Raymus rushed toward his opponent with the madness of a warrior who knows no retreat, approaching in the blink of an eye and placing his palm on Mythos's massive belly, whispering in a hoarse, determination-filled voice: "Trust me... I will smash these fortresses of yours with all the strength I have, and you won't leave here alive!"
In an instant, the place exploded with a massive burst of energy, and the two vanished, turning into lines of colliding light across the expanse, leaving behind trails of explosions that shook the very fabric of the artificial world.
Outside, Arlyn sat and watched the scene with piercing eyes, commenting in astonishment: "Amazing... This power is truly incredible, I never expected Vaniyan to possess all this destructive authority!"
Wang nodded respectfully as he watched the numbers dancing in the halo of the place, saying: "Don't be surprised, my lady, for with time and trials, these two might surpass us. Raymus's current power has reached 200 quintillion, while Mythos in this terrifying form sits on the throne of 270 quintillion. If they continue to hone this talent, they will become a real threat surpassing the combined power of the world rulers."
Arlyn turned toward the "bubble" and said in a decisive tone: "Even so, only one of them will be my true successor who will bear the burden of the sixth world, and now we will find out who has the longer breath."
Lena was shocked by the words and turned toward them, saying: "What?! Do you mean this bloody duel is just a test?!"
Wang smiled a calm smile and said: "Yes, Lena, it is the 'Ruler's Successor' test. We set it up now without formal preparations because destinies followed quickly, but the greats emerge in such random moments."
Inside, the suffocating pressure began to intensify on Raymus. He noticed something strange and terrifying; Mythos was not only maintaining his power, but seemed to grow stronger with every blow he received or delivered, as if his anger was his fuel. Mythos began smashing everything within his reach; the air, the void, and even the small dimensions inside the bubble.
Raymus was suffering terribly, finding himself completely crushed for the first time in a long time. Mythos's punches pierced through the "Celestin" defenses as if they didn't exist, turning Raymus's body into a vessel of pain and blood, while Mythos advanced with steady steps like an inevitable fate, destroying any hope for Raymus to regain the initiative. Raymus retreated backward in quick steps, blood dripping from his forehead, shouting with determination: "I will end this now! I'll show you power you never dared to imagine!"
But the words froze in his throat; the scene he saw was a materialized nightmare. In a billionth of a second, Mythos was no longer just in front of his eyes, but was surrounding his existence from all sides, hovering above him with a dark blue aura that almost completely blocked his vision.
Outside, Wang sprang from his place and approached the bubble wall in bewilderment: "Amazing! What just happened?!"
Lena asked, anxiety tearing at her heart: "What is it? Tell me, Wang!"
Wang replied, his eyes never leaving Mythos: "Mythos's power jumped crazily... It reached 850 quintillion in a single moment! He's pressing spacetime to end everything!"
Arlyn said, crossing her arms seriously: "He is using every drop of his power to settle the battle with a single decisive blow."
Inside, Raymus felt the coldness of death creep into his veins, and thought to himself in despair: "What is this thing? I'm going to be wiped out right now... His power level is too massive, I won't be able to do anything against this hurricane..."
Suddenly, a familiar voice pierced the silence, a deep and calm voice carrying the strength of mountains, echoing in the depths of his soul: "What nonsense are you talking about, boy?"
Raymus was shocked and his whole being trembled: "This voice... It's my dad's voice! Impossible!"
The voice said with parental sternness: "Boy, do you dare insult our lineage in front of a warrior who only outperformed you with dry numbers? Did I inherit the Celestin blood for you to surrender at the very first obstacle?"
Raymus whispered in his mind: "Dad... How are you talking to me? Didn't you die?"
The voice replied forcefully: "Never mind these trivial matters! Focus on one thing only: Winning. Don't you ever surrender to anyone, if you do, you'll disappoint me forever. If you consider yourself a true 'Celestin', get up and defeat this person right now, my son!"
A power he had never witnessed before exploded in Raymus's veins, a power born of pride and royal blood. With a speed that even the frantic Mythos's eyes couldn't perceive, Raymus grabbed his opponent's hand, and a horrific energy explosion shattered the walls of the bubble and caused earthquakes across the entire planet.
The smoke slowly cleared, revealing a scene that stunned everyone; Raymus stood like a mountain, having buried his fist right into Mythos's stomach just as he promised. Mythos, the monster nothing could budge, staggered for a few seconds before his massive body collapsed and fell to the ground completely unconscious, his blue auras fading away.
