[Third Person's PoV]
Zeraphiel appeared in a grand hall where the remaining six rulers convened.
"How did it go?" Auriel, the Ruler of Wisdom, inquired, his eyes scanning Zeraphiel's expression.
"How do you think? Ashborn grows more obstinate with each passing moment. He's never been one to reconsider once his mind is made up," Zeraphiel replied before detailing the content of her meeting with Ashborn.
"That fool…" Belisara, the Ruler of Night, sighed regretfully. "I really don't want to be his enemy, but he leaves us no choice."
"It was the same with our creator," Pyrrhon, the Ruler of Embers, added quietly, his voice laced with apprehension.
"Ashborn appears to be the one who most embodies our creator's image. Unfortunately, he seems to have inherited some of his more problematic traits," Liora, the Ruler of Justice, noted with a frown.
"Do we really have to align with the Monarchs?" Tylos, the Ruler of Perception, asked in exasperation, clearly opposed to the idea.
"What other choice do we have? We can't underestimate Ashborn. He's undoubtedly stronger than when we all confronted him to reach our creator," Chrona, the Ruler of Fate, replied solemnly.
"You could all die, for one," a cold voice interjected, sending a wave of shock through the room. All seven rulers turned to see the shadows stir, revealing Cid. He was clad not in his usual Shadow Garden attire but in his Monarch armor, which exuded an ominous presence.
"Ashborn?!" they cried out in disbelief.
"H-How…" Zeraphiel stuttered.
"I should thank you for showing me the way; I would have been lost otherwise," Cid said with a smirk, though his tone and expression betrayed no amusement.
Chrona regarded him warily. "Ashborn, what are you doing here?"
"Why don't you consult the Fates? That should answer your question," Cid sneered.
"You can't seriously be planning to kill us all, can you?" Liora asked, raising an eyebrow.
Cid chuckled. "You think you can come to my domain, threaten me, and I'd do nothing? You're becoming fools, all of you. You should know better."
"You can't be left to your own devices, Ashborn. You're unpredictable, a danger to the universe, perhaps even to neighboring ones, with all the Monarchs you'll create," Pyrrhon retorted with a grunt.
"No need to worry about that…" Cid said, shaking his head, a cold smile forming on his lips. "I've found a suitable solution to our little problem of producing too many Monarchs."
"You're going to kill us all and merge our existence with your wives to create Rulers, aren't you?" Auriel asked disdainfully.
"Well would you look at that? You aren't the Ruler of Wisdom for nothing then. If the issue is too many Monarchs, let's rectify that and make it even. What do you say?" Cid retorted arrogantly.
"I say you've lost your mind," Tylos replied, suddenly appearing behind Ashborn with his spear raised, thrusting it towards his back.
A resounding metallic clash echoed through the meeting hall as Tylos' spear tip was blocked by a concentrated spot of Armament Haki. Tylos, momentarily stunned, pushed harder, but the spear wouldn't budge.
Cid reached back, grabbed his spear and threw Tylos back to the others who managed to catch them.
"Let's get one thing straight…" Cid said, his eyes opening wider as a surge of Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, taking the rulers by surprise.
The oppressive spiritual pressure forced some of the rulers to struggle to stay on their feet, the sound of crackling thunder accompanying the black and purple arcs of lightning flashing around Cid.
"I've given you multiple chances to retreat, yet you refused to be grateful. Whatever happens next is your own doing," Cid declared.
'What an overpowering spiritual pressure!' They all thought along the same line.
Cid stepped forward and, in an instant, appeared crouched in front of Chrona, his fist drawn back, enveloped in both Armament and Conqueror's Haki. Without hesitation, he delivered a devastating uppercut to Chrona's stomach, causing her to vomit white and golