The Persequions and Chasers felt their nerves tighten as Cefketa and Mythara approached them. Selistar stared at them and said,

"Are you going to fight us with just the two of you?"

"Yeah, unless you want a full-scale war with Firmatha Sanguar?" Cefketa spoke.

Selistar narrowed his eyes. "Hasn't that already happened?!"

"No... haven't you noticed that none of the 'monsters' here have killed anyone?" Cefketa reasoned.

"We saw clear as day that those Titan Orcs killed plenty, and those Basilisks." Aron chimed in.

"Well, Titan Orcs have a different concept of death. They multiply like rabbits, and in just the past few days, I've seen two of them die while fighting over who'd get the last turkey leg." Cefketa shrugged as the Titan Orcs on the cliff began to laugh in confirmation. Death meant nothing to them—if you struck down their brother in front of them, they would just see it as their brother being too weak.

"If that's the case, why are they helping you with your revenge?" Aron asked again.

"You killed a pregnant woman and an unborn child. Afraid to do battle against a mighty foe, so you kill it in the womb? Coward!" Number 2 said matter-of-factly. Even if they didn't know Cefketa, they would have wanted to bring war to their doorsteps. Aron grimaced in shame.

"As for the Basilisks, if you want trouble with them, be my guest." Selistar and Seren looked at the Titan Orcs and the Basilisks. Just those two factions alone would be enough to cause them infinite trouble. Seeing that they had nothing more to say, Cefketa turned to Mythara.

"How do you want to divide this up?" Cefketa asked.

"I want a rematch with a certain someone."

"Oh? Looks like we're heading in the same direction. I have some old friends I want to see."

The two of them chuckled as they charged forward. They barreled through the Chasers and Persequions, paying them little to no mind. As they plowed through them, Cefketa and Mythara weaved past each other in a deadly dance, cutting down and shooting down anyone foolish enough to block their path.

Out of nowhere, Cefketa was tackled by Pike, and a wave of water accompanied that tackle. Mythara looked over his shoulder, only to hear Cefketa say, "Keep going, kid." Mythara nodded and kept pushing forward.

Cefketa kicked Pike off him and unfurled his wings, blasting the water away. He looked on to see Pike and Whiskey standing in front of him.

"Lefty and Righty. I really didn't want to kill you if I could have avoided it, but here you are walking straight to your death." Whiskey and Pike didn't say anything; Pike grunted in frustration.

Since everything started, he felt like he was useless. He came to the surface to scout the area but could see nothing—even the large Basilisk escaped his tracking. The rest of the Adders decided against helping The Renegade. However, Pike thought this was the only way to pay for his previous failures. The only thing he could do was offer his life to slow down "Lord Cefketa."

"I guess you two will make a good appetizer."

Cefketa swiped his scythe to his left as a bundle of ethereal chains raced towards him. Those chains were shattered, as a third Chaser leaped from the crowd.

"Cage... here to save your sister... again?"

"Shut up, you miserable beast," Cage said.

Cage, Program Lock Down: Allows users to create and control ethereal chains. These chains sap energy and physical strength from targets. The user can manifest and control these chains anywhere in their visual range.

"Miserable beast? Whiskey... how much do you love your brother?" Cefketa asked, and Whiskey felt a shiver run down her spine as she looked at those emotionless eyes.

"No... don't!!" Whiskey called out, but it was too late. Cefketa was already standing in front of Cage, who unleashed a wave of ethereal chains at Cefketa. They were ignored, as Cefketa reached out and grabbed Cage by the throat. The chains wrapped around Cefketa and began to drain him, but the strength with which he grabbed Cage's throat did not decrease.

A wave of water swept over them, but that torrent crashed into the steel wall that was Cefketa's body. The others in the area began to bombard Cefketa with powers and abilities. Cefketa scoffed and unfurled his wings. With that single action, the chains shattered and the projectiles heading his way were reduced to nothing as they were "erased." Whiskey looked on in panic as Cefketa looked at her.

"Anomaly, please."

"It's Lord Cefketa." Cage's neck was snapped in that instant. Cefketa tossed the lifeless body into a group of Chasers and Persequions and unleashed an orb of black flames. That orb exploded on contact with Cage's body, reducing him and everyone around him to nothing.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Whiskey shouted in pain as she charged towards Cefketa riding a giant wave.

