Komfo Anokye and his sister – Mane's grandmother – sped towards Amalgamation with their feet barely touching the ground. They covered several hundreds of meters every second and easily brushed aside the wind pressure that they movement was generating. As they moved, the two had their eyes fixed on the large dark cloud in the distance. And each was thinking the same thing.
"I can smell that dastardly power on him," Komfo Anokye frowned. Mane was using power great enough to threaten a god, and he was doing so as a god. For the power Mane had tapped into was not that of the mortal realm. It was a thing of impossibility for any mortal to go against a god, much less be their much. And Komfo Anokye could sense that Mane was currently giving Shiva a hard time.
"Yes, he has gotten stronger," Mane's grandmother had a complicated expression on her face as she maneuvered her way away from an uprooted tree – no doubt a victim of Mane's battle with Shiva. Just like Komfo Anokye she was familiar with the power Mane was using. And she could easily make out the blood of Olympians from within that aura storm Mane had called out.
"We need to get there now!" Komfo Anokye screamed and the earth shook once more. But it wasn't because his power was causing the planet itself to lose its conformation. For what happened next was as a result of Komfo Anokye using his power; the result of being a Basileus.
*RUMBLE*
With a low growl the earth gave way, and a crevice several thousands of feet long was formed. A large claw held on to the edges of the crevice and soon, a huge dragon flew out of the pit.
*ROAR*
With a roar that was filled with the majesty of a creature that was beyond the understanding of men, the large dragon revealed itself. The dragon was several hundreds of meters tall and was as large as a city wall. It had four large wings that gathered wind with every beat and claws that were as chilling as the cold waters of Cocytus. Its scales were as red as the crimson of blood. However its eyes were dull and lifeless. For it was a beast that had died long ago and had been restored by Komfo Anokye's power. It was dead yet living. It was alive yet dead. It was an Undead Fire Dragon and one of the greatest tools at the hands of Basileus. With a powerful beat of its wings the large dragon was gone, and it ascended the sky to survey the land.
"It will take us there," Komfo Anokye stated and gathered his strength. With a great leap he too ascended into the sky and was concealed by the clouds.
"Yeah," Mane's grandmother nodded her head and leapt into the clouds as well. For a few seconds everything was still until suddenly the Undead Fire Dragon reappeared.
*Roar*
A loud roar followed its reappearance. Within the roar was the nobility of its noble race and pride that wasn't lost. Its majestic presence shook the earth itself and tested the might of its foundations. And it failed the test. Mane and Shiva had already destroyed much of the planet and left it nothing for it to use in its defense. And so when the dragon bellowed arrogantly, ll the World of the Three Great Races could do was to bow in subservience as its clouds parted to allow the mighty dragon smooth passage to the place it sought to go.
Although the dragon was so massive that it was almost impossible to see anything else but its bright scales, one could make out two figures seated upon its neck. These two figures were Komfo Anokye and Mane's grandmother, Keira. Komfo Anokye had released the dragon exactly because of this. He didn't want to show off. Rather, his entire goal was to get to his grandnephew in time. And the dragon was the best way to do it.
"We are coming kid"
The city of Ancients was shaken by the war between the two gods; Amalgamation was feeling the effects as well; Intersection wasn't spared either from the fate that had grabbed the others cruelly in its grasp. Each city reacted in different ways, but the important thing was that they all reacted. Just like with the cities of the three Great Races, the cities of men were also caught in this turmoil. And the greatest city of all – the one that couldn't even be breached by Basileus himself – was no exception. The Citadel was the greatest city of mankind and their strongest defense against the races who looked down on them. And they too were experiencing the effects of Mane's war. But this is where the architecture and brilliance of man came into play. For while they paled greatly in comparison to the Three Great Races when it came to power, their inventions were brilliant. Their buildings and defenses even without the aid of their barrier was difficult to overlook. And though The Citadel too struggled to hold itself against the warring gods, they were generally much better off than any other city.
At the centre of the great city stood a tower tall and grand. This tower had walls made with precious stones and fine craftsmanship blended these stones together to produce a masterpiece. This tower stood tall even amidst the chaos; as all others fell around it, alone this tower alone remained unshaken. And the flag that held the sigil of the Black Dragon floated proudly atop it like a lofty prince, mocking the effects of the two warring gods to destroy this world. This tower was the home of the one who ruled this city and the self-proclaimed king of the humans. This was the Dragon Lord's Tower, the home of the Dragon Lord.