Outside, Wang shouted with unprecedented amazement: "This is amazing! Raymus's power shot up in the blink of an eye to 1 sextillion! He pounced on his opponent at the absolute speed of light... Unbelievable!"
Arlyn said with a proud smile: "Yes... This is the magic of Celestin blood when provoked."
Raymus's transformation faded, and his features returned to normal, looking toward the distant horizon with gratitude and whispering: "Thank you, dad..."
He walked with heavy steps toward Mythos lying on the ground, took a water skin and gently sprinkled it on his opponent's face. Mythos slowly opened his eyes, confusion covering his face after his calm persona returned.
Raymus extended his hand toward Mythos, who was still trying to gather his wits, and said with a tone full of appreciation: "You did really well... It was a duel I will never forget as long as I live."
Mythos looked at Raymus's hand, then grabbed it to stand up, and said while dusting off his clothes: "Good... Now I realize for sure that the road ahead of us is still long, and I need to put in more and more to deserve the title of power I aspire to."
Raymus nodded in agreement, his eyes shining with renewed ambition: "Even I... still have a lot ahead of me. There are many people in this existence I aspire to surpass, and I will never stop here."
The two warriors shook hands warmly, and a solemn silence prevailed between them, broken only by mutual respect, for the battle had forged them into one crucible. They emerged from the energy bubble to be greeted by Arlyn with a clear, proud smile, saying: "Very good... It seems both of you extracted precious lessons from each other. But now, Raymus, you have proven beyond a doubt that you deserve to be my next successor, just as I expected."
Raymus bowed respectfully and said: "It is a great honor for me, my lady, and I will carry this covenant with a responsibility worthy of your stature."
Everyone sat around the barbecue table, and discussions began to rise about the mysterious future awaiting them, and the complex problems they must solve to stabilize the sixth world, while laughter gradually returned to moisten the atmosphere after the harshness of the duel.
In another corner of the universe, far from the hustle and bustle of the sixth world, and on a remote planet teeming with strange and wondrous markets, a masked figure was cutting through the crowd with the agility of ghosts. The masked figure stopped in front of an elderly merchant selling antique collectibles, and said in a soft, calm female voice: "Hello, sir."
The merchant looked through his thick glasses and replied: "Hello, miss... Do you need help finding something rare?"
The girl took an old photograph from under her cloak, showed it to him and said: "I am looking for this person... Have you seen him pass by here? Or have you heard any news about him recently?"
The man scrutinized the picture carefully, then shook his head in denial: "No, miss, I haven't seen a face like this on our planet before, but if he passes by here, I will let you know immediately."
The girl smiled a smile where only the sparkle of her eyes showed, and said in a confident tone: "Never mind... I think I now know where I can find him." Then she turned around and left the place with steps that left no trace on the dirt, leaving behind a mysterious scent of perfume.
The merchant was surprised by her swift departure, until one of his workers approached him and asked in astonishment: "Sir... Who were you talking to just now?"
The merchant replied casually: "Nothing... Just a miss who was looking for someone who looked human."
The worker's face turned pale and he blurted out in shock: "But, sir... I've been watching you the whole time, and I swear you were talking to the air! There was no one standing in front of you at all!"
The merchant was confused and his hands trembled as he looked at the empty spot: "Impossible! She was standing right here... She was a real girl, I just talked to her! That's absurd... How did she disappear and how did you not see her?!"
On planet Earth, sunset lights began to cast orange shadows on the vast garden when Arlyn stood ready to leave and said in a calm tone, "Well, we will leave now." Lena felt a contraction in her chest and said with a wish, "Why don't you stay longer? Earth is boring without you." Wang laughed lightly and said, "We wanted to stay longer, Lena, but our work is many and never ends."
Here silence prevailed for a little while before Raymus interrupted it with a question that carried a note of anxiety no one had seen from him before when he said, "Regarding the work... When I become the ruler of the sixth world, will my work be strictly limited to the mandatory destruction of planets and universes?" Arlyn looked at him with absolute seriousness and said, "Of course that's what will happen in order to maintain the balance of this world. We possess the authority of destruction over our world, and our counterparts, the rulers of creation, build new universes and planets so we can maintain the existential continuity environment. But don't worry, you will learn those things during your training period as a ruler."
