There are only nine Fate-users given Rank-0. Anthony was assigned that Rank when he became Monstrum's vessel because of the Disastrous within him. For the time he was a Fate-user, he was Rank-1. Until he finished his training with Valentina.
While undergoing training with Talen's mother, he discovered his innate aura's unique trait and the domain it was always bound to. To learn not only to manifest a barrier but imbue it with a Predestined Power in only two weeks means Anthony's potential for growth is even higher than his cousin's.
Anthony Whitlock could very well become the next 'Unconquerable.'
Back inside his domain, Anthony watched Marie's fingers interlock and reshape the extent of her aura into a barrier. But just before hers could overtake him, their teeth simultaneously clenched.
Both were forced to bear the pressure of their manifested domains from the clash between them. They were now amidst a barrier tug-of-war, with nobody around to end the stalemate.
Aella appeared behind Anthony, raising her hand and slicing at his nape with an aura flowing around it. If it were anyone else, she'd undeniably surpass them.
But because the Displacement was still on Tony's side of the domain, he had full control. Monstrum's apparition caught her hand upon appearing behind him and easily dismembered it, summoning a darkened sword from his palm before slicing up at Raven's face. As her eyes briefly widened, she jumped back, sliding across the air while glaring at the spirit.
"I won't… dispel… my… DOMAIN!" Anthony yelled.
Marie smirked. "Then you'll DIE!"
The princess closed the distance in an instant. Appearing before Anthony with a clenched fist, her knuckles smashed where he previously stood. The vessel jumped back onto the rooftop edge and watched as she advanced regardless. Tony chuckled, extending his arms, and opening his hands. The building rose from its earthly foundation and started flying into the sky at unfathomable speeds. Marie could feel her skin flap with the wind as they continuously shot through the skies. Once they abruptly halted above the Area's artificial clouds, the young woman fell over, giving Anthony enough of an opening to pick her off the ground and punch her off the side of the roof.
Aella pounced at him from behind, destroying the platform beneath her knuckles. The vessel jumped back with a smirk and raised his hands. The Displacement's barrage of punches relentlessly flew through the air to connect with Anthony's hands and wrist; absorbing the strike's impact, he reeled back and spun around, throwing his leg across her face. Just barely, she backflipped back, sliding her hands across the ground beneath her.
Monstrum's apparition blitzed past her and smashed his fist into her cheek, watching her soar into the sky before appearing above her. Clutching both hands together to create a hammer fist, Anthony switched places with the Disastrous spirit and crushed Raven down through the building's entirety.
Marie came running back off the end, catching Aella by the wrist and lunging her back up the roof. Anthony cackled loudly, aiming his finger at the Displacement's soaring figure. Her pink eyes widened.
'Predestined Power: Effect of Disgust.'
Within a domain, one's Predestined Power is amplified and guaranteed to hit. A blast of crimson Fate infused with Monstrum's darkness rushed forth. Instantly, the left half of Aella's body was erased, debilitating her body and destroying her from within. Until she smirked. The vessel smirked as his eyes widened.
'A fake!'
Aella's body turned to mud. Marie's fist sunk into his chest, sending him off the rooftop so he could begin freefalling toward the earth. Invoking Malum's stolen power, she continuously warped around him. She punched him in the gut, kicked him across the face, and grabbed him by the hair, gradually sinking her dark-skinned bloody knuckles into his pale-skinned features.
Just before she could launch him from her fist, Anthony's figure warped—inexplicably changing to resemble that of his Disastrous counterpart. She stepped back and widened her eyes, but she was too late.
Her left arm was dismembered completely and Monstrum's fingers sunk into her throat, effectively muffling her agonizing screams. He grabbed her by the sides of her skull, guided her features into his knee, and watched as she reeled back, leaking blood from her pores. Anthony warped back with Monstrum. Loudly cackling, he struck her away with his leg, watching her fly into the cityscape stationary below them.
Aella watched her partner's build smash into the concrete beneath her. She sighed. "It's unfortunate. She was doing so well. Then again, I suppose she is still a child after all. Though I can't say the same for you anymore… Can I?"
"No, I suppose you can't," Anthony said, holding a blackened sword to her neck from behind.
Aella turned slightly. "Do you know the strongest trigger it takes for humans to grow?" she asked.
He squinted. "Anger."
"Indeed. But do you know the strongest trigger it takes for Displacements to grow?"
His head tilted. What was she talking about? He looked down at his hand; surprised to see it was gone entirely, blood spouting the stump replacing it. He glanced back up at his would-be prisoner, reflecting her terrifying face with his scarlet eyes. But he couldn't back down. His teeth clenched and his fist flew, but not before her strike connected, sending him flying into the air with a cracked-open cheek.
Aella's pinkened aura was newly reshaped into a demonic blaze crackling around her bulky form. She flexed her muscles and chuckled lowly, warping through space to reappear above him. She caught his face between her fingers, intensifying the heat around the aura enveloping her hand, blasting Anthony off her hand and into another floating building.
Monstrum appeared behind Aella, floating like a corpse hanging from a noose. Her eyes widened, slowly turning her head, reflecting his monstrous form in her sparkly eyes. She jumped back, slowly raising her palms and invoking her technique.
'What's going on? Is the domain destabilizing?' She shakily sighed. 'I thought about this before. I definitely can't beat Monstrum without my technique.'
The Disastrous glared at her. "Who the hell do you think you're running from?!"
In the blink of an eye, Veil released a darkened slice and just like that, the entire left half of her body was erased. Aella coughed up blood, slowly falling to the ground.
'What? I couldn't even see what happened. How did he…?'
Anthony's eyes widened. Rising from the crater he was thrown into, his pointer finger aimed, blasting a scarlet Fate blast at the white-haired Disastrous. Monstrum cut apart the bolt with one hand, feeling it explode against his fingers as it split apart.
'I thought this would happen! Monstrum's power is mighty, but invoking even the slightest fraction of it risks him overtaking completely it! I wanted to keep up the domain but now that things have turned turbulent, I have no choice!' Anthony's fingers interlocked yet again.
This time, the Monster God wasn't fast enough. Though he dashed ahead bearing his fangs, Anthony was just quick enough to dispel his signature, effectively destroying the domain from within. Falling to his knees after the Area collapsed, Tony panted, tightly gripping the shirt above his chest. Hissing breath through gritted teeth, the young vessel regained his posture—rising to stand tall in the throne room with the sun leaking through his strands.
Uriel glared down at his old friend. "Hmph."
But Talen couldn't help but smirk. In an instant, he appeared beside Anthony, patting his shoulder and beaming at the man. "Welcome back."
Tony barely flashed a gentle grin until his eyes rolled to the back of his head. The Unconquerable's arms slid around his cousin's body, catching him before he could fall, and cradling him close to his shoulder.
"You did well."
Anthony had won.
With one point to Talen's team, all that mattered now was the Unconquerable's victory. Gazing up at Uriel standing tall before the throne, the New King's snowy-hair moved with the winds, briefly shrouding his baby-blue eyes.
Next Chapter: The Unconquerable vs the Angel — Rematch!