In the province of Nexus, a sudden counter-attack had turned the tide. The Chronohelix forces, having seized momentary control, were now held captive by the soldiers and fearful populace of the province. Leading the grim execution was the imposing Tetrarch of Nexus, Neved.
"So, how should we kill you guys?" Neved questioned, his sword, a massive blade designed for brutal cleaving, drawn and resting on his shoulder.
The captured Chronohelixians, bound and terrified, could only stare back in silent fear.
Neved strode forward, roughly seizing one Chronohelixian, hauling him out of the group, and placing the flat of his blade against the man's neck.
"Alright, since no one wants to respond to my question, I guess it's best I decide for you guys," Neved announced with a chilling smile.
He raised his hand—a signal of ultimate finality—and brought the sword down. It sliced cleanly through the neck. The head rolled onto the dust-choked floor, and the lifeless body fell gradually into the crimson pool of blood that instantly spread across the ground.
The Chronohelixians screamed in renewed terror, but the soldiers and people of Nexus shared in Neved's sinister, booming laughter as he reached for another rebel to be executed.
He raised his sword again, ready to strike. Suddenly, a clear, powerful female voice cut through the air, overriding the screams and the laughter.
"Ice age!"
Neved's massive sword instantly froze solid, coated in a thick, crystalline sheath of ice just inches from the Chronohelixian's neck.
In the next moment, two female figures appeared before Neved, placing themselves squarely between the Tetrarch and his prisoners. It was Athena and her mother, Luisa.
"Princess Athena! Queen Luisa!" some of the Chronohelixians screamed, relief flooding their voices.
"Don't worry! We are here now!" Athena assured them, her voice firm.
Athena and her mother turned to face Neved, Luisa radiating a royal dignity that belied her exile.
The hot sun of Nexus shone fiercely onto Neved's frozen sword, and the ice began to glisten. Luisa's expression hardened at the subtle, visible reaction.
"Women! Why are you here?" Neved questioned, feeling supreme confidence as he faced the two renowned targets. "Did you come to surrender?"
"Listen, whoever you are," Luisa said, her voice smooth and commanding. "No one has to die here, okay? Just give it up in peace. We want peace, not bloodshed."
Neved spat on the ground. "Give up in peace? Sorry, whore, but giving up has never been my thing," he sneered, specifically targeting the deposed Queen.
A cold, biting icy aura instantly began to emanate from Athena. Her control over the element intensified, fueled by sudden, righteous fury. "Take that back!" she warned.
"Or what?" Neved challenged, a smirk splitting his face. "Hm? What are you going to do about it?"
The weather changed instantly due to Athena's icy aura. A fierce, sudden chill descended upon the hot province. The Chronohelixians knew the danger; they understood that they should never be nearby when Athena fought, as they might be frozen themselves even if they weren't the target. They quickly retreated, creating a safe distance between them and the battle area. The people of Nexus were dragged away by the rebels, but some stubbornly refused to move, caught in the fear and spectacle. These obstinate citizens were instantly caught in the icy peripheral wave of Athena's attack and froze solid.
Suddenly, Neved himself began to freeze, his body turning icy from his legs upwards until he was encased in a statue of crystalline blue ice, completely paralyzed.
"I warned you. Take it back," Athena stated, her eyes shimmering with ice. "There are two offenses I might not forgive or forbear. First, insult and hurt my mother; second, insult and hurt my beloved. Don't try these no matter who you are."
At that moment, the sun—hot and defiant—pierced through the sudden chill and shone directly onto the ice statue.
"Hey, what's up with the sun today? It's way too hot," Luisa observed, complaining instantly.
"Huh?" Athena snapped, realizing the external temperature was working against her.
In rapid succession, the ice began to melt gradually, falling away in massive, steaming sheets. Within seconds, the ice was gone. Neved and the others who were caught in the crossfire were free once again.
Neved laughed, a sinister, menacing sound as he stood before Luisa and Athena, rubbing his arms. "Did you honestly think you could beat me by freezing up the entire streets? A nice trick, but flawed."
"Tch," Athena clicked her tongue in frustration, her icy resolve temporarily melted.
"It would seem he draws his power from the sun, or at least uses the heat against us," Luisa deduced, her gaze sharpening. "We have to be careful while fighting him."
"Alright, Mother," Athena agreed, flexing her hands. "But he annoys me."
"Yes, but we have to remain calm," Luisa gently cautioned, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"Alright, Mother," Athena nodded, taking a steadying breath.
"Alright, it's my turn to attack. Prepare yourselves," Neved announced, his voice vibrating with heat as Luisa and Athena took a defensive stance.
At that moment, Neved raised his sword high into the sky, positioning it so the sunlight shone directly through the blade. The metal began to heat up rapidly. Soon, the intense heat spread throughout Neved's body. Before long, Neved's body and his sword were as hot as volcanic magma, glowing red and yellow, prompting gasps of shock from everyone watching. The heat became so immense that the remaining watchers were forced to flee, screaming as nearby buildings began to buckle and melt. Neved was like a living, moving sun, emitting a heat that no one could handle.
