Adrian froze the moment Luca's body hit the ground.
For a brief second, the world around him felt silent, as if everything had stopped moving. The battlefield, the clones, even Lucius standing far away—all of it faded behind the single sight of Luca lying lifeless on the ground.
It was another loss. Another name added to the long list of people who had died beside him.
David. Chronos. Jake. Kenji. Cosmic. Anthony… and now Luca.
Each death had left a scar inside Adrian. Every time it happened, he clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to continue forward no matter how heavy the pain felt.
But this time was different.
Something deep inside him began to change.
Suddenly, memories flooded his mind one after another. The moment David fell. Chronos sacrificing himself. Jake fighting until his last breath. Kenji's final stand. Cosmic being killed before his eyes. Anthony collapsing after his last punch. And now Luca, who had saved him just moments ago.
All of those moments replayed at once, over and over again, filling Adrian with an overwhelming storm of emotions.
His breathing became heavier. His hands trembled.
But instead of only anger, something else began to rise within him.
Then, something impossible happened.
Adrian slowly lifted his head—and in front of him, he could see them.
Ghostly figures stood around him, faint and transparent, yet clearly visible.
David stood with his arms crossed. Chronos watched calmly. Jake grinned. Kenji held his sword silently. Cosmic looked serious. Anthony gave him a confident nod. Even Luca stood there, smiling slightly.
None of them spoke.
But Adrian could feel what they were doing.
They were cheering him on.
Encouraging him to stand.
Encouraging him to finish it.
And in the next moment, their power began flowing toward him.
Every ounce of strength they once had—every skill, every bit of determination, every fragment of power—poured into Adrian's body all at once.
It was overwhelming, yet Adrian didn't resist it.
Instead, he embraced it completely.
The ground beneath him began to crack. The air itself trembled as a violent surge of energy erupted outward from his body.
Lucius watched from the tower, his eyes widening slightly as he felt the sudden change.
Adrian slowly looked up, his expression completely different now.
The Ren clones moved to attack again.
But Adrian was faster.
He vanished instantly, appearing among them with terrifying speed. His fist struck the first clone with crushing force, sending it flying through a tower before the structure collapsed behind it. Without stopping, Adrian spun and launched another clone straight into a wall with a kick powerful enough to shatter the stone entirely. Within seconds he closed the distance between the rest of them, striking again and again with overwhelming strength, each blow destroying another clone before it could even react.
One clone tried to counterattack with a gravity ball.
Adrian shattered it midair with a single punch.
Another clone attempted to slash him using "Sword of Gravitational Pressure."
Adrian grabbed the clone's arm before the attack could finish and slammed it into the ground with such force that the impact created a massive crater. He then launched forward again, striking another clone directly through the chest with a devastating blow that sent it crashing through several towers in the distance. One after another, the clones fell, unable to withstand even a single hit from him.
Within moments, the battlefield was empty again.
Every Ren clone had been defeated.
Lucius stared at the destruction in disbelief.
His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
He couldn't understand what had just happened.
Adrian suddenly appeared right in front of him.
"THIS IS FOR EVERYONE YOU KILLED!" Adrian roared.
His fist shot forward with every bit of power he had been given. The punch landed with unimaginable force, releasing a shockwave so powerful that the entire base of Lucius shattered instantly. Towers collapsed, walls disintegrated, and the ground itself split apart under the impact as the energy blasted Lucius away at incredible speed.
Lucius's body flew across the battlefield like a projectile before crashing directly into a distant mountain.
The mountain exploded apart from the collision.
And just like that, Lucius died instantly.
The battle was over.
The clones were gone.
Lucius was dead.
And Riley was finally safe.
The overwhelming rage inside Adrian slowly began to fade.
As the energy left his body, the ghostly figures around him began disappearing one by one.
Anthony gave him a final nod before fading away.
Cosmic disappeared silently.
Kenji vanished next.
Then Jake.
Then Chronos.
David.
And finally, Luca.
Adrian stood there alone again.
The battlefield around him was completely destroyed, the remains of towers and walls scattered everywhere.
But he couldn't feel victory.
Only emptiness remained.
He slowly fell to his knees.
The weight of everything that had happened finally crashed down on him.
All the battles. All the sacrifices. All the people who had died just so he could stand here at the end.
Tears began falling uncontrollably as Adrian cried for a long time, unable to stop the grief that had built up inside him for so long.
Eventually, after what felt like hours, the tears finally stopped.
Adrian slowly stood up again.
He walked over to Riley, who was still unconscious, and gently lifted her into his arms.
There was nothing left for him on this planet anymore.
So he opened a portal.
Then another.
And another.
One by one, Adrian tested different planets across space, searching for somewhere safe to live.
Some worlds were nothing but endless deserts of dust.
Others were filled with strange alien species and dangerous environments.
Some were completely lifeless.
None of them were suitable.
But eventually, after many attempts, Adrian found one that was different.
The planet had a peaceful atmosphere.
There was a large city—not very advanced, but clearly populated by normal people living ordinary lives.
Beyond the city were vast forests stretching across the land, along with tall mountains rising in the distance.
The people there seemed kind and calm, living simple lives without war or destruction.
Adrian looked at the planet quietly.
For the first time in a long time, it felt peaceful.
So he stepped through the portal while carrying Riley.
And from that moment on, Adrian decided that he would spend the rest of his life on that planet—living quietly, far away from the battles that had taken everything from him.