Wang narrowed his eyes, looked at Raymus in astonishment, and said, "It's strange that you ask this question despite your prior knowledge of what we do." Raymus shifted his gaze toward Lena, who was watching him in silence, then returned his gaze to Wang and said in a low voice, "But isn't this considered a cruel thing toward the inhabitants of those planets and universes?"
Sudden astonishment spread across everyone's faces, even Arlyn took a step back and said, "Strange, since you're a Celestin, you usually don't care about such things." Raymus felt shocked, even at himself for what he said, and a storm of thinking spun in his mind as he told himself, "It's true, I am a Celestin, a warrior who loves nothing but fighting and destruction. Why did I say something like this? What is happening to me? Is my humanity beginning to override my warrior essence?"
Wang tried to smooth things over and said, "Well, we won't drag it out for you anymore. We will leave now, see you soon." In the blink of an eye, the three flew away from the planet at tremendous speed, tearing through the clouds and leaving behind threads of light.
Lena stepped forward quietly toward Raymus, who was still standing in place, lost in his thoughts, and embraced him warmly, saying in a warm voice, "Don't worry, you're a good person, Raymus, and that's planted inside you." Raymus closed his eyes while hugging her tightly and whispered to her, "I don't really know that, Lena, but I hope so with all my heart."
Long months passed, and calm enveloped the worlds, but it was a calm before a storm of blood. In the heart of the first world, specifically inside Nahira's desolate palace, Nahira sat on her throne watching the development of her armies through giant energetic screens, while the Letter Commanders stood before her explaining boastfully that the soldiers had become more disciplined and resilient, and their numbers had exceeded trillions, distributed in every corner of the first world.
Nahira yawned in boredom and said in a cold tone, "This is normal, you fools. Isn't there anything new to spark my interest?" Commander **A** replied in a low voice, "No, my lady, but I would like to inform you that Commander **C** has passed away due to harsh health conditions."
Nahira looked at him with utter coldness and said, "Well, I will suggest a proposal to you now." Commander **B** asked, "And what is it, my lady?" Nahira replied as she adjusted her posture: "Starting today, I am dispensing with the services of all of you, Letter Commanders. Over the past period, I have been personally training two seasoned commanders who are more useful than all of you combined."
Commander **A** trembled and said, "But, my lady..." He didn't even finish his sentence before Nahira shot him a look of death that froze the blood in his veins, so he retreated, whispering, "As you wish, my lady."
Nahira gestured with her hand to open the massive door, and a young man with cold, indifferent features entered, along with a girl with piercing eyes sparking fire. As soon as they entered, Nahira said with a scary smile, "Welcome, my favorite little ones, **Acropolis** and **Zarda**."
The two bowed with utmost reverence and said in unison, "We are at your command, our supreme commander." Nahira told the rest of the commanders, "Starting today, these two are my most efficient army commanders and the ones directly responsible for everything after me."
Commander **B** tried to object, saying, "But, my lady..." Before he could finish his word, **Acropolis** moved at the speed of lightning and delivered a fatal stab to Commander **B**'s chest without hesitation. Everyone was shocked by the brutality of the scene, while **Gellius**, standing in the corner, watched what was happening with a malicious smile.
Commander **B** fell dead in his place, and Acropolis said while wiping the blood off his hand, "Whoever dares to oppose the commander's orders shall perish forever." At that moment, **Zarda** rushed toward commanders A, D, and S, and with a single swift strike pierced their three bodies so they fell dead amid the astonishment and terror of everyone in the hall. A new era of oppression was announced under the leadership of these terrifying youngsters.