Within one of the rooms of the tower – the room that stood atop the entire tower – the Dragon Lord stood with his eyes scanning the things occurring outside. His wise eyes swiftly took in all the chaos and the damage. From his high perch he could see his trusty generals commanding the situation and keeping the chaos under control. It was because they were there that he could be here. And he was grateful he picked right when he was given the mandate to. And now their competence was perceived as his competence. The Dragon King took a deep breath as several complicated emotions flashed past his eyes.
A beautiful woman walked up to the Dragon Lord and stood at his side. He sensed her, but he didn't comment on her appearance, suggesting that she was close to him. For no stranger could just come into the Dragon Lord's private room without passing through a blockade of guards. Besides, even if they could, the Dragon Lord wouldn't just ignore them.
"Are you worried?" the woman grabbed on to the Dragon Lord's hand and tenderly stroked his palm. She could sense his anxiety, and her intuition as an Oracle meant that she could tell the worry of others even if they didn't relay them to her.
"I am," the Dragon Lord lifted her hand to his lips and lightly pecked them. For the lady next to him was his wife and the greatest Oracle of The Citadel!
"There is no need to," his wife smiled and said. The lady of The Citadel grabbed on to his cheeks and lightly kissed him. The Dragon Lord sighed and grabbed her hands. He kissed her again and then hesitated for a bit. If she was saying that he didn't need to be worried, then there was nothing to worry about. But that also meant that this wasn't the vision she had seen that day. And that scared him.
"I worry because if this isn't the war you spoke of," the Dragon God gazed worryingly at the large rain clouds in the sky and the turbulent aura seeping into the core of the world. With a slight tremble he revealed his deepest fear,
"Then what would that war be like?"
_____________________________________________________________________________________
*Boom*
*Bang*
*Boom*
*Boom*
Mane and Shiva couldn't afford to be worried about the state their fight was leaving the planet in. And neither could be too concerned about the kind of destruction the major and minor cities alike – and even those towns and villages – were dealing with. They were embroiled in a battle so close that a lapse in concentration could spell doom for the one who made such a mistake.
So far, Mane had the upper hand. He had been able to get a few good blows in and had almost split the god of destruction into two at a point using Harch's overbearing power. But he hadn't been able to go any further than that. And that was because Shiva was still a god. No matter how many wounds Mane piled on his body, the god of destruction kept recovering at visible speed. And because his godhead remained untouched, there was nothing Mane could do to change that – except destroy his godhead.
"You wouldn't be able to rely on your abilities as a Scholar when you tap into the power of the void. No, that's an inaccurate assessment. You can use your Scholar power. But it would come at a cost."
"The power of the void is highly volatile. I can help you now to grasp it without losing your sanity, but without me you cannot possibly control it. Using your Scholar power when you are already in the Void is dangerous simply because you could lose yourself. Even I wouldn't be able to help you out when that happens."
Mane hadn't forgotten the words Cronos told him when he was still in his Soul Scape. The Selfish Titan King of the times that were long past had warned Mane about the implications of using power from any of the paths whenever he tapped into the void. It was with Cronos's power that Mane was able to use the power of the Void without losing himself. And it was with the Titan King's strength that Mane was able to easily shake off the side effects of relying on the Void. His power wasn't enough to do that and Cronos hoped that repeated exposure to the power of the Void would eventually allow Mane to harness the power all on his own. However, that was a thing for the future. Right now the task ahead pressed stronger and made the events of the future weigh much lighter.
Without the ability of Scholars to sense everything Mane couldn't tell where Shiva's godhead was. He couldn't feel the connection between the god of destruction and his godhead because it took almost all his strength to simply have hos basic sensing attributes on. If he were to activate any of his techniques or Leases, he knew that he would lose himself. And this wasn't simply because Cronos said so, but because Mane could feel it was actually so. Such a handicap meant that no matter what Mane did, Shiva would still live to tell the tale. And that was an unsatisfactory feeling.
Mane's thoughts didn't hinder his progression on the battlefield. He was like a freight train that had lost its brake lever – he kept on moving and moving. His strikes were as powerful as the strikes of a mountain itself and his speed difficult to contend with. Slowly, Shiva attacked less and less and defended more. And when the god of destruction understood that he could win this war simply by holding out, his mind became content with doing nothing.
