Hey guys, I'm very sorry for the late update. I have been busy with college preparations for the past week, and it has been stressful. Do not worry; I shall update frequently from now on.
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The entire planet teetered on the edge of collapse. Explosions thundered across fractured landscapes, massive craters pocked the once-verdant ground, and shattered mountains stood as jagged monuments to the brutal exam orchestrated by the academy. Students clashed with everything they had—some prevailed, some faltered, some cowered in hiding, and others had already been eliminated, swallowed by the chaos.
Yet amid the ruin, one figure stood above all: Xandros.
His mere presence distorted the battlefield. The air bent around him, thick with unspoken threat. Every step he took felt like a declaration—a living storm wrapped in human flesh. Other students eyed him with conflicting emotions: awe, admiration, envy, and hatred. But none dared step in his way.
They all felt it: he wasn't like them. He was something else. Something far more.
And still, not all were content to let him walk unchallenged.
As he approached the finish line—serene, unwavering—two figures appeared, blocking his path. Identical in face, opposite in essence.
The first wore robes of radiant white, his presence calm and commanding, eyes glowing like morning suns. The second was draped in flowing black, a living shadow whose gaze shimmered like moonlit abyss. Muscular yet graceful, they looked like gods sculpted by contrast itself.
They grinned in unison, eyes burning with hunger.
"Are you strong?" they asked in perfect harmony.
Xandros tilted his head, smirking ever so slightly. "Strong enough."
Their smiles widened like twin eclipses.
"But are you strong enough to defeat us?"
Without hesitation, Xandros slipped his staff into his inventory. His stance shifted—not flashy, but grounded, precise, immovable.
"Nah," he said, a ghost of amusement dancing in his tone. "I'd win."
The twins raised their arms. "We are Dayne and Teneb. Light and darkness made flesh. We are balance—and all shall bow."
Xandros's eyes glinted. "All may bow. But I am not 'all.' I am AM."
Then they moved.
A sonic boom shattered the sky as fists met in midair.
BOOM!!!
The impact created a mushroom cloud that rippled outward like a nuclear blast. The ground cracked in waves, upending trees and earth in a spiral of destruction. Screams rang out as students were thrown back, some fainting from the sheer pressure.
Three figures danced in the sky, blurs to most, light-speed silhouettes to the more advanced. Every movement lit up the atmosphere with shockwaves. It was a ballet of destruction—light, darkness, and sheer will clashing.
Dayne struck first, his body encased in radiant energy. He jabbed, feinted, and followed with a blinding arc of solar fire. Teneb weaved through shadows, slashing with pitch-black blades formed of raw void. Their synchronization was near perfect—attack and defense, light and dark, yin and yang.
But Xandros was relentless.
He pivoted on a dime, redirected Dayne's punch with a palm parry, then spun low and hammered an uppercut into Teneb's gut. The dark twin grunted, coughing as he spiraled back.
"Brother, he's fast," Dayne sent telepathically.
"And precise," Teneb replied. "A worthy foe."
The twins redoubled their assault.
Dayne unleashed a burst of radiant javelins while Teneb cloaked the field in a dome of pure black. The javelins ripped through the darkness, forcing Xandros into reactive movements. Flashes of white cut through shadow like divine judgment.
But Xandros wasn't faltering. He was reading.
He disguises light attacks within dark veils... interesting, he thought.
He stepped forward, barehanded, and moved like a blade. Chin, solar plexus, kneecap—he struck them with minimal movement, each counter using their momentum against them. His body became a conduit of his ten thousand lifetimes of combat mastery.
Dayne staggered back, gasping.
Teneb wiped blood from his mouth. "You mock us by not using your true power?"
Xandros narrowed his eyes. "You mistake discipline for mockery."
With that, he soared into the sky, dragging the battlefield upward.
The twins followed, only for the very mountains beneath to rip free from the earth and launch skyward. Xandros had raised both hands, telekinetic energy warping reality around him. Boulders and trees rained toward the twins like meteors.
Dayne split a mountain in two with a light-infused warhammer.
Teneb unraveled a falling cliff with a black vortex.
But as the dust settled, Xandros appeared between them.
His fists moved like drumbeats of death.
Right.
Left.
Right.
Left.
Every blow thundered. Ribs cracked, jaws snapped sideways, and sparks flew as light clashed with raw martial might. A final dropkick sent Dayne hurtling into a crater. Xandros grabbed Teneb mid-air by the throat and hurled him into a distant peak, which exploded on impact.
Xandros hovered above them, his fist glowing with dormant power.
"Give up," he said calmly. "You lose."
The twins groaned, slowly floating upright. Their lips were split, breaths ragged, skin bruised. Blood trickled from Teneb's mouth. Xandros had a single shallow cut on his cheek, the only mark on him—and even that healed within seconds, the skin stitching itself silently.
They stared at each other and nodded.
"You should be proud," Dayne growled.
"Few survive long enough to witness our greatest art," Teneb added.
Xandros's eyes gleamed. "Then don't disappoint me."
They crossed their arms in an ancient symbol, their auras merging. Light and darkness spiraled, interwoven like twin serpents. The sky turned grey, time slowed, and gravity warped.
"Now witness true balance—"
Their voices became one:
"FUSION!"
The collision of their auras created a celestial vortex, sucking in clouds and distorting the heavens. Energy crackled, and a shockwave burst outward that shattered several nearby peaks.
Their bodies glowed, condensed, and merged.
Standing in their place was a towering figure—nearly eight feet tall—with skin that shimmered in dual tones: one half brilliant gold, the other fathomless obsidian. Wings of white fire and black mist spread behind him. His eyes held galaxies.
"We are Equinox," the being intoned. "Perfect balance. Chaos and order united. We shall be your reckoning."
Xandros raised an eyebrow. "Not bad."
Equinox moved. Faster than thought.
A single punch slammed into Xandros's side, sending him hurtling through several floating boulders. He flipped mid-air, halting his momentum, but blood trickled down his lip.
The crowd watching through astral projection screens gasped. For the first time, Xandros had bled.
He wiped it away, smirking. "Now we're talking."
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Surprised right!!!. Do not worry, I will explore the twins' power and why they could contend with Base Xandros recently. Stay tuned for the next chapter. See Ya!!!