"YESSSSS!!!"
Apollo's phone lowered. "What a Monster," He smirked.
"Alright then. I won't need anymore to do then…" Atlas sheathed his sword. "Apollo. Destroy all the buildings in the area along with the Apex, okay?"
But Moloch didn't hear his Master. Instead, his hand aimed at the heavens, releasing a beam of Fate into the clouds that unleashed plentiful thunderbolts that fell from the sky like spinning daggers. The lightning stabbed into the ground, intentionally destroying the rooftops the many Apex members were scattered across.
Most of the siblings were surprisingly competent—jumping to dodge the imminent blasts from the skies. They sprinted across the rooftop and charged at Apollo, who simply raised his hand, thieving the Fate composing their beings into little balls above his fingertips.
He looked down. "I see. So my upgraded technique bypasses the required condition to touch the target. Interesting." He laughed. "But Fate isn't limited to encompassing human beings. If I can steal other Fates, which is the epitome of mans' soul, then I can steal… ALL FATE!"
Fate is a life force that dwells only on Earth. It encompasses everything made or touched by living organisms. That includes humans, animals, plants, the water, the sky, clouds, buildings. Fate, Destiny, Kismet. Each a fundamental aspect that transcends space and time, encircling quite literally everything in the world.
Only after realizing that humans are but a tiny speck in the Destined World can true Fate Masters awaken their techniques. The distance from experiencing complete insignificance as a Fate user to being immature and feeling omnipotent is incomprehensible.
Apollo's aura possessing 'Eternal Constellations' extended spiked tendrils that sunk into the surrounding buildings and stole the Fate encompassing the structures, rendering them into nothing but rubble.
He whistled, "Coooooll."
The crumbling buildings carried a virus of destructive Fate. Moloch's Predestined Power sunk into the road and ensnared the Apex members, decaying their persons in the chaotically continuing spread. As Apollo stepped onto the edge, he smiled at the aftermath, letting his brown hair flow with the ash-ridden wind.
"Now then…" He fell from the platform and crashed into the street—head leant back while his dark attire swayed. "…let's begin."
The remaining Apex Predators invoked their deadly techniques upon rushing the Displacement, but he just held his fist close to the chest. Moloch's green-Fate burst around himself in the form of spiritual aura. Smirking widely, his arm extended, releasing bolts from the palm that entered the air but flew around erratically.
The frontal vanguard felt the blasts splash through their chests, unable to do much but fall to the floor with holes in their chests. Meanwhile, the remaining siblings continued advancing, each invoking their own technique along with the lurking Predator. But Apollo had other plans; his technique's strength wasn't the only thing enhanced following his liberation.
It was everything! Every sense previously dulled by youthful ignorance was fully opened as he slid around the air—appearing before his enemies. Some of them managed to react; glancing at Moloch's afterimage and then punching his open face. But it was a mere illusion. The real Displacement emerged from the misty copy, snatching the attacker's face, thieving the Fate composing their soul to effectively decay their entire body.
But as the build crumbled beneath his palm, Apollo's speed enhanced, flying through the attackers with their ally's ashy remnants. Little did he know until looking back did he spot most of them attached to his legs. Moloch sped into the air, watching them continuously pile up atop one another until he was well above the clouds and able to spin around freely.
The Apex started falling toward the city. That was, until the siblings looked at each other and nodded, glancing at the Predators hovering over their backs. Moloch's eyes widened as a fiery meteor sped into his gut, making him cough and sending the Displacement further into the space high above the clouds.
'They're using the Predators to fly?! That's brutal!'
Apollo detonated the aura on his feet and burst through the clouds above them, watching beams zip past his person—barely fast enough to invoke Fate and defend. Glancing back, the Displacement's eyebrow perked, spotting an Apex with an angelic-winged Predator chasing after him.
But Apollo wasn't stupid—that's why he went on the offensive and closed the distance, kicking off the foe's head with a single kick enhanced with aura. As the Predator dissipated and the Apex's deceased body fell back to the Earth, Moloch felt pain briefly sting all over him.
'Damn! I knew they were ambushing me—but that was too fast!'
The Apex members' human faces, varied across skin color and feature, surrounded his every flank. Unable to defend, Apollo succumbed—forcibly enduring the relentless barrage of blows. Apollo's aura exploded, effectively disorienting the ambushing assassins while the Displacement rushed forth, grabbing one by the skull; hastily applying his technique.
In mere seconds flat, his victim's body crumbled and the Displacement spun around, kicking another Apex in the face while they initially attacked with a slice from their sword. Once they flew back, Apollo caught the sword, quickly spinning it around his build while scanning the other Apex members around him. Contrast to before, the Fate-using siblings were idle. But Moloch didn't blame them. Instead, he smiled, letting the aura move around his figure.
"It's nice to vividly sense the feeling of fear within you. I can't help but say I linger for a taste." Apollo raised his hand. "Well, Apex Predators? Aren't you going to single handedly eviscerate me? Here is your chance… bastard scum."
They were only children after all. How couldn't they respond to Apollo's obvious taunt? And so, as they rushed ahead, Apollo aimed the sword–encasing it in Fate identical to the signature unnaturally blazing around him.
"Heh."
Apollo caught the first punch with his sword's steel. He unhesitantly cut off their arm after jumping back following the clash before gliding forward once more. He cut the first attacker in half one cleave and flew past their slaughtered form, spotting his opponents' imminent attacks with darting eyes.
Weaving to the side, he dodged a spear's tip, spotting the perpetrator holding the length and cutting off the head, reflexively dodging to the side. His intentional sidestep weaved from a conjured staff's swipe.
