Moyo felt it when Annika won the fight. The sensation was like a bell ringing in his soul, a resonance that traveled through the dungeon's very structure.
He watched her destroy the Wraith Blade through the crystalline viewing screen, saw the moment of mercy and understanding, and then felt the rush of power that tore through the entire stronghold like an earthquake. The last chains binding Durnak shattered with a sound like reality breaking, each link exploding into fragments that dissolved into motes of light.
The Forsaken Titan moved.
There was no warning, no telegraphing of intent. One moment Durnak stood where he'd been chained, the next he was simply there, his massive crystalline maul swinging down with the force of a falling mountain.
Ida was out and flashing forward on pure instinct, decades of training compressed into a single year driving Moyo's response. The crash of both weapons meeting released a shockwave of raw aura, mana, and intent that tore through the entire room like a bomb detonating.
The table between them, solid crystal that had stood for who knew how many years, was crushed into dust with their clash. The force of it created a pressure wave that cracked the pillars supporting the ceiling, stone groaning in protest.
The raw power exerted had the very ground splitting with deep cracks that spread like spiderwebs, both titans staring each other down with pure strength, neither willing to give an inch.
Durnak, the Forsaken, a being wreathed in red and white aether that swirled around him like living flame, pressed down against Moyo with a weight that felt like trying to hold up the sky. Moyo unleashed Balogun's Domain in response, the skill swirling out from him to encompass them both even as Durnak laughed, the sound echoing with cruel amusement.
"Is that all?" the Forsaken mocked.
All it took was a flex of his crystalline body, a surge of will that manifested as visible ripples in the air, and Moyo's domain shattered like glass. The backlash drove the Titan Blade backward, his feet skidding across the floor as Durnak followed with a flurry of attacks so heavy, so fast, so overwhelmingly powerful that Moyo could barely keep up. Each blow came with enough force to shatter stone, and there were dozens of them in the span of seconds.
The domineering power of the Forsaken bloomed like a flower in summer, spreading out to fill every corner of the chamber, warping everything it touched. Reality itself seemed to bend to his will. Even as Moyo struggled to defend himself, his HUD lit up with urgent notifications:
[Durnak, the Forsaken Titan, has been set free! Your test has begun. Defeat the Forsaken Titan to save yourself and the planet from destruction!
Rewards:
- +100 to all attributes, +50 to all skills.
- Fragment of Authority
- +10,000 Aurums.]
Moyo fought under the complete, suffocating might of Durnak, who began to twist the environment to his control. The floor rippled like water, pillars bent at impossible angles, gravity itself seemed to shift at the Forsaken's whim.
Moyo wrapped Balogun's Domain tightly around his own body like armor, keeping the worst of the reality warping power away from himself. Durnak roared in his face, the sound carrying physical force that made Moyo's senses quiver and protest, driving him down to one knee despite his best efforts.
[Durnak has employed skill: Tectonic Roar: A terrifying, guttural roar unleashes a concussive shockwave, disorienting opponents and disrupting spells or abilities.]
His battle instincts, honed through countless life or death encounters, saved him from a lethal follow up attack. He swayed to the side, the movement more instinctive disorientation than actual skill, his body moving before his mind fully processed the danger.
All the same, it saved his life as Durnak's maul whistled past where his head had been, close enough that he felt the wind of its passage. Oshun's Aegis flared to life automatically, purifying the disorienting effect, bringing him back to full lucidity as he scrambled to his feet.
Durnak cracked his neck with deliberate slowness, the sound like breaking stone. His eyes glowed a brilliant violet color that seemed to pierce through Moyo.
"My will is complete, my authority is that of the very crystals of the Archailect itself," he said, his voice carrying the weight of absolute conviction.
Moyo felt an invisible power grab him in a vice-like grip that crushed the air from his lungs, raising him into the air as helpless as a puppet on strings. A crystal spear formed before his very eyes in Durnak's other hand, the weapon sharpening with each passing second, edges glinting with lethal promise. The spear point aimed directly at his heart.
Moyo swung Ida desperately, employing Titan's Edge with everything he had. The rare skill slammed into the shaft of Durnak's maul with explosive force. The Forsaken slammed it aside almost contemptuously, the deflection doing no visible damage to the weapon or its wielder.
But it bought valuable time, precious seconds, diverting Durnak's attention away from delivering the killing blow.
It was enough. Moyo pitted his entire strength attribute against the invisible force holding him, every point of power he'd accumulated straining against the grip. He employed Balogun's Domain as well; the combination of physical might and spiritual pressure finally shattering the hold. He dropped to the ground, already moving as Blade Storm erupted to life around him.