"Goddammit, Whiskey, wait!" Pike tried to call out to her.

Meanwhile, Mythara finished mowing through Persequions and Chasers and stood before Selistar, Gladiolus, Helena, Franky, and Hachiman. Selistar looked at the trail of bodies left behind by Mythara.

"You kill the Persequions without hesitation, but let the Chasers live?" Selistar asked.

"Just the ones I know," Mythara smirked.

"Do Persequion lives mean so little to you?" Selistar asked.

"Only the ones that choose to help you. To be honest... There aren't that many." Mythara looked around at the Persequions and Chasers that were surrounding him. There were only a few hundred in total. From his understanding, they had thousands of them who could be ready for battle.

One of the Persequions went to make an attack. Mythara gracefully dodged and pierced the Persequion's skull with a flash of light that burst from the barrel of his gun. Selistar signaled for the others not to make a move. They had a numbers advantage, but with the overwhelming strength of Mythara and Cefketa, it was best for a small group to approach them with a specialized plan. Otherwise, it would just be chaos. Mythara looked at all the Persequions and then looked at Selistar.

"I'll make a deal with you," Mythara said.

"What is it?"

"You and I go at it. One on one, and I won't kill anyone else." Mythara smiled.

"Why would we give up our advantage? You won't be able to take on all of us—" A flash of light shot into the crowd of Persequions surrounding Mythara. It curved and weaved through everyone there until it found the forehead of Mythara's intended target. As that individual fell over dead, Mythara spoke.

"From my point of view, none of you are a threat—you're just annoying. It doesn't matter how many of you there are. Maybe if half of you were Theronites, it would be different. But from what I'm seeing, none of you are." Mythara had been observing them all since everything began.

There wasn't a sign of Theronites among them. What Cefketa showed all of them must have struck a nerve with the Theronites.

"You believe in strength in numbers. It's true to a certain extent, but you need at least some power. Zero times two hundred is still zero. You all are nothing... so stay out of it." The Persequions and the Chasers there grew enraged, but none dared to move.

"Fine... you want me, you got me," Selistar said, frowning, as he drew his ancient blade.

"You too..." Mythara pointed at Gladiolus. He then looked around for Fenrir but didn't see him.

"Where is the other one?"

"Fenrir and the Adders want no part of this," Gladiolus explained.

"Smart man, but you do? Even after everything?" Mythara asked. Gladiolus looked over at Selistar and smiled.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"In for a penny."

"You expect us just to stand here and watch?" Franky asked.

"No, I expect you to wait for Cefketa to come for you. Although if you're smart, you'd just run away." Mythara looked at Franky, Helena, and Hachiman.

"He is coming for you three specifically." Mythara's voice darkened.

Franky and the others went silent as they looked towards the area where Lord Cefketa was doing battle.

"Boot Up Spoilers," Gladiolus broke the silence.

After her scan finished, she and Selistar ducked as Mythara appeared beside them, his gun pointing at where their heads used to be. Selistar slashed at Mythara's side, severing space as he did so. Mythara blocked the slash with his gun, which was coated in a spatial barrier. With his free hand, he pointed his firearm at Gladiolus, who sprinted off to the side faster than the human eye could follow.

Mythara felt the gravity around him increase, and Selistar increased the speed of his attacks. Mythara chuckled as he ignored his increased body weight and continued to parry Selistar's blows with his pistols. The two of them then began to flutter through the air as they rapidly teleported through the battlefield. The Persequions and Chasers there spent their time protecting themselves from the aftershocks of their battle.

Some of them found it foolish that they even thought they could interject in such a battle. Selistar disengaged after avoiding a blast of light shot from Mythara's gun. As he disengaged, Gladiolus crashed down where Mythara was standing.

Gladiolus and Mythara clashed in a whirlwind of furious blows. With every strike, Gladiolus increased the weight of whatever part of Mythara's body she touched. Yet Mythara seemed unfazed—his movements unaffected by the growing burden. With a powerful kick, he sent Gladiolus flying, then swiftly raised his guns, aiming at her as she hung suspended in midair.

As he went to make the move, the gravity of his body was not only lifted but completely reversed. Mythara's arm flung into the air, unable to control the speed of his lightened weight, as he fired off the shot. He had gradually gotten used to increased weight, and Gladiolus had reversed that weight at a critical moment, throwing off his center.

