"TERRITORY ENVELOPMENT!! Humanity's Reckoning."
Having tricked Hana and Alex into his soul's domain, Icarus utilized the last of his Vita to clone himself—ensuring his enemies' demise.
"You really are… so weak…"
Icarus smirked, stifling a giggle. Neither the Master nor the Judge had any choice but to keel over and die. The former had wasted her technique earlier, and Alex had already maximized the number of times he could invoke his Territory. Even if Icarus prolonged their lives, as long as they were entrapped here, their deaths were assured.
"The domain for the strong is elite. Unless there's an escape route, you can't avoid it. It truly is such a divine technique," said Hana.
"I'm glad you're so observant! Ehehe~ you have no idea how much I've LONGED for this very moment! By my hand, the Master who seats atop the realm of supremacy and the resilient Requiem Judge will finally perish!" said Icarus, closing his fist.
Then, he burst into uncontrollable laughter, holding his stomach and wiping away any tears prominent at his eyes' corners. The mocking sound of his sickening cackles was akin to a spider, clinging to their spines and biting into their flesh. Needless to say, the time had come.
"Because this is your end, do you have any final words?" Icarus mocked, extending his arm—pointing his palm upward.
Hana gazed at the covered sky, upturning her chin. She vented a breath. For some inexplicable reason, she felt she could spot that breath as if she were standing amid the winter's unbearable chill. She couldn't help but question how she was dragged into this farce. The one who saved her. For so long, she paved her hope for this next generation. Teaching these students, leading them forward. She believed that was her purpose. If this was her end, could she wholeheartedly say from the bottom of her heart of hearts that selflessly helping others made her extended life worth it?
In her last moments, she doubted her selfless behavior. But how could she? Remembering her pupils' smiling faces and tired bodies sleeping soundly into the night, resting in her temple… how could she ever? She tore off her sleeves, thus revealing her arms. There was nothing more for her but this moment. This end.
"I've lived a good, long life. I… don't regret anything."
Icarus's clone asked the same question to Alex. What exited the Judge's lips was unequivocal silence. That was it; the Jester prepared his deadly technique so he could finally slaughter the strongest peons challenging his future reign. But—something happened. From outside the two barriers, there were… miscalculations.
Everyone's eyes widened. The girl in blue formed the Dharmachakra Mudra with her fingers while the boy in red composed the Dhyana Mudra.
"Territory ENVELOPMENT!!" They invoked in tandem.
Overtaking that which imprisoned them, Katie saved Hana and Ace saved Alex, each by casting their empowered territories.
"Blackened Vastness/Human Consciousness."
Katie had enveloped both Icarus and Hana with her territory, which was pitch-black. Placing her hand on the Master's shoulder, she was immediately illuminated before she could lose herself to the madness of the ever-circling darkness.
"Katie, you're…"
"Stand back and watch, Master. I've been itching to kill him for a while now," Katie said, pushing Hana behind her.
But on the other street, Ace's hand stood locked onto Alex's shoulder. One of the clones that summoned the weaker Territory some minutes ago was now adrift within the Scarlet King's negation. Absorbing every little drop of information until he'd inevitably expend the limit of his energy. It was only a matter of time before this clone was brain dead and they had to only worry about Katie.
"Did you manage to find him? I left him there purposefully to make sure none of you lost him," said Alex.
"We did. We think it's just as Dad said before," Ace informed his teacher.
Alex clicked his teeth, barely remembering that daydream telepathically transmitted to them.
'I speak to you all using the Requiem Artifact's unequivocal power.'
There was no time to remain idle—if things had been that way since the beginning, they had to move and FAST.
"Ace. Do me a favor and behead that asshole," Alex ordered, pointing his finger toward the motionless Jester clone.
"Way ahead of you," Ace quickly responded.
His finger flicked upward; his body already turned toward the overloaded clone. In the same second it took for him to cast his Territory, he imbued the soul's domain with essential barrier techniques of this capacity. An unavoidable can't-miss attack.
Every Territory had them, however, courtesy of the ensnared rebellious nature, the entrapped can overtake the Territory or simply exit when the circumstances are simply in their favor. Hypothetically speaking, this could all be before the Territory caster was even able to use their unavoidable attack. While these techniques were powerful, they expended a lot of energy and were entirely unpredictable.
Fortunately, this wasn't a problem for Ace Wilder: The Scarlet King. His technique pierced his soul the moment his eyes were replaced with these crimson retinas that peered through all. When activating this second attack, instead of utilizing Divergence, he opted for Eternal Sight's persistent usage. Not only did Eternal Sight bless the user with advanced perception, speed, and endurance but there was a secret only someone like the Reaper or the technique's progenitor would know. Ace would often ask himself why someone like his father was so powerful—and this recent discovery was the answer.
The supreme art of Divergence's power was only attainable when using Eternal Sight and Divergence in tandem—something Ace was unable to do five years ago when he first battled the Jester. Luckily, after years of yearning and training, the Scarlet King was finally able to hone his techniques to the highest level, thus awakening Red's full potential in the form of using Eternal Sight and Divergence simultaneously.
