Sizzling.
This was the sound that permeated the entire space, followed by the loud, rhythmic sound of intense slaps.
On one side of the domain, high in the sky, a monstrous beast shrouded in a dark aura struggled fiercely against an uncountable number of fiery tendrils that restrained his entire body.
Alvis, engulfed in darkness, called upon his ultimate power to break free, but to no avail—the fire only tightened its grip, straining his bones until they cracked. The darkness surrounding him dwindled, and an unimaginable pain wracked his body.
A guttural scream echoed across the hellish domain as Alvis cried out, but the fire only grew stronger.
On the other side of the domain, the relentless, rhythmic sound of slapping continued unabated.
The vitality of a grandmaster+ rank was staggering.
At this point, Ronad's face was nothing more than blackened bones, yet he was still alive and breathing.
Eventually, Avalon ceased his relentless barrage and lifted Ronad by the neck in a vise-like grip.
Fire abruptly engulfed Ronad, and his healing process was sped up. Minutes passed, and Ronad's destroyed face was fully restored. However, he appeared disoriented.
"Ariel Ravenstein… do you remember him?"
Ronad's disoriented expression twisted into a scowl as he heard Avalon's cold voice, the memories of the torment he had just endured flooding back.
But Ronad was a grandmaster+ rank, a man who had endured worse torments in his life. His lips curled into a mocking grin as he stared at Avalon, an action he immediately regretted.
Another wave of fire enveloped Ronad, but this time, it didn't accelerate his healing. A deafening scream of pain resounded across the space as Ronad was slowly burned by the flames. It was a pain unlike any he had ever experienced.
He had been burned before, but Avalon's flames were hotter—infinitely worse. The pain was excruciating, magnified tenfold, and it was slow, agonizingly so.
Ronad screamed at the top of his lungs, the pain unbearable. He struggled, but was unable to move even an inch.
This scene went on for hours, with Ronad's mind slipping more times than he could count. During this time, Avalon simply stood by, his face expressionless, not uttering a single word.
The pain threshold of grandmasters was immense, but it wasn't infinite. Ronad had always enjoyed inflicting pain on others, and while he was used to enduring pain himself, this was crossing a line he had never experienced.
As more hours passed, Ronad began shouting the answer Avalon wanted, but the flames continued, turning Ronad's life into a living hell.
Finally, the flames ceased, and Ronad's charred body hit the scorching ground. Avalon asked once more,
"Ariel Ravenstein… do you remember him?"
Ronad nodded slowly, but it wasn't the type of response Avalon wanted.
Another wave of fire engulfed Ronad, his screams echoing through the space for hours until Avalon finally stopped.
He asked once more, "Ariel Ravenstein… do you remember him?"
"Y-yes!" Ronad immediately responded.
"Did you kill him with your own hands, or were there others?"
"I-I alone."
Avalon nodded. "Apologize to him."
Ronad paused, completely baffled. Even after all the torture and pain he had endured, even though he knew that doing this would make things worse, he just couldn't help himself.
It started with a chuckle before Ronad burst into intense laughter. "Apologize t—"
But he couldn't even finish his words as a devastating punch connected with his face. Ronad's nose caved in, and he was sent flying back with incredible speed.
Avalon didn't give him a chance to rest and immediately pounced on him, unleashing a barrage of blows.
Atticus watched as his father beat the life out of Ronad. Bones were broken, flesh was seared. At one point, it wasn't just Ronad's face; his entire body was burned, leaving only the whites of his bones and exposed internal organs.
The entire scene was brutal, yet only a sad expression appeared on Atticus's face. He began to feel it—the emotions of the fire molecules in the air, which had been wrathful before, were now filled with sadness.
The molecules seemed to be a reflection of Avalon's own emotions.
Time passed, the sun rose over the horizon, and soon fell as night descended. The torture had been ongoing throughout this period, and Ronad's expression had changed dramatically.
He appeared lost and lifeless as he lay on the ground, his body reduced to blackened bones with only his face remaining intact.
Avalon began again, his voice cold.
"Ariel Ravenstein… do you know him?"
"Y-ye-s," Ronad stammered, barely able to muster a response.
"You killed him with your own hands, or were there others?"
"I-I al-alone," Ronad whispered, his voice trembling.
"Apologize to him,"
"I-I'm so-sorry," Ronad managed to croak out.
Not a nanosecond passed before fire enveloped Ronad, burning him into ash in an instant.
Avalon took in a deep, shuddering breath, his fists clenched hard. His mind replayed every memory he had with Ariel, an intense sadness crossing his face.
