The wind howled low in the broken silence of the temple.

  Sunlight poured in through the shattered dome above, casting fractured rays across marble floors now webbed with cracks. The once-sacred altar now stood split, a line of raw power etched down its center-like fate had cleaved the world into two.

  And between the two sides-

  Lucien.

  Spear resting loosely in one hand, his silver-blonde hair shifting gently with the wind. Beside him, Rhogar-his Bond, a towering humanoid canine with ash-black fur, silver armor fused to its shoulders, eyes glowing with primal clarity.

  Across from them, the Shepherd.

  Unmoving. Cloaked in darkness and violet flame, his face still hidden beneath the featureless mask, robes dancing with voidlight like the stars had died and bled into cloth.

  The earth beneath them tensed.

  Lucien exhaled once. Calm. Measured.

  Then-he vanished.

  The space he occupied exploded into dust. A sonic boom shattered the nearest columns.

  Lucien reappeared in mid-spin, his spear glowing with radiant silver as Rhogar surged forward beside him-both streaking like twin comets across the marble.

  The Shepherd raised a single hand.

  A wave of obsidian shadows unfurled, spiraling upward like an ocean turning vertical.

  Lucien struck.

  The spear cut through the veil of darkness, a flash of light tearing the night open. Rhogar lunged from the side, claws drawn back-then slammed into an invisible barrier that cracked space itself.

  BOOM.

  The temple shattered behind them. Entire walls flung back like paper. The floor quaked, and one side of the ancient structure began to tilt, groaning under the pressure of divine forces.

  Lucien was already on the move again.

  He flipped midair, spear spinning above his head before he hurled it down like a javelin of pure judgment.

  The Shepherd raised his hand. A whisper of motion.

  A sphere of condensed gravity formed in the air-swallowing the spear's momentum like it was never thrown.

  Lucien blinked.

  Then grinned.

  Rhogar was already behind the Shepherd.

  With a savage roar, Rhogar's claws ignited in spectral flame. He slashed forward-only for his target to flicker like smoke.

  The Shepherd appeared behind Lucien, hand raised-

  Lucien twisted.

  CLANG.

  Spear caught the blow, but the shockwave blasted a crater beneath them, flattening a hill outside the temple. The forest around them groaned as trees were ripped from their roots.

  Lucien skidded back.

  Rhogar jumped into the air, roaring. "LUC!"

  Lucien launched upward-catching Rhogar's extended arm midair. With a synchronized motion, Rhogar spun and hurled Lucien like a meteor back at the Shepherd.

  "Godpierce!" Lucien roared.

  His spear flared with starfire.

  The Shepherd's mask glowed-no words spoken, only thought. Space bent inward. A thousand black blades of light erupted from the void.

  Lucien twisted mid-air, each motion perfect-dodging between death itself.

  He landed the strike.

  BOOM.

  The temple split in half.

  One clean, divine line from the sky to the earth.

  Time seemed to pause.

  A shockwave of light radiated outward, erasing trees, flattening hills. The clouds overhead parted in a perfect ring, like heaven itself had blinked.

  Then, in the center-

  Lucien knelt, spear dug deep into the earth. Rhogar beside him, guarding his flank, growling low.

  Smoke hissed from the Shepherd's robes.

  But he still stood.

  Lucien rose slowly.

  "Not bad," he muttered. "Most don't stand after that."

  The Shepherd tilted his head, still unreadable. "You are not most."

  Lucien chuckled, wiping blood from his lip. "Finally. A real fight."

  Then he disappeared again.

  This time, the ground itself cracked.

  The battle was no longer two men fighting-it was elements themselves at war. Lightning twisted with fire. Space tore open as Lucien dashed between planes, spear dancing like a living flame.

  The Shepherd called on the void.

  Pillars of nothingness rose to consume Rhogar, but the beast shattered them with war howls, claw and fury.

  Each strike between Lucien and the Shepherd now came with thunderclaps that echoed miles away.

  Mountains felt the tremor.

  And still they clashed.

  Lucien's aura now fully bloomed-wreathing him in silver energy that bent the air around him.

  The Shepherd began to falter-just slightly.

  Lucien's voice cut through the chaos.

  "You preach destiny. Prophecies. Stars bleeding." He pointed his spear. "But you forgot something."

  The Shepherd tilted his head.

  Lucien grinned.

  "I don't care about fate. I just don't lose."

  And then-

  He moved.

  Faster than light. Faster than thought.

  The sky was no longer sky.

  Silver streaks and black flares lanced across the heavens, each strike lighting the clouds like celestial tempests. Wind lashed the trees flat. The lush forest surrounding the temple was now a clearing scorched into a perfect circle-flattened under the pressure of clashing divinity.