In a sudden burst of speed, Neved lunged past Athena and punched Luisa directly in the face, sending the former Queen flying into a wall.
"Mother!" Athena screamed in horror.
Neved followed the blow by spinning and kicking Athena hard, sending her flying in the opposite direction.
Athena and Luisa coughed up blood, staggering as they forced themselves back onto their feet. The heat radiating from Neved was unbearable, baking the very air.
"Hey! You're putting the world in danger with that much heat! Everyone, including your allies, are in danger! Stop this now!" Luisa pleaded, attempting to appeal to the Tetrarch's reason.
But Luisa's pleas fell on deaf ears. Neved erupted into a cacophony of sinister laughter, his voice crackling with heat. "I don't care," he spat, forming a hand sign. "I will destroy this world and create another by myself!"
"What's the point of this if you destroy yourself?" Luisa demanded, ignoring the pain. "Your family, your friends, your men—they are all in danger! All three nations can coexist together as one. We don't have to keep fighting!"
"We do, whore," Neved snarled, the heat intensifying to an almost blinding degree.
Suddenly, both Athena and Luisa released a massive burst of icy aura, far more intense and focused than Athena's earlier effort. The air temperature plummeted in a contained field around the three of them.
Athena glanced at her mother, seeing a level of furious resolve she had rarely witnessed.
I'm also angry, but I've never seen mother so mad before, Athena mused.
"Why are you so stubborn? Huh?" Luisa's voice, though cold, vibrated with contained fury.
"Stubborn? Don't make me laugh," Neved chuckled mockingly.
Luisa's eyes flashed with terrible power. "I will teach you why you should never make the Witches of Blood mad!" she declared, her aura increasing until the ice around them glowed faintly red.
"The Witches of Blood? What a joke," Neved laughed, mockingly raising his burning hands.
In that instant, Neved's body began to move entirely on its own, pulled by an unseen force. He leaped high into the air, screaming, and fell down, crashing heavily onto the melting ground. The overwhelming heat radiating from him instantly calmed and ceased as soon as he hit the floor.
"What was that?" Neved's eyes widened in profound shock and fear, unable to control his own limbs.
"Overdrive! Blood Control!" Luisa announced, as both she and Athena wielded a synchronized hand sign, cementing the control.
"Overdrive?" Neved was now confused, his arrogance replaced by pure curiosity and terror.
"Yes! It's the second stage of Hera. It was developed by Mother here," Athena explained, her voice sharp with triumph. "The Overdrive stage for Flame Hera is Black Flame Inferno! While that of Water Hera is Blood Control. We can kill you now if we wish to, Mr. Tetrarch."
Luisa stepped forward, the rage momentarily banked in favor of one last plea. "Neved, I've been gentle with you, but you are too stiff-necked. So, I'll ask you one last time! Give it up in peace! We don't have to fight."
"Give it up?" Neved said, struggling back onto his feet despite the former Queen's earlier display of power his voice strained. "Did you not hear me? I said I won't give up! If you want me to give up so bad, why don't you force me to!" Neved erupted in heat once again and lunged at Luisa and Athena, this time even hotter and more reckless than before.
Luisa closed her eyes in a flash of final, disgusted anger, muttering one word: "Idiot."
Suddenly, Neved stopped moving entirely. His massively, hot body was seized by Luisa's terrifying power, just as he had been moments earlier. He dropped his sword, which clattered on the ground.
"W-What is this power?" Neved stammered, trying to force his body down. He began to gasp, his face twisting as dark veins pulsed visibly under the skin of his throat. "Aaaahhh! My chest!"
His heat finally ceased as he struggled for air, the blood flow being strangled within him. His wailing diminished into a gurgle. His heartbeat began to decrease gradually, a terrible, slowing drumbeat until it finally stopped. The Tetrarch of Nexus breathed his last.
The surviving people of Nexus became paralyzed with fear as they watched their powerful Tetrarch go down with such silent, terrifying efficiency.
"Mother, I have to go," Athena said, her face grim.
"Where?" Luisa asked, concern immediately replacing her battle rage.
"Cinder. I have to make sure Valerus is okay," Athena said.
"Alright. Please be careful," Luisa said, pulling her daughter into a tight hug.
"Alright, Mother," Athena replied.
They broke away as Luisa immediately joined the people of Chronohelix and the frightened people of Nexus, beginning the diplomatic effort of establishing control. Athena, meanwhile, activated her powers and made her urgent way toward Cinder.
Meanwhile, in the fertile province of Flux, the Chronohelix forces had already achieved full control and successfully secured the entire region.
This conquest was relatively easy because the province had already lost its Tetrarch, Xevez, who was initially defeated by Caius before being executed by Emperor Arthur. With its leader gone and its defenses disorganized, Flux offered no meaningful resistance, making it a quick and vital foothold for the Chronohelix invasion.