“Why didn’t you go to them first?” Wyn asks, his voice hollow.

  “I did, but it was too late,” Dark Force answers, his tone as neutral as ever.

  Seizing the moment while Wyn and Dark Force are talking, Light Force hurls his halo into the sky, where it settles high above Wyn’s head. From the hole in its center, the halo emits a single, continuous golden beam downward. Wyn evades the initial strike, darting away just in time. But the beam doesn’t stop – it pierces forward, relentlessly pursuing him as he pushes to create distance.

  Dark Force moves to aid Wyn, giving chase.

  “Leave me alone. You take him down,” Wyn demands, his voice raw with anger. To emphasize his point, he unleashes a cyclone attack at Dark Force.

  Dark Force takes the message and turns his focus to Light Force, countering the incoming golden orbs with black orbs of his own. Upon impact, his orbs explode into thick clouds of darkness. When the golden orbs detonate, beams of light strike down from above, piercing through the swirling black mist. However, as the beams pass through, parts of them seem to vanish within the darkness, only to reemerge from the bottom, slightly diminished. The dark clouds linger for a few seconds before gradually dispersing.

  Like black lightning, Dark Force charges forward, his form flickering between places as he closes in on his fellow divine entity. With Light Force already worn down from previous battles, he struggles to keep up. In that moment, he turns to face Dark Force.

  “You’re not protecting your soul?” Light Force asks.

  “I’ll finish you quicker than you can kill him,” Dark Force replies, his tone as neutral as ever.

  With one final dash, the two entities collide. Light Force barely summons his shield in time to block the impact, but the force of the clash triggers a massive explosion, sending him hurtling backward through the lingering dark clouds and out into the open. Dark Force doesn’t relent, ramming into him again and again as Light Force perfectly repositions his shield against the relentless assault.

  The relentless assault has left pools of dark clouds swirling around Light Force, quickly trapping him within their depths. But as a divine entity, his heightened battle senses keep him aware of Dark Force’s movements. Summoning the halo back to his command, Light Force turns it toward the direction of the incoming attack. Just before impact, a golden beam pierces through the darkness, striking Dark Force directly.

  Like Light Force before him, Dark Force’s form scatters upon impact, only to reassemble in an instant – this time, directly beneath his opponent.

  Lacking a physical weapon, Dark Force forms a circle with his hands, unleashing a concentrated dark beam. Light Force evades, but the beam twists unnaturally, veering sharply to pursue him. With his shield in place to block the attack from below, the dark beam branches out, snaking along the edges of the shield in an attempt to reach him.

  In a swift move, Light Force kicks his shield downward, severing the middle of the beam and causing its tendrils to fizzle out. Dark Force swiftly dodges the falling shield and surges upward to press his assault.

  But before either of them can make their next move, rocky cyclones laced with chakram blades rip through the battlefield, striking them both. The cyclones swirl erratically, their paths unpredictable as they carve through a bridge and send shards of buildings flying. Forced to disperse, the two entities remain scattered, unable to safely reform within the storm’s chaos.

  Wyn is relentless, pushing beyond his limits to keep the cyclones raging. But as his strength begins to wane, he redirects them toward himself, hoping his targets are still trapped inside. As they close in, he summons a descending rocky cyclone around himself, its spiraling force pressing downward with crushing weight, aiming to keep the divine beings pinned to the ground for as long as he can.

  Soon, Wyn falls to the ground, exhausted. Almost immediately, the two entities reform, with him standing between them. Light Force hurls the halo at Wyn, its edge slicing through him. But before it can deal more damage, Dark Force darts forward, snatching the halo mid-air and flinging it back at Light Force, who blocks it with his shield.

  “You need me. If you don’t want to help, that’s fine, but at least stay alive,” Dark Force says. “Your friends have already dealt heavy damage to Light Force. This battle is in our favor.”

  Instead of reassuring him, Dark Force’s words only fuel Wyn’s rage. With a sudden burst of energy, he dashes forward, landing a powerful cyclone uppercut against the shield, sending it flying. Without pause, he thrusts his other hand forward, unleashing a chakram blade wrapped in a cyclone. Light Force barely has time to react before his form scatters again. But as he searches for a safe place to reform, he resummons the halo, which instantly charges at Wyn.

  A black dome materializes in an instant, reflecting the halo and shielding Wyn from the attack. Within the darkness, Wyn pants heavily, his body on the brink of collapse. But he clenches his fists, pushing past his limits as he prepares for another attack.

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  A cyclone erupts around him, followed by several more, whirling across the battlefield. Some spiral upward, others downward, the chaotic storm expanding in all directions. As he moves them at will, the cyclones twist and intersect, briefly merging before splitting apart again.

  Though the raging winds hinder Dark Force’s movement, he sees them as an opportunity to restrict Light Force as well. Navigating through the turbulent currents, he searches for the faintest traces of golden particles – so small that only the creators can perceive them. Spotting them amidst the storm, he darts past, seemingly erasing them as he goes.

  “You can’t win this. Time to admit your defeat,” Dark Force says, his voice echoing through the remnants of the downtown area.

