brutal punch. "We need to get the hell out of here!"

"Shields are failing!" Reyna shouted over the chaos, her shield flickering under heavy plasma fire.

Aisha's blades danced through the air, cutting through enemies with wild precision. "Where the hell is Kael?"

Typhon staggered, his Rift-marked hands glowing too brightly. His voice was strained. "The Rift is… pulsing. Something's wrong."

Elyndra's voice crackled over the comms. "Forget Kael! If we don't move now, we die here!"

But none of them knew.

Kael wasn't done fighting yet.

Kael rolled under Veyran's next strike, shifting his blade into a spear, driving it toward the Executor's ribs.

Veyran deflected it at the last second, twisting into a brutal counterattack.

A plasma blade grazed Kael's side.

Pain flared, burning white-hot.

Kael gritted his teeth. Ignored it.

This wasn't just a fight.

This was a reckoning.

"You think killing me wins you this war?" Kael growled, slamming his foot into Veyran's chest, forcing distance between them.

Veyran tilted his head slightly, as if considering.

"Killing you is not the goal."

Kael's breathing was sharp, ragged. "Then what is?"

Veyran's golden eyes burned.

"Submission."

Then he lunged again.

The warship screamed as explosions ripped through its hull.

Fire and smoke choked the corridors as alarms blared. But Kael didn't move. Didn't flinch.

Because Veyran was still standing.

The Executor's golden eyes glowed behind his mask, reflecting the flickering emergency lights. His twin plasma blades hummed with lethal precision, their violet edges vibrating with raw energy.

Kael exhaled, rolling his shoulders. His own weapon shifted fluidly in his grip, morphing back into a curved greatsword.

Neither spoke.

Because words wouldn't end this fight.

Only blood would.

Veyran moved first.

His speed was inhuman—faster than light, faster than thought. His twin blades carved the air, moving in a perfect, devastating arc.

Kael blocked the first strike. Barely. The force sent him skidding backward, boots scraping against the floor.

Veyran was stronger than before.

Or maybe, Kael was just getting tired.

The battle had lasted too long. His wounds were stacking up. His body was starting to fail him.

But failure wasn't an option.

Veyran attacked again. Faster. Sharper. Relentless.

Kael met him blow for blow. His Celestial Cleaver shifted constantly—from greatsword to glaive to twin sabers, adapting to every strike.

For every inch Veyran gained, Kael took it back in blood.

Then—

A mistake.

Veyran feinted left, then twisted mid-air, blade arcing toward Kael's ribs.

Kael was half a second too slow.

The plasma blade slashed across his side, searing flesh and armor alike.

Pain exploded through him.

Kael staggered, nearly dropping to one knee.

Veyran didn't stop.

He kicked Kael square in the chest, sending him crashing into the bulkhead.

Metal shattered.

Kael coughed blood.

His vision blurred.

Veyran stood over him. Unshaken. Unmoved.

His voice was calm. Absolute.

"You were stronger in the old war."

Kael spat blood onto the floor. His grip tightened on his blade.

"I was younger."

Then he moved.

Faster than before. Faster than even Veyran expected.

Kael's Celestial Cleaver shifted again—this time, into a spear.

And he drove it straight through Veyran's chest.

"We're out of time!"

Elyndra's voice snapped through the comms.

The warship was falling apart.

Dain and Aisha fought side by side, cutting through Ascended enforcers as the corridor buckled under the strain of the battle.

Typhon's Rift-marked hands were glowing violently, unstable energy pulsing from his fingertips.

"The Rift is distorting—" he growled. "Something is pulling at it. If we don't leave now, we won't get the chance."

Reyna blocked another plasma blast with her shield. "Where the hell is Kael?"

Silence.

Aisha's eyes flickered toward the burning corridor.

"Still fighting."

Elyndra cursed. "We can't wait. We're leaving."

Aisha's expression darkened. "Like hell we are."

Then she ran.

Straight into the fire.

Veyran staggered backward.

The spear was buried deep in his chest, golden light spilling from the wound like liquid fire.

But Kael wasn't done.

With a snarl, he ripped the spear free—then morphed it into a greatsword and swung.

The blade tore through Veyran's side.

The Executor fell to one knee.

For the first time, Kael saw hesitation in his golden eyes.

Veyran coughed, crimson streaking his lips. His voice was weaker now, quieter.

"This… is not… your victory."

Kael exhaled sharply, wiping blood from his own mouth.

"No."

He lifted his sword.

"But it's a start."

Then he brought it down.

The blade cleaved through Veyran's throat.

The Executor's head hit the ground.

And Kael was already moving.

She found him half-dead, standing over Veyran's corpse, breathing hard.

"You look like shit, Reaper."

Kael smirked, wincing. "You should see the other guy."

Aisha didn't hesitate. She grabbed him by the wrist.

"No time. We're leaving."

Kael's breath was ragged. "The fleet—"

"Already moving. We stay here, we die."

Kael hesitated—just for a second.

Then Aisha did something unexpected.

She yanked him forward—hard—and kissed him.

It wasn't soft.

It wasn't gentle.

It was wild. Reckless. Like the battlefield around them.

And then she pulled away, smirking.

"Now move your ass, Reaper."

Kael blinked.

Then he grinned.

"Yes, ma'am."

The warship was collapsing.

Aisha and Kael sprinted through the crumbling corridors, dodging falling debris and firestorms.

Ahead, the last dropship was waiting—engines burning, ramp down.

Dain stood at the entrance, waving frantically.

"Move it, you bastards!"

A plasma blast struck the ground inches from Aisha's feet. She cursed, twisting mid-air, returning fire with deadly precision.

Kael didn't stop moving.

They leapt onto the ramp just as the ship lifted off.

Behind them, the Ascended warship erupted into a firestorm of destruction, collapsing into the Rift anomaly.

The shockwave hit them like a tidal wave.

For a moment—

There was only silence.

Then—

They were free.

The rebellion had escaped.

For now.

From the bridge of the Ascended dreadnought, Prime Ascendant Zeruel watched it all unfold.

His golden eyes remained unreadable.

Veyran was dead.

The warship was lost.

The rebellion had escaped.

Yet Zeruel did not look angry.

Instead—

He smiled.

"So be it."

Then he turned.

"Deploy the God-Killers."