Dancing on the golden ashes

One after another, the lightning struck me, crackling through the air from the black, coal-like clouds that once again overtook the sky. It felt as if time itself had reversed. The shattered sky, once torn apart by my power, began to reform into a single, unified entity. With each strike, I could feel my energy being refined, honed to perfection. This was the last push I needed, the cleansing I had been craving. My body grew light, almost weightless, amidst the destruction raining down around me, obliterating everything beneath it.

I could see it all from above, how the city, once bustling with life, had been swallowed by the chaos. The streets I had watched grow over the years now lay in ruin, torn apart by the fury of my lightning. Buildings that had once stood proudly, crafted from the hard labor of countless souls, were now reduced to smoking ruins, their charred remains scattered across the landscape like forgotten memories. The cries of the innocent were silenced as the very foundation of the city cracked, and with each bolt that struck, the earth trembled, shaking the bones of what had been a thriving home. The air was thick with the stench of burning wood and flesh, mingling together as the world around me crumbled.

The city that had been built from the blood and sweat of innocent people was now nothing more than a graveyard, a monument to their suffering, and a place where I would grow stronger. I had to be thankful to those innocent souls, even though I didn't wish for this destruction to happen. They had unknowingly helped me through my darkest moment, paving the way for my transformation.

I looked down one last time, my gaze sweeping over the ruins of what was once a vibrant city, now reduced to nothing more than a charred wasteland. The place where life had flourished was now a hollow reminder of the circle of existence I had shattered. It felt like an unfinished chapter—a fleeting existence that had slipped through my fingers without so much as a second thought. And I told it goodbye without ever having truly said hello.

Without a word, I focused solely on myself. With each lightning strike, my fused soul grew stronger, more refined, more me. It was shaping itself into something powerful, something that no longer felt mortal.

The soul figure within me now sat cross-legged, radiating an aura that could only be described as the presence of an overlord, one who looked upon the world with its immense power. It felt as if this presence didn't belong to me, yet at the same time, it was me. The true me. For the first time, I felt... complete.

The moment my soul fully took form, the lightning that had previously been nothing more than a passing storm began to feel more and more powerful. The air crackled with energy, and the world itself seemed to pulse with anger, as if the heavens were enraged by my transformation.

With a loud crack, the sky once again shattered, but this time, the clouds did not obscure what lay beyond. It was as if the veil had been lifted, and what lay beyond the broken sky revealed itself in a violent storm of purple lightning. The power surged with an intensity I had never felt before.

"What is that?" I muttered, my eyes wide in awe as the purple lightning began to fuse, twisting and coiling into a single entity. The storm took shape, and from it emerged a massive bird, its form crackling with pure, raw energy. The creature was beyond anything I had ever imagined—its wings, enormous and radiant, were made of crackling bolts of lightning, each feather a jagged stroke of electric fire that illuminated the sky with every beat. Its body shimmered in an ethereal glow, surrounded by a violent aura that seemed to distort the very air around it. The creature's head was sharp and regal, its beak glowing like molten violet gold, and its eyes... its eyes burned with a cold, ancient fury, glowing like twin stars of blue lightning.

Kreeeeaaaah!

The beast cried out, its voice like a thunderous roar that echoed through the skies, shaking the very foundation of the world. Its gaze fell upon me, and I could feel the weight of its presence, a pressure so intense it threatened to crush everything in its path. The sheer might of its form, its very essence forged from the storm itself, made me feel insignificant in comparison. I understood that the lightning phoenix was not just a creature; it was a living manifestation of the wrath of the heavens, a beast born from the very heart of the storm, destined to bring chaos and destruction.

I stood frozen, aware of the terrifying truth—that in this moment, I was the prey, and it, the predator. The world had become its hunting ground, and I was only a mere speck in its relentless gaze.

I will not let it have its way. I will fight back, even if it costs me my life!

My heart roared in my mind, a fierce declaration of defiance. I reached out, not with my hands, but with my will, and grabbed the very air itself, squeezing it between my fingers. I pulled the world, the very fabric of its laws, to my will, crushing the beast with all the force I could muster. The sky trembled, the ground shook, as the weight of existence itself came crashing down on the lightning phoenix.

Yet, it was resilient. Even as my attack slammed into it with the fury of the world behind it, the beast withstood the crushing force, its form glowing even brighter as it pressed forward. The storm raged around it, and it rushed at me with the full might of the heavens.

There was no choice left. I summoned my crimson lightning, the energy crackling and twisting around me like a living thing. My scythe materialized in my hand, roaring with crimson light, each bolt of lightning on its blade ready to devour anything that dared to approach. It crackled with power, a weapon forged from the darkest of storms and the deepest of desires.

At that moment, I was no longer just a mortal fighting a beast. No, I was fighting the heavens itself. The very world that had once given me power now sought to destroy me, to reclaim what it had granted. But I would not be crushed. I was escaping its grasp—slowly, but surely. Each step I took brought me closer to my goal, to my belief that I could live eternally, or at the very least, defy the world that sought to erase me.

I couldn't help but wonder why the Creator had not interfered. He had not shown himself, not once, to strike me down. It was as if he were watching, allowing this battle to unfold. That could only mean one thing: everything was going according to his plan. I had grown to understand that much—the Creator had set this course, and I was nothing more than a piece on his gameboard, playing my role in a fate I could no longer escape.

Hahahaha! Fine! I will break your damn game board, and I will become someone who can even look down on the gods!

My heart burned with a fierce passion. Every part of my being rebelled against the restrictions the world had placed on me. My power surged so intensely that the air around me shattered like glass, and I shot upward, propelled by pure will. My scythe collided with the purple lightning phoenix in a clash that echoed through the heavens.

The impact shook the very fabric of the world. The ground split in half, even though I was far above it, as the energy from our collision ripped through everything in its wake. The lightning around us was so intense it felt as if the entire world was crumbling. What had once been a living place was now a sea of lightning, the sky turned into a battleground of crimson and purple, each fighting for supremacy. Only one force could emerge victorious, but the cost of this battle was beyond comprehension.

This was unlike any fight I had ever faced before. The phoenix's cold, unrelenting gaze bore into my soul, directly attacking the very core of my being. It felt as though the cracks in my soul would never heal, and the pain was unbearable. Yet, I couldn't allow myself to give up. Not now. Not ever. This was my fight, my life to protect. And as the rage surged within me, I could feel the darkness inside me mixing with the lightning, the storm of my very essence.

This is my domain.

The words echoed in my mind as I summoned the Lightning Sovereign's Domain. A powerful force surrounded the phoenix, trapping it inside the storm. I teleported around it with lightning speed, my scythe slashing through its form from every direction. With each blow, I thought I had struck the killing blow—but it didn't matter. The beast was relentless. It regenerated, as though it were immortal, its form constantly knitting itself back together.
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The battle stretched on, longer than I could have ever imagined. Days blurred into weeks, weeks into months. A full year had passed since the battle began, and I had fought without rest. When my soul energy ran low, I tapped into the system. When my mana was drained, I used what was left of my soul energy. It had become an endless cycle. But despite all of this, the phoenix showed no signs of weakening.

This eternal struggle was beginning to take a toll on me—not just physically, but mentally. The weight of this fight, the endless waves of energy and pain, started to unravel the threads of my resolve. Was it even possible to win? Could I truly defeat this immortal beast?