The battlefield was a wasteland of ash and cracked stone, scorched by the residual aura of Rael's awakening. The sky trembled with unnatural storms as black thunderclouds spun above, centered around one being: Rael, the last prince of the Solari Ascendants, now in his Third Awakening—Solari Overdrive. His eyes blazed like miniature suns, and each breath he exhaled shimmered with divine heat. His rose-colored hair shimmered in the wind, streaks of white lightning wrapping around him like serpents.
The corpses of demon underlings littered the ground, their bodies ruptured from the sheer pressure of Rael's aura. Those who tried to flee were vaporized mid-sprint, their screams lost in the thunder. Nothing weak could withstand his presence. Silence fell as even the wind dared not whisper.
Demon Lord Lucifer, though one of the mightiest in the hellish legions, staggered backward, his dark wings trembling. Beside him, Ifrit, the God of Fire, stood with a twisted grin, cloaked in a molten aura of hatred and betrayal. He had once summoned the Nameless God, the very being responsible for the genocide of the Solari and the death of Rael's parents.
"Impressive," Ifrit drawled, stepping forward. "The boy lives up to his lineage. Solari fire still burns. But let's see how long it can blaze against a god."
Lucifer snarled. "Enough talk."
The two titans lunged together.
The Battle Begins
Rael stood unmoved as they charged, his arm slowly raising. With a flick of his fingers, the air bent. Lucifer reached first, his black blade arcing through the air—but Rael vanished.
A heartbeat later, Lucifer was slammed into the ground by an unseen force.
"You're too slow," Rael said from behind him.
Ifrit attacked next, raining down a spiral of flame tornados. The entire battlefield erupted into molten earth—but Rael raised a single hand, and time froze.
He walked calmly through the frozen tornado flames, touching each vortex with glowing fingers. When time resumed, they detonated backwards, exploding into Ifrit himself.
The fire god stumbled back, his molten armor cracked.
"You mastered temporal manipulation," Ifrit muttered, surprised. "Impossible… your clan never reached that level before…"
"I'm not my father," Rael said. "I am his vengeance."
Lucifer roared, darkness erupting from his chest as he summoned the Shadow Abyss, a forbidden power said to erase even souls. Rael clenched his fist. A radiant solar sigil appeared beneath his feet. With a roar, he punched forward.
"Solar Eruption!"
A wave of incinerating light clashed with the Abyss. The impact ruptured the earth, creating a canyon of pure destruction. Trees miles away were flattened. Time bent. Reality screamed.
When the dust cleared, both Lucifer and Ifrit were kneeling, injured. Their auras flickered.
"You… you are a monster…" Lucifer growled, coughing dark blood.
Rael hovered above them, cloaked in golden fire. "You killed my family. My people. My world."
Ifrit grinned. "And I'd do it again."
That was his last word.
Rael descended like a meteor.
With a twin strike of solar-empowered fists, he punched both their chests at once. The shockwave obliterated the sky above. Their bodies exploded into a storm of fire and darkness—then dissolved into ash.
Aftermath
As Lucifer's twisted body collapsed beside the charred remains of Ifrit, the battlefield plunged into an eerie silence. Smoke curled into the broken sky, now pierced by slivers of returning sunlight. Ash drifted like snow.
Rael stood motionless in the center of the scorched earth—his rose-colored hair swaying gently, kissed by wind and flame. His golden eyes, once blazing like twin suns, now flickered faintly—still radiant, but human again. His chest heaved with exhaustion, his fists lowered.
All around him, the remnants of demonic bodies smoldered. The world was quiet. Too quiet.
Then…
"Rael…?"
A trembling voice broke the silence.
Eris staggered forward, covered in blood and dirt, her voice a fragile thread. Her lips quivered.
"You really… did it." Tears welled up and spilled freely.
Lyra Dreamshade, rarely serious, stood frozen. Her mismatched eyes widened in disbelief.
"That power… I've never seen anything like it. Not even in the old tomes."
Evelyn Starwyn dropped to her knees, clasping her spirit crystal to her heart.
"It's him. He's the reason we're still alive…"
Raiden Valenhart, sword cracked from battle, slowly raised it toward Rael—not in challenge, but in salute.
"That's no longer a classmate… That's a king of war."
Roric Drosen wiped blood from his cheek, face grim but proud.
"He really is the last Solari… and the strongest of us all."
Seraphina Moonwhisper, her healing magic flickering weakly from exhaustion, walked toward Rael. Her violet eyes brimmed with emotion. She touched her lips, remembering the kiss she gave him before the battle.
"You promised you'd wake up. You kept your word…"
Behind them, knights emerged from the smoke, armor shattered, eyes wide.
"He killed them… both… alone…" one knight murmured.
"The demons are retreating!" shouted another. "Lucifer is dead!"
The surviving soldiers dropped their weapons in awe and fell to their knees. Cheers began, small and unsure—then built into a thunderous roar.
King Edward Stoneheart stepped through the ranks of broken warriors. His regal armor was dented, his beard dusted with ash. His sharp eyes locked onto Rael. He walked slowly, then stopped, raising his voice for all to hear.
"We have witnessed a miracle."
He gestured to Rael.
"This boy—no… this prince of flame and light—has done what no army could. Solari blood flows in our hope again."
Rael raised his eyes to the sky, now clearing. The light washed over his weary face.
He whispered, just loud enough for the wind to carry:
"Mother… Father… I kept my promise. Your son is no longer running. I've avenged you."
But then his voice grew grim.
"And yet… I can feel it. This is not the end. The Nameless God still lives…"
Far away, beyond stars and realms, a presence stirred—cold and ancient.
The real war was only beginning.