Continuously, the Displacement stepped across the skies, occasionally throwing the stolen sword into the attacker's lance to block the blows. Only after the sparks splashed into the air did Moloch's eyes widen, leaving no emotion behind as the tip entered their flesh and his hands snatched their shoulder. Apollo tore them apart, turning around.
He spotted another Apex sibling falling toward him from behind, leaving the Displacement to sigh and roll both eyes. After lunging through the sky, he caught them by the skull, switching techniques—letting his eyes flash another color.
'Predestined Power: Return to Earth.'
By applying this technique empowered with Fate, whoever Apollo touched would return to the Earth's core and disintegrate, made into energy for the planet to continue thriving. The limit is Earth's atmosphere. If someone were to dive through the air at unparalleled speeds because of a transcendental command made via Destiny and transmitted into the soul, they would undoubtedly perish before even reaching the ground.
That was exactly what Apollo counted on.
While the one Apex Predator fell through the clouds, fire built up around their build, inevitably morphing them into a blazing rock. However standing atop the ignited Apex was none other than Moloch, looking up and around at his victim's siblings in mid-air.
"It's been fun but—" His pointer finger aimed at them all. "—goodbye."
An explosive beam flew from Apollo's fingertip into the remaining members, splashing the sky into a fiery palette akin to the sunset's shade. As Moloch and his victim smashed downward, the space above was briefly enveloped by a spontaneous implosion, until the Displacement took one step forward.
Discarding the black jacket over his sleeveless white turtleneck, Apollo sighed longly, looking down and stomping on the aflame sweater plastered against the ashy ground below him.
"Ugh…" A hand over his eyes, turning around, Moloch gazed up at the black mist casting a shadow over his short figure. "What a mess." He revealed the phone from his pocket and put it to his ear. "Monstrum. You read me?"
"Sorry." Atlas grabbed the noodles smushed into the container with his chopsticks, bit into them and sucked them down his throat. All the while he sat atop a billboard overlooking the Disastrous Monster God. "He's quite busy at the moment."
Monstrum's bloodlust tracked his claws through the foes' flesh; cutting his countless enemies apart so nothing but their remnants remained. Only after he finished with the fodder on the ground did his head raise, spotting the River Family Goliath peek over a building and slam their claymore into the Disastrous.
But Malum didn't move. All he said was, "Veil," which ended the fight before it start yet again. The invincible slashes guided by darkness cut into the Goliath's skin—splitting apart every major and minor part of their flesh to turn them into bloody cubes that splattered into the city below. Then, Monstrum's eyes widened, and he groaned.
Atlas looked down at Malum. "What's wrong, Malum?" He asked.
"Well—" Malum scratched his neck. "—I just remembered last time I killed all of them. They didn't die completely. They combined into that thing. And I didn't do anything different this time so…"
Amit glanced at his peripheral, noticing a boarded-up window in the apartment across from him.
Inside was none other than Luna Amana, who hid after her bout with Atlas, resorting to remotely controlling the Goliath through her technique's conditions. Though she tried nullifying the aura surrounding her soul in an attempt to completely remove herself, a hand tapped her right shoulder regardless. The second Luna felt that, she realized it meant one thing.
"Fate tied through feelings towards another. I've only experimented with such a concept, yet you implement the facet into yoru technique with such ease." Atlas stood upright. "Have you any clue the truth of your abilities and the destiny you encompass?"
She didn't understand. In the palm of his hand, Luna's literal essence hung in the balance between life and death. Yet for some reason, he held no hostility; not in his eyes nor in his Fate.
'How could this be?' She thought. 'What is he… talking about?'
Removing his hand from her shoulder, Amit stepped back, simply swiping the air with his arm to destroy the boards covering the window. He stepped closer to it and smiled, raising two fingers and closing his eyes.
"Release." The barrier surrounding them started wavering. He stared at it, shoving both hands in his jacket pockets. "In 35 seconds, the domain will vanish and this part of the city will be destroyed. You mighty joy have known this, but I was hoping something like this would occur."
Luna looked up at the schemer with bloodshot eyes teary at the edges. "H-huh…?"
Atlas looked back at her. "Heh," He smirked, placing a finger on his lips. "I'll tell you all about it later. For now—" He threw her over his shoulder and vanished. "—let's get some distance."
Monstrum punched the Goliath in the cheek, sending another shockwave across their skull. The giant eventually fell from their tall standing and collapsed into the buildings below it, letting the Disastrous hover over while his snowy locks swayed.
"Hmph."
"HEY!" Apollo waved over at Monstrum from below him atop the Goliath. "COME DOWN!"
Malum obeyed and landed beside his ally. Rubbing his chin, he scanned the Displacement, chuckling.
"You're much stronger now. Congrats," he said.
Moloch's eyes rolled. "Spare me. Besides that, you know what to do, right?"
The Disastrous turned around. "HAH! Are you kidding?"
He clenched his fists and flexed his muscles, letting the numerous eyes glow in tandem with the blood-red aura encompassing his souls. The disturbing grin his lips formed was beyond human understanding. A full-blown Monster awaiting the time to slaughter.
"THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART!"
Halfway across the city, Atlas appeared on his home's balcony and placed Luna down beside him. "Take a look," he said.
She leaned over the railing. Slowly widening her eyes at the increasing energy bursting from the distance. It released unnatural thunderbolts that roared across the skies, momentarily igniting the clouds with an abnormal fiery complexion. Then, it stopped.
Monstrum interlocked his fingers with Apollo standing behind him and one hand on Malum's shoulder. They opened their eyes—both glowing red.
"AREA EMPOWERMENT!"