There was a collective intake from the crowd, sending freezing air spiraling into everyone's throat. A few people inhaled this breath of cold air and choked, rubbing their throats in discomfort.
Everyone had been paralyzed under the white haired man's pressure.
Amon halted his movements, one hand on the translucent wing of the butterfly. There was a visible crack from the pressure as he withdrew.
The white haired man's frown deepened.
With a twitch of his fingers, Amon retracted his outstretch hand. "Deon." His face looked like it swallowed a bitter melon.
"So this is why you decided to come down today." Deon beckoned the white butterfly towards him, running a hand along its injured wing. Frost spread from his fingertips, silently healing the butterfly's wing. With a powerful flap, the butterfly flew away leisurely.
Amon gritted his teeth, "So you sent that thing to spy on me! Can't you mind your own damn business for once!?"
Deon didn't reply, scanning the crowd below. "Watch your tone, Fourth."
The red eyed youth rolled his eyes, muttering, "Shitty icicle."
"Fourth."
"Don't call me that," Amon snapped back, flipping back the sleeve of his robe so he could get in Deon's face. "You interrupted my fight."
Deon's pale blue eyes reflected the sea of red underneath him clearly. "His Malevolent Majesty has issued an order. Your one-sided massacre can wait until we've succeeded."
Amon crossed his arms in refusal. "Why the hell does he need me running errands? Having you as his lap dog is enough."
"The one who barks loudest is the dog," Deon replied calmly, eyes sliding towards a black haired man down below.
"You fucker-"
Deon's eyes narrowed, making him appear even more indifferent. Verita's golden aura was swirling around the individual, happily flickering as if it noticed his gaze. It seemed like the young man was unaware that he had been marked by a Calamity. Black eyes like a seemingly endless abyss stared up at him vigilantly.
Deon snorted coldly, turning his back to the second troublemaker that could still get under his skin despite not being present in person. It seemed like she marked her prey ahead of time.
How annoying.
Faint wisps of Amon's aura continued to flow from a dead body on the ground. "You've lost another one?" The white haired man interrupted the Fourth Calamity's rant.
Amon's scowl deepened. "I knew it! You're here to gloat, aren't you?! So what if I lost two of them already!"
Deon calmly blocked the fist aimed for his face, "You shouldn't waste His Majesty's gift like that."
"It's not like any of them will grow more powerful than we are right now," Amon snarked as he threw another punch. "You're the only leashed pet he has left. Even Verita abandoned her duties to play around."
"Enough." Deon's pale brow burrowed as Amon's attacks increased in intensity, moving behind him to tug at the hood of his robe.
"Hruk- hey!" Amon pulled at the tightness against his throat. "What are you doing!" His legs kicked in the air as his struggle continued. "Is it because that woman pisses you off so much? I thought she would be your only friend since she's the Second, but I guess no- urek!"
"Shut up. I'm sending you back for punishment," Deon stated, ice chains wrapping around Amon securely. "Let's see if you're still unwilling to work after spending some time in Reve's Dreamscape."
Amon howled louder at his words, throwing a tantrum like a three-year old. "I don't want to go! That bastard always stares at me like a psychopath whenever I get out!"
His blood hounds raised their head to watch their master, heads cocked to the side in confusion before howling along with him.
"Awooo!"
"Ruuoo!"
"Shut up!" Amon yelled at them, silencing them instantly. Their tails tucked between their legs at his scolding. "Let me go, you son of a bitch-"
Ice solidified around the bottom of his face, successfully gagging him.
"Mmph! Ruurm!"
The ice blue portal glowed brighter behind Deon. He turned towards the crowd below him, retracting his aura. A good number of people fell onto their knees, unable to support themselves anymore.
"Do not act foolishly," Deon projected his voice above the masses, his ability gathering around him. The air was well below negative degrees, which prompted another round of muffled curses from Amon. "Incompetency does not reach His Majesty. You have all failed today." His eyes flashed coldly. "No one here bearing the title of a Serpent will survive."
To be acknowledged as the strongest, they must first acknowledge their weaknesses and destroy them. Only then will they become an undefeatable existence.
"You've collected enough trash already," Deon said to Amon, staring at the panicking people below him. "You should learn how to clean them up efficiently."
A loud sound exploded in the distance, followed by a giant earthquake. It sent another wave of people crashing into the ground, colliding painfully with each other.
Nox grabbed So Jiwoo as the man stumbled backward from unsteady terrain, his weight leaning on Nox and Victor in support. Victor quickly pressed a blood-stained shirt against So Jiwoo's larger wounds.
The ground shook violently for a few minutes, sending chunks of debris flying from nearby buildings before it shuddering to a stop.
"T-the sea!" Someone cried out, pointing in horror. "Look at the sea!"
They lifted their heads, and for a moment no one could say anything.
Arcadia's base was only about a kilometer away from the sea. The flat terrain made it easy to spot from a distance.
Now, the turbulent dark waves of water glistened white, spikes shooting towards the base as if they wanted to reach out and engulf it in an eternal world of frost and deathly stillness.
As far as their eyes could see, the sea had been frozen into ice. Thick sheets of white covered the surface of the sea, preventing anything from escaping to the surface.
Even Amon stopped struggling out of surprise, the sudden stillness allowing Deon to relax his grip. "Have you learned it properly?"
"..." Amon wanted to curse him out even more. This was clearly an intimidation tactic! He could do this in his sleep! ".. I got it."
Nox looked at the retreating back, upright and stiff as it disappeared into the portal along with the extra baggage.
The hounds vanished along with their master, not giving the humans a second glance.
"... Look," So Jiwoo's exhausted voice sounded next to Nox, nodding to the side.
Nox turned, eyes stopping on the ice sculpture standing a few meters away from them. He looked around, mouth pressed in a thin line as he saw about two dozen people frozen into ice.
Victor's expression sunk as he recognized some Arcadia members, "He wasn't lying." The people that arrived with him and So Jiwoo remained unscathed, but the close followers of Bai Yu and a few others had been targeted.
Nox didn't respond. He didn't know what he was feeling at that moment. Should he be angry? Happy? An empty echo responded to his thoughts.
So this was the power of a Calamity.
______________
End of Part 1.