CHAPTER 1155: RECKONING (1).

When the light finally faded, the world was unrecognizable.

The landscape had been carved hollow. Blackened ridges of melted stone stretched outward from a circular pit half a kilometer wide, glowing faintly with veins of molten light. In the center of that pit stood two figures—battered, blood-soaked, and barely standing.

Cain’s armor was split open across his chest. Every breath rattled like broken glass in his lungs. {Eidwyrm} rested point-down in the dirt, the blade warped from overuse, its once-perfect edge cracked with hairline fractures. His aura, once a torrent of molten red, now flickered weakly like dying embers.

Nebula wasn’t faring much better. His halo had shattered completely. Fragments of his metallic constructs floated around him, orbiting at random. The once-impeccable coat he wore was torn to ribbons, exposing the pale lattice of veins beneath his skin, glowing faintly with silvery light.

They stared at each other through the shimmering haze of heat distortion.

For a long while, neither moved. The battle had escalated beyond any form of elegance—it was pure attrition now, willpower against exhaustion.

Nebula broke the silence first, his voice low but steady.

"Still breathing, Cain? You look like a corpse that forgot to fall."

Cain smirked faintly, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. "Funny. I was thinking the same about you."

The sound that escaped Nebula’s throat was somewhere between a laugh and a cough. "You’re relentless. I’ll give you that."

Cain rolled his shoulders, grimacing as something cracked. "You talk too much."

He surged forward.

The ground split beneath his feet as he closed the distance, blade dragging sparks. Nebula raised his arm, summoning what remained of his blades to intercept. The metallic shards converged into a defensive wall—shattered instantly by Cain’s swing.

The impact sent a ripple through the molten ground, throwing up a storm of debris. Nebula stumbled back, coughing as smoke filled his lungs. Cain didn’t stop. He pressed in, every motion fueled by raw fury.

He slashed again—horizontal, vertical, diagonal. Each swing carried the weight of something deeper than rage; it was determination sharpened to a killing edge. Nebula blocked what he could, parried when possible, but Cain’s tempo was relentless.

The clang of metal echoed like thunder.

Nebula caught one blow on his forearm, the blade digging halfway into flesh before it stuck. Gritting his teeth, he twisted, forcing Cain’s sword aside and driving his knee into Cain’s gut. The air rushed out of Cain’s lungs, but he didn’t falter—he twisted the momentum, headbutting Nebula square in the face.

Blood sprayed. Nebula reeled backward, one hand clutching his nose, the other summoning another burst of metallic energy.

The fragments around him realigned, swirling faster, forming a spiral of mirrored shards. They vibrated violently, humming with resonance, reflecting the faint gold of Cain’s aura.

"Your technique is crude," Nebula rasped, voice dripping with venom. "But your will... I almost admire it."

"Admire it all you want," Cain growled, his stance lowering. "You’ll still die on your knees."

Nebula’s eyes flashed silver. "Try it."

The spiral expanded, becoming a dome of blades spinning at blinding speed. They moved like a cyclone, slicing through the air with a high-pitched shriek. Cain planted his foot and thrust {Eidwyrm} forward, the blade’s cracked surface glowing once more.

The collision was immediate and catastrophic.

The dome imploded, sucking air and debris inward before detonating outward in a wave of molten shrapnel. Cain was thrown back, crashing into a ridge and tumbling across the dirt. His sword spun out of his grasp, embedding itself several meters away.

For a few seconds, everything was silent again except for the roar of fire and the distant rumble of thunder overhead.

Cain groaned, forcing himself up on shaking arms. His muscles screamed, and his vision wavered—but he found his footing. Across the battlefield, Nebula stumbled out of the explosion’s core, blood streaming down one side of his face.

He still smiled.

"Admit it," Nebula said. "You’re impressed."

Cain spat blood. "I’m pissed."

He extended his hand toward {Eidwyrm}. The blade trembled, shaking free from the dirt and flying into his grip. The moment his fingers closed around the hilt, the sword pulsed—like it recognized the desperation behind the touch.

Cain exhaled slowly. The rage, the exhaustion, the pain—all of it condensed into stillness. Then he moved.

He launched forward again, feet melting the earth beneath them. Every step cracked the air. Nebula responded in kind, raising both arms and summoning every remaining fragment he could muster. The air shimmered with heat and raw energy, distorting light into waves.

When they met, it was chaos.

{Eidwyrm} tore through Nebula’s defenses, carving deep gashes through his armor. In response, Nebula countered with a storm of metallic shards that burst out from his chest and spiraled outward. Cain’s coat was shredded, his flesh scored with a dozen shallow cuts, but he didn’t stop.

Each exchange became faster, heavier.

Their footwork blurred; their strikes left trails of light and afterimages. The world seemed to bend around them, unable to keep up with the sheer violence of their clash.

At one point, Nebula blinked out of sight—Cain twisted just in time to block his reappearance, their weapons locking.

"Why fight this hard?" Nebula hissed. "You’ve already lost everything worth protecting."

"Then that just means I’ve got nothing left to fear," Cain shot back.

Their weapons screamed as they ground against each other. Sparks cascaded between their faces like fireflies.

Nebula snarled and broke contact, disappearing again. Cain pivoted, scanning the flickering trails of heat distortion—and barely raised his sword in time to parry the strike aimed at his neck. The impact sent him sliding backward several meters, boots carving trenches in the dirt.

Nebula reappeared behind him. Cain spun—too slow. A blade grazed his cheek, another stabbed toward his ribs. He caught it with his hand, ignoring the way it pierced through flesh, and yanked it forward, pulling Nebula closer.

The two collided, and Cain slammed his forehead into Nebula’s face again, shattering what was left of his mask of composure. Blood sprayed between them.

They broke apart, both gasping for air.