He closed the distance between himself and the Forsaken in a burst of speed, watching as his intent carved visible gouges into Durnak's crystalline skin. The Forsaken met him with both maul and spear, weapons moving in a deadly dance, laughing even as violet shards of crystal and dark blood sprayed around them like gruesome confetti.
"You have to do better than that, Titan Blade!" Durnak's voice boomed with genuine excitement.
"We're both titans, after all! Show me what that means!"
He brought the full force of his maul down on Moyo again, the weapon blurring with speed. Moyo burned bright with Titan's Edge, pouring power into the defensive parry. The clash tore them apart again, both titans sliding backward from the force, leaving deep furrows in the stone floor.
[Durnak has employed skill: Stoneforge Regeneration: By absorbing surrounding stone and earth, Durnak can repair his injuries mid-battle, albeit at the cost of some of his energy.]
Right before Moyo's eyes, the damage he had painstakingly inflicted on the Forsaken healed with disturbing speed. Crystal reformed over wounds, cuts sealed themselves, even the chunks he'd carved out filled in as if they'd never existed. Durnak grinned widely, showing too many teeth, as aether swirled out of him in great spiraling torrents.
"Your skills are mere paltry echoes of what a real titan can accomplish," Durnak said, his voice dripping with condescension.
"Unfortunately for you, your journey will have to end here, Titan Blade. You've done well, better than most, but it's not enough."
"And if you escape?" Moyo asked, unable to hide a wince from his bruised ribs that healed far too slowly. "What world do you think is waiting for you out there?"
He pressed on, trying to buy time for his body to recover.
"The Vanguards wouldn't even let you leave this world. They would end you here, on this planet. My friends, everyone in Bastion, they would rather die than see you rule over them."
Durnak's grin widened, becoming something predatory and cruel.
"That is what you fail to understand, little titan. Power commands respect, demands submission. Your friends would either bow to me willingly or they would be crushed beneath my heel. There is no third option."
He pointed the maul at Moyo, the gesture contemptuous, then hurled the crystal spear he'd been holding. The weapon shot through the air like a bullet, faster than Moyo's eyes could fully track, screaming as it cut through the air.
Moyo dodged with enhanced speed, the spear passing so close it cut through his robes and drew blood across his ribs. But dodging brought him face to face with Durnak, who had crossed the distance between them in the instant Moyo had been focused on the projectile. The Forsaken's fist crashed into Moyo's guard before he could fully recover.
Blows rained on each other with such force that the stronghold shook from their impact, dust and debris falling from the ceiling. Each strike was accompanied by the sound of breaking stone, the air itself seeming to crack under the pressure. Moyo twisted aside from a devastating swing of the maul that would have caved in his skull, bringing Ida down on Durnak's exposed shoulder with all his strength.
The Forsaken caught the blade with his bare hand, fingers closing around the edge. The sword bit deep, cutting through crystal and drawing blood, but Durnak held it anyway, diverting the strike even as it carved a healthy chunk from his palm. His other hand came up in a blur.
A blow to Moyo's head had him reeling from the contact, stars exploding across his vision. He barely managed to fend off the follow up, Ida moving on instinct more than conscious thought. Durnak suddenly dropped low, his leg sweeping out to kick Moyo's feet out from under him with devastating efficiency.
Before Moyo could recover, Durnak grabbed him by the chest, fingers digging in hard enough to crack ribs. With strength that seemed impossible even for a titan, he lifted Moyo overhead and slammed him down to the ground of the stronghold with apocalyptic force. The impact shattered the floor completely, and they dropped through to another layer of the dungeon, falling through darkness before crashing into stone far below.
Moyo screamed in pain, blood filling his mouth from internal injuries. His vision went white, then red, then nearly black. Only Oshun's Aegis working overtime kept him conscious, kept him alive.
Durnak raised him up by the neck with one massive hand, lifting him like a child's toy. Moyo bent the entirety of his strength into prying the Forsaken's fingers off his throat, straining with everything he had.
He was too slow. Durnak tossed him like a ragdoll across the chamber, and Moyo's body tumbled through the air before slamming into a wall with bone breaking force. Stone cracked and crumbled around him as he slumped to the ground, sliding down to land in a heap. He rested only on Ida, the blade propping him up, the only thing keeping him from collapsing completely.
"I pity you, I really do," Durnak started, his voice echoing through the chamber as he sauntered toward Moyo slowly, clearly relishing the violence, savoring his dominance.
Each step was measured, confident, the walk of someone who knew victory was assured.