Gladiolus winked at Mythara just as Selistar appeared behind him, slashing toward his back. Mythara couldn't physically react in time, but he didn't have to. Relying on his mastery of manipulating momentum, he twisted his body. Letting his gun fall, he raised his left hand toward Selistar, freezing him in place, while his right hand redirected the shot he had just missed.

That blast of light curved towards Gladiolus. The light crashed on Gladiolus only to dissipate against a gravitational field surrounding her. Mythara scoffed under his breath, as a gun reappeared in his hand and took a shot at the slowed Selistar's head. The blast of light made contact but crashed against a spatial barrier.

"I see..." Mythara said as he created distance between them.

Selistar covered his body in a thin spatial layer that acted as a full-body shield. To injure him, he would have to rip through space consistently. Mythara frowned. It was doable, but what made him irritated was that there was no way Selistar didn't use this against Cefketa. However, Cefketa could deal with it effortlessly, especially after his shedding.

"I'll give you this... You are far more dangerous than you were a month ago," Selistar admitted as he looked at Mythara hesitantly.

"But you're still no Zac," Gladiolus commented.

She was happy that he decided to challenge the two of them. That significantly increased their chances. Chaos could be used to their advantage if they were fighting a full-scale battle, but they were all going against two all-powerful dragons. More numbers did nothing—not only would they be concerned with killing the two of them, but they would also have to worry about reducing collateral.

This would prevent them from launching any large-scale, lethal attacks without proper preparation. She thought the boy was foolish for not understanding that. What Gladiolus didn't know is that Mythara understood this perfectly well. He just wanted to test himself. He would have loved to have Fenrir in here and see how close to Cefketa he had gotten. But he was struggling with just these two.

"You're right, I'm still not enough... yet." Mythara chuckled.

That chuckle made Gladiolus nervous.

"Re-boot Spoilers...!!!" Selistar saw the look on Gladiolus's face and asked her, "What... what did you see?"

"Nothing..." Gladiolus whimpered, and Selistar frowned as he looked at Mythara.

A glowing system emerged behind his back. Mythara was annoyed. Cefketa could play around with these guys without getting too serious, but he had to bring out his secret weapon.

"Still a long way to go... but let's see if I can get this right. I call this System Clockwork Paradox."

Franky and the others, unable to help Selistar and Gladiolus, decided to head towards where Cefketa was fighting. When they arrived, they were greeted by an explosion that knocked them off their feet. When the dust cleared, they saw a horrid scene. There were countless lifeless bodies, some of them barely recognizable as human.

"Dust!!" Franky saw Dust sitting there motionless. She was still alive, but wounded and too afraid to move.

"Dust, where are Whiskey and the others?"

"T-They're..." Before she could finish speaking, a blast of water landed next to them. Whiskey's bloodied body was wrapped in the water. She coughed up blood and looked down at the hole in her stomach. It wasn't fatal, but she wished it were. That monster was toying with her.

"Cage is dead," Whiskey said. Tears were running down her face.

"Where's Pike?" Franky asked.

"Here's Pike..." Cefketa called out as he tossed an arm at Franky.

"Oh, and he's over there, and over there... and there's a little bit over there." Cefketa chuckled as he pointed to different parts of the battlefield, signifying Pike's death.

"Zac, is this really—?"

"Shut up." Cefketa coldly cut off Franky.

"I never liked that prick to begin with."

"And you like me?! You bastard!!" Whiskey shouted out, before coughing up more blood.

"Yeah, you were always fun. Never cared for your brother though," Cefketa answered as he landed on the ground, his wings folding behind him.

"So you're just killing those you don't like?" Hachiman asked.

"And people I don't know. I had to do something to pass the time." Cefketa glared at Franky, Helena, and Hachiman. He was waiting for the three of them to show up.

"Honestly, you could have saved so many lives if you cowards came forward first," Cefketa chuckled. At his words, the Persequions and the Chasers, still in the area, instinctively took steps back. Lord Cefketa always made it clear who his targets were—the first was Seren, and now it was these three. The more they fought, the more obvious it became that their numbers meant nothing.

"I-I admit that we were too quick to trust Devin's words and should have waited to hear your side, but we would never wish for the death of Shaila," Helena said.

