The two Transcendents clashed together, the impact finally cracking the city of Selinad above them, the statues slowly being shattered, punch after punch, kick after kick, Gauss Arc after Gauss Arc.

  Akhenamen had quickly realised that in physical stat or even battle experience, the Orphan was well above him, his speed great enough that Akhenamen could only rely on his distance-shattering to escape his kick.

  As expected of a god of a race called the Lapinids, every kick was beyond deadly.

  “Give up. You have no chance. The System lies. Do not believe its promises as I once did.”

  A sharp kick that sliced space itself sent Akhenamen’s body flying back, his Gauss bubble completely unable to disintegrate the feet fast enough to block the attack. It was incredibly frustrating to have a technique to defend yourself, but being unable to because you weren’t fast enough.

  Four Gauss Arcs fired from each of Akhenamen’s hands, slamming into the Orphan, trying to push him back. Its hand suddenly inflated to a massive size, acting like a shield blocking and deflecting the Gauss Arcs.

  No matter how much flesh was turned to disintegrated green matter, it seemed to grow back faster! A single push of its legs brought the Orphan in front of Akhenamen. His other leg was tightly pressed to its sides like a spring.

  “This is gonna hurt…” Akhenamen thought silently.

  And he was right. The leg sprang forth, slamming into his chest. Akhenamen had summoned a blue construct to protect himself, but much to his disappointment, it lasted only a single second, which was still a huge amount of time for a battle at their level. Allowing him to summon a dozen more.

  Each was shattered even faster than the first, yet they had absorbed enough of the impact that Akhenamen had survived the hit… unlike Rubi-Khion’s statue’s arm, which had been shattered after Akhenamen landed against it. Making a part of Selinad collapse alongside the hand.

  Akhenamen had stopped looking at the notification on his System. They didn’t matter anymore. The System had promised. A chance not just to see his family but bring them back… he would not die so easily.

  He had never really known how he could see them in the future. He knew they were present in some memories, including those of the final battle. But he also knew they died during their coma. So Akhenamen believed this battle was the deciding factor. If he could win, he would truly be able to see them again as his memorized promise.

  His fingers twitched within his tomb of collapsed stone, a loud pulse of Gauss energy shattered everything into green dust flying harmlessly in the air around him, and the distance between him and the Orphan was being shattered swiftly.

  His glaive is slashing toward the horrifying Lapinid. His three other hands were busy firing Gauss Arcs alongside his GALS, targeting him from behind. The target did nothing but use his long ears to grip the glaive’s blade hard enough to stop the blow and cause a shockwave, which shattered the walls around the two fighters.

  His Gauss Arcs are blocked by some new limbs summoned from his back to block every shot. The Orphan’s face had finally started to form proper skin, making it far less horrifying to look at if we didn’t forget the fact that his lower body was still fully skinless, its bones and organs free for all to see.

  Akhenamen didn’t swing that way, but even he had to admit the Lapinid was rather handsome. If we forgot the lower body, of course. A sharp punch to his gut was blocked by three blue constructs (each being shattered) and two of his hands firing their Gauss Arcs directly at the Orphan’s fist.

  “We have to admit… we do not regret fighting you. It is pleasing. We had forgotten how much we liked it. Was that why we were betrayed? No matter. May I have your name, Aspect?”

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  “You may not have my name… but you may call me Akhenamen.”

  “Oh! One of my brethren tricked you once, didn’t they?”

  A grunt was all the answer Akhenamen gave him. He wasn’t gonna fall for the same trick twice.

  “I am… I do not even remember my name. Would you name me?”

  Akhenamen would roar, pushing his Gauss beams to their maximum output, finally pushing back the fallen god, which had started to rain earth-shattering punches on his constantly regenerating body. Every punch created a hole in his body, soon filled with more Living Silver once more.

  “This is a fight, not a debate.”

  The Orphan smirked, and now most of his upper body had been covered in skin; only his legs remained skinless. An armor of bone started to appear on his body. The armor made Akhenamen feel like he was facing one of those old Greek warriors. A simple breastplate, greaves, and bracers with a helmet hiding almost the entire face.

  He now held a round shield of bone and a shortsword in his other hand.

  “I would still like a name…”

  Akhenamen stared into the Orphan’s eyes; he didn’t see any dishonesty or trickery. It seemed like he genuinely just wanted a name.

  “Damocles. Would that suit you?”

  It was the first name that came to Akhenamen’s mind. And the Orphan seemed deeply satisfied as he nodded.

  “Damocles. Damoooocles. Damocles. Yes, I like it! Then you, Akhenamen, Aspect, shall be facing me, Damocles!”

