[A Few Hours Before the Slash Incident - The Origin's Realm: Battle Arena]
Shock and disbelief hung heavy over the arena. A newborn Spiritual Origin had simply... vanished. Nova's blade had dissolved into thin air the moment Kaelvyr's fingers touched her. The King's brow furrowed, his dissatisfaction radiating from his throne. "So, this is the extent of his power," he muttered. "How was he even able to reach her energy core in the first place?"
The Cursed Lord, however, wore a dark, appreciative smile. *Kaelvyr is stronger than I gave him credit for,* he thought, his eyes glinting with a dangerous ambition. *I need those blades. I need that power if I'm going to truly evolve.*
The Cursed Lord's gaze drifted upward. He noticed a subtle, unsettling movement in the heavens. Suddenly, the arena fell into a deathly silence. The vibrant sky of Orynx was swallowed by a pitch-black void.
Kaelvyr, sensing the shift, immediately activated his defensive protocols. He had seen this before—during his battle with Xyloria. He remembered how the sky had turned to ink just before a rain of physical spiritual energy had nearly obliterated him. Xyloria had chosen to self-destruct rather than let him dismantle her essence from within.
*Did Nova just blow herself up?* Kaelvyr wondered, his grip tightening on his sword. *No... I'm certain I reached her core. I destroyed it.*
A collective gasp rose from the observers as the **Celestial Eyes** manifested once more, looming like twin suns in the darkness. Kaelvyr's composure finally cracked. "What the hell is it doing here again?!" he roared.
His mind raced. *The Celestial Eyes can only be summoned by a Spiritual Origin. If Nova is gone... then who is calling them?*
As the eyes gazed down with cold, cosmic indifference, a crushing pressure descended upon the arena. Above the void, the scattered sparks of Nova's spiritual energy began to coalesce, pulled together by an invisible, irresistible force.
Kaelvyr's lips quirked into a grimace of respect. "I shouldn't be surprised you can do that," he whispered. *Is she summoning it automatically, or is that thing... alive?*
Nova manifested between the two eyes, her form glowing with a fierce, renewed light. She lowered her hands toward Kaelvyr, packing an insane amount of spiritual energy into a single, focused point. She released it.
The attack was a furious torrent of power. Kaelvyr, for all his speed, couldn't dodge in time. The blast hit him with the force of a collapsing star, incinerating his wings and charring his divine form. He grunted, his energy flaring as he forced his body to regenerate. With a roar, he flapped his newly formed wings and surged into the sky to meet her.
*Come at me,* Nova thought, her expression unreadable. *You're only helping me grow.*
Kaelvyr struck with full force, his sword slicing Nova clean in two. She didn't flinch. Her energy-based form split, but before the two halves could even drift apart, they snapped back together, perfectly whole.
Kaelvyr struck again. And again. Each time, Nova reformed instantly. He glanced at the Celestial Eyes, then back at her. A cold realization began to settle in his gut. *I hope she isn't doing what I think she's doing.*
Nova looked at him, her voice a calm challenge. "Come on. Continue."
Kaelvyr raised his sword for another strike, but Nova's voice stopped him. "Don't bother, Kaelvyr. You know that can't affect me anymore."
In a blur of supersonic motion, Nova lunged. She struck him squarely in the abdomen. Kaelvyr's body didn't just break; it began to burn. His very energy was being consumed, drained by the contact. He struggled to regenerate, but the rate of loss was staggering.
Nova manifested her sword once more, her confidence radiating as brightly as her aura. Kaelvyr watched her, his terror growing. *She's growing... she's evolving in the middle of the fight. How is this possible?*
Nova's intensity reached a breaking point. Both she and her blade glowed with such blinding force that the observers were forced to turn away. With a single, fluid motion, she swung her sword in a massive circular arc.
This was the slash that tore through Orynx. It was an attack of such magnitude that it would have shattered the planet permanently if the Celestial Eyes hadn't immediately pulsed with power, rewinding the catastrophic damage.
When the dust finally settled, the arena was silent. The King, the Cursed Lord, and Kaelvyr were speechless. Nova drifted toward the King's distant throne, her voice echoing through the stillness.
"Am I an official Origin now?"
The King looked toward the Cursed Lord, who offered a subtle, defeated signal: *Full force cannot kill her. We cannot defeat this.*
The King sighed, the weight of his fear finally showing. "Yes," he admitted. "Yes, you are."
Nova's intensity faded. She dissolved her sword back into pure energy, drawing it back into her form. She touched down on the arena floor and walked away without a second glance.
***
**[The Rankspire]**
Back at the Spire, the announcer's voice finally returned, though it was shaky with shock. "There is... no clear winner. However, as it was clear that Xyne was overpowering her opponents before the... incident, Xyne is declared the winner of this tournament!"
The crowd's cheers were muted, the shock of the near-death experience still lingering, but a few voices rose to chant her name. "Xyne! Xyne!"
The day's battles were over.
Xyne and Elarion walked back toward the elevator in silence. Finally, Elarion spoke. "Was that a Spiritual Origin? That energy... it felt like my mother, but... more."
Xyne nodded, her expression grim. "Yeah. Those eyes... only an Origin can call them."
They returned to the reception area, where Rhyzok was waiting. He ran toward them, his form flickering with nervous energy. "Did you see that?! I was dead! For a split second, I was just... gone!"
"Yeah," Elarion said, his voice heavy. "It was terrifying."
The Angel receptionist looked up at Xyne. "Congratulations, Xyne. You are officially a 10th Harbinger."
Xyne offered a small, tired smile. "What happens to the ones I beat? Draven and Xyke?"
"Nothing," the Angel replied. "They lose their rank for now. However, if you can defeat the 9th Harbinger twice, you will take their spot. Then, the former 10th Harbingers can reclaim their positions."
Xyne nodded, absorbing the information. The Angel then turned to Elarion. "Keep ranking up, boy. You'll get there eventually."
Xyne, Elarion, and Rhyzok left the Spire together, their bodies intact, but their understanding of the world forever changed.
To be continued...