Silence followed the storm.
The League of Sovereign Descent hung in orbit like a broken star, its floating decks torn open and its reactors dimmed. Debris shimmered around it — fragments of shattered arrays drifting through space like dust motes of light.
In the center of the devastation stood Kaien, suspended midair, surrounded by a quiet inferno of golden flame.
His white-and-gold hair floated gently in the void wind, his eyes glowing with mirrored suns. The Heaven Breaker Core pulsed at his spine, syncing with a rhythm older than the planet itself.
Across from him, Kai'en knelt, armor fractured and smoking.
> "This can't be…" he hissed. "The synchronization—impossible. No human can sustain that much legacy energy!"
Kaien's gaze was calm. "I'm not trying to sustain it. I'm becoming it."
He raised his palm, and the broken fragments of the League began to drift toward him — metal, spirit arrays, even debris from the skyships — all bending in the wake of his qi.
The Sovereign Flame didn't just burn. It rewrote reality.
---
Far below, on the surface of Earth, buried beneath the techno-megacity of New Dawn, the ancient Sovereign Core Network stirred for the first time in five centuries.
> [Signal Detected: Heaven Breaker Resonance — Level Omega.]
[Activating Guardian Subroutines.]
Massive towers that had lain dormant since the Celestial War rose from the cityscape, splitting the streets apart. Monoliths of light pierced the clouds, forming symbols visible across the planet.
Citizens gasped as entire sectors began to levitate — drawn upward by invisible energy.
And in the deserts of Old Asia, deep within the ruins of the Temple of Flame, seven crystal pillars ignited in sequence.
> [Sovereign Guardians — Reinitializing.]
[Primary Directive: Protect the Flame.]
[Secondary Directive: Eliminate the Void.]
---
Meanwhile, inside the League's control core, surviving instructors gathered around a flickering holo-table. The image of Kaien's battle filled the screen.
Professor Lumei's voice trembled.
> "That energy signature… it matches the Heaven Breaker resonance from the Celestial War archives."
Archon Veylan's mechanical hand clenched.
> "He's awakened the planetary defense network. Those 'Guardians' aren't weapons — they're remnants of Wang Chung's consciousness embedded in machine form."
> "Then they'll protect him," Lumei said softly.
> "No," Veylan countered. "They'll test him."
---
Above Earth, Kaien looked up as seven rays of light pierced through the atmosphere, converging around him like a divine formation.
Each light condensed into a colossal being — half machine, half spirit — standing tall enough to eclipse the moon's horizon.
Their voices echoed in unison, vibrating through space and soul alike.
> "Designation: Heaven Breaker Successor detected."
"Commencing Validation Trial: Flame of Worth."
Kaien's body tensed. "Validation trial…?"
The largest Guardian stepped forward — a massive colossus of molten steel and glowing scripture.
> "In the age of flame, Wang Chung defied heaven. But his successor must defy himself."
> "You mean—"
"Show us," the Guardian roared, "that your flame is not borrowed — but born!"
The sky trembled as six spears of light formed a massive ring around Kaien.
Kai'en, still barely standing, watched from afar. "They awaken for him? The guardians that once obeyed Wang Chung himself?"
He smirked weakly. "Then maybe it's time the Reversal Flame claims its place."
---
Kaien floated into the center of the ring. The flames around him flickered as he tried to stabilize his core. His consciousness slipped between past and present — hearing faint echoes of Wang Chung's laughter, his voice guiding him through the pain.
> "Flame is choice. Not power."
"Remember that, boy."
He exhaled — and let go.
The golden fire erupted outward, forming a massive lotus of burning code, each petal representing one Sovereign Law. His aura clashed against the Guardians' energy, pushing them back even before he moved.
> "Heaven Breaker Form Four – Sovereign Pulse Resonance!"
The void lit up with golden runes, pulsating like a heartbeat that spanned the stars. The Guardians retaliated, firing beams of compressed Dao light that could shatter dimensions.
Kaien raised both hands. His flame twisted, devouring the attacks — not with strength, but with understanding.
Each burst of energy became his own.
> "Your light isn't my enemy," he whispered. "It's part of the same flame."
---
Then — silence.
The seven Guardians knelt, lowering their heads in synchronized motion.
> "Trial complete."
"Successor acknowledged."
A massive sigil appeared above Kaien — a sun of fire inscribed with the ancient emblem of the Heaven Breaker. The light from it reached Earth, Mars, and even the Temple of Origin.
---
Inside the Temple, dark silhouettes watched from within the shadows of a grand chamber.
> "He's passed the Guardian Trial already," one figure said. "Just like Wang Chung did."
> "No," replied another. "Faster."
The largest figure leaned forward, eyes burning with void-light.
> "Then the prophecy is true. The Flame and the Mirror have both awakened."
"Prepare the Sovereign Eclipse Project. If Kaien unites the Nine Fragments, this era will collapse before it even begins."
---
As the Guardians dispersed into beams of light, Kaien floated alone in the dark expanse.
The pendant around his neck glowed faintly — the same pendant once worn by Wang Chung.
He looked down at Earth, now bathed in golden light.
> "I don't know what kind of god you were, Heaven Breaker…"
"But if I'm to inherit your will — I'll surpass it."
And far away, deep in the void between worlds, a silent flame blinked awake — a remnant of the original Wang Chung, watching quietly.
> "Good," it murmured. "Now let's see if you can truly break heaven… without losing your soul."