The cyclone suddenly shot forward toward the Earth God. Feliath was now completely shrouded by the white glow, which stretched higher and higher until it connected with the skies.
Standing upright once more, Auphora continued to watch. His hands rested against his cheeks, and his mind remained clear. The worrying had disappeared, and the fear for loss of life evaporated. He had begun to grasp the reality that nothing could stop what had to be done. As the Wind of Death collided with Feliath’s frame, an enormous explosion erupted, and the ground began to tremble and split open. Deeper and deeper, the land beneath their feet cracked. Both armies saw the ground opening toward them and immediately stopped all fighting, as they tried to flee. The gods also put a temporary halt to their duels, so they could witness what was taking place. Within the main arena of battle, many soldiers fell into the ground, as the cracks opened wider and wider until fire emerged from the depths.
Men, Akarai, and Monoroi fell screaming to their deaths. Those still on solid ground continued to flee, many killing each other for the remaining horses. The more fortunate ones, who had not dismounted, spurred their animals on and raced away, desperate for survival.
Kraipo, aching from his battle wounds, crawled to a less-crowded section of the desert, but he could not avoid the cold gazes of the dead. He counted numerous familiar faces, men from his battalion lying motionless beside him. Many more he could only assume were from Corin, Crazar, Tyranis, and a number of other planets, each man swallowed into the ground.
As he slowly lost the feeling in his legs, he felt tears rise in his eyes, as they caught a glimpse of Melot’s corpse disappearing into the chasm. Embracing death, he thought back to happier times on Tyranis. He pictured his wife’s warm smile, and he even managed a smile himself. She would mourn him, he knew, but his memory would always be cherished. He wished he could have similar thoughts of his brother, Kirinki, but it had been nearly eighteen years since they had last spoken. The anticipation of death filled him less with fear for his own end than with fear for the well-being of his only remaining blood relative. Closing his eyes, he released himself to whatever his fate would hold.
The Zoatans in the skies dispersed in multiple directions. The Noboros growled, while also trying to avoid the continuously escalating destruction. In the midst of the commotion, a great mass of molten rock began to rise. The screams that spread across the land burned the ears of Feliath, who stood motionless, looking at the sweeping death before him. Walking toward him was Baran, with eyes as bloodshot as ever, the Sword of Corin still firmly in his grasp.
“Do you not see, Baran, that the more you fight us, the more your planet is destroyed? Let us stop this now.” Compassion crept into Feliath’s voice.
The Red God did not reply immediately, but continued to march forward. “I will fight until every last one of you is dead, even if it means the death of my planet.” Baran’s eyes burned red with rage.
Feliath spared a glance at Auphora, who approached his two sons calmly. Moving his gaze to the ground beneath him, the glow around Feliath’s body had dimmed, but he knew the battle was far from over. “Then let it be known,” he said, turning his eyes back to the Red God, “that the destruction of Corin was at your own beckoning.” The Earth God lifted his sword with both arms and ran straight for his elder brother. For the first time in the battle, he did not concern himself with achieving a diplomatic solution.
1.5
T HE L IGHT AND THE D ARK
A nd so it was, that after the claiming of untold lives, the Battle of Corin ended. A crushing blow from Feliath brought an end to Baran’s reign. Even in defeat, the Red God lived up to his brutal promise, and the galaxy wept in blood—the blood of millions of innocent men, women, and children