Running down the halls behind her King and his comrades, Aella's eyes widened. Nobody else seemed to notice. She looked down.
'That pressure I just felt was Umbra's technique! Is he fighting Alora? But… the way I remember her, could she stand a chance against one of my strongest brothers?'
Alora and Umbra dashed around the dojo. Their powerful blows dug into the ground, walls, and doors, effectively scraping everything with the simple swing of their swords. The eventual clash of their weaponry threw them both back—gazing at one another with differing scorn.
She sighed. "You haven't used your technique."
"Heh," He smirked, resting a scythe on his shoulder. Mist leaked off the blackened weapon. "It's a pretty destructive one. My technique is imbued into my aura so they have a similar signature. Just the scent of it would send most people worrying. But not you," Umbra squinted. "I wonder…"
A brow quirked up. She shook her head, clearing her mind entirely.
"Talk is cheap," Alora aimed her sword, "Fight me."
The Displacement grinned. "I like you…!"
Meanwhile, her comrades continued running down the hall. Talen's eyes widened.
"Uri! Stop!"
Everyone followed suit as the King skidded to a halt. None other than Atlas stood at the corridor's end, his barren black eyes piercing their very souls. Talen and Eros instinctively summoned their auras, snarling under their breath at the sight of their ancestor.
The progenitor snickered. "Please, spare me!" He closed his eyes and grinned, "I have no interest in fighting right now."
Just as Talen was about to lose his cool, Uriel's hand extended, preventing his friend from walking any further. The King stepped forward.
"What is it you even want? For the past ten years, you've been manipulating everything from the shadows. But for the sake of what? What warrants that much planning and dedication?" Uriel asked.
"Do I have to answer such a simple-minded question? Tell me, nephew, do you believe the world's small enough to simply house this minuscule Empire on a deserted peninsula? The limitless humans that exist all across the world—if they knew about Fate or the Empire as a whole, don't you think that'd expand the scale of things?"
"Humans… across the world?" Uri repeated.
Atlas examined the King's expression. "Oh, right," He nodded. "I forgot you didn't know about that here. I'd like to enlighten you all more, but I have a job to do. Farewell."
Talen stomped. "STOP!"
Summoning the Untouchable, Amit blitzed in front of their enemy, throwing his hand in an attempt to strike him. Atlas caught his grandson's attack; eyes sparkling.
"You've grown!"
Atlas dug his knuckles into Talen's features. The gradual sound of his shattering skull in tandem with the agonizing squeak the young Unconquerable expressed made everyone flinch. Amit punched the lawyer down the hall, turning around briefly to glare into everyone else's eyes, halting them completely using the pressure of his aura.
Eros wasn't weighed down. Instead, he rushed ahead, attempting to behead his father with one clean swipe. Atlas caught his son by the arm and threw him down the corridor.
"EROS!" Valentina cried.
Atlas smirked at them. Revealing a cane from his coat, he unsheathed a sword—instantly swinging it and barely missing Valentina's nose.
"Hmm?"
She managed to dodge and catch the blade. Atlas chuckled. He stepped forward and gripped his sword, throwing it aside before digging his fist into his daughter-in-law's gut. She spat blood onto his face—unintentionally calling her children to her aide. Atlas widened his eyes and beamed once Archer opened his mouth.
"DIE!!!" He screamed.
The aura etched into his vocals burst from his throat and crashed into their foe, launching Atlas down the corridor. Val held her throat. Archer and Ava knelt beside their mother, raising her by the arms.
"Are you okay?"
"Are you bleeding?"
Numerous worried queries spewed from the siblings' mouths, infesting their mother's ears. Eventually, she grew tired of it, and clenched her teeth, looking up at them both.
"I'm fine, shush!"
Uriel sighed, "That wasn't enough."
"I didn't think so," Archer said.
Emerging from the end of the hall, Atlas's long coat and black hair swayed, smirking mischievously while gazing at his subjects.
"Of course, it wasn't. That being said, I can't lie—" He licked his bloody lip, "it was impressive."
The progenitor extended his hand. The sword he discarded flew from the ground and obeyed its master, flying right into Atlas's hand.
"Awaken… Chaos. Let's break some minds."
Everyone was separated the moment Atlas finished speaking. They were all enveloped by darkness, wandering around curiously, until the lights flickered above—illuminating the chambers they were all entrapped in.
Uriel scanned his environment, 'We've been disconnected.'
The catacombs below the building were vast and dimly lit, surrounded by multiple circular stone pillars anyone could use to hide. The King stepped forward. His hand raised, instantly catching a glowing dagger before it could stab his face.
"Seriously? I'm sure you can do much better than that… Displacement scum."
A woman's laughter echoed through the underground. Yellow eyes dispersing the darkness, she continued walking, letting her short black hair bounce with her.
"Another Rank-0 Displacement: Maeve Elrod. Atlas must keep you all chained like dogs, huh?" he asked.
She sneered. "It's funny you say that, hypocrite. Aren't you the same King who has one of the strongest Fate-users under your lock and key just because she's too dangerous?" Maeve smirked. "You should be ashamed of yourself."
"Shame, huh?" Uri's arms slipped out of his sleeves. "I've forgotten what that feels like."
"Then I'll make you remember!"
Just as King Uriel prepared to fight, the rest of his scattered comrades were simultaneously confronted by Maeve's brethren. Each a Rank-0 Displacement fitted with overwhelming Predestined Powers and intricate designs. Except for Eros.
The original Unconquerable was instead transported to a train station populated with people. They looked at Eros on the tracks and started murmuring, confused as to when he could've fallen in. But Amit wasn't worried. After all, there weren't any trains coming. He stood up and looked around, summoning his Fate, and using it to scan around.
'This isn't Barronia. The Fate of the people looks unique. This must be Jotan,' Eros climbed onto the platform overlooking the train tracks and sighed, digging into his pocket to reveal a cigarette. He lit the end as he pushed the stick between his lips. "What a pain," he said.
Smoke lifting off the butt, Eros opened one eye, slowly spinning around to face the source of the signature that spontaneously appeared. His eyes rolled, inhaling more from the cig. He removed it from his lips.
"So, you're a Displacement? Rank-0 too. Must be strong. If that's so then—" He grinned and withdrew the glasses covering his face. "Show me!"
But that wasn't all. Once his head turned, the Unconquerable's violet eyes reflected the other three Displacements behind him, each oozing a menacing aura. Eros smirked. Little did he know that his father watched from above, peering through the spherical domain and grinning softly.
"Now… let us begin."
To Be Cont.