"I assume that you have a plan. You didn't simply boast that you were going to kill a god today because you were facing a beautiful naked woman now, were you?" Cronos was the closest spectator of the entire battle. And as it dragged on, he began to worry about what exactly the Supreme had in mind. What was the young boy thinking?
"I…use…Chaos" Mane replied.
"What do you mean by that?" Cronos wondered. The words of the young Supreme were too vague.
"I…show…you."
The young Supreme's lightning coated eyes were just as calm as they were when the entire ordeal began. His lighting brand wasn't growing dim or showing any signs of weakness and the dark clouds that stained the sky kept their dye. He had more than enough strength to last for the next two hours. So running out of energy wasn't his current headache. With a swift shift he changed his stance and kicked out, smashing his foot into Shiva's undefended chest. And the god of destruction was sent tumbling back for the nth time since their decisive battle began.
*Bang*
Shiva easily kept his footing and though he traveled several tens of meters away from Mane due to the strike, he had a smile on his face. For he knew that the young Supreme could do nothing more than this. Death wouldn't be his headache today. Today, it would be the Supreme's.
Once Mane kicked Shiva away, he didn't give chase. From how the battle had been going so far, Mane should have pursued the god of destruction and pummeled him into the ground. But he did not. Instead he gathered his power together and generated a storm so great that the dark aura of Shiva was pushed away. A power that smelt entirely of Chaos and Chaos alone dominated this plane and soon green flames sprouted from the ground all around Mane. The area of 50 meters was entirely engulfed in these green flames, and it burnt so strongly that even the space elements were stripped of their power!
"What is that?" Shiva shivered instinctively when he felt the power of the flames. He was too far away to feel endangered, but for some reason he did. Those flames were so scalding that his skin burned from just looking at it. This wasn't diluted Chaos. This was pure, uncut Chaos!
"How is he able to produce such pure Chaos in such a world?" Shiva wondered as he started to retreat. All thoughts of killing the Supreme were out the window now. Right now, there was nothing more important than his life. He may be a god and his godhead may not be in danger, but before Chaos even he had to consider death as an option. For such pure Chaos could sever the connection between him and his godhead by simply striking a fatal blow!
"I see. You are planning to rely on pure Chaos. How were you able to generate such pure Chaos? Even in the True Universe, pure Chaos can only be generated by the Chaotic Flame himself. And even more importantly, how are you able to control it"
Cronos was just as surprised as Shiva was to see the Chaos Mane had called upon. But he handle it much better; mainly because he wasn't on its receiving end.
Cronos was right. Chaos came in two forms. The impure form that dominated the True Universe and the more obscure form – Pure Chaos. Spiritualists relied on Impure Chaos. Even then, the power they drew upon was so dangerous that they wouldn't be able to control it without Leases. The rarer form of Chaos – Pure Chaos – could only be generated by the Chaotic Flame and it was from this power that Impure Chaos was generated. Almost every authority in the True Universe knew about Pure and Impure Chaos, but none really bothered about the former because if Impure Chaos was this difficult to control, then how could one control Pure Chaos?
"Harch…second…function" Mane replied Cronos as he pushed himself forward and gave chase to the retreating Shiva. As he moved he recalled what he had seen only a few hours ago when he assessed Harch after sensing a few changes on his budding Chief Soul Weapon.
Harbinger of Chaos: A Soul Weapon. Currently, all functions are not fully understood nor perceived. However, two abilities have been dissected.
Domain of Chaos:As a weapon blessed by the Chaotic Flame himself, Harch is filled with the purest Chaos there is. Activating Domain of Chaos fills the space around the user with this pure Chaos energy, which improves Spirit Wielding (Spiritualist Path) and summons lightning made out of pure Chaos. It currently covers an area of 50 meters and can last for up to five minutes. As User grows stronger and Harch develops as well, the range, cooldown and power of this skill would grow. There is no drawback.
Chaos Generator: When the Chaotic Flame blessed Harch, he didn't do so half-heartedly. For the spirit of the Ancient Artefacts was filled with much kindness, and he gave Harch a skill so unique that only he possesses and the Chaotic Flame now possess it – Chaos Generator. When Domain of Chaos is activated, Harch is able to generate the purest of Chaos in any world, no matter how parched of Chaos it is. This skill lasts as long as the domain remains.
Drawback:Unclear; no one has ever possessed this power before.