The Forbidden Element

BOOOOM!

The colossal black ice hand descended like the wrath of an ancient god. The moment it struck the ground—

The entire battlefield shattered.

The frozen land split apart as shockwaves tore through the terrain. Mountains in the distance crumbled under the sheer force. The air was swallowed by an ear-piercing roar, the echoes of destruction rippling through reality itself.

Varun stood in the sky, his arms crossed, watching with a casual smirk. "It's over."

But then—

A spark.

A tiny ember of golden light flickered beneath the wreckage.

And then—

BOOOOOOM!!!

The ruins of the battlefield erupted, golden energy exploding outward like a supernova.

Varun's smirk faltered.

Through the dust and debris, a figure rose.

Surya stood unshaken.

His golden aura had changed—it was no longer a mere radiance. It burned. Each flicker of his energy crackled like a miniature sun, the air around him bending under the sheer force of his awakened power. His wounds, though deep, no longer slowed him.

His eyes—once filled with exhaustion—now gleamed with something primal.

Something unbreakable.

Varun exhaled slowly. "So, you're still standing?"

Surya rolled his shoulders, his body still aching, but his lips curled into a grin.

"You talk too much," he muttered.

Then—he vanished.

FWOOSH!

Varun barely had time to react before Surya appeared right in front of him, his sword swinging in an arc too fast to track.

SLASH!

Blood sprayed into the air.

Varun's eyes widened as a deep cut split across his chest. He staggered back, gripping his wound, his grin fading.

Surya didn't stop.

He lunged again, his blade striking with unmatched ferocity.

One slash.

Two.

Three.

Varun blocked—barely. Each impact sent tremors through his arms, his once-overwhelming strength now being matched.

No—overpowered.

"WHAT IS THIS?"

His voice was no longer amused. It was laced with something foreign—frustration.

Surya's attacks intensified. He weaved between Varun's defenses, exploiting every opening with inhuman precision.

Varun tried to retaliate—

But he was too slow.

A golden fist slammed into his ribs.

Then his face.

Then—a devastating kick sent him crashing into the frozen wasteland below.

BOOOOOM!

A crater formed where Varun landed. The tyrant of the North, the so-called "Unbreakable King," now lay in the rubble, coughing blood.

Surya descended slowly, gripping his sword as he loomed over his fallen enemy. His voice was calm, but firm.

"You're strong, Varun. But strength means nothing when you rely on it blindly."

Varun laughed.

It was a dry, empty sound.

Then, still lying in the wreckage, he whispered—

"Then I suppose it's time I stopped holding back."

Surya's eyes narrowed.

And then—

The temperature dropped instantly.

The frost around Varun shifted.

No—it melted.

But not into water.

It became something else.

The black ice that once coated his body began to flow like liquid, spiraling upward, twisting around his limbs like living shadows. His wounds closed instantly. His aura darkened.

The entire battlefield dimmed.

Even the sun above seemed weaker.

Surya felt his chest tighten.

This feeling—this pressure—

It was different from before.

Varun rose from the crater, his body now shrouded in swirling, liquid darkness.

His eyes were no longer red.

They were black.

His voice was barely above a whisper, yet it rumbled through the battlefield like a storm.

"You think you've seen my true power?"

The ground beneath him collapsed into a void of pure frost and shadow.

Then, in a movement too fast for even Surya to track—

Varun appeared behind him.

Surya's instincts screamed. He spun around, sword ready—

But it was too late.

Varun's hand had already pierced through his chest.

Surya's eyes widened.

A wave of unimaginable cold spread through his body, freezing his very soul.

His vision blurred.

His strength faded.

His heartbeat slowed.

Varun leaned in, whispering into his ear.

"Now, prince... let's see if your will is truly unbreakable."

And then—he crushed Surya's heart in his grasp.

TO BE CONTINUED...