Alora started moving. The image of Umbra's face flashed through her head, sending tears to her eyes. The Enforcer caught her breath and shook her head, continuing to run down the infinite corridor.
'Talen... Anthony... where are you?'
To answer her question, Talen jumped, barely dodging a giant's enormous knuckles. Hopping back to land on a platform, the Unconquerable sighed and raised, glaring at the Titan towering over his figure. Upon coming into view, their features cleared.
'A mindless Rank-0 Displacement. I don't understand. How is this going to defeat me?'
The Titan interlocked its fingers. It didn't say anything. Instead, a barrier began forming around Talen, leaving him with widened eyes.
'Barrier Deployment?! No, this is...'
Area Empowerment. Displacements are composed of Fate. It's only natural they can easily manipulate that innate life force. Having said that, it's easier for Displacements to produce barriers, at least compared to Fate users. Titan's Predestined Power is imbued into the domain and automatically informs the entrapped of the barrier's conditions. Talen stepped back with an open mouth and barren pupils.
'The technique's conditions instantly kill whoever's punched by Titan five or more times. Furthermore, that doesn't apply to kicks and if it fails, the Displacement's life is forfeit! Atlas planned this out, didn't he?' He smirked. 'Good for him then. I'll slaughter it flawlessly anyhow!'
The Titan had elfen-shaped ears that pointed out into the air around it. Fangs replaced its two front teeth, its fists clenched—unhinging its jaw to release an ear-bursting screech that resounded through the structure.
Talen moved first. Leaping into the air, he kicked Titan in the side of the head, hearing a shockwave burst from the impact. The giant landed against the domain's wall, grunting. Its eyes widened. The Unconquerable warped in front of his opponent and grabbed its skull, smashing it back into the wall before stepping back.
Amit's arms turned to smears. His blurry afterimages' rapid movement overloaded Titan's senses—until it was thrust back into reality once his fist punched its face.
"You're nothing more than fodder. Not even worth my time."
Talen launched the monster from his knuckles and threw it outside the domain, watching it roll onto the concrete below. Exiting the barrier from the hole, he fell onto the ground, letting his dark green eyes gleam within the shadows. The Unconquerable opened his mouth, withdrawing a conjured Fate sword from within his throat and aiming it.
"I hate using weapons but this is an instant kill so…"
The Rank-0 Displacement was cleaved down the middle by Talen's blade. Returning the invocation to his aura, the lawyer sighed, watching it disintegrate. He rubbed the back of his neck.
'Looks like that's it for now. Atlas was simply stalling me, there was no way he thought that would kill me. Or maybe it's a test. Either way, I don't care. All I have to do—is keep moving forward.'
Amit followed the faint scent of a familiar aura down a passage enveloped by darkness. Eventually, he vanished into the shadows, leaving nothing but the residual of his signature behind.
10 minutes ago.
When everyone was separated, Eros was confined in a barrier and confronted by four different Rank-0 Displacements. He smirked at their appearance, revealing a cigarette after digging into his pocket.
"You guys look nice! Pretty creative designs you got there," he teased.
The red-haired man in the center with a black headband over his temples scoffed. His hand raised, invoking the blazing technique imbued into his aura. Purple eyes widening, the station was abruptly ignited with flames—instantly incinerating any idle bystanders.
Eros warped crouched below the Displacement. He instinctively stepped back, dispelling the Unconquerable's attack by burning the surrounding area. Without any other choice, Amit flipped back, landing flat on his soles, and knelt against the ground. He smoked from the cigarette already lit in his mouth.
"I guess you're the fire Displacement everyone was raving about a few years back. Was wondering where you went and everything," said Eros.
"We have names. Don't be disrespectful by labeling us as monsters. Each one of us…" Irving's hands burst into fire. "IS ALIVE AND HAS A NAME!"
The other two Displacements previously standing beside Irving jumped forward, simultaneously attacking Eros's figure. He warped ahead using Untouchable and punched Irving in the jaw, sending him into the ceiling. The remaining duo turned around after landing, shocked to see their target had moved in less than a second.
"He's abnormally fast," said the blue-haired Displacement with a black mask over his mouth and wings.
"Indeed," she looked up at him, "Heal Irving. I'll hold him off."
Eros stood upright, staring at her ally as he ran over to Irving. "I didn't know you guys had feelings. Then again, not many people know much about Displacements in the first place. You can't blame me for labeling you a monster if you commit atrocities and blindly follow your master. That's the definition of what a monster is."
"You're babbling," she said.
"Am I..?"