"I'm aware, and I know you specifically are just a dizzy bitch going along for the ride." Cefketa mercilessly mocked Helena, who winced at his biting words.

"I don't want to kill you guys... but still, a price must be paid."

"W-what price?" Franky said as he got into a defensive stance and produced an overlarge plasma cannon. Hachiman and Helena followed suit, entering defensive stances of their own.

"I always thought of you as my right hand, Franky. It's why I took such a shine to you. I even went out of my way to help you." Cefketa vanished and appeared behind the group.

Franky's eyes widened as he looked at his arm detached from his body. That arm then faded away as if it were erased. Franky let out an ear-splitting scream as he dropped to his knees. There was no blood coming from where his arm used to be. The others looked on in horror as no signs of healing occurred.

They turned to Cefketa, who rested his scythe casually on his shoulder. However, it was his claws that severed Franky's arm. Over his shoulder, Cefketa glanced at Helena, prompting her to step back. In a flash, he closed the distance and slashed at Hachiman. Though Hachiman managed to block, a spinning kick to the gut sent him flying.

Helena seized the opening and launched a vibrating punch at Cefketa. He caught it with his free hand, just as a concussive blast erupted from her fist. The shockwave tore through the ground behind him, splitting the earth.

"Oh, you put your all into that, huh?"

"Girl's gotta try, right?" Helena let out a nervous laugh.

"Helie... You were always the most fun. But our friendship was just cosmetic...Wasn't it? And we both know how much you love cosmetics." Cefketa chuckled.

Helena was rough and tumble but took great pride in her appearance. As she should—she was unnaturally beautiful. Even going to war, she made sure her makeup was perfect. Cefketa chuckled as he tossed her fist that was in his grip to the side and sent a slash with his claws across her face.

"AAHHHHHHH!!!" Helena gripped her face in pain as she dropped to her knees. Hachiman was on top of Cefketa as soon as Helena went down. He sent a series of blows, using the wind to increase his speed and the sharpness of his attack. Cefketa's smile stretched from ear to ear as he indulged Hachiman in this furious exchange.

The exchange didn't last long, as Cefketa created an opening and slashed Hachiman across the chest with his scythe blade. He twirled the scythe and struck Hachiman in the gut.

"Seems my skill cannot bridge the physical gap," Hachiman reasoned.

But he heard Cefketa's laugh fill his ears.

"I matched my speed and strength to yours... loser," Cefketa whispered into Hachiman's ear. Hachiman leaped away as he didn't even see Cefketa move. As he jumped away, he ran into Cefketa, who was already behind him once again.

"I've always been more skilled than you. And I always offered to help you polish your fighting style. You never took me up on the offer."

"I didn't believe that..."

"They say you have a keen eye for worthy opponents, but you couldn't see me?" Cefketa smirked, and then Hachiman's world went dark. He felt an unbearable pain coming from his eyes. He reached out and felt Cefketa's scaled arm there, his thumb and index finger lodged into Hachiman's sockets.

Cefketa slammed Hachiman to the ground and then left his three "friends" writhing in agonizing pain, as he floated off into the air and headed towards his main target. Dust, who looked up at Cefketa disappearing, whimpered,

"P-p-pocket!! Get us out of here." At Dust's request, a spritely figure appeared from a pocket space. When everything happened, Pocket immediately hid inside their pocket. They had had enough of trying to fight things after what they experienced with Roratha. Pocket then quickly stuffed the gravely injured into their pocket, along with themselves.

The Chasers and Persequions near Aron and Seren tensed up. They thought they had time to relax as Selistar and Gladiolus battled Mythara. But now there was an actual monster floating towards them.

"I wonder how this works..." Cefketa asked as he beat his wings once. Nothing happened.

"Maybe it's like... this." He beat his wings again, and a rain of black feathers engulfed the Chasers and Persequions. These feathers weren't nearly as powerful as his mother's, but they were strong enough that his opponents could not ignore them. All but the strongest defenses, like Mawu's ice wall and spatial barriers, were ripped through. Others like Duendes avoided death by making themselves intangible.

"Still some things to work out... but the classics will still work." Cefketa laughed as he swung his scythe, and a powerful slash of pressured wind crashed into the earth, causing devastation.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.