Final Absolution: The Saint Descends

Zovaal had lost.

He had lost in the contest of strength, to the innate flaw of the Eternal Ones' insufficient power, and in the clash of mechanics.

Clearly, the all-conquering Domination that controlled all things had indeed caused Diakum terrible trouble. Yet plain and unadorned concepts still could not contend with Diakum's "flashy" new mechanics.

It was not merely the erosion and extinguishing of the light of all things by Eclipse, one of the highest-order concepts. When Diakum himself pushed Light-Shadow Twinborn to its perfect stage, he naturally received the "reward" he deserved.

The seamless transition between light and shadow had banished the concept of death from him!

So long as Diakum wished it, he could continue fighting forever amid the embrace of light and shadow.

He might not necessarily win, but he would never fall into the tragedy of "defeat."

In gamer terms, this shameless mechanic that abandoned stat boosts and instead devoted all its mysteries to Thoughtless Reincarnation might not have a high ceiling, but its floor was absolutely guaranteed.

Holy flames burned. They were true stellar fire, as hot as the sun. Though Diakum, a master of mysticism, could not simulate truly infinite fission, mysticism had its own advantages. The application of conceptual power allowed him to release endless light and heat all the same.

But Zovaal did not cry out in grief.

He had lost his weapon, yet he kept fighting. Like a burning giant, even with defeat carved into his body, he still refused to surrender his last chance to fulfill his ideals and desires.

Without weapons, he used fists and chains. When his fists were broken and his chains snapped, he used his teeth and headbutts. When his left leg was slashed apart and forced him down, he still tried to drag Diakum into