She rushed him. The shape of her strikes was odd. They weren't normal punches. Instead, her nails were sharpened to act as claws, not to mention the miniature aura attached to the edges. Eros consistently dodged her relentless thrusts while stepping back. Eventually, he got tired of playing defense and ducked, slamming his fist into her gut.
The Displacement vanished. Turning his head at a sudden increase in aura output, Eros gazed at the two behind him, aiming their hands and unleashing their techniques. The lengthy train station was filled with fire and ice.
Irving groaned. "Even the Unconquerable must've suffered damage from that…" His hand lowered.
"If it hit."
The duo turned around. They couldn't even finish processing his face before Irving was struck in the cheek by the back of his fist. The other Displacement opened his wings, blowing Eros off the platform with a gust of wind. The Unconquerable landed on the tracks and crawled back up onto the platform, jumping into the air to kick him in the chin.
The winged-Displacement fell to his back before jumping back up, forming a knife in his hand and slashing at Eros. The Unconquerable's fingers moved—catching his enemy by the wrist.
"You…" Amit grinned. "What's your name?"
"Sol. Sol Michaels," he said.
"Show me your power!"
Atlas, still sitting atop the barrier, started to raise. Now standing tall, he smirked.
"It's still too easy for him. I hate to admit it, but Uriel Barron was right to think of Apollo as a way to seal my son's Predestined Power. As long as that damned child exists, there will always exist a thorn in my side. The only way to beat someone crazy… is to send someone crazier into the mix." The Progenitor put his hand to his ear, "Apollo. Can you hear me?"
"Atlas? Is that you? What's happening?" Moloch's voice asked over the comms.
"Change in plans. You have my permission. Initiate the Massacre…"
Apollo halted from running beside the Elder. Glancing back at the green-eyed Displacement, his head tilted. "What's wrong?"
Moloch aimed his pointer at the Elder and blasted aura into his skull, killing him instantly with a single shot.
"Sorry, not sorry. I kinda need this."
Invoking his aura, Apollo's hand aimed at the Elder, absorbing the postmortem Fate into his palm and adding it to his unique signature. The mad Displacement felt the energy course through his veins and enhance his inner soul, leading him to fall into maniacal cackling.
Atlas chuckled at the sound of his insanity over the comms. Lowering his hand from the earpiece, he knelt, peering into the domain from above once more.
Like the Progenitor said, despite the power these Displacements exhibited, it was still too easy for Eros. Not once had he bled or been scratched by his opponents. Irving's single palm projected scorching flames that ignited everything they touched—the fire following Eros as he dashed around the platform.
'Shit! He's too fast! I can't get a proper lock on him!'
Irving vanished the second Eros charged him. He instantly reappeared behind the Unconquerable, placing his palm against his back. A blast of fire engulfed Amit's figure. Once the blaze dispersed, he briefly swayed, feeling the steam leak off his shoulders and head.
Just as he was about to fall over, Sol, wielding an icy mace, smashed the weapon into their target's chin. Irving punched him across the face, throwing him into Michaels again who followed up with a roundhouse kick. Unable to resist, Eros fell over, hacking up blood once he tried to sit up. Then, the woman Displacement from earlier appeared, slamming her foot into Amit's gut and launching him from the ground through a wall.
Eros was being overpowered. Sliding to a halt with debris surrounding his figure, the Unconquerable slowly invoked a Restoration technique. While he gradually attempted to heal his wounds, the Displacements gathered, invoking their auras and going to follow him. But by the time they appeared around the corner, Amit was knelt on the platform, glaring through his hair and all fingers interlocked.
"Area Empowerment!"
The barrier formed for half a second. That being said, because they were fighting in an artificial environment, their surroundings immediately dissipated upon activating. The
Displacements stood idle with their heads rested back and eyes abnormally wide, all the while Eros finished healing before dashing off past them.
'Unavoidable Immobilization.'
The technique imbued into Eros's Area isn't the Unconquerable's reality-warping properties. It's a physical alteration that strips the senses of anyone caught in it and forcibly puts them in a dead-like state. However, his domain was only open for 5 seconds, and with that little time, Eros ran ahead.
In less than a second following his domain's activation, Eros spanned the entire length of Deserter Headquarters, eventually ending up at the top of the building. Only upon bursting through the stairs and entering a long corridor did he stop, watching Atlas enter his office at the end of the hallway.
Eros clenched his teeth. His finger aimed at Atlas. "Kismet Abolishment!" But the Unconquerable was too slow.
Atlas turned from the end of the passageway and smirked at his son, vanishing into a shadow before reappearing behind Eros.
"Imprisonment - Activate."
To Be Cont.