Keres slashed at his daughter's face. Easily, she ducked under the blade, glancing up at it only briefly before jumping away and landing flat on her soles. Crossing her arms, she summoned numerous Fate-daggers between her knuckles and lunged them, watching her father's eyes dart rapidly.
She could only watch in shock as he vanished before her entirely, reappearing in front of her and digging his fist into her gut to send her flying into the air. Alora fell back onto the concrete and turned around, coughing up blood onto the ground.
He jogged over to her. "H-hey. You alright?" He scratched his nape. "Guess I went a little too hard there—"
The old man was struck across the face by his daughter's gloved fist—knuckles sinking into his cheek and breaking part of his skull. Azure eyes blazing, she launched him from her hand, watching him crash into the apartment building. Alora only recognized the damage she'd done afterward when her eyes returned to normal and her shoulders abruptly fell.
She ran forward. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to…"
Though she expected anger, what she received was the opposite: laughter. Keres swiped the dirt from his spiky black hair with a smile on his face, walking from the hole he made and looking down at the girl.
"You're coming along nicely." Keres waved her away with his hand and watched as she gradually stepped back. "No need to worry about injuring me too heavily. I can take the punishment," he said.
Her head tilted. "You sure…?" The Enforcer asked, slowly raising her hands—palms facing him.
"Positive."
Keres dashed, leaping near the end of the sprint and driving his fist into the air, striving to fall ever quickly before smashing his knuckles into her face. Luckily, she rolled away, slowly beginning to form another weapon from her aura. But he was faster.
His fists repeatedly slammed onto the arms risen to protect her face, breaking her defense gradually, forcing her to step back. Eventually, he grew tired of this; grabbing one of her wrists and throwing it aside. Half of her face now exposed, Keres used this chance to raise his palm—smacking her clean in the nose.
As she reeled back, blood leaked from her nostrils; her hand instinctively raised to cover her face. Regardless of the damage, Alora stood tall, glaring through her short gray hair with burning blue eyes encircling the word 'unwavering'. Keres couldn't help but smirk.
'Her determination is enticing,' he thought.
Alora conjured a single sword, slicing at his head. Keres chuckled, clashing his sword with her own, spotting the sparks soar past their faces. She withdrew her weapon, watching her father's eyes widen. Keres attempted to retreat, but she appeared behind him, grabbing him by the hair and smashing his face into the ground.
She summoned another sword, striving to pin him to the concrete through a cut through the chest; he quickly retaliated. Spinning around while knocked down, Keres' legs moved erratically, inevitably striking the sword from her hand.
Alora groaned, rising her fist and punching at his face. Her knuckles sunk into the ground, for Keres had jumped away, unsheathing the sword on his back.
"You've strengthened. Tell me, daughter—what is it that pushes you!"
He advanced instantly. His sword slashed her hastily-drawn blade—the wave from the blow sending her back into the wall behind them. Keres manically grinned while sweat dripped down Alora's face, her teeth clenched. Her father leaned closer.
"I believe I'm beginning to understand."
Keres sheathed his blade and grabbed her skull, slamming it back into the wall behind her. Eyes rolled back, he stepped aside, watching her bloody body slowly begin to fall while he looked away.
"Your Freedom is different from mine. I thought because you were my daughter, it was identical, but I was wrong. It's hard to tell but… your Blessing encompasses the heart."
Alora's body splattered onto the concrete. Keres dug into his pocket, revealing a pack of cigarettes and another pair of shades—placing the latter over his eyes.
"The turbulence within you manifests in the form of a Blessing that heightens your determination. Every time you're pushed to the brink, you return to the frontlines, stronger than ever and bursting with energy. In other words, the more someone attacks you, the stronger you become. What an invincible ability you've inherited… daughter." He grinned, igniting the end of the cigarette in his mouth with the flame above the lighter. "It makes me proud."
"Is that so?"
Keres' eyes widened. Removing the stick from his mouth, the old man's pupils reflected his bloody daughter—her bright blue irises shining in the sun.
"Then let's keep going. Let's fight… until one of us loses!" Alora said.
He smiled. "If that's really what you want—" He unsheathed the sword once more. "—who am I to refuse?"
Keres warped in front of her and slashed downward at close-range, barely missing; only slicing her cheek. Alora quickly went for his hand, swatting the blade from his fingers and tightening her hold over his wrist. With ease and enough pressure, she easily snapped his bone, leaving him to retreat.
