Countless laser batteries blasted down from the sky at the void crystals. The void crystals had quite the defenses and all, but they were continually attacked. Just like expensive, high-tech equipment weren’t designed to be constantly smashed against a wall, the void crystals weren’t designed to withstand this amount of punishment as well. Eventually, the Xel’naga plating just couldn’t do the job anymore.

The first void crystal fell, and then the second. The third came after the second. As the crystals went up in balls of flames, the void energy they contained was released into the surrounding, causing waves of explosions. At the same time, Amon’s source of life force shrunk.

Amon’s forces did their best to return fire, but that just wasn’t enough. Thors, perhaps the only ground units Amon had left that were capable of attacking enemy capital ships, were obliterated with priority. Others, like marines and zealots, weren’t even fired at. There was no need to waste time and ammunition on these worthless cannon fodders.

Kerrigan struck down on Amon mercilessly, and the two engaged in a messy duel. Even Jean could barely see what exactly was going on down there with her eyes. All she could see was the lashing out of golden celestial energy and the explosions that followed. Fortunately, her advanced scanners were able to lock onto the two combatting gods.

“Kerrigan is gaining an upper hand. Amon is estimated to be defeated soon.” A C-1 concluded as it evaluated the data.

Even after wiping out billions of void shades, Kerrigan was still stronger than Amon. The foolish mistake the older Xel’naga made meant his void crystals were falling at an alarming rate. Even with the crystals, he could barely hold his ground. Without them, he was dying.

The rest of the void crystals came under heavy fire as well.

“I yield!” Amon started screaming when Kerrigan landed a strike that almost severed his body in half. Black blood was spilled on the platform. Even Amon’s blood was highly corrosive, as shown by how it burned through void shades and the ground of the platform with ease.

“I surrender! Unconditionally! Let me live and I will be your most loyal servant!”

This was another giant step back from evenly splitting the Void with Kerrigan. Amon was desperate.

“Surrender unaccepted,” Kerrigan smirked. She barely stopped. “Kill you, and I can absorb your essence anyways. If I were you, I would just lay back and make this end quickly.”

She was enjoying this way too much to let Amon live.

Amon screeched in a mixture of anger, fear, and humiliation. Suddenly, he made up his mind about something.

If Kerrigan wanted his head, she would need to pay the price for it.

Kerrigan frowned as the remaining void crystals of Amon suddenly exploded at once. Only they weren’t taken down by Jean’s ships. Rather, Amon manually detonated them.

Kerrigan quickly realized why as Amon launched a counterattack with renewed strength. The void crystals exploded because they pumped every single drop of void energy they had into Amon. This meant Amon could no longer get life force, but this also meant he got a giant temporary boost in power.

“You leave me no choice!” Amon’s heart was bleeding. Forging those void crystals was far from easy. Otherwise he would have filled the void with these crystals. He only sacrificed them because he had no other choice.

Four of Amon’s tentacles struck out. They were originally relatively fragile, at least to Kerrigan, but this time they were reinforced by Amon’s enhanced power. The tentacles struck faster than the speed of light. Jean watched as Kerrigan was struck down even before she saw the tentacles reaching her.

Kerrigan screamed in pain. The tentacles pierced her celestial body before she could even respond. Holding onto Kerrigan, Amon added more strength into the tentacles, attempting to rip his opponent apart. Kerrigan realized what Amon was trying to do as well as she grabbed onto the tentacles, trying to hold them in place.

For a moment, the duel between two gods became a competition of physical strength. Amon’s energy poured into his tentacles. Kerrigan did a similar thing and sent all the energy she had to the points of contact. The two held there for a second. Both screamed as they tried to deal the killing blow to each other.

“All ships, open fire on Amon!” Jean didn't expect Kerrigan might actually lose to Amon, but she still made some preparations.

Already kept on high alert, all the Allied ships fired whatever guns they had left at the giant body of Amon. The leviathans charged forward with thousands of spores firing. Of course, those spores were no more than a distraction. At the same time, the leviathans’ tentacles were ready to challenge those of Amon.

Amon screeched in fury. The hundreds of ships really posed a threat to him. He was forced to divert some attention away from Kerrigan and react to the new wave of attackers.

A ball of crimson energy formed in front of Amon and was shot at the Allied Fleet. The giant projectile traveled at a speed abnormal for its size.

“Evasive action now!” Jean screamed, but it was too late. She watched as three B-1s and two Purifier ships were caught in the blast. The ball of energy was so fast even machines couldn’t react in time. Once they was touched by the energy, the ships didn't have a chance of survival.

The leviathans finally got close enough to strike down at Amon with thousands of tentacles. Each one of those tentacles was enough to rip through battlecruiser armor. But to Amon, these tentacles were no more than jokes. Two of Amon’s tentacles, the only ones well and vacant, found their way into two of the leviathans. They went through carapace and flesh alike with faster than light speed. Before anyone could react, Amon has skewed the two leviathans together and were smashing them against each other. The two literal cities screeched and screamed in agony. They tried to resist, but they were no match for the strength of the tentacles. Zerg units and leviathan blood spilled out with each collision.