"If it brings you any comfort, no other candidate has gotten as far as you have," the Forsaken continued conversationally, as if discussing the weather rather than imminent murder.
"Most fell to infighting between their companions before I ever arrived to judge them personally. They tore each other apart over petty disputes, proving themselves unworthy. Others were overlords, full of raw power but stupid enough to flash it in the faces of their companions, treating them as slaves to be used and discarded."
"Just as you did to your companions?" Moyo asked through gritted teeth, spitting blood. Even now, even beaten down, he refused to simply accept defeat.
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Durnak laughed, the sound genuine and almost friendly.
"Yes, exactly as I did! Except I was smart enough to wield them like the dangerous weapons they were. I understood their value even as I used them. There's an art to it, you see."
Moyo forced himself to his feet, every muscle protesting. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, gripped Ida with both hands despite his trembling arms, and stared down an amused Durnak with defiance burning in his eyes.
"Your skills can barely match up to mine, child," Durnak said, spreading his arms wide in a gesture of supreme confidence.
"And I have seen them all, every technique you possess, while you have barely scratched the surface of what I can do. Of what use is your doomed attempt? Why not simply kneel and beg for a quick death?"
Moyo stilled his breathing, drawing on meditation techniques Ajax had taught him. Center yourself. Find your core.
"The system would never send a test an ascender could never overcome," he said slowly, each word deliberate. "It's designed to push us to our limits, not beyond them."
Durnak blinked, then laughed so hard he shook, the sound echoing through the chamber like thunder.
"You think the system cares for anyone or anything?" he asked incredulously, wiping at his eyes as if the notion was the funniest thing he'd heard in centuries.
"It only cares to pit us against each other, watching us fight and die for its amusement! In its attempt to stay those it calls the tainted, its first sin, it creates us and then discards us!" He pointed the maul at Moyo, the gesture accusatory.
"I was one of its strongest, a champion who conquered systems! And when it saw it couldn't control me anymore, when I refused to dance to its tune, it discarded me like a piece of used rag!"
His voice rose to a roar that shook the very foundations. "So die as befits a titan—defiant but ultimately crushed beneath the weight of reality!"
When Durnak moved, it was with speed that defied his massive size. Moyo exhaled slowly and activated Aether Sight, the world transforming into streams of power. He watched the flow of aether as it danced and swirled around Durnak, who had crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, maul already descending.
Ida moved of its own volition, or perhaps Moyo moved with instincts he didn't know he possessed. The blade parried the maul seamlessly, the angle perfect, redirecting the overwhelming force rather than trying to match it directly. In the same motion, Moyo cracked a punch across Durnak's jaw with his free hand, his full strength attribute behind the blow.
The impact sent the Forsaken flying backward, actually lifting him off his feet. Durnak crashed into a pillar with enough force to shatter it completely. For a moment, genuine shock registered across his face, replaced quickly by something that might have been respect or renewed fury.
"Impossible," Durnak breathed, touching his jaw where Moyo had struck him. "A mere advocate matching strength with an expert? How?"
"The system never gives a test an ascender couldn't overcome," Moyo repeated, his voice steady now despite his injuries.
He inhaled deeply, drawing power from his core, feeling something shift inside him. "And I have people counting on me. That makes all the difference."
Durnak's face twisted in pure rage, the mask of amusement finally cracking. He roared again, the sound carrying even more force than before. This time, Moyo activated Balogun's Domain, actually shouting back even though it accomplished nothing tactically. But he stood his ground, refusing to be cowed.
The Forsaken's skill did minimal damage this time, Moyo's domain absorbing most of the impact. Durnak moved again, and they danced in the darkness, two titans clashing. The only illumination came from the sparks of their weapons meeting, from their glowing eyes, and from the auras that surrounded them. The stronghold shook with each exchange, cracks spreading further through walls and ceiling.
Moyo found himself in a state he'd only touched briefly before, during the most intense moments of training with Ajax. His movements felt uncoordinated on the surface but seamlessly blended together into something greater than the sum of its parts.
A cacophony of shrieks rose from their weapons as they clashed again and again. His stats, his skills, his innate talent with the blade—albeit still unpolished compared to true masters—came together to even the odds between himself and the Forsaken.
Through Aether Sight, he could actively see the skills of Durnak at work, could watch as they reduced the damage he inflicted:
[Titan's Resolve: Increases Durnak's durability and resistance to all damage types.]
[Aether Infusion: Durnak's attacks are enhanced by the residual aether in his body, allowing him to bypass traditional defenses and deal significant damage.]
