An hour following Valentina's departure, Talen stood in the backyard of the apartment building before his father, both arms crossed.
"The hell're we doing out here? I doubt this location is far enough from mom and the others shopping wherever they are," said the lawyer.
Eros slowly unbuttoned his shirt. "There's no need to worry. The ability I'm about to display isn't destructive." As his arms slid from the sleeves, the top fell onto the concrete behind him. "Remember when we fought Atlas and I blitzed behind him?" he asked.
"Of course, I remember it. Ever since seeing it, I've been wondering endlessly, about how someone like me could possess speed like that?"
"It's only natural, son." Eros raised one finger. "Untouchable is an essential part of utilizing the Unconquerable technique. The difference between not using it consciously and unconsciously invoking it during battle is immense. It's something you actively do. The technique is only possible during the heat of a fight." He slid his legs apart, letting his violet aura contort around him. "I'll show you a demonstration."
As Talen stepped back, the Unconquerable Fate around Eros increased—heightening around the length of his legs. While he admittedly found it odd, he simply dismissed it; as a mere fluke. Until the man stepped forward.
Limitless afterimages produced from his rear, cluttering Talen's vision. As his eyes widened, the Unconquerable's fist fell ahead, striving to punch his silver-haired parent.
In the blink of an eye, the mirage faded. Black hair swept into the air by the wind, Talen's fist lowered, slowly turning his head to spot Eros reappearing behind him.
"What the—"
Eros struck his son across the face. After Talen fell to the ground, the father shook his steaming hand from side to side.
"Untouchable is a movement-based technique that can only be activated subconsciously. To initiate it, you must be Rank 0 or higher. An advanced application of aura must be visualized behind your foe. If you believe something is there hard enough, it will eventually materialize and the ability will activate. It's essentially instantaneous teleportation and the designated location is behind the target." He extended his hand. "Does any of what I just said make sense?"
Reluctantly, Talen snatched his father's hand, using it to pull himself up and onto his feet.
"Not really. 'An advanced application of aura must be visualized behind your foe'. So you just want me to imagine a puddle?" he asked.
"Sure." His father shrugged and grinned lazily. "Whatever works best for you. It's only a brief intermediary you'll use to travel anyway," Eros dismissed as his hand raised.
Talen nodded. He removed the suit jacket covering his chest and undid the bandages across his arms. Chilly winds sliding through his spiky-black hair, the Unconquerable rubbed his wrist.
"This isn't going to be easy, is it?"
Eros chuckled. "Of course not!" He placed both palms on his chest. "For you to properly understand the technique, you'll be fighting me while attempting to use it. I'm sure you can handle something that difficult, right?" The father grinned.
"Is that a serious question?" Talen pocketed his glasses, glaring at the old man. "Of
course I can!"
Back in Barronia.
The palace interior began imploding. As Uriel came flying from below with one of his angelic Displacements behind him, the King's teeth clenched. Meanwhile, Atlas couldn't withhold his excitement. The manic grin his lips formed was beyond disturbing, for even the blackness in his eyes seemed to expand at the sight of his strength.
Uriel landed on the rooftop. "I'll slaughter you, monster. Someone like you doesn't deserve to exist in this world," the King said, simultaneously withdrawing a heavenly weapon from a golden portal.
"'Monster,' huh? You must hate me then." Atlas unsheathed the sword from his cane. "I'm in a good mood right now so I'll humor you rather briefly. If you die, don't complain, nephew."
As the King's left hand covered his mouth, the winged Displacement rushed ahead, growing eyes on its wings and shooting numerous golden spears. Atlas calmly watched the projectiles soar through the air and clash into his sword once the steel raised to defend his face.
The smoke cleared, revealing the Displacement wielding a single heavenly blade. It wasted no time cleaving down at his head; Atlas caught the sword between both hands and kicked it in the chest.
Uriel removed the hand covering his mouth. Etched around both ends of his lips were none other than two feathered wings. The King's lips parted.
"Area Empowerment."
The sky went dark. Instantly, a barrier began forming around the progenitor, entrapping him once the domain finished forming.
"Unholy Benevolence."
Nigh-infinite golden gateways infested the barrier's grounds below them. Atlas
marveled at the technique and domain—his sword lowered. Uriel spun around his heavenly staff, manually reshaping it into a sharpened spear as he swung it at the progenitor.
Atlas smirked. His sword and the King's lance clashed. Uriel's teeth gritted.
"So—" He lowered the sword and with it, the spear. "—barrier techniques, hm? Unholy Benevolence is its name too. Catchy." Atlas's fingers stabbed Uriel's throat.
Reeling back and coughing blood, the King held his throat, hesitantly opening his eyes to see another imminent punch. Uriel held his breath and slapped him away with the spear, spinning it between his fingers, lunging it to strike Atlas in the cheek.
Multiple Angels exited from the portals, cutting and punching at Atlas as they flew past. The progenitor's sword deflected their blows, but another gateway opened behind him, spawning a copy of the King. The clone leaped into the air and raised its arm, sinking its hand into his skull to thoroughly crack it. Then, another clone appeared, elbowing Atlas in the cheek while another kicked him in the knee.
Atlas fell to one knee, hitching his breath and holding his throat. Uriel stood behind his clones with a hand over his mouth, widening his eyes at the sight of an opening.
'This is my chance! Perish, monster!'
An opportunity arose. The signature surrounding Atlas's main body vanished. Appearing from behind the King, the progenitor's blackened blade raised, watching Uriel powerlessly turn around as the shadowed steel sliced clean through his flesh and sent him falling to the ground.
Atlas stood over his nephew and sighed, sheathing the sword into the cane once more.
"Too bad."
