The wind screamed.
The Sovereign Gate stretched wider across the sky like a wound in reality, crackling with raw cosmic energy. Trees bent backward from the force of the opening, and debris lifted from the ground as if gravity itself was bowing to the power it released.
Adam stepped out from the shattered school building, boots crunching softly on broken glass and gravel. He didn't flinch. His cloak, stitched from salvaged fabric and bloodstained leather, fluttered behind him.
From the center of the Gate, a shadow formed.
It wasn't like the giants he'd fought before. This one was... calm. Regal. Almost human. But taller. And darker.
The figure stepped forward slowly, descending from the Gate as if stepping down a staircase of air. He was clad in silver and crimson armor, etched with ancient runes that glowed softly with inner light. His eyes—piercing gold—fixed directly on Adam.
"You are not one of them," the figure said, voice smooth and commanding. "Yet you possess what belongs to the Sovereigns."
Adam didn't answer. His eyes narrowed. The mana inside him responded, swirling tighter like a coiled serpent.
The figure touched the air beside him. A long staff of white obsidian appeared in his hand.
"I am Verius. Herald of Dominion. Keeper of the Ninth Seal."
"Cute title," Adam replied. "You forgot 'slaughtered by Adam.'"
Verius raised an eyebrow. "Ah. Defiance. The scent of a rebel. You must be the one who tore through my kin at the valley. They whispered your name as they died."
"Good," Adam said, stepping forward. "Then they died afraid."
The mana exploded around him—his eyes burning blue, veins glowing. Dust kicked up in a swirl around his feet.
Verius didn't react. Not outwardly. But the smile he gave was not one of amusement.
"You were human once," Verius said. "But now... now you stand between two truths. You are an echo of something greater. The mana has marked you."
Adam was done talking.
He launched forward.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he moved like lightning—one instant across the ruins, the next, a breath away from Verius.
His fist collided with a golden barrier mid-air. Sparks flew. The world shook.
Verius parried with his staff, using it not like a mage but like a war-trained soldier. Their movements blurred—strikes and counters faster than the human eye could follow. The ruined schoolyard became their arena, craters forming with every blow.
Adam roared, fists glowing.
Verius swept his staff in a wide arc, releasing a shockwave that sent Adam skidding back through rubble. He landed hard, body grinding through concrete.
But he stood again. Bleeding. Grinning.
"That all you've got, 'Herald'?"
Verius stepped calmly forward. "No."
He raised the staff high.
The sky darkened.
From above, a lance of pure light began to descend. Not flame. Not magic. Something more ancient. A judgment.
Adam raised his hands—and the mana obeyed.
A dome of brilliant blue energy exploded around him just as the lance struck.
The impact lit up the sky like a second sun.
When the light faded, Adam stood panting within a shattered dome, shoulders smoking, blood trickling down his cheek. His hands trembled—but his legs held.
He laughed.
Verius stared at him. Truly stared. For the first time, he looked uncertain.
Adam took a step forward.
"You're not a god," he said. "You're just another tyrant hiding behind magic and symbols. And I'm not here to kneel."
He surged forward again, this time faster—breaking through Verius's next barrier before it could fully form. His fist connected.
A crack formed across Verius's armor.
The Herald stumbled back.
Adam didn't stop. A flurry of punches followed—each one reinforced by mana, each strike tearing more of that celestial armor apart.
With a final roar, Adam drove both fists into Verius's chest, sending him crashing into the base of the ruined flagpole. Dust rose like smoke.
Silence.
Adam panted, walking slowly toward the crater.
But as he reached the edge—Verius rose.
His face was bloodied. His armor broken. But his eyes burned brighter now.
"Impressive," Verius said. "Truly. You are the first to wound me in centuries. But it is not enough."
A symbol appeared behind him in the air—nine interlocking rings, each spinning with divine precision.
And then—
Adam felt it.
The Gate… it wasn't closing. It was expanding.
Behind Verius, more figures began to step through.
One. Two. Three. Four.
Each radiated power. Each was like Verius. No—worse.
Adam's eyes widened.
This wasn't a duel.
It was a test.
Verius wasn't here to defeat him.
He was here to summon the others.
The real fight was just beginning.
Adam clenched his fists tighter.
Mana swirled around him, faster, hotter. His body strained to hold it. But he wouldn't back down.
Because somewhere, Belle was still out there.
And the world was going to burn before they kept him from reaching her.
Elsewhere
Deep in the ruins of what used to be Manhattan, a girl with wild red curls stared up at the sky. She saw the Gate. She felt the power. And her heart skipped.
She wasn't alone.
Others had felt it too.
Across the scarred Earth, Awakened souls turned their heads toward the sky.
The Second Surge had begun.
And this time, humanity had a champion.
Adam smiled through the blood.
"Come on then," he whispered. "Let's see what gods bleed like."