Chapter 18:Defying Judgment

[Realm 23 – The Burning Skies]

The moment Kael and the Crownless arrived, chaos consumed the horizon.

The once-quiet realm was now a battlefield between mortals and divine fire.

Cities crumbled. Trees cried. Sky-rivers split into storms.

From above, pillars of golden flame descended—Solarian's Wrath Incarnate—each one disintegrating miles of land in seconds.

The people had no champions. No gods to protect them.

Until now.

---

Kael landed at the edge of Ashborn Village—his birthplace. What little remained of it was shrouded in smoke and embers. A child cried somewhere beneath broken beams.

"Selena! Gorn!" Kael barked.

"Start rescue. Juro and Lina—cut down the purifiers!"

The team scattered.

The war had begun.

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[Combat Begins – Flame vs. Heaven]

Descending from the divine eye came Ten Purifier Angels, clad in armor forged from sunlight and law.

They spoke in one voice:

"Judgment. Execution. Reset."

They raised blades that hummed with the power of law itself.

But Kael raised his own—his newly awakened Phoenix Warden Blade—and shouted:

"I've been judged since the day I was born…

It's time the gods answered for theirs!"

The impact of his slash shattered three angels in one blow.

The sky flashed.

[Skill: Sovereign Flame Crash – Activated]

· 1200% damage to divine-class entities

· Applies "Ashbound" – disables healing for 15 seconds

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[A Battle for the Soul of a Realm]

The Crownless fought like monsters.

Gorn the Undying charged through five angels, tearing divine armor with his bare fists, laughing through divine fire.

Lina Voidheart warped reality itself, collapsing stars into the angels' paths.

Selena shielded fleeing villagers, turning her divine mirror into a vortex that reflected holy fire back to its source.

Yet despite the strength, the skies continued to rain destruction.

[System Warning: Realm 23 Core Integrity — 61%]

Kael knew—this wasn't a battle to win.

It was a battle to survive long enough to stop the culling at its source.

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[Kael's Revelation]

As Kael struck down the seventh Purifier, his vision blurred.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.

"You were not meant to awaken the Sovereign Flame…"

A memory—not his own—flooded him.

A golden throne. A blade of ashes. And a child wrapped in chains of light.

"You are the echo of the First Crownless... The one even gods feared."

Kael stumbled, eyes wide.

"I'm… not just Kael. I'm…"

"...what remains of the fire they tried to erase."

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[Final Stand – The Ashborn Barrier]

More angels descended. Dozens now. Too many.

But Kael raised his sword, planted it into the ground, and summoned the core of his soul.

[Ultimate Skill: Ashborn Domain – Manifested]

· Summons a 1-km radius field where divine abilities are nullified

· Grants regeneration to Crownless allies

· Lasts 5 minutes or until Kael falls

A massive dome of flame erupted over the battlefield, shielding the village and burning the descending angels to cinders.

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[End Scene]

Kael dropped to one knee. His blade sizzled, veins glowing red.

Selena ran to his side.

"We held the line," she said, breathless.

"But they'll come again."

Kael, still smoldering with sovereign fire, looked up.

"Then we'll be waiting."

"This realm lives.

We're not done."