The wounds Uriel inflicted during their bout magically healed. Unable to do anything but watch, the New King felt his eyes get heavy and his life force fade. The black-haired master knelt, turning his relative's build and examining the wound he cut into him.
"Now that cut doesn't look too good. You could die from blood loss if it goes untreated. Let me help you."
After channeling aura through his palm on the injury, by the time his hand was removed, the wound was gone, leaving Uriel shocked. Atlas stepped back.
Atlas grinned and closed both eyes. "My Predestined Power is the Ancient Unconquerable. I can utilize it limitlessly to warp reality and even manifest different abilities. For example, I managed to apply my original Power of reversion to the Unconquerable, thereby giving the technique healing properties. You're welcome, dear nephew." His pointer finger raised.
"But my kindness isn't free. I healed your exterior wounds, but the pain remains. It will take some time for your body to adjust again. So, here's what I suggest you do—" He kneeled beside the King and pulled him up by his hair, socking him in the face. "Obey me. You brat."
But Uriel was different. The resilience dormant within his heart matched that of his fated partner—the current Unconquerable. There was no way he would die without fighting to the very end. Even so, he was going to. His Fate's unwavering determination was meaningless if he couldn't break out of this and move again.
The King thought back. Not to Talen, his father, or anyone else. But his sister. More specifically, the interaction he had with her atop that rooftop gazing up at the castle. Marie's question rang timelessly. It eventually shattered the barrier of the irreversible past and entered the future, thereby entering Uriel's brain.
'Hey, Uri. How'd you come back to life anyway?'
That was it. His resurrection. Though he'd forgotten so long ago, the memories came flooding back. Memories—from on the brink of death. The silhouette standing over his buried body was identical to the Amit progenitor. They were the same person. Atlas… was his reviver.
Amit's long hair flew back with the wind. Withstanding the violent gust, he looked down and smirked with curious eyes. "Hm?"
A thunderclap roared across the heavens. A lightning bolt split apart the sky, ripping through limitless clouds and permeating the air with ozone's stench. Uriel stared at his foe, sitting up and wiping his cheek with his thumb.
"I thought you wouldn't expect that. I'm sure it was recognizable regardless though. That's because it wasn't my technique. It was my father's."
Atlas's two fingers grazed the numb side of his face. He was shocked by electricity's remnants embedded into the burnt side of his skull after being struck by lightning. Uri smirked, showcasing the back of his hands glowing with markings etched into the skin. One was a halo. The other was a lightning bolt.
"Following my father's demise, I began thinking of contingencies. After all, Apollo's technique is extremely powerful—he could've taken my ability while I slept if he wanted to. But he didn't. That was his mistake. I assume you planted him here after I died so you could use me as a proxy to execute your plans. He was always going to betray me sooner or later anyway. Nevertheless, both you and he are too late. With the time I had with that Displacement as my subordinate, I ordered him to give me another ability. Another technique."
The King's lighting-engraved hand raised. "Untimely End." He smirked. "But this isn't enough to kill you. Before the lighting could reach your brain, you extinguished it using your Fate, right? If what I'm saying is true then stand. I'll end you myself, uncle."
As Altas now stood tall, the disfigured half of his face already finished healing, leaving him undamaged yet impressed. He raised both hands and stifled a chuckle, silently summoning Fate around him.
"I see you inherited my brain."
"Sure." Uriel pushed his left palm against his right forearm, pointing the length to his other hand ahead. "Let's go with that."
Atlas appeared in front of him, quickly angling his fist toil to the side of his opponent's skull; Uriel flipped back twice. Wind swaying through his long and puffy hair, the King summoned two more Angels, running ahead barehanded and summoning his blessed Fate.
The Angels each weld a single heavenly blade emboldened by blessed Fate. Atlas smirked at their winged appearances, hitting away their strokes and dodging their consistent attacks.
'It's fast! Faster than before! Is he finally using Fate's Crown?'
The Angel's arm cocked back. Lunging their limb, the heavenly sword sliced the air, erupting a projectile that blasted Atlas in the chest and sent him tumbling down the rooftop. The other Angel flew past the progenitor from behind, slicing off his hand and spinning around briefly, easily kicking the progenitor across the face.
Uriel swung a ball and chain around himself, spinning it between his extremities before launching it ahead for the metal to ensnare Atlas's body. He pulled his foe closer and sunk his knuckles into the progenitor's skull, finally launching him off the roof.
The New King jumped after him, spawning more golden gates behind his head. By simply pointing his finger, Barron released the boundless barrage of angelic weapons stored within his portals; Atlas shook his head despite his back still facing the ground.
He threw himself in mid-air. Even Uriel was stunned. The progenitor moved across the incoming projectiles easily—jumping from one to the other while the King interlocked his fingers.
"Barrier Deployment."
The sky darkened above Atlas again. As his head turned, the schemer's black eyes reflected the enclosing domain. He only had one chance! Luckily enough, the Unconquerable was fast enough to blitz through the shutting territory and reappear in front of Uriel, cutting with his black sword.
Another Angel emerged to block the blow and distract Atlas, granting the King enough of an opening to land a clean punch straight into the Unconquerable's skull. Holding onto the Displacement's arm as they guided him to the ground, the King hopped down, walking over to the crater Atlas formed upon landing.
"Had enough? It's not every day I get to beat the shit out of a living legend so if you want to keep going, I'll oblige–" Uriel's eyes widened.
As the smoke cleared around the crater, it revealed Atlas standing tall, aiming his blackened sword at the skies and dark mist encircling the length.
"Not bad—"
The King summoned a golden portal beside his foot.
"—for a Fate-user of this era. Awaken… Unbridled Chaos."
To Be Cont.