When Amon released the two leviathans, they were no more than two bags of flesh.

Another strike from his tentacles sent three carriers crashing into each other.

The bombardment from the fleet was mostly deflected.

But that was about it.

Using the moment of distraction, Kerrigan’s celestial wings slashed down and tore all four of Amon’s tentacles apart. Amon turned around in horror as he realized Kerrigan was free. What was even more terrifying was that his power boost seemed to be short-lived.

“Wait…”

Kerrigan didn't wait. She focused all the power she had and charged forward. Within a flash, she was behind Amon.

The dark god collapsed behind her in two halves.

Lifeless.

Amon. Dead.

Streams of crimson celestial energy departed from Amon’s corpse and entered Kerrigan. The new, and only, god screamed in thrill as her power got even stronger.

On the other side of the platform, Jean’s flagship descended. As soon as the ship was at a suitable height, Jean jumped out. As her feet hit the ground, her hand was on her watch.

As soon as Amon fell dead, Jean received a notification from her watch that her mission was completed, and she could depart from this world in a moment’s notice.

Jean was just getting ready to leave. She got onto the platform so she could put all her ships, Warden and Purifier alike, into her watch. As battered as the fleets were, they might be a useful tool in the days to come.

“Jean! What was that?”

A voice came from behind. Viper. After realizing Jean suddenly got onto the platform, the spectre came down as well.

Jean didn't bother turning to answer. Her task here was done. The war was over. Her watch could only carry mechanical beings. Viper was a living, breathing human. Jean couldn’t take Viper with her, and she no longer needed the spectre’s help in this world.

In short, Viper was no longer useful to her.

When Zeratul told Viper Jean would abandon her when she was done with her, the Dark Prelate wasn’t wrong.

A single click on the watch caused the entire Warden Fleet and the entire Purifier Fleet to disappear.

Jean was about to let the watch bring her away when a furious roar came in from the side. It was filled with infinite rage.

“You! What have you done?!”

Jean looked up and found an enraged Sarah Kerrigan facing her.

After absorbing all of Amon’s essence, Kerrigan reached a whole new level of power. In a sense, she had the combined power, and the combined essence, of all the Xel’naga that ever lived. She was stronger than Amon and Narud alike. She felt like she could kill her original self as easy as snapping her fingers.

More importantly, as soon as she got this new power, she realized she had little control over it. In fact, she could almost subconsciously read the mind and memory of those around her. When she looked at Viper, she could sense the spectre’s fear and insecurity. The spectre was frightened of the possibility that what Zeratul told her was right. That Jean never loved her. That Jean might abandon her.

Well, strange, but it was none of her concern.

It was when Kerrigan turned to Jean that she heard something she wasn’t supposed to hear.

Namely, how Jean Turner ordered the death of Jim Raynor, and proceeded to use this information to turn a human Kerrigan back to the Queen of Blades as a weapon against her own enemies.

It was just too much.

In comparison, Amon only manipulated Kerrigan by silently influencing her decisions, and Kerrigan just ripped him in half moments ago. What Jean did was ten times worse. She took away her loved one after using him, and then played Kerrigan as a fool for months, just to advance her own goals.

This was betrayal at its finest.

This was much more than enough to destroy whatever friendship Kerrigan once had with Jean.

Kerrigan didn't bother hiding her rage. She sensed the Warden and Purifier ships disappearing, but she didn't care. At this moment, this very second, she only had one goal…

...and that was to make Jean Turner scream.

Seeing the change in situation, Jean’s expression didn't change as she tapped her watch, ordering it to bring her out of here. It was too late to make a stand. Even if she could get her units out, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the one and only Xel’naga. In fact, Jean doubted if her units could even delay Kerrigan in the slightest. Her only chance of survival was escaping this world once and for all. Even if she was mortally wounded, as long as she could escape to safety, she could regenerate.

Her body started to fade away.

Kerrigan realized this as well. She knew, at the rate Jean was fading away, she wouldn’t get there in time, but she wasn’t about to let Jean go this easily. The fading must be the result of some sort of escaping mechanism, and Kerrigan decided to deal with that by sending out a chain of celestial energy, directly at Jean.

The energy beam was enough to kill Jean.

For a moment, time seemed to have frozen. Jean’s body was almost gone, but she knew it wouldn’t be in time. The energy beam coming her way was so fast Jean could barely track it with her eyes. Within a fraction of a second, the energy chain would hit her and rip her to shreds. Wherever the watch was taking her to, it would have transported a corpse.

Is this it? Years of planning...countless sacrifice...numerous betrayals...is this the end of her voyage?

Suddenly, a figure jumped in between Jean and the energy beam.

Viper.

The spectre wasn’t facing Kerrigan or the attack. In fact, she was facing Jean.

She gazed into Jean’s eyes.

Neither her nor Jean spoke.

There was nothing to say.

The last thing Jean saw before she lost conscious was Viper being reduced to ashes by Kerrigan’s strike.