  With his immense speed, the Orphan found himself right in front of Akhenamen, one sword slash cutting through the blue constructs like butter, cutting off the arm holding the glaive; just as the weapon was falling, it was held tight by Akhenamen’s tail. Surprisingly, Damocles was enough for him to widen his eyes.

  The fallen god felt the space between his heart and the blade of the glaive suddenly shattered as the blade appeared right within his chest, piercing his heart and starting to disintegrate and unmake his body at a fast rate.

  “Gah-! AHahah! That was a good one!”

  A bloody grin appeared on Damocles’ face as his sword slammed into Akhenamen’s head, piercing his eye. The bone sword within his head expanded and spread into hundreds of spikes, destroying his body from the inside.

  The two fighters were now fighting an internal battle. Both are trying to out-regenerate the other. But Akhenamen felt his reserve deplete fast. So fast, in fact, he knew he would lose this duel. So Akhenamen attempted a final attack.

  He summoned a red construct, making Damocles look slightly intrigued, before a face of pure surprise and excitement appeared; none had a better view of what was happening. Akhenamen’s tri-astromath construct was being shattered… no opening.

  The Cygilite saw dozens of System’s alerts trying to stop him; he could feel the System’s restriction start to surround him, ready to stop his attempt, judging the damage too great even for the potential to kill the Orphan.

  Yet help came from the most unlikely ally, Damocles sword slashed the System’s chains and restrictions from Akhenamen!

  “NO! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO INTERFERE ANYMORE! THIS IS A FIGHT BETWEEN TWO WARRIORS. YOU WILL STOP YOUR MEDDLING! GO ON! SHOW ME AKHENAMEN! SHOW ME THE PEAK OF YOUR KIND!”

  Akhenamen felt the System retreat. The Cygilite would have been surprised that someone could cut the System like that, but he was too busy creating his attack. He connected himself to every side of his red astromath construct. The cube started to open, the sides spreading, exposing the mini-dimension contained within. Exposing a collapsing neutron star to Zenthia…

  What followed could only be described in legends and myths. It is said that on the same day the Felinids were brought back, a fight of mythical proportions had happened, one of the Forgotten Ones had risen and fallen on that same day. Slain by an attack that had permanently scarred Zenthia.

  It was silent. Such ultimate and absolute power and destruction had been silent. Not one sound. Just a simple, sudden beam of light, so fast. So quick. So overwhelming that it seemed like the world had changed in a single instant.

  Not one moved, no one spoke, all simply looked at the massive canyon now cutting the Brightheart Covenant in two. Reaching even the Inner Sea, which had been parted for dozens of kilometers until the beam was finally stopped.

  Today, Zenthia had been shown an attack that could only be described with two words.

  Power Overwhelming.

  Akhenamen was resting on his knees, staring at the unrestrained destruction before his eyes. He could even see the Inner Sea of Zenthia. It was strange, his pierced eye allowing him to stare at one of the most impressive sights he had ever seen.

  A canyon cut by a power so powerful and fast it seemed to have carved the canyon with a scalpel. Allowing anyone within the canyon with a powerful enough eyesight to see all the different landscapes of the Brightheart Covenant.

  Akhenamen didn’t even notice the notification telling him one of his quests had been updated or the massive amount of experience he had obtained from the untold number of creatures he had killed with that single attack. Kneeling in the middle of the canyon that was wide enough to house a capital city, he turned toward the small drop of concentrated blood. All that remained of Damocles.

  Yet he knew he had ultimately failed. He was spent. Restraining the opened cube had taken all his power; the small drop of blood started to shift, slowly but surely, reforming into Damocles.

  Akhenamen laughed bitterly.

  “You’re a goddamned monster.”

  “Says the one who almost shattered an entire continent directly protected and reinforced by a rank ten Transcendent like the System… we’re both monsters. After what you did… Do you truly believe those I once called brothers and sisters will allow you to live? That the System would defend you?”

  “No… I have become too dangerous, I suppose. But do not believe that-”

  “I know.”

  Damocles looked at Akhenamen, who was lying on the floor, his body now fully covered in skin but looking like he hadn’t eaten in years, more bones than flesh. Neither could move nor finish off the other.

  “I cannot die. Not when my children depend on me.”

  “Neither can I, Damocles.”

  As their eyes met, an impossible idea was formed between the two similar monsters. A forbidden idea. One that should never be born. Never be allowed by the System or any of the gods if it was known. Two opposite concepts brought together.

  Their hands reach toward the other’s, Cygilite’s Living Silver and Fallen’s immortal flesh reaching toward each other. Alone, they would not survive, not against the dozen Dominions about to descend on them.

  No matter who killed whom… Both were too dangerous and too much of a shame on the god’s pride to be allowed to live.

  But together?