Alister’s golden flas crackled, jagged tendrils of light snapping like whips, casting erratic shadows across the shattered street.
He floated several feet above the ground, his body rigid, arms crossed loosely over his chest, his head tilted slightly as if appraising a broken toy.
His cold, rciless eyes locked onto Kai, glinting with disdain, as if the man below were nothing more than a scurrying insect.
"Says the man who threw away his life for a girl who was only using him. How did that turn out again? Did you ever manage to save her, or did she die pathetically after that?"
Kai’s lips twitched into a faint, defiant grin, though his jaw tightened, betraying a flicker of rage.
The red mana swirling around him flared hotter, coiling like molten serpents around his arms and legs, the air shimring with heat.
He planted his feet firmly, knees bending slightly, his shoulders rolling back as he tilted his head upward to et Alister’s gaze. His eyes burned like smoldering coals.
"Oh, that’s rich, Coming from the great Alister, the self-proclaid savior who thinks power makes him untouchable. Tell —" He took a deliberate step forward, his boots crunching against the cracked pavent. "When you finally got that power, did it fill the hole she left in your chest? Or did it just make you feel even more hollow knowing she left you for ?"
Alister’s smile widened, sharp and cruel, his golden flas flaring brighter. He tilted his head slightly to the right, his posture relaxed yet predatory, like a cat toying with prey. The glow of his flas illuminated his surroundings, casting his face in stark, radiant contrast.
"It’s almost pitiful to watch. Used. Discarded. Spiraling out of control—all for soone who never loved you back. Tell , Kai... who’s pathetic now?"
He leaned forward slightly, his head cocking to the side, savoring the mont like a predator circling a wounded animal.
"In fact, it’s almost depressing to hear. A tragic little story of a fool who thought he mattered, when he didn’t."
His eyes flared brighter, golden light pulsing like twin suns. He spread both arms wide, palms upturned, as if offering a cruel benediction.
"I did you a favor ending your life that day..."
He paused then said.
"But like all fools, you were too blind to see it. From your words, one might assu she loved you—but we both know she didn’t. And the reason you hate so much... it isn’t because Cinder broke nearly every bone in her body." He paused, leaning forward slightly.
"It’s because the last mory you have of her... is her desperately running back to ."
Alister’s cruel smile deepened, his fingers flexing as golden flas coiled tighter around his arms.
"All this... just to prove to her you’re better. Even after she’s dead. Isn’t that right, Young Master Kai?"
Kai’s grin faded for a split second, his eyes narrowing as rage seeped through the cracks.
His black, bandaged hand twitched at his side, clenching so tightly the red inscriptions etched into the wrappings pulsed violently, glowing like molten iron. His shoulders tensed, his chest heaving with a single, sharp breath.
"...You talk too much."
Kai slamd his right foot into the ground, the impact sending a shockwave through the pavent.
Crimson mana erupted from him in a roaring torrent, surging skyward like a volcanic plu, bathing the city in a hellish red glow.
The sheer force shattered nearby windows, glass shards spiraling outward like glittering shrapnel.
He crouched low, his knees bending as his bandaged hand clawed at the air, summoning a gaping red portal beside him. From it, six massive, bandaged hands erupted, their fingers twisting unnaturally, clawing into the earth like demonic anchors, each movent jerky and grotesque.
"Let’s see if you’re still smiling after this, Alister," Kai snarled, his lips curling into a feral grin.
The colossal hands slamd together with a bone-rattling CRASH, then tore outward in a violent arc, fingers splaying wide.
From the portal, a grotesque construct hauled itself upward—a towering, ashen golem wrapped in crimson runes, its body bound by writhing chains that pulsed with energy. It reared back, its head tilting as crimson light bled from its hollow eyes, a guttural roar shaking the air.
Alister’s golden flas roared in response, the air warping around him as he spread his arms wide, his wings of divine fire unfurling with a sharp snap. He tilted his head back, his posture regal, and extended one hand, fingers splayed. "Kneel."
The air collapsed with a deafening BOOM as a wave of golden force surged downward. Alister’s arm thrust forward, his fingers curling as if crushing an invisible foe. The sheer pressure shattered the pavent around Kai, forcing his golem to stumble, its massive legs buckling as cracks spiderwebbed across its rune-covered torso.
But Kai only laughed. He threw his head back, his arms spreading wide as red mana exploded outward, tendrils lashing through the air like living whips. The golem’s runes reignited, glowing fiercely as it lurched forward, its right arm swinging in a brutal arc, its rune-wrapped fist aid straight at Alister’s chest.
Alister didn’t flinch. His golden flas condensed around his right hand, spiraling into a radiant gauntlet that dwarfed his fra, its runes pulsing like miniature suns. He twisted his torso, planting his feet mid-air, and thrust his fist forward to et the golem’s blow.
KRAAAAAASH!
The collision unleashed a shockwave that shook everything around them. So buildings crumbled into clouds of dust, and the ground fractured for hundreds of ters, splitting like a shattered mirror. Golden light and crimson energy clashed in a violent vortex, neither yielding.
Alister’s eyes narrowed, his lips twitching into a sneer. He twisted his arm sharply, golden runes flaring brighter, and wrenched the golem’s fist aside with a brutal jerk. His left hand ignited, summoning a massive spear of pure light, its tip crackling with heat. He drew his arm back, muscles tensing, and hurled the spear like a thunderbolt, its blazing trail screaming through the air toward Kai’s chest.
Kai’s grin widened, darker. He slamd both fists into the ground, crimson mana erupting like a volcanic storm, cracks racing outward from his feet. The massive, bandaged hand at his side clenched, its inscriptions glowing white-hot, and six more hands tore from the portal, their fingers clawing at the ruins like monstrous spiders.
"Let’s see how long that arrogance lasts!" Kai roared, lunging forward, his boots splintering the pavent as he moved.
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