The dust settled slowly, drifting in pale sheets across the moonlit plains. The air felt heavy, as if the land itself understood that the balance of power had shifted. The Angel King and Yajin stood apart, their breathing steadying as their eyes fixed on the seven figures who had descended from the sky like a sentence of judgment. Behind the newcomers, the moon hung low, casting long, jagged shadows across the cracked earth.
Eiden stepped forward first, his cloak swaying in the silver light. The twin blades at his sides shimmered, and his mere presence seemed to press against the atmosphere—calm, unyielding, and certain. Vaelus stood at his right, emerald eyes glowing beneath the drifting dust while the symbols on his robe pulsed in a quiet, rhythmic response to the tension. Selyndra remained poised and balanced, her silver blade resting at her side, while Morvath rolled his shoulders, his fanged blades angled downward with predatory focus.
Across from them, Yajin's grin widened. The Sword of Judgement hummed with an uneasy resonance that deepened until it visibly bent the air, reality itself recoiling from its touch. Yajin let out a low, dark chuckle that escalated into delighted laughter, as if he had just uncovered a long-lost treasure.
"This is incredible," he said, his voice brimming with dark joy. "I get to kill all eight of you tonight. The gods have truly blessed me!" He stretched his arms wide, tilting his head back toward the sky as his laughter echoed across the wasteland.
Eiden stepped forward again, his voice unshaken. "Yajin. By sunrise, I will be taking that blade from your hands. It is an artifact of the Three Gods, and of all people, it does not belong with you."
Yajin lowered his head slowly, his grin sharpening as he locked eyes with Eiden. "Oh? But I already count three blades in your possession. Why would you need a fourth?" He tilted his head, laughter bubbling up again. "How would you even wield all four? Haha!"
The wind swept between them, carrying a veil of dust. "I don't need to wield all four at once," Eiden replied steadily. "But I can take the blade, learn its power, and embed that essence within my own steel."
Yajin clicked his tongue. "That doesn't answer the practical question. How would you even carry them?"
Eiden lifted his arms slightly, the moonlight catching the specialized metal sleeves built into his gloves. "These aren't just gauntlets. I can slide two blades under these sleeves; they latch tight against my forearms as if they are an extension of my own hands."
Vaelus stepped forward, planting himself beside Eiden with a sharp look. "Sorry to break up the chitchat, but we have someone to kill."
Yajin's grin only grew. "Ah, I see. But Eiden, is this really like you? To fight your enemy with the help of three others? And here I thought you were an honorable man."
Vaelus didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he leaned closer to Eiden, whispering so softly that only his leader could hear. "Eiden… please, listen to me. We've both used foresight. We know what happens if we all fight him together, especially with the Angel King involved. If we go through with this, Morvath, Seraphaine, and Iris will die. We'll only get in each other's way. Please, reconsider. A one-on-one is the only way to change the future. We might lose, or they might escape, but that is better than losing our closest friends."
He looked at Eiden with desperate, trembling hope. Eiden exhaled slowly, the weight of the decision settling behind his eyes.
"Fine then. I'll listen to you."
Relief hit Vaelus so hard his eyes nearly watered; he looked as though he might collapse from the weight lifted off his chest. Eiden straightened, drawing in a deep, commanding breath.
"Sages! Off the battlefield! We're changing tactics. Morvath—you're on the Angel King. I'll face Yajin. The rest of you, clear the area. Now!"
Morvath blinked, his body relaxing in surprise at the sudden shift, while the others froze for a heartbeat. Then Selyndra moved. She sheathed her blade in a single fluid motion and shot into the sky, vanishing in a blink. From above, her palm extended, and golden strands latched onto Vaelus, Dravien, Iris, and Seraphaine, yanking them back all at once.
Dravien's tail puffed in shock as he was yanked off balance, and Selyndra landed far in the distance with the group. As soon as they touched the ground, the golden strands dissolved, and the Sages sprinted away with the speed of birds fleeing a storm. Morvath dashed to the right, positioning himself meters away from Eiden and Yajin, directly in front of the Angel King.
The battlefield split cleanly, leaving the two kings to face their chosen opponents under the watchful, silver eye of the moon.