  And still-Lucien fought.

  Above, suspended in the air, he spun through a volley of obsidian blades-deflecting each one with godlike precision. Every movement of his spear left trails of starlight in the sky. Below him, Rhogar roared, sending out a seismic pulse that cracked the earth like parchment.

  The Shepherd hovered silently, his robes flowing like liquid darkness, eyes gleaming from behind the mask. His hand lifted-and with it came a pulse of void so dense it silenced the forest for miles.

  The battle surged higher.

  A bolt of raw starfire met a wave of annihilation midair-

  KRAK-KOOOOM!

  A tree trunk exploded in the sky.

  Meanwhile, on the ground:

  Josh barely managed to parry Jonax's blade again, grunting through the strain. Blood streaked his forearm from the earlier catch, and her strikes were relentless.

  Marian dove in, twin daggers clashing with Jonax's sword, trying to push her back without harming her.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Marian (gasping):

  "Gods-what are we even witnessing right now!?"

  She glanced up, just in time to see Lucien crash into the Shepherd with such force, the mountains in the distance rippled.

  Rej, already panting and trying to circle around Jonax:

  "Is someone really allowed to be that strong?! That man's casually rewriting the landscape!"

  Iver snapped, deflecting Jonax's next strike with the flat of his blade, barely keeping her from slicing through Josh.

  Iver (gritting his teeth):

  "Focus! We still have our friend to save!"

  Rej ducked under a kick, grimacing:

  "How can I focus when two demigods are out there turning hills into freaking pancakes!-and we're one misstep away from being collateral damage?!"

  Lily, shielding herself behind Glint and watching with wide eyes, whispered:

  "Lucien... he's using everything."

  Above them all, Lucien's eyes narrowed.

  He spun midair, twisting with a move not taught-but felt. Spear trailing energy, he launched toward the Shepherd like a comet.

  The Shepherd caught the blow-barehanded.

  For a moment, their Essentia clashed-a blinding burst of light and shadow exploding outward.

  Lucien growled:

  "You're slowing."

  Shepherd (calmly):

  "You're enjoying yourself."

  Lucien smirked. Then pushed harder.

  The temple beneath them fully crumbled now-stone collapsing in on itself as the duel tore through gravity and space.

  They landed hard.

  BOOM.

  Lucien smashed the Shepherd into the ground, cratering the forest with the force of the blow. Trees flew. Mountains wept.

  And still-the Shepherd rose.

  No dust on his robes. No fear in his posture.

  Shepherd (low, controlled):

  "You are worthy of the title of King's Spear."

  Lucien rotated his shoulders, cracking his neck. Rhogar landed beside him, panting but grinning wide.

  Lucien (grinning back):

  "You haven't seen anything yet."

  He pointed his spear again, golden eyes gleaming with anticipation.

  Lucien:

  "Come on, cult boy. I've been waiting my whole life for someone like you."

  The Shepherd's mask shifted. Something like... a smile?

  Then-

  They charged again.

  Back on the battlefield below, Josh's foot slipped-but Iver caught him, and Lily finally surged forward with Glint, antlers glowing, trying to use it's calming aura to reach Jonax.

  But Jonax's eyes remained hollow. Determined. Controlled.

  Marian (shouting as she blocked another strike):

  "She's not stopping-someone get through to her!"

  Josh's voice finally cracked.

  Josh (desperate):

  "Jonax! Please-it's me! Don't let him take you like this!"

  Rej:

  "Yell later! Swing now!"

  But Josh didn't swing.

  He stepped forward-spear lowered.

  The others shouted for him to stop-but above, another boom rocked the earth, and a streak of fire split the sky like a comet crashing down.

  The ground was no longer ground.

  It was torn, split, and scarred like the pages of an ancient book ripped apart in fury. The once-lush forest surrounding the temple was now a wasteland of broken trees and shattered stone. Lucien stood amidst the chaos, spear in hand, eyes gleaming with raw exhilaration. His chest heaved, but not from exhaustion—no, he was thriving in the storm.

  Across from him, the Shepherd floated an inch above the earth, robes billowing in a wind that carried no direction, only weight. His mask glowed faintly with cracks of violet light, the same unnatural radiance that bled from his fingertips.

  Shepherd (calm, but cutting):

  "Have you ever wondered why our symbol is a serpent coiled around a dark sun, King's Spear?"

  Lucien tilted his head slightly, lips pulling into a wolfish grin.

  Lucien (grinning):

  "Can't say I care much for your little cult logos. But if you're stalling—"

  The Shepherd raised a hand, silencing him without a word.