  Light Force doesn’t respond to his counterpart. Instead, his focus sharpens as golden arrows begin to materialize around Wyn’s swirling cyclones, a dense cluster of them, towering high above the chaos of the storm.

  Wyn covers himself in rock to prepare for the incoming arrows. They launch with fierce precision, some shredded by the violent winds, others chipping away at the rock around him. A few pierce through, but none manage to cause significant damage. Then, hidden among the flurry of arrows, the halo strikes unexpectedly. It slices cleanly through the rock, and before Wyn can react, it returns, continuously carving through the hardened surface with relentless precision as it weaves through the chaos of the cyclone. Despite the surprise and the damage to his shield, Wyn stands firm, the rock slowly wearing away under the barrage.

  Then, the halo hovers above Wyn. A golden light strikes him, shattering the rock. The attack cuts off his abilities and causes the cyclones to subside. However, before the beam can last any longer, Dark Force’s own dark beam knocks the halo away. Branches of darkness quickly spread, encircling Wyn as he lies on the ground, catching his breath. The beam continues to expand, searing through anything in its path as it surges toward Light Force.

  The force of the beam forces Light Force to retreat, fleeing into the residential area in the distance. Dark Force pauses his attack, calling off the beam, and gives chase. This action pushes Wyn to his limits, but he rises to his feet, summoning a cyclone to follow after them with all his remaining strength.

  Above them, the sky has darkened, swallowing the once-orange hue in an ominous shroud. The arrows, still lodged in the bodies of people, are launched toward Wyn and Dark Force as they give chase, the individuals propelled like living projectiles. Dark Force moves with incredible speed, leaping from one person to the next, each impact causing them to implode and taking out the arrows along the way, clearing the path ahead. Wyn stays close behind, unwavering in his pursuit.

  The shield is hurled toward Wyn, slicing through the air.

  “I got this. You go and take him down for good,” Wyn says.

  Without hesitation, Wyn raises his weaponized, gloved arms in front of him, meeting the shield with a solid block. The impact is fierce, the force pushing him back, but he stays standing, gritting his teeth and bracing against it.

  Dark Force presses onward, but the shield, still spinning, lifts into the sky – only to be followed by a barrage of arrows and smaller battering shields raining down from above.

  “Don’t worry about me. KILL HIM!” Wyn yells, his voice cutting through the chaos as his eyes lock onto the battle ahead.

  Dark Force slams the ground, summoning dark branches that resemble twitching hands reaching toward the sky. The hands meet the golden arrows and battering shields, causing them to disappear upon impact. Hands rise around Wyn, protecting him from the golden rain. Meanwhile, Light Force is grabbed by the legs and pulled to the ground. His form scatters, but the hands continue sweeping aimlessly. Dark Force returns to Wyn, and with a single nod, he places his hands on his shoulders. A cyclone emerges around them, and many more form around the area – this time fused with dark clouds that branch out fiercely as the cyclones move, yet the branches remain intact.

  Wyn pours every ounce of energy into summoning even more cyclones than before, stretching them beyond this area to block any escape routes Light Force might find. The relentless effort pays off as Light Force, his form gradually worn down by the fierce winds, feels the weight of his mass constantly chipped away with each passing second. His attempts to strike either Dark Force or Wyn are thwarted at every turn, with barely any openings to land a blow. Dark Force, ever vigilant, constantly provides protection during the battle, ensuring Light Force has little opportunity to retaliate effectively.

  Moreover, the toll of the earlier battles, where he sustained significant damage against Wyn’s team, weighs heavily on him. Realizing that continuing this fight is futile, he sees no way to turn the tide. Deciding it’s best to retreat before suffering further harm, Light Force attempts to open a portal to flee. But instead, he finds himself back in the throne room.

  “Interesting,” Light Force mutters to himself.

  With a wave of his power, he recreates his throne, settling into it as if nothing has changed. Moments later, a portal opens, and Dark Force steps through, carrying Wyn with him.

  “You used the void warden against me,” Light Force observes, his voice calm.

  “Just like you did when you took the souls away,” Dark Force replies.

  “I guess this is it,” Light Force says, his gaze drifting toward the ceiling. “We had a good run, partner.”

  “We did. Too bad it has to end this way,” Dark Force responds.

  “Right…but heed my warning – humans can’t lead, especially those with powers equal to ours. Their nature will corrupt them, and soon, you’ll face another war.”

  “That’s exactly why I want to intervene.”

  “Ah, you and your ambition. Good luck then.”

  Light Force closes his eyes, preparing for the end. As Dark Force raises his hand for the final blow, Wyn suddenly roars, his fury propelling him forward. He launches himself at the throned entity, fists raining down relentlessly. But with each strike, something feels wrong. Unlike anything he’s faced, Light Force is hollow. Groups of golden particles swirl from every hit, drifting away like dust.

  Realizing that Wyn alone can’t finish this, Dark Force walks toward him and places his hand on Wyn’s shoulder. Now fused with the power of darkness, each strike carries more force, each blow heavier than the last. But even as Wyn’s body feels like it’s breaking, he doesn’t stop.

  And then, suddenly, all that remains on the throne is a large pool of essence, pouring down to cover the floor.