The dust settled over the shattered battlefield like a quiet before a storm.
From the crater rose the King, blood dripping from cracked lips but eyes burning brighter than before — colder, sharper, and filled with an ancient fury.
His body began to shift — but not like any transformation anyone had seen before. No fiery auras, no glowing hair, no monstrous size increase. Instead, his form became fragmented, like shards of obsidian glass suspended around a core of pure, pulsating light.
Pieces of him floated just millimeters from his skin — some jagged and sharp, others smooth and curved — constantly rearranging as if alive. His limbs glowed faintly, covered in intricate, fractal-like patterns that shimmered like constellations.
No one breathed. No one moved.
Then, in a voice that reverberated like a deep cosmic hum, the King declared:
"Behold… The Fractured Sovereign."
The name hung in the air, heavy and unfamiliar.
"Fractured Sovereign?" Toru whispered, eyes wide. "What the hell is that?"
"It's like he's… breaking reality itself," Rei muttered, shielding her eyes from the strange iridescence.
The King's shards shifted violently, snapping in and out of phase with each other. When he moved, the shards left afterimages of broken reflections — like looking through fractured glass.
His aura was no longer a blaze or a storm, but a shimmering field of distortion that bent light and sound around him.
"This form… it's unlike any Essence I've ever seen," Kaien murmured, gripping his blades tighter.
The King's voice lowered to a growl:
"Try and stop me now."
Riku narrowed his eyes, already feeling the overwhelming pressure of the King's new presence.
The battle was far from over — and now, the true fight had just begun.