The Shattering of Limits

The battlefield lay in ruin.

The once-proud ruins of the Sanctum of the Forgotten were now nothing but broken stone and scorched earth. Waves of raw power had torn apart the land, leaving cracks that seemed to reach into the void itself. The air shimmered with residual energy, distorting reality as two forces of absolute destruction clashed.

Aaron stood firm, his golden-black aura pulsing wildly around him. His breathing was ragged, his body aching from the battle—but his grin never wavered.

Before him, the Crimson Saint slowly rose from the rubble, their divine armor cracked, their once-flawless form fractured. Divine ichor dripped from the seams of their armor, their breathing labored.

And yet, their resolve had not wavered.

Aaron exhaled, rolling his shoulders. He could feel it now.

The shackles that had once held him back… were gone.

He had ascended beyond mortality the moment he took the First Godslayer's power. But this battle—this brutal, unforgiving war of strength and will—had begun shaping him into something beyond even that.

He wasn't just a challenger to the gods anymore.

He was becoming a force they had never seen before.

The Final Exchange

The Crimson Saint took their stance once more, gripping their divine blade. The air around them pulsed, as if the world itself bent to their will.

Aaron narrowed his eyes.

And then They moved.

Faster than before. Faster than anything mortal should be able to perceive.

Aaron barely had time to react before the blade was upon him. His instincts screamed. He twisted at the last second, avoiding the full brunt of the attack, but—

SHINK!

A gash of divine energy tore across his side.

Pain exploded in his nerves, but Aaron didn't stop moving. He retaliated.

His fist, wrapped in golden-black destruction, collided with the Saint's chest.

A deafening shockwave followed.

The Saint flew backward, crashing through multiple stone pillars before skidding to a halt. Their armor fractured further, the cracks spreading like veins of broken glass.

But they still rose.

Still defiant.

Aaron chuckled. "You really don't know when to stop, huh?"

The Crimson Saint leveled their blade at him. Their voice, despite the damage, was steady.

"A sinner like you… will never reach the heavens."

Aaron's grin widened. "Who said I wanted to?"

And then, he vanished.

For the first time, Aaron moved faster than the Saint.

Before they could react, he was already behind them.

Before they could counter, his knee drove into their back, sending them forward.

Before they could recover, his hand grabbed their helm—and crushed it.

A Moment of Shock

The Saint staggered, their helm shattering in Aaron's grasp.

And for the first time—

Aaron saw their face.

His eyes widened.

Selene gasped from the sidelines. "No… that's—"

Orin clenched his jaw. "Damn it."

The Crimson Saint… was a woman.

Her face was fierce and unyielding, with eyes that burned like twin suns. Long strands of silver hair fell over her shoulders as the last pieces of her helm crumbled to dust.

Aaron stared at her, momentarily thrown off.

The Saint, however, did not hesitate.

SLASH!

A brutal swing of her sword caught Aaron across the chest, sending him flying. He crashed into the remains of a fallen structure, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

He coughed, wiping blood from his mouth.

She stood over him now, divine power coiling around her like a living force.

"This ends now, Aaron Vale."

She raised her sword for the final strike.

Breaking the Chains

Aaron exhaled. His body hurt. His energy burned.

But deep inside—

Something shifted.

Something awoke.

The power of the First Godslayer pulsed within him, responding to the intensity of the battle, feeding off his resolve.

And suddenly, he understood.

He had been holding back. Even now.

Not out of fear.

But because a part of him still clung to his old self.

His past self.

The crippled boy. The forgotten warrior. The lost soul.

That Aaron Vale was already dead.

And the man standing here… was something else entirely.

A force that would shatter the heavens.

A power that would defy fate itself.

His golden-black aura exploded outward, shaking the land. The very air around him cracked as he embraced his true strength—completely, unrestrained.

The Crimson Saint hesitated.

For the first time—she felt it.

The presence of something beyond gods, beyond mortals.

Aaron grinned through the blood.

"This ends when I say it does."

And then, he moved.