  Shepherd (voice deepening):

  "The serpent devours its own tail. Endless. Eternal. It coils around light not to extinguish it, but to claim it. The dark sun is not death... it is truth. The truth your kingdom fears to see."

  Lucien twirled his spear and stepped forward, boots crunching into the pulverized ground.

  Lucien:

  "Philosophy hour? Fine. You're talking like a man who's already losing."

  The Shepherd's response was not words—but summoning.

  From the earth, the shadows writhed and split. Trees bent and cracked as something enormous tore through the ground, its body moving with the smooth, lethal grace of water and lightning. A serpent.

  No—

  A monster.

  Its scales shimmered with void-black oil, but every ripple along its body reflected ghostly light, as though the stars themselves were caught beneath its skin. It rose higher—higher—until its head towered over the tallest remaining trees, yellow eyes glowing like molten coins.

  Rhogar, Lucien's bond, growled low, steam forming along his teeth as he braced himself beside his partner.

  Lucien's grin widened.

  Lucien:

  "Oh, this just got interesting."

  The Shepherd raised his hand, and the serpent lunged with a sound that split the air like thunder. Its maw opened, fangs dripping with shadow that hissed when they hit the ground.

  Lucien didn't flinch.

  Lucien (shouting):

  "Rhogar—freeze and burn!"

  Rhogar flexed his claw gathering essentia for a powerful strike. He unleashed it — red claws flying towards it slamming into the serpent's head. The monster shrieked, reeling, but its momentum barely faltered.

  Lucien dashed forward, spear spinning with such speed it left a ring of light around him. He leapt, landing on the serpent's head, driving his weapon deep into its skull.

  The ground quaked with the impact.

  Shepherd (calmly, like a judge):

  "Your strength... yes, it is worthy of the title 'King's Spear.' But strength without vision is nothing but noise."

  The serpent reared, whipping Lucien skyward like a rag doll. But Lucien twisted midair, landing on Rhogar's back.

  Lucien (grinning like a madman):

  "Then listen closely—because I'm about to get LOUD."

  The Shepherd gestured—and the serpent's body coiled, looping like a mountain-sized whip, ready to crush both warrior and bond.

  Lucien's eyes burned, gold flashing like molten lightning.

  Lucien:

  "Rhogar! Full resonance!"

  Rhogar, the towering humanoid white wolf, roared. It wasn't a sound of an animal—it was thunder given voice.

  Lightning burst from Lucien's arms, searing arcs spiraling outward, scorching the ground with every crackling pulse. His spear quivered in his hands, metal humming as if alive, and then reshaped—its edges glowing white-hot with electrified energy.

  Rhogar's fur blazed with streaks of raw lightning, each strand of his mane crackling with electric fire.

  Lucien's body and Rhogar's form shimmered, their auras merging, the wolf's shadow overlapping his own like a spectral second skin. Horn-like arcs of lightning crowned Lucien's head, his entire form vibrating with the force of a storm barely contained.

  Lucien (grinning):

  "Let's show him the power of the Strongest!"

  He leapt—not as a man, but as if he'd become a living thunderbolt breaking free of gravity.

  Lucien crashed into the serpent's coils with a deafening BOOM, spear spinning so violently that sparks became plasma, hissing as they cut through the serpent's black scales. Each thrust detonated like a lightning strike, stunning the beast with bursts of searing power.

  Lucien (exhilarated):

  "YEAH! THIS IS WHAT I LIVE FOR!"

  The Shepherd frowned beneath his mask, fingers tightening. The serpent's tail whipped through the forest like a scythe, flattening trees into splinters. Lucien and Rhogar moved as one, weaving through every strike with unnatural speed—lightning flashing from Lucien's feet while Rhogar's claws left trails of burning arcs with each swing.

  When the serpent lunged again, Rhogar roared and caught its throat in both hands, electricity surging through his claws. The massive beast convulsed as though struck by a hundred storms. Lucien dashed along its body, carving glowing scars into its scales with each slash of his spear.

  The temple's remnants shattered and collapsed entirely from the shockwaves. Ancient stone rained down like hailstones, crushed to dust under the force of their battle.

  Shepherd (low, cold):

  "Impressive. But raw strength... will never be enough."

  The world around him bled into shadow. It wasn't darkness—it was hunger, swallowing all light, bending reality into something suffocating and alien.

  With a flick of his wrist, every shadow in the clearing moved.

  Spears of pitch-black void erupted from the ground like jagged lightning strikes.

  Lucien spun his spear in a circle, lightning crackling in wild arcs as he deflected the onslaught. Sparks and shadow collided, detonating like explosions that carved out massive craters, flattening even the nearby hills.