Nahira looked at the servants who stepped forward in confusion and pointed to the remains of the commanders, saying: **"Get rid of these filthy corpses right away!"** But **Acropolis** raised his arm coldly and said: **"No need for that, my lady, I'll handle it myself."**
An intensive energy pulse burst from his hand, sweeping over the corpses, and within seconds they were completely charred and evaporated into the air, leaving behind the smell of death and utter nothingness. Nahira smiled with satisfaction and said: **"Well done... just as I raised you, power must be decisive."**
Meanwhile, **Gellius** stepped forward from the shadows with confident steps, bowed respectfully, and said: **"My lady... It's naturally impossible for me to oppose your decision, and you know that very well, but I'd like to ask for just one thing."** Nahira shot him a piercing look and said sarcastically: **"What is it? Do you want one of them to kill you so you can join your colleagues?"**
Gellius replied with a malicious smile: **"No... but I would like a chance to redeem myself, my liege, if you allow me to achieve what I aspire to, which is..."** He leaned toward her ear and whispered his goal, which made Nahira's features change for a moment. Nahira looked at the power mark on her hand and was silent for a little bit before saying: **"If you really do it, then I will raise you again as one of the major commanders, and you will even get rewards you never dreamed of in your life."**
Gellius's face lit up and he said: **"How happy I am to hear that! I promise you that will happen, but I will just need some time."** Nahira waved her hand and said: **"I think you are capable of doing it with all ease, and now go and start planning for this goal... Don't waste a single second."**
Gellius left the hall boastfully, while **Zarda** watched him with narrowed eyes, then asked her mistress: **"Is he really capable of doing something like this? He seems way too confident."**
Nahira laughed bitterly and said: "Who knows? He might pull it off, he might not... If he succeeds in achieving his goal, he'll end up killed, and if he fails, he'll be wiped out too. Either way, his fate is one and unchanged."
Acropolis smiled, crossing his arms, and said: **"So he's just a trivial pawn to be sacrificed at the end of the game?"**
Nahira shook her head and said in a terrifying tone: **"Worse than that... He's the animal on whom failed or successful experiments are run before applying them to humans. However, we lost nothing from his attempts, we'll just watch from now on, and won't intervene except in times of absolute necessity."**
In the deepest point of the palace where complete silence dwells, the spacious room had turned into a temple for **Clariss**'s madness, where life in her eyes no longer had any meaning except for one face. The walls, mirrors, and even ceilings were filled with pictures of **Arius** distributed hysterically. She sat in the corner of the bed hugging a pillow printed with his features, squeezing it tightly as if drawing life from it while whispering in a hoarse, obsessed voice, her eyes never leaving the wall clock: **"Two years, 3 months and 10 days left... Two years, 3 months and 10 days left..."** repeating it endlessly like a sacred incantation amidst the anxiety of the servants watching her from behind the closed doors.
In the throne room, a servant stepped forward fearfully and bowed before **Nahira**, saying: **"My lady... Lady Clariss hasn't tasted food for a whole week, and her condition is getting worse."** Nahira sighed annoyedly and said in a sharp tone: **"That madwoman is going to kill herself one day... Follow me."**
Nahira stood in front of the room door and opened it so the cold corridor light entered that darkness. The sight shocked her: utter chaos, and pictures of Arius haunting her vision in every corner. She muttered with disgust: **"I can't believe to what extent you've reached."** Then she walked toward the bed, placed the food tray on the table, and said strictly: **"Clariss... Get up now... You must eat your food immediately."**
Clariss completely ignored her, continuing to stare into empty space, repeating her time calculations. Nahira found no other trick, so she sat next to her on the edge of the bed, reached out to stroke her hair with fake gentleness, and said: **"Listen, Clariss... Arius spoke to me."**
As soon as the name was uttered, Clariss jolted as if an electric current hit her body, grabbed Nahira's shoulders tightly enough to almost break her bones, and asked with bulging eyes and madness: **"What did he say?! Is he coming? Did he tell you where he is?! Speak!"**
Nahira tried to maintain her calm and said: **"Calm down... He spoke to me and said he is very upset because he knew you aren't eating, and said if Clariss doesn't act normally and take care of herself, he will never come back here."**
Clariss's features froze and she shook her head in panic: **"No... Impossible! Arius promised me he would come back for us to hold our wedding... He can't be mad at me!"** Nahira continued her lie brilliantly: **"He will keep his promise, but on the condition that you are strong and satisfied with yourself so that he is satisfied with you and comes quickly."** Then Nahira said to herself sarcastically: **"Damn... How am I uttering this nonsense? This never happened, but it's the only way."**
Clariss's expression suddenly changed and she said eagerly: **"Okay... Okay, I will do everything my dear Arius said... I will listen to him in everything."** And she began devouring the food voraciously and with crazy speed as if executing a military order.
Nahira opened the heavy curtains to let sunlight in and drive away that gloom, saying: **"I'll have the servants clean up this mess now."** But Clariss stopped her while still chewing her food and said in a sharp tone: **"No... I'll do it myself... No one touches Arius's belongings except me."**
Nahira left the room looking at her sister with pity mixed with fear, for Clariss no longer loved Arius, but rather drew her existence from him, and if he didn't return by the date she set in her mind, the entire palace would burn with her madness.