"Rest in peace, brother," Avalon muttered as a breeze blew, scattering Ronad's remains across the space.
A few seconds of silence passed before Avalon abruptly turned to look at Alvis, still suspended in the air, his gaze now icy cold. The tendrils of fire tightened around Alvis, and just as Avalon was about to deliver the final blow—
"Dad! Wait!" Atticus's sudden shout halted Avalon in his tracks. He blipped and appeared in front of Atticus instantly, slightly startling him.
"I overheard one of their members talking earlier," Atticus began, "One of the families in our sector is helping them."
Avalon's expression narrowed. "Do you know which one?"
Atticus shook his head with a wry smile before asking, "Do you suspect any?"
"A few," Avalon replied, his mind spinning with possibilities. He turned his focus back to Alvis and continued,
"Any tiered family would be far too careful before getting involved in something like this. A mana contract is most definitely involved, which means torturing him is useless."
Atticus nodded in agreement. "True, but I'm sure he'd still end up being useful. You could use him as bait?"
"Hmm, that's right," Avalon placed his hand on his chin, contemplating the idea, but then suddenly paused.
'Wait…'
He had been so engrossed in the moment that he had completely forgotten he was talking to his 16-year-old son!
"You crazy boy! You have so much explaining to do!" Avalon exclaimed, pointing at Atticus.
Atticus froze. He had been hoping to avoid this part by steering the conversation toward something serious. But it seemed that wasn't going to be easy.
Atticus sighed, wondering where to even start. "Dad, it wasn't my fault. I—"
"Wait. Start from the beginning. Where are we, and how did you get here?"
"The Abyssal Chasm. Grandfather's training," Atticus answered.
Avalon's eyes widened. The Abyssal Chasm? The same Abyssal Chasm where an army of master+ ranks went in and were almost wiped out? What the hell was his 16-year-old son doing here!?
As Avalon was about to speak, he suddenly remembered the arm of the grandmaster+ rank that Atticus had cut off, and a surge of pride filled his body, causing him to chuckle. However, he quickly regained his composure.
"That means the Obsidian Order has been hiding in the chasm all these years. How did you find them?"
"I stumbled on one of their hunting teams while I was hunting," Atticus explained.
Avalon nodded; it all made sense. His father sent Atticus here, and he found the Obsidian Order, who had been hiding in the chasm for years.
But something still nagged at him. No grandmaster could enter the Abyssal Chasm, and during their experiments, teleportation had already been attempted and failed. So how had he managed to enter?
Atticus hadn't considered this possibility before; otherwise, he might not have been so willing to use this as his last card.
"Alright, alright, so how did you cut off his arm?" Avalon's eyes lit up as he stared at Atticus, eager to hear the story.
Atticus chuckled before recounting the events. He left out certain details, particularly relating to the Katana's world and Cedric, instead focusing on his exosuit.
Avalon laughed boisterously afterward, clearly delighted by his son's power and talent. He couldn't wait to brag about it!
"How are you feeling?" Atticus suddenly asked after Avalon had stopped laughing, causing Avalon to smile wryly.
'That's right, he saw everything,' Avalon thought before responding, "Empty."
"Empty?"
Avalon nodded. "After Ariel died, all I could think about was getting revenge. But now that I've finally done that, I feel… empty. In the end, revenge is all about satisfying myself. It doesn't change what happened to Ariel, nor does it bring him back."
Atticus silently pondered before speaking, "But that man deserved everything that happened to him, right?"
Avalon smiled and ruffled Atticus's hair. "True, but honestly, if I had to choose between getting revenge and getting Ariel back, I would choose the latter in a heartbeat. Revenge isn't worth it if you're going to lose something important in return. Remember that, Atticus."
Atticus fell silent, unable to respond. Avalon's words stung deeply, touching on a fear he had kept hidden.
He wanted to exact his revenge on a being who could literally reincarnate people. It was dangerous on so many levels.
He could end up losing his life or, worse, the lives of his family.
'Should I really be focused on revenge?' Atticus thought, but he shook his head, deciding to think about it later.
"On a more serious note, son, let's make sure your mom doesn't hear anything about this, okay?"
Atticus froze, unable to imagine what would happen if his mother found out what had occurred.
He nodded his head frantically, causing Avalon to burst into laughter. Atticus also chuckled, shaking his head.
Afterward, they talked about random things, with Avalon mentioning that he had been present during Atticus's battle with the other Apex.
All the while, a large beast screamed in pain high above the air.
Soon enough, they finished speaking, and it was time to say goodbye.