"Corrupted Bolt - Total Annihilation."
Wilder clapped his hands together, invoking the technique's name aloud in unison. On cue, Icarus exploded into tiny little bits and pieces dripping with blood that oozed onto the gray street they returned to. The Jester's sudden detonation marked the end of the Territory's reign, entirely decimating the previously surrounding barrier. Then again, that was obvious to everyone from the way they airbrushed through their respective hair lengths yet again. All that remained of the Jester was none other than his pesky head.
"This isn't even technically his head," Ace noted.
"It doesn't matter. We have bigger things to worry about than Chrollo and his idiocy. Get Katie and head back to the Tower. If she's done saving Hana, then we just might be able to gain control of the situation with everyone reunited," Alex ordered his student, walking away from him while removing his hands from his pocket.
"Huh?! And where you going?!" He yelled after his long-haired teacher.
"You'll see!! I'll tell you when I'm there!" the Judge waved back at his pupil, leaving after having said goodbye.
Ace's arms fell. Despite how he felt, it was undeniable that this chaotic situation had to be monitored. Considering the many casualties and an unprecedented amount of invaders, they were desperate for any kind of victory right now. Seeing no other option but to listen to Alex, he sped through the streets and ended up outside Katie's barrier in no time. A few seconds after Ace arrived, the barrier shattered. Stepping from the destroyed shield, Katie extended her hand, and just then, what they both held was the same thing. The disembodied skull of none other than the Jester is flat in their palms, awaiting to be decimated.
"Shall we?" asked Ace.
"Yes. We shall," replied Katie.
She released her hold on Icarus's head, flawlessly sliced it right down the middle while it was in mid-air. Juxtaposing this entirely, Ace simply crushed the skull between his fingers, feeling the thickness of blood splatter from the head and dirty his fair-skinned face.
"Wasn't that satisfying?" Kate asked her cousin.
"It was. I've been wanting to do that for five-plus years. It sure as hell didn't disappoint," Ace replied, smiling while opening and closing his fist.
"It's impossible he's dead. Icarus's soul is composed of men's boundless hatred. As long as he can endlessly clone his vessel, he'll continue chasing after us," Hana interrupted their joyous celebration, her eyes closed and gently smiling.
"Not for long! If everything goes right, everything beyond these walls will be destroyed! With our threats finally exterminated, we can live in perpetual peace for all eternity together!" Ace excitedly reminded his Master.
The mention of extermination reminded Katie of her purpose. She stepped closer to him, holding her face only some millimeters away from his own.
"Where's Alex anyway?! I thought he was entrapped along with Hana!" Katie exclaimed loudly.
"Oh, I think he… went to find the prisoner," Ace informed her.
Katie's pupils shrunk. The 'prisoner' wasn't anyone unknown, she knew that moniker from the top of her head. The Master and Ace locked eyes. From then on, the two of them were forever unsafe. Hana's fist raised, her knuckles instantaneously connecting with Wilder's lifted limbs. By the time she realized what was occurring, she noticed Katie had already vanished.
"Did you seriously just try to punch me in the face?!" Ace questioned loudly, a vein protruding out his temples.
"It wouldn't have killed you!" Hana retorted, sliding away following their impact.
Sprinting down the road toward the edge of the City, Katie noticed her surroundings revert to unfamiliar smears littering the slow world around her. To still be maintaining her top speed while holding her drawn katana truly displayed the extent of her incomprehensible swiftness. In due time, she would reach August's grave, but more than that. Desecrating the Reaper's tomb was none other than the Judge. Then again, that was planned, wasn't it? She skid to a halt beside her long-haired teacher, abruptly exhaling, now standing beside Alexander.
"Did you… find it…?" Kate queried through panting breaths.
"I did. It's not useful now, though."
Alex examined the Requiem Artifact in his hand and grumbled under his breath.
"Doesn't this mean Callum doesn't have any powers right now?" Al asked.
"He doesn't but he's still smart. We should be wary of him regardless of if he's able to utilize the Requiem techniques or not," she warned him.
"I suppose you're right. Should we head back then?"
"Yeah, I guess—"
Katie never even got to finish before she noticed what intruded upon her agreement. Tilting her head sideways, her dark-blue eyes locked onto the sword piercing Alex's back, a sharpened edge emerging from his chest. Someone had bypassed the invincible Unlimited, pushing their weapon through Alex's back. The perpetrator was none other than who they spoke about one minute prior. The legendary Founder Callum River. Eternally destined to be the upholder of the Requiem legacy by way of wielding the unsurpassable Artifact.
"You're…" Alex gasped, spitting out blood.
"Don't sweat it. I'm the only one to have a grudge so let me live out this fantasy happily."
Trivia: The one who taught Katie about her Territory was Rizia. Despite being unable to use Vita techniques, they were extensively taught about the ins and outs of Vita usage by their superiors after fleeing Riverton Island following the events of Chaos Center.