The wreckage of the Indomitable Truth burned in the void, like the final cry of a dying beast.
And upon its shattered core platform, where molten lava flowed, the fated duel had entered its cruelest, most desperate stage.
Darth Vader's Dark Side of the Force, nourished by the sacrifice of the entire warship and countless lives aboard it, had swelled to a suffocatingly terrifying level.
Every sweep of that crimson lightsaber seemed capable of cleaving apart stars, carrying the whispers of the abyss and the cold will of all things' end.
Tangible waves of darkness surged forth, becoming shackles that froze space and time, whirlpools that devoured light, compressing the pure field of light around Luke until it grew smaller and dimmer.
In his spirit form, Luke looked like a candle flame in the wind.
He desperately swung his emerald lightsaber. Every block made his body shudder violently, while the blade emitted an overloaded hum.
Vader's attacks possessed not only unmatched strength, but also a terrifying pressure that seemed to see through everything.
His understanding of the Force, his grasp of combat timing, and his use of every sinister method of the dark side had all reached the pinnacle.
Luke's steadfast light, born from the ancient legacy of the Jedi and his own convictions, seemed somewhat... immature before Vader's terrifying power—power steeped in darkness for ten thousand years, fused with the will of the abyss, and having just devoured immense amounts of life energy.
"Everything you know, Luke..." Vader's heavy voice came through the respirator, carrying the cold mockery of one who controlled all. Each crushing lightsaber blow sent ripples through Luke's shield of light. "All of it comes from the Jedi's stubborn, outdated dogma! Your understanding of the Force remains at the stage of fumbling along the paths explored