The air twisted, warping with divine and demonic energy as Elizabeth materialized in the midst of the battlefield. Her long red hair billowed, her golden eyes scanning the wreckage of the fight. Blood soaked the ground, the scent of burnt flesh and ash thick in the air.
Her gaze locked onto her fallen brothers—Dain, Orin, and Valen—bloodied and beaten but still breathing. Her lips pressed into a thin line. They had done well, but not well enough.
And then her eyes fell on Kol.
He was still standing.
Barely.
His breath was ragged, his body battered, his once-monstrous strength dwindling. Even so, his presence was undeniable. He refused to fall.
Elizabeth sighed. "Stubborn to the end."
She lifted her hand, golden energy crackling at her fingertips.
Light erupted around her, bathing the battlefield in an unnatural glow.
The wounds on Dain, Orin, and Valen began to close instantly. Flesh mended, broken bones snapped back into place, their strength restored.
But Elizabeth's hand never extended toward Kol.
She left him untouched.
Kol's breathing hitched as he realized what she had done. "You…" His voice was hoarse.
Elizabeth's expression remained cold. "You're beyond saving."
Dain, now healed, stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles. "Took you long enough." His hulking form towered over Kol once again, ready to finish what they started.
Orin spun his twin daggers, teleporting in and out of view, his smirk returning. "You should've stayed down, brother."
Valen's infernal chains slithered through the air, glowing with cursed energy. "This time, we end it."
Kol clenched his fists. His vision blurred. He was out of strength, out of time—
Then, Elizabeth moved.
Before Kol could react, twelve golden swords materialized in the air above him, their divine glow searing into his skin.
SHUNK!
Kol's body jerked as the first sword pierced his chest.
Then the second.
The third.
The fourth.
One by one, the holy blades impaled him, pinning him to the shattered ground.
His blood sizzled against the golden light, his limbs twitching as the divine energy paralyzed him completely.
The once-unstoppable Kol fell to his knees.
His vision swam, his body numb.
Elizabeth stepped forward, staring down at him. "It's over."
Kol tried to move, but his body wouldn't obey. The swords were draining him, suppressing his power. He was trapped.
He was dying.
Valen exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Good. Let's end this before he recovers."
Orin cracked his neck. "I was hoping for more of a fight."
Dain simply raised his fist.
But before he could swing—
A voice cut through the silence.
"…No."
It was smooth. Deep. Unnatural.
A chill ran through the battlefield.
Kol's half-lidded eyes flickered toward the darkness, where a lone figure emerged from the shadows.
Owen.
His hollow black eyes gleamed with hunger.
A slow, knowing smile spread across his lips. "I can't let you destroy something that belongs to me."
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "Owen."
Dain gritted his teeth. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Owen stepped forward, his presence alone warping the air. "Kol's power isn't something you destroy. It's something you consume."
The ground beneath him cracked, dark tendrils of energy slithering toward Kol's motionless body.
Elizabeth's expression darkened. "You won't touch him."
Owen tilted his head, amused. "Won't I?"
Before anyone could react, Owen disappeared.
Then, in an instant, he reappeared right next to Kol.
His hand stretched forward, reaching for Kol's chest.
Dain lunged to stop him, swinging his fist in a brutal downward arc.
But Owen was faster.
With a flick of his wrist, he vanished again—
—and reappeared behind Dain, sinking his clawed fingers into his back.
SHLK!
Dain roared in pain, his massive body shuddering as Owen's dark energy surged through him.
Elizabeth teleported, golden daggers flashing—
But Owen spun and slammed his foot into her stomach, sending her crashing through a wall.
Orin and Valen attacked together, their blades and chain aiming for his heart.
Owen caught both weapons with his bare hands.
CRACK.
Their weapons snapped like twigs.
Valen's eyes widened in shock. "Impossible—"
Owen smirked. "You're too slow."
Then, with inhuman strength, he slammed both of them into the ground, cratering the earth beneath them.
One by one, he took them down.
And then, once again, he turned toward Kol.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"I'll devour him whole."
His fingers curled toward Kol's chest. Dark mist coiled around his hand, pulsing with raw hunger.
Kol's body twitched.
Owen's smirk widened.
"You're mine now."
Then the air changed.
A deep, crackling rumble shook the battlefield.
The scent of ozone and metal filled the air.
Owen's grin faltered.
The golden swords impaling Kol shattered.
A pulse of black lightning erupted from Kol's chest.
The shockwave sent Owen flying backward, his body slamming through a ruined pillar.
Kol's fingers tensed.
His breath came ragged and slow.
Then, finally, his eyes snapped open.
His irises—once crimson—were now black, flickering with unstable lightning.
The air hummed with power. His power.
Black Thunder.
Kol slowly rose to his feet, dark electricity surging through his veins.
Owen pulled himself from the rubble, dusting off his cloak. His smile returned.
"Aha…" He licked his lips. "So you're awake."
Kol exhaled, steam curling from his lips. He didn't speak.
Didn't need to.
The battle wasn't over.
It was just beginning.