He felt every blow that landed in his flesh and bones, every hit a heavy rumble that traveled through his entire body. But he gave as good as he got, fusing aura and intent into every strike he returned. Titan's Edge activated continuously, no longer requiring conscious thought. Blade Storm surrounded them in a maelstrom of cutting force and sparks of power.
It became a battle of attrition, as befitting titans. Oshun's Aegis struggled to keep pace with the damage accumulating. Moyo broke bones that healed slowly, tore muscles that stitched themselves back together. He was so absorbed in the fight with Durnak, so focused on survival and victory, that he failed to realize what was happening on a deeper level.
Aether seeped into his very form, raw and unbidden power drawn from the environment and from Durnak himself. It swirled through his channels before being absorbed directly by his core, changing something fundamental:
[Blood Absorption has absorbed a vital aspect of the Forsaken Titan, +100 to Endurance.]
[Aether Sight Level 20!]
[Balogun's Domain Level 30!]
[Titan's Edge Level 120!]
[Endure Agony Level 50!]
[Oshun's Aegis Level 150!]
[Titan's Walk Level 50!]
Moyo barely noticed the cascade of notifications, only registering that he somehow remained unbroken, undefeated even as Durnak threw his full might against him. Each exchange pushed him harder, forced him to dig deeper. His blade moved faster, his reactions sharper, his understanding of combat expanding with each passing second.
Then understanding crashed into him like a wave:
[Titan Blade has gained another epiphany, Titan's Edge Level 200!]
[Titan's Edge has reached the limit for rare rank!]
Moyo swung his blade, and the entire demolished room they fought in rang with the echo of a bell that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere. Durnak's already cracked and bloodied body opened with new wounds, deeper than before, his eyes widening in realization. Moyo didn't pause, didn't give him time to recover.
[Titan's Edge is absorbing epiphany and evolving!]
Moyo's pressure continued even as his body ached and his sight wobbled from exhaustion and blood loss. But he was too lost in the dance of attacks he had initiated, too deep in the flow state to stop now.
He could see through the moves of the Forsaken now, could read them like words on a page. He anticipated every skill Durnak attempted to use and countered it before it could fully manifest.
Ida sang through the air with every strike he made, the blade seeming to hum with approval. Every feint he gave was perfect, every opening he created deliberate. Bit by bit, one swing at a time, he began to break down the Forsaken. He shattered Durnak's defenses, carved through his regeneration faster than it could work, forced the ancient titan onto the defensive for the first time in the battle.
The pitch of the attacks was beginning to reach a crescendo, building toward something inevitable. Moyo could feel it in his veins as aether began to swirl around him visibly, raising his strength, his speed, his perception. Everything was heightened, every sense sharp. Durnak found himself always one step behind, unable to match the pace, unable to predict what came next.
It was a blissful feeling of pure delight, one Moyo couldn't fully quantify but found himself enjoying despite the pain. This was what it meant to push beyond limits, to transcend what he'd been and become something more.
"How?" Durnak questioned, his voice carrying rage and jealousy in equal measure. "How does a child of barely a year match me? I've fought for centuries!"
"The system," Moyo simply replied, his breathing somehow steady despite the intensity. He dodged a desperate swing of the maul that crashed into the wall next to them, demolishing it into powdered dust that filled the air.
He moved through the dust cloud like a ghost, dodging the crystals that manifested around him with perfect timing. Everything flowed according to the tune of a song only he could hear, each note a strike, each rest a dodge. Ida swung once again in a horizontal arc, and Durnak's remaining hand separated from his wrist, tumbling through the air.
The Forsaken roared in pain and fury, but Moyo was already completing his motion. Ida reversed direction, coming back in a thrust that pierced through Durnak's chest, finding the space between crystal plates. The blade sank deep, pinning the Forsaken to the wall behind him as his eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
[Titan's Edge has evolved into Endless Edge (L): A sword style that enforces the Titan's supremacy, grinding foes into submission through overwhelming force and unyielding precision.]
Durnak's dimming eyes fell to the blade pinning him to the wall, the crystalline light that once radiated from his body fading into a dull shimmer. Blood, dark and viscous, poured from the wound. A weak, rasping chuckle escaped his throat as he looked back at Moyo, who stood before him covered in blood and bruises but unbowed.
"Well," Durnak said with effort, his voice barely above a whisper, "the little titan has it in him after all."
"You failed to understand, even after all these years of serving as the crucible of the system," Moyo said, his voice steady despite the tremors wracking his exhausted body.
He leaned on Ida for support, the blade the only thing keeping both of them upright.
"You couldn't see through the fact that you were not what you used to be, not even with the copies of your skills returned to you. You were a shadow, a test, not the true Forsaken Titan anymore."
