"Manifest."
Whisker ignited in blinding blue light that blasted the surging redflas back. The light condensed behind him, forming a massive ancient gate whose size dwarfed anything they'd ever seen.
Anorah's eyes constricted. From their widened eyes, it was obvious that rek's children were also frozen in shock.
'Manifestation…?'
Her thoughts spun.
There were five mastery stages of will, with manifestation being the fourth. But reaching it was so rare that no one in the Verge had ever done so. It was span and crown level mastery. Yet a man who wasn't even a god… had reached it?
"What's with that look?" Whisker chuckled at the ashen faced redflas. "You all looked so brave two seconds ago. Co on… smile a little. The party just started." His arm dropped and the massive gate behind him snapped open.
A monstrous roar tore out, unleashing an intense gale that rippled across the field. Multiple pairs of eyes shimred within the gate, before countless beasts of varying shapes and sizes poured out. Their eyes burned with malice, fangs gleaming under the crimson sky as they charged into the redflas.
Anorah watched as the redflas erupted with power, clashing against the horde. But no matter how hard they struck, the beasts healed imdiately… and only grew stronger.
Carnage erupted instantly. Screams tore across the battlefield as redflas were ripped apart piece by piece.
"Go after the source! Kill him!"
Attacks rained toward Whisker, yet he casually waved his arm. A radiant shield flashed into existence, blocking every strike through the storm of explosions. When the haze cleared, he stood there untouched.
"I swear you people really don't value your free ti," Whisker sighed, shaking his head. He flicked his wrist, and more beasts thundered out of the gate, flooding the battlefield. The redflas were butchered like livestock. Anorah found herself gripping her blade tightly. To think one man, one champion, could change the entire battle so much.
'There's hope.'
Her eyes snapped toward the three siblings. They stared at Whisker with darkened expressions. None of them, with the other redfla gods, could do anything to a champion.
With champions making up the bulk of the redfla army, and Whisker massacring them at insane speed, their numbers were plumting.
'I just have to defeat them… Logoth.'
Emotions vanished. Her will wrapped around her blade as she shot toward the trio, swinging with all her might. They reacted instantly, wills flaring as they t her.
…
"L-Lord rek… our champions… they're getting slaughtered!"
A deep frown carved across Viscount rek's face as he looked down from atop his palanquin at the trembling generals below. He didn't need their report, he had already felt the sudden, rapid collapse of the redfla forces. Champions were dying at a horrifying pace.
"Useless," rek muttered. "You're all useless."
He had gathered every redfla in the viscount layer to crush a group of ants. This should've been swift. Clean. The only potential complication was that anomaly of a child. rek was prepared to intervene the mont the boy appeared. Yet they had failed even before reaching that point. They hadn't found him. They hadn't done anything.
Redflas were ant to be absolute. Untouchable.
What ssage would this send to the span and crown?
That they couldn't even handle weaklings?
rek's frown darkened. He could feel the distant presence of redfla powers from the span watching the battle closely.
How was he supposed to rise in rank if he couldn't prove himself here?
He flicked his wrist. A fiery screen surged into existence, showing the battlefield from the redflas' perspective. His eyes narrowed at the crimson eyed man with azure hair standing calmly in the chaos.
"Nature's spawn…"
There were many crimson eyed, azure haired n across the Verge, but only a certain lineage carried that level of power. What was a nature spawn doing aiding the resistance? And why was he only a champion?
"Hunk."
A man imdiately dropped to his knees.
"My lord."
"Take my champion unit and remove him."
rek paused when he caught the hesitation flickering through their eyes.
"…Speak."
They swallowed hard, glancing at each other until one finally stepped up, voice trembling.
"I-it's just… he's the kin of the Nature King—"
"So?"
The generals froze. Heat ignited in the air as rek's eyes burned with fury.
"We are Redflas," he said, voice cold and absolute. "We fear no one. Our flas burn everything."
The oppressive weight of his aura crushed down on them until their faces turned pale. They quickly nodded, bowing deeply before rushing toward the battlefield. rek's burning gaze followed them until they vanished.
"Instead of standing around like dead wood," he snapped at the remaining generals, "why don't you find him?"
Several minutes had passed and still no sign of Atticus. If he was running, rek needed to locate him fast.
The generals nodded and pulled out the bounty scroll.
Their expressions paled instantly.
"L-Lord rek! He's gone!"
"What?"
"He's gone, he's not on the bounty!"
rek's eyes narrowed to slits. With a wave, another scroll appeared in his hand. His gaze trembled.
The glowing dot marking Atticus' location… had vanished.
'What's happening?'
The bounty had always been accurate, never once flickering. rek was certain.
'He must have found a way…'
His mind spun rapidly.
'Is he trying to run?'
Without absorbing other wills, he couldn't ascend to the count layer. And rek ruled the entire viscount layer. There was nowhere to run.
Still, rek felt a rising unease.
'I have to find him.'
Light engulfed his eyes as he flashed across multiple battlefield points. Redflas were scattered everywhere. There had to be sothing, anything.
A sharp cry snapped him from his trance. His eyes sharpened as he looked toward his generals… only for his heart to drop.
His valiant generals lay dead, heads severed, blood pooling beneath their bodies. And standing at the center of the corpses was the burning figure he'd been searching for.
"Atticus Ravenstein."
rek shot up from his seat with such energy the palanquin broken beneath him. His will churned fiercely around him as his eyes burned. "I'll enjoy turning you into ashes."
The wills of the dead generals rose from their bodies, surging toward him. rek stretched out his hand to claim them, when Atticus' eyes glowed an intense, blinding gold.
"I see," Atticus said calmly. Then he spoke two words:
"Will Recall."
The wills froze mid air, then tore through the air and slamd into Atticus instead.
"Impossible!"
rek's eyes widened in disbelief. How? Will Recall was an art passed only to Redfla gods of the Blazer rank. It was third in their internal hierarchy, above Ignite and Flare ranks. Its complexity was so monstrous that it had taken him decades to master.
For soone else to perform it…
"What the hell are you?" rek hissed.
But Atticus didn't respond. As the generals' wills fully assimilated into his own, he exhaled a steaming breath, fixing his eyes on rek.
"I'm the last thing you'll ever see."
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