Two Days Later – The Arena of Ascension
The second bracket of the tournament began with a storm overhead.
Thunder didn't just roll… it roared, as if the skies themselves were watching.
Kael stood at the edge of the arena platform, his cloak fluttering.
His team flanked him like a wall of fate:
Zara, hand already on her burning blade.
Mira, vanished into illusion.
Selene, her third eye glowing faintly.
Rayna, electricity sparking off her fingertips.
Lyria, bow drawn and floating at her back.
Seraphina, silent as the Void, but somehow glowing more than before.
The arena gates opened.
And out walked a tall young man in azure armor, flanked by a squad of elite knights.
His hair was pale silver, his eyes the color of lightning. On his back?
A sword wrapped in glowing cloth — humming with divine resonance.
The moment Kael saw it… his expression froze.
Recognition
"That sword…" Kael whispered.
"You know it?" Zara asked, noticing his jaw tense.
"I forged it."
Everyone turned.
Kael stepped forward, voice calm but laced with ancient weight.
"That sword is called Aetherion. The Skycutter. It was mine — when I was a god."
The Challenger
The silver-haired warrior stepped into the arena, removing the cloth from the blade. Its presence cut the wind, parting the clouds.
"I am Lucien Skyborne," he declared."Chosen of the Divine Armory. Champion of the Council. And today… I will prove you're unworthy of the relic you seek."
"Kael of the Ashen Line," he said coldly."You once wielded Aetherion. Now I'll prove you were never worthy of it."
Kael smirked slightly.
"You're wielding my sword… but quoting their lies."
"Let's see if your arm can carry the weight of truth."
The Battle – Kael vs. Lucien
Lightning danced as the battle began.
Lucien was fast — unnaturally so — his divine training apparent. Aetherion sang through the air, its slashes creating sky rifts with every swing.
Kael dodged with fluid grace, parrying with a blade of shadowsteel — forged from a fragment of his own fallen divinity.
Each time their swords clashed, time seemed to ripple.
Lucien activated his divine form — a spectral cloak of storm feathers encasing him.
"I am the Sky's Judgment!"
Kael didn't flinch.
"Then prepare to be judged."
Memory Flash – The Forging of Aetherion
As their blades locked, a memory surged into Kael's mind:
A mountaintop beyond the mortal plane.
Kael, once a god of flame and stars, hammering a blade under divine starlight.
Aetherion — his gift to the mortals.
A blade to be wielded by the worthy, not the obedient.
But the Council had stolen it. Corrupted it. Given it to their "champion."
Kael's eyes burned.
"You stole my legacy…"
"I'm here to take it back."
The Turning Point
Lucien unleashed Heaven's Judgment, a divine technique meant to tear apart Kael's body and soul.
But Kael stepped through the lightning, undaunted.
"Nice trick."
He raised a hand — no blade, just pure will.
The sky cracked.
And Aetherion shook in Lucien's hand.
"W-what is this?!"
Kael's voice echoed with ancient power:
"Return."
And the sword… flew from Lucien's grip into Kael's palm — where it pulsed like it had found home.
The crowd gasped.
Zara shouted, "What the hell—did he just steal a divine blade mid-fight?!"
Kael held it high, and Aetherion lit up with a phoenix-shaped flame.
Victory Declared
Lucien fell to one knee, shocked and exhausted.
The judges couldn't speak. The announcers had no words.
The crowd?
They roared.
"THE FORGOTTEN GOD RETURNS!""HE WIELDS THE SKY'S BLADE!""KAEL! KAEL! KAEL!"
Later That Night – The Harem Reacts
Selene: "You've recovered another piece of your past."
Zara: "I'm not jealous, but if the sword starts sleeping next to you in bed, I might burn it."
Rayna: "So, what's next? Do we find your wings or your divine crown?"
Kael smiled softly, gazing at the blade.
"Each relic I recover is another truth the gods tried to bury."
"But now… the world is remembering me."
Seraphina spoke quietly:
"And soon… they'll have to choose sides."