He paused, catching his breath.
"I chose this path to protect those I care about, to help them grow stronger alongside me. You chose it to conquer, to wield power for its own sake, to dominate and control. And yet, you forgot the most important truth—power means nothing without the people around you to sustain it, to give it purpose, to make it worth having."
Durnak's laughter, weaker this time, rattled wetly in his chest. Blood bubbled at his lips.
"A mere child... lecturing me on power and purpose," he said, his tone a strange mixture of mockery and genuine admiration. "How far I have fallen that these words ring true."
His head drooped slightly, the strength leaving his massive form. Crystal began to crack and fall away in chunks. Yet, his voice found one last measure of resolve, pushing through the pain.
"It is my death, after all. But before I fade... may I ask you one request?"
Moyo hesitated, then nodded slowly, according to the dying titan that much respect. "Speak."
"Do not trust them," Durnak said, his voice turning grave, urgent despite his fading strength.
"The ones who will come. They will hear of this—those who locked me away, who judged and condemned me. They will come to you with honeyed words and promises of power. They will try to sway you, to mold you into what they want you to be. Stand your ground, Titan Blade. Be what I could not—be strong enough to refuse them."
With those final words, the light in Durnak's eyes flickered once, twice, then went out like extinguished candles. His massive form slackened, head falling forward. His crystalline body began to crack and shatter, pieces falling away and dissolving into glittering motes of light that drifted upward like reverse snow.
A resounding gong echoed through the air, reverberating with the weight of finality and judgment. The sound seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, marking the end of an era. Moyo's HUD lit up with a flood of notifications that scrolled faster than he could read:
[Congratulations, you have defeated Durnak, the Forsaken Titan!]
[As levels are locked due to your world's rank, they have been exchanged for Aurums! (20,000 Aurums!)]
[+100 to all attributes! (All attributes at 1000 are exempt due to the world's rank!)]
[+50 to all skills (Legendary skills are exempted.)]
[Fragment of Authority obtained!]
[+10,000 Aurums!]
[You have created a Legendary skill! The first to accomplish such on your homeworld!]
[You have received 100 Aurums!]
[You have obtained Rare skill: Titan's Grip (R): All who are in your line of sight are now susceptible to your grip, able to hold them in place or crush them should your strength supersede theirs.]
[You have received: 10,000 Lesser Aether Shards, 5,000 Refined Aether Shards, 1,000 Greater Aether Shards.]
The stream of achievements blurred in Moyo's vision as the full toll of the battle finally settled into his body. The adrenaline that had sustained him through the fight began to fade, and with it came crushing exhaustion. Every bone screamed in protest, every muscle ached with the weight of what he'd endured. His vision swam, darkness creeping in at the edges.
Stumbling, he struggled to remain upright, gripping Ida as he forced himself to stay conscious. Around him, Durnak's stronghold began to quake violently, the structure destabilizing without its master's power to sustain it. Cracks splintered through walls and floor, spreading like lightning. Chunks of ceiling began to fall, crashing down around him.
With the last reserves of his strength, Moyo pushed himself forward. First, climbing out of the crater their final exchange had created, hauling himself over the edge hand over hand. Then sprinting toward the exit on legs that threatened to give out with every step as debris rained around him. A pillar collapsed behind him, missing him by inches.
The dungeon gate loomed ahead, glowing faintly with welcoming light. He lunged through it desperately, the energy washing over him in a wave of cool relief as he emerged into the yellow zone. Outside, the battlefield spread before him—a warzone littered with the crumbling remains of corrupted aberrants, brought low by the combined forces of Bastion.
As he stumbled into view, barely able to stand, leaning heavily on Ida, a moment of shocked silence fell over the battlefield. Then the cheers erupted, starting small and building into a roar. Bastion's soldiers, weary yet victorious, raised their weapons in celebration. The corrupted creatures that had been fighting them moments ago disintegrated into dust, their connection to Durnak severed by his death.
Through the haze of pain and fatigue, Moyo felt the weight on his chest ease, his breath coming more freely than it had in what felt like hours. Then a familiar crackle of lightning heralded Annika's arrival at his side, faster than anyone else could react. She caught him just as he finally wavered and started to fall, her arms steadying him with surprising strength.
Her eyes, brimming with tears, held his gaze with relief and unspoken pride.
"You did it," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
Moyo gave her a faint, weary smile despite the pain. "We did," he corrected her, his voice hoarse.
"All of us together."
Then his legs gave out, and darkness claimed him. But he fell knowing he was safe, surrounded by those he'd fought to protect.