Chapter 924 Wrath
Planet Aetheris (Grade 8 Bronze).
…
Emperor Stormveil sat in silence, planning out several things in his mind. If things went as they should, it probably wouldn't be long before the Ninth Summoning failed.
At that point, there would be a scramble.
This was the Sylph's territory, so they would definitely have a massive advantage. But the cruelty of the Skai Galaxy wasn't limited in its scope to the Humans of Earth alone.
As an E-Grade Race, they had a small foothold, but that was the best it could be described as. They were still near the bottom of the totem pole of E-Grade Races in the Skai Galaxy, and this would be their chance to turn things around.
He suddenly froze.
He looked up, sensing something before his eyes colored over with fear.
BANG!
He shattered into a rain of blood.
**
Planet Cirrus (Grade 8 Bronze).
…
Empress Cirriana tapped a finger on her throne.
The Sylphs were too split these days, a fissure originating from places hard to fathom had been spreading further and wider. Sometimes, random assassins they couldn't explain would take place, and at other times, powerful figures would simply vanish inexplicably for months, years, even decades at a time, only to randomly appear once more as though nothing at all had happened.
Many of them didn't even realize that any time had passed at all.
If it was just once, it would be suspicious. But the fact that it happened to so many made it more than just that. Their skepticism couldn't possibly be aimed at a single entity alone. If they didn't make changes or figure out what was going on, they would most definitely suffer greatly.
This Earth… it was their best chance to turn things—.
She froze, blood draining from her face.
In the end, her body relaxed and she exhaled out a sigh.
BANG!
She shattered into a rain of blood.
**
Planet Lightningweave (Grade 8 Bronze).
…
Emperor Guiz sat on his throne, rolling a crystal ball between his fingers. It danced with a deft sort of flexibility to it, and sometimes it would randomly flash and vanish, appearing between a pair of fingers several jumps away as though a spontaneous spark of lightning.
He, too, looked up when he sensed the aura and he exhaled slowly. But unlike the others, he seemed quite accepting of what was happening. No… it was more like he wasn't surprised at all.
Things had long been arranged, and he had long been accepting of this being a potential outcome. At this point, what was there to shed tears about.
"Phyrex…" he said softly. "… My son…"
He looked off into the distance. Sitting in a corner nearby, a young man lost in a warp of time was sitting, waiting for the trial to commence.
"… It will be up to you to elevate our world to the next level…"
BANG!
The Emperor shattered to pieces.
If one saw a scene like this, it would be eerily familiar… eerily familiar to the shadowy figures that killed a certain old man standing over a bonfire, willingly sacrificing themselves one after another just for a chance at influencing the Frostbane Dungeon.
The only way to rise up in this world was sacrifice. If the Guiz family had to be built on a pile of corpses that included himself… he would gladly become one of those stepping stones.
**
One after another, officials of powerful Sylph families fell. It could be said that in a single brief instant, the powers of the Sylphs had fallen by more than half.
No… it wasn't just this alone.
It was one thing to lose such powerful existences… but their knowledge, their experience, their views on life, power, and growing in strength… they had all been lost as well.
The Sylphs hadn't just lost powerful warriors, they lost equally as powerful mentors and a guiding light for the future generation.
And yet, they were far from the only ones to suffer.
Far.
…
Aki awoke with a start, his Tiger Warlord Armor shattering to pieces around him.
The vivid memory of Sylas ripping a fist and claw through his back replayed again and again.
He had… lost?
There was no way. He lost to an ant of a Bronze World?
He didn't make a single sound, but his face twisted and deformed so much it looked as though he had completely lost his mind. If he unleashed the shriek of a banshee right this moment, no one would be surprised in the slightest. In fact, it almost seemed more unnatural that he didn't.
On the ground, he sat there, convulsing as though he was a child throwing a tantrum.
He was usually so good at controlling his emotions, so good at regulating himself. He knew when to lower his head, when to speak, when to remain silent—he understood everything about being a servant in time and a king when it was needed.
But now, he had lost everything, and his chance to become a Madness Disciple had slipped away right before his eyes.
That was supposed to be his chance, his chance to shed this weakness, to climb to the top of the Thryskai, to leave Mortality behind and enter Demi-Godhood, and then eventually leave the pitiful life of a Demi-God behind to become a True God.
He deserved it. He deserved to sit amongst the best of the Thryskai, to reach the pinnacle of their bloodline.
He deserved it.
He deserved it.
Finally he unleashed his shriek, his fists and heels pounding against the ground, his handsome countenance bending, flexing, and distorting into the sickening visage of a man who had lost his mind.
A palm suddenly appeared out from the void, grabbing him and pulling him in.
Aki didn't know what was happening. All he saw was a vast sea of blood and a silent man sitting in the midst of it all.
"Be useful for once in your life," the man said calmly.
The words had only just fallen when the System's Eye appeared.
This time, Aki's shriek became something else entirely.