  Lucien (roaring):

  "TRY HARDER!"

  He blurred forward, appearing in front of the Shepherd in an instant. With a strike faster than sound, his spear connected, hurling the cult leader through three hills, tearing the forest apart in a storm of lightning and shattered earth.

  The impact left a perfect ring of scorched, molten ground—trees and stone wiped clean as if a god had burned his sigil into the earth.

  The Shepherd rose, slower this time. His robes hung torn, and beneath them, faint cracks of violet light glimmered along his pale, inhuman flesh. He placed a hand over his chest, black-violet ichor dripping to the ground and sizzling as it touched the dirt.

  Lucien twirled his spear, his grin unshaken.

  Lucien:

  "Getting tired, aren't you?"

  The Shepherd tilted his head, studying him.

  Shepherd:

  "You... are not human."

  Lucien barked a short laugh.

  Lucien:

  "Never said I was."

  The Shepherd staggered back, hand over his wound. For the first time, he bled.

  Lucien, chest heaving, didn't press forward.

  They simply stood there now, a god and a monster, both refusing to fall.

  The battlefield was silent save for the crackle of Lucien's lightning and the distant rumble of collapsing earth. The Shepherd stood across from him, hunched slightly, one hand pressed to the charred wound in his chest. His breath was uneven, but his voice—cold, composed—cut through the air like a knife.

  Shepherd:

  "Your strength is... staggering. But strength without purpose is hollow."

  Lucien tightened his grip on his spear, lightning still snapping along its length like a coiled beast.

  Lucien:

  "Is that your excuse for hiding behind all that shadow crap? You want to lecture me now?"

  The Shepherd tilted his head slightly, the faintest trace of curiosity beneath the mask of his voice.

  Shepherd:

  "You fight with no hesitation, no loyalty I can sense. You don't bleed for friends. You don't fight for a kingdom. No banner or oath drives you. So tell me—"

  He straightened slightly, the dark glow around his wound pulsing like a heartbeat.

  Shepherd:

  "What is it you fight for, Strongest?"

  Lucien smirked, though his golden eyes flashed with something sharper than amusement.

  Lucien:

  "I fight because I want to. I fight because I can. I don't need a reason to crush bastards like you. Isn't that enough?"

  The Shepherd gave no reply. He simply stood there, silent. Watching. As though trying to read the storm inside Lucien.

  Before either of them could move again, a voice—smooth and cold—cut through the haze.

  ??? (calm, measured):

  "Lord Shepherd. It's time to go."

  A ripple of shadow unfolded between them, and out of the darkness stepped a man dressed in immaculate black. His appearance was out of place amidst the chaos—a tall, slender figure in a tailored suit, his hair slicked back in perfect precision. White gloves hid his hands, and in one of them, he carried a dagger so clear it looked like solidified glass. Inside the blade, faint veins of light pulsed like a heartbeat.

  Lucien (snapping his gaze):

  "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

  The man adjusted his cuffs with deliberate, almost lazy grace.

  Butler:

  "Only a servant. One who delivers keys to their rightful master."

  He turned his gaze toward Lucien, his tone polite, almost bored, but with a weight beneath his words that felt like coiled steel.

  Butler:

  "This dagger... is the fourth Key to Magnus' Seal. And you, King's Spear, are not yet ready to claim it."

  Lucien's teeth clenched, lightning crawling up his arm.

  Lucien:

  "You think you can just waltz in, hand him the key, and walk away?"

  The butler didn't even flinch. He simply stepped beside the Shepherd, his every movement quiet and deliberate, as if the battle around them meant nothing.

  Butler:

  "Lord Shepherd, the path to Magnus cannot be delayed. The Aequinox are already in motion. We should leave before more distractions arrive."

  Lucien's body moved on instinct.

  Lucien (snarling):

  "Like hell you're leaving!"

  With a roar, he lunged, spear aimed to tear through both the Shepherd and his butler in one strike. Lightning burned the air as he moved, tearing trenches into the ground.

  But the butler's hand flicked once.

  The shadow beneath them rippled—like water.

  And they were gone.

  Lucien's spear struck the ground where they stood, detonating with such force that the earth convulsed. A crater bloomed outward, swallowing what remained of the battlefield's center, the shockwave rattling the trees for miles.

  He landed in the middle of it, panting, lightning sparking off his armor in short, furious bursts.

  Lucien (growling):

  "Cowards!"

  But they were gone. Both the Shepherd and the man with the translucent dagger had vanished into shadow, leaving only the scent of burnt earth and the faint echo of their presence.

  Lucien lowered his spear slightly, his grin gone, replaced by a sharp, calculating scowl.