He looked at his limp hand, then back at his daughter. Keres sighed. Revealing a pistol from the back of his pants, he aimed at her face and grinned, seconds away from pulling the trigger before the first bullet entered the air. Luckily enough, it zipped past as she advanced, giving her an opening upon jumping into the air and stretching out her leg.
She kicked him three times. Once in the waist, another in the chest, and finally in the face. Eventually, she flipped off his chest at the last possible second, twirling around in mid-air, and landing some feet away—still unarmed.
He remained silent. Though the sword was just beside his foot, he averted his gaze from it. Now gazing deep into her sky-blue orbs, Kees grinned, raising his hands.
A hand-to-hand fight.
Throughout the history of Fate, numerous users rely on their abilities to achieve victory during a battle. Sometimes, the techniques they use encompass overpowered skills, such as the Unconquerable's reality-warping. However, that doesn't negate Talen or Eros's fighting ability.
In dire situations when their techniques are negated, the untouchable status the Amits possess is oftentimes questioned. But those suspicions are unfounded—originating from ignorant minds unknowing of Fate and the history of the Empire. As such, nobody besides those marked knows the truth of the Amits' strength.
But what about her? Alora Illustrious. Alora was adopted into the Amit family at a young age and helped Talen with his combat techniques. That's not all though. She didn't just help Talen. She helped everyone in that family. Archer, Ava, even Valentina, and Eros.
The unparalleled techniques the Amit legacy used during their battles were all but taught by an outsider—her.
It went without saying. During a close-combat fight with Alora Illustrious using only fists, whoever she was fighting against would undoubtedly… perish.
Keres was confident in his ability. So, he moved first, knowing she'd counter with an immediate punch. He faltered instantly, catching her knuckles in his palm and pulling her close, kicking her in the gut. Alora flew, falling onto her rear and staring up at the sky. Despite the beauty the clouds above held, something was demolishing them. Then it hit her.
Descending from the heavens with both hands interlocked was none other than her father. This time, she didn't roll away. Her left hand extended, effectively halting the hammer fist's descent and catching the interlocked hands in her palm. Alora suspended her belief, slowly sitting up from the ground and shooting daggers into her father's black eyes.
"You… stopped—"
He didn't even get to finish his sentence. Alora's hand that struck his cheek stung; watching his blood splash into the air, the girl vented a long sigh of relief.
She wouldn't have any other chance. Alora grabbed her father by the sides of his head, sinking her grip into his skull and guiding him into her knee. Falling back with blood pouring from his face, Illustrious struck him in the throat, slapping him once before throwing her arms ahead—relentlessly assaulting the old man's build.
Each new attack moved at the same speed and dealt identical damage, however, that was meaningless in the face of her assault. It was all pain regardless.
The Enforcer punched him once across the face, then another time, and then once more from the right, before finally throwing him with the final strike from the left. Keres's back slammed into the fence.
Leaking blood from his bruises, the old man slid down and fell to his bottom, coughing while staring at his girl.
Alora smiled, standing over her father, hands on her hips. "How was that?" she asked.
Keres smiled weakly. "Amazing… truly beyond anything I could do." He coughed again.
She sighed, turning to face the apartment. Surprisingly, one of the walls imploded; an eyebrow raised while she stepped forward and squinted. Though it was barely visible, that hairstyle and signature were unmistakable—it was Archer on the edge! But even more so than that, on the roof of the building, she could sense another.
The embers of a scarlet aura leaked off the rooftop edges, the perpetrator's figure a mere silhouette to her on the ground. She turned to her father and grabbed him by the shoulders, nostrils flaring.
"What the hell is the meaning of this!" She yelled. "You set us up! You used that place and this fight as bait. But why..? I don't understand. I thought we were—"
"What?" Keres shrugged. "Bonding?" He glared at her. "Don't make me laugh."
Alora's teeth clenched. She instantly formed another sword and thrust it at his throat. Her wrist was snatched by an invading hand from her peripheral, leaving her with an overwhelming sense of confusion.
The Enforcer's blue eyes watched as Keres vanished right before her and was quickly replaced by another version of her father, clad entirely in black attire.
Her eyes widened. 'That's insane! I know I was fighting a real person this whole time, it couldn't have been an illusion! So when? When!' She thought back, remembering when he just vanished and reappeared falling from the sky moments prior.
Despite the newfound strength she accumulated from her innate Blessing, he was her father for a reason. Keres chopped her in the shoulder and punched her across the face, grabbing her abruptly by the throat before slamming her to the ground. Peeking through the blood pouring down her temples, Alora glared up at him, exposing her gritted teeth.
