Chapter 12: When God's Bleed

Chapter 12: When Gods Bleed

The world split open.

Not figuratively—literally. As Hikaru clashed with the Divinarch, the sky cracked like broken glass and bled celestial fire. The battlefield, once the smoldering ruins of Arvania, had become a vortex of chaos and elemental devastation. Mountains trembled. Oceans roared in protest. Stars above blinked uncertainly.

The force of their first collision sent a shockwave that leveled everything for miles. Hikaru skidded across a shattered street, his boots grinding sparks against the stone as he steadied himself, black coat tattered and hair whipping wildly in the wind. His amethyst eyes glowed brighter than ever, their energy flaring like miniature galaxies.

Opposite him, the Divinarch hovered—unmoved, pristine, and terrifying.

A being of perfect symmetry, it radiated light and darkness equally, its wings shifting from angelic feathers to arcane glyphs mid-flap. But Hikaru saw it now. The weakness behind the divine facade. A flicker of instability. The faintest tremble.

"You bleed," Hikaru said coldly.

The Divinarch looked down, and sure enough, a shimmering crack had formed across its torso—fracturing its perfection.

"So do you," it replied.

Blood trickled down Hikaru's lip. He wiped it off with the back of his hand and smirked.

"Let's make it rain, then."

And rain it did. Only this was no water from the sky. This was a rain of ruin.

---

Meanwhile, in the western reaches of the fallen kingdom…

The remnants of the Royal Army had regrouped.

What few knights, mages, and mercenaries remained were huddled under makeshift tents, guided by a single woman now cloaked in celestial energy—Selene, bearer of the Divinarch's soul shard. Her hair, once raven-black, now shimmered with streaks of silver and starlight, and her eyes bore the glow of someone who had seen infinity.

The generals argued among themselves.

"We must strike now! While they fight, we pierce the heart of the Abyss!"

"No, we wait! If the Divinarch falls, what hope do we have?"

Selene stepped forward. Her voice silenced them all.

"Hope? Hope is for those who watch. We will not watch. We act."

She summoned her blade—Stellaris, forged from a sliver of the moon itself. Its edge shimmered with divine resonance. At her back stood the Twilight Vanguard, a newly formed order of elite soldiers infused with the Divinarch's energy. They would march on the Abyss itself if need be.

Selene gazed at the horizon. "Hold on, Hikaru," she whispered. "I haven't given up on you yet."

---

Back at the battlefield...

Hikaru vanished in a flicker of black-red lightning, appearing behind the Divinarch mid-swing. His blade—Abysscleaver—hummed with cosmic corruption. The Divinarch deflected the blow with a flash of light, and the resulting impact shattered the mountains behind them.

They moved faster than thought. Magic burned the sky in hues never meant to be seen. Every spell cast could end nations. Every sword swing bent gravity. They were no longer fighting as man and god.

They were rewriting reality.

But even Hikaru could feel it—his time was limited.

The Abyss inside him writhed, fighting back. His deal with the Abyssal Lords had given him power beyond measure, but now it demanded a toll. His veins glowed with unstable energy, and his breath came heavier with every second.

The Divinarch noticed.

"You are unraveling," it said.

"Better to burn out as a god," Hikaru growled, "than fade as a pawn."

Suddenly, the Divinarch's light surged, and a holy symbol formed in the air above—the Seal of Eternity. A divine spell forbidden even among the gods.

Hikaru's eyes widened. If that spell landed—

He dove forward, channeling every ounce of his strength, and punched through the spell mid-cast. The entire sky exploded. Divine runes shattered like glass. The backlash blew both him and the Divinarch back into separate city districts.

---

Amidst the rubble…

Hikaru coughed blood, dropping to one knee. His hair clung to his face, matted with sweat and blood. One of his arms hung limp, fractured. He forced himself to stand.

Then—he saw her.

Selene.

Approaching through the wreckage, sword in hand, eyes glowing with determination. Behind her were a dozen members of the Twilight Vanguard, weapons drawn, but uncertain.

She didn't raise her blade.

"It doesn't have to end like this," she said. "Come back."

Hikaru chuckled bitterly. "There is no 'back.' This… this is what I've become."

"Then become something more." Her voice cracked. "Let me help you. You were never just a pawn. You defied the gods, Hikaru. You made your own fate. Don't let it consume you."

He stared at her, expression unreadable.

Then—

Boom.

The Divinarch descended again, now visibly cracking across its face and arms. It was weakening. Selene turned, blade raised, ready to defend. But Hikaru stepped forward.

"This ends now," he said.

"You'll fight it?" Selene asked.

"No. I'll kill it."

He raised his hand—and for the first time—summoned the True Abyss.

The entire battlefield turned black.

---

Far across the continent, atop the Tower of Fate…

An old seer gasped, spilling her divination bowl.

"The Shard of Midnight has awakened," she whispered in horror.

Her apprentices paled. They knew what that meant.

If Hikaru now wielded the True Abyss...

The gods themselves would tremble.