A realization blood in Carius's mind like a poisoned flower.
"You caused all of this… You foiled everything. You're the reason…"
His voice trailed off. But Atticus did not pause.
There was no satisfaction in his eyes, no pride in his dominance.
Only silence.
Only judgnt.
His gaze bore into Carius like a god looking upon a failed creation.
And then…
Carius shivered.
Sothing unfamiliar blood in his chest. A feeling he had hardly ever felt.
A feeling he didn't want to feel.
But it was there.
Fear.
His lips shook.
"…A monster…" he whispered just as Atticus stopped before him.
Slowly, he raised his hand, and an orb of dark crimson energy surged to life in his palm, spiraling with quiet, terrifying power.
"Atticus Ravenstein!"
The voice rang out like a bomb. Eletantron's voice.
"You have no right to pass judgnt! Only the Alliance holds that authority! If you go through with this, you will be branded a traitor!"
Despite his words, Atticus didn't even blink.
But Eletantron's voice rose again, this ti sounding more desperate.
"Then know this, you and the entire Human Domain will beco enemies of the Dinsari! And I swear it… we will do everything in our power to wipe you all from the face of this planet!"
That… finally made Atticus pause.
The orb didn't vanish, it remained, still pulsing. But Atticus turned his head. Slowly. Purposefully.
And his eyes t Eletantron's.
A chill spread through the air, sweeping across the battlefield like a phantom. Eletantron's words got caught in his throat. His body stiffened as if the temperature had dropped to ice.
And then, Atticus spoke.
His voice was low, but it rattled bones.
"I am here."
Three simple words that shook the hearts of all who heard them.
"The Human Paragons are here."
The mont he spoke, his aura surged, a wave of force crashing down on the world.
The ground trembled, the winds howled, and every human paragon felt it, their blood ignited, their spirits roaring in resonance.
Their own auras erupted in unison, rising like a storm in the skies.
Atticus took a step forward, his gaze never leaving Eletantron.
"There's no better place than here to test your threats."
His killing intent slamd down upon the Dinsari like a collapsing world as he continued.
"Eletantron Velarius… I dare you to move."
Silence.
Not a breath. Not even a whisper.
Eletantron hovered in the air, frozen.
Not because of pride. Not because of diplomacy. But because he knew, he wouldn't survive it. He couldn't win.
Atticus knew it too.
And now, the whole of Eldoralth knew it.
Eletantron's jaw tightened, teeth grinding so violently blood spilled from his gums.
The humiliation…
It choked him. Drowned him. Made him want to tear his own head from his shoulders just to escape the sha.
But still, he didn't move.
Even after seconds passed, he remained rooted in place.
And in that mont, no one could explain it, but across the battlefield…
Every human recruit and sergeant.
Every human paragon.
Every human soul present…
Felt sothing rise in their chest. One thing.
Pride.
An imnse, overwhelming pride.
Then, quietly, Atticus turned his gaze away from Eletantron. He looked down at Carius, broken and bleeding on the ground.
And with a thought, the orb in his palm shot forward, directly into Carius's open mouth before the latter could react.
He blinked, confused for the briefest second.
His body shifted slightly.
"What… what was that?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.
And then;
Agony.
It struck like lightning.
A searing pain detonated within him, radiating outward from his core. His eyes widened, veins bulging as the sensation consud him.
"Hrrrghh—!" he choked, clamping his mouth shut, trying to hold back the scream. His body convulsed violently, legs straightening, arms twitching uncontrollably.
He clenched his teeth so hard they cracked, the sound barely audible over the pulsing hum of the dark crimson energy.
Tears spilled from the corners of his eyes, not from sorrow… but from unbearable pain.
He could feel it.
Every inch of his insides being shredded.
Piece by piece.
Cell by cell.
Fiber by fiber.
His very existence was being erased, unmade from within by the dark crimson energy.
Not quickly. Not rcifully.
But slowly.
Excruciatingly.
His fingers dug into the ground, gripping the dirt so tightly that his nails cracked and tore, blood seeping from his hands.
His body writhed, spasming. And then, he couldn't hold it in anymore.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH—!"
The scream tore from his throat like a dying beast's last howl.
A cry so raw and guttural it sent a shiver across every soul present. Even the skies seed to still.
Carius scread again.
And again.
Each sound sounded across the battlefield, echoing off the stone, through the winds, cutting into the hearts of all who watched. The people trembled.
And yet, Atticus didn't move. His expression hadn't shifted. Not even slightly.
He stood there, calm as a still lake, unmoved by the horror occurring before him.
But that… that was what made it all more terrifying.
Carius scread.
And scread.
And scread.
His body was now cloaked in the turbulent aura of dark crimson light, the energy visibly devouring him from within. His skin blistered, tore, reford, then broke apart again. Every inch of him resisted. Every cell tried to fight back.
But nothing could stop the Erasure.
Each mont stretched on like an eternity.
For those watching, it was minutes. But for Carius, it was centuries of tornt condensed into those minutes.
His voice grew hoarse, reduced to broken shrieks and guttural groans. Then, his body began to convulse uncontrollably.
And still, the crimson aura only intensified. It spiraled, compressing tighter around him like a cocoon.
Until finally, silence.
There were no more screams.
No more movent.
Only the faint whisper of wind and the soft crackle of the fading crimson energy.
And as it vanished, in the place Carius once stood... there was nothing.
Only silence.
The final remnants of his existence scattered into the wind.
And still, Atticus... remained still.
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