"You're pretty strong, girl. But I've always been stronger. I was fortunate enough to be born the same way Displacements are—composed of Fate. Every single bone, muscle, and blood vessel is empowered by the innermost power dormant within my soul. Sorry, kid. You were fated to lose to me. That's all there is to it."
With one stomp, Alora's face smashed into the ground—effectively knocked unconscious. Keres stepped away from her body, revealing another cigarette and settling it between his lips. Shades darkening his eyes, the old man listened as footsteps tapped behind him, revealing a familiar shape that of Atlas.
Keres grinned at his friend and waved politely. Atlas could only chuckle, crouching and bending over, lifting Alora's bloody face from the concrete she laid on. She was still breathing. The schemer stood, hitting his comrade upside the head.
"You're carrying her," he said.
Keres groaned. "Aw, come on! I did most of the work already, didn't I!"
Atlas chuckled and shrugged. "That's true. I'll let you off the hook this time." He looked over his shoulder, nodding at someone who wasn't even there.
Inexplicably, another person shrouded in black attire appeared from beside him and knelt, lifting Alora into their arms. Atlas and Keres shared one last look before turning their backs to the apartment, slowly walking into the opened portal in front of them. Then, as a hole damaged the ground beside him, Atlas stopped completely.
Eros, on the rooftop, glared at the back of his head, noting the aura enveloping his form. Atlas smirked, turning his head slowly, black eyes reflecting the old man's silver-haired appearance. Just from that one glimpse, Eros knew from the bottom of his heart… that they were connected. But how?
Who was this long-haired man? And why did he feel so familiar?
Talen scratched the back of his head, peeking out the hole in the apartment to spot him. At first, he thought it was a dream. Then, it all came flooding back.
Idle with widened eyes, the Unconquerable's spiky hair moved with the wind, forced to remember the year of his youth he'd tried so hard to forget. But Anthony was different. Upon peeling out from behind his friend, he stripped the patch covering his eye and aimed his finger at the man, blasting the crimson Fate dormant within him at the perpetrator.
Atlas slid away from the shot's trajectory, spotting the discharge imbue a crater into his previous position. Tony clenched his teeth.
'He dodged it! That must mean my technique can harm him!'
Tony's finger didn't lower. He kept firing as much as he could while the scarlet aura around him crazily contorted. Atlas kept dodging the shots, before eventually leaping from the ground, simultaneously withdrawing the sword from his cane.
Before reaching his target, Talen managed to react, jumping forward to extend his hand and strike Atlas in the shoulder in mid-air. With his right arm now paralyzed, Atlas had no other choice but to release his flight, landing on the concrete while staring at his limb.
"Hm." He looked at Talen as he landed. "Is that a new move? I didn't know the Unconquerable possessed immobilization qualities," he said.
Talen glared. 'What's up with this guy? The way he talks, carries himself, and even that manic smirk… Maybe it's because he's the one who killed Uriel. No. That can't be it. But then why is it that this man feels so extraordinarily familiar?'
"You're wondering who I am, right? Why is my presence not only feels familiar to you, Talen Amit, but your father, Eros, on the roof? You wish for answers… don't you?"
The man remained silent. Atlas briefly chuckled while grinning, averting his gaze and tightening his grip over the blade within the cane.
"Right then. I suppose I'll enlighten you two, regarding my true identity." The hidden steel crawled from its cover, releasing a black mist that danced around its user until finally reshaping into a humanoid individual. "Reveal… Chaos." The shadow hovered behind Atlas—its face cloaked.
Talen and Eros couldn't believe their eyes.
'This signature..!'
Atlas cackled. "Yes, indeed. The aura surrounding me currently belongs to nobody but myself, yet despite that, it's recognizable to you two, isn't it? There's only one explanation." He raised his finger and closed both eyes, smiling. "I am the progenitor of the Amit Family House and the original creator of the Unconquerable: Atlas Amit."
Although it was a revelation none of them anticipated, Talen and Eros didn't react. Instead, an odd sense of tranquility filled them, and as Eros jumped down to stand beside his son, that calmness shifted. Within the relatives' eyes was nothing more than that Unconquerable determination Atlas originated. Upon seeing it within his offspring's eyes, he couldn't help but smile.
"Yes. That's the spirit, my sons. Strike me down in your hatred… and make me proud."
Trivia: The Kismet Empire has five founding fathers. The progenitors for most of the kingdoms are male, but Helenheim was originated by a woman. As such, instead of there being patriarchy, there is a matriarchy. Though that's all irrelevant in the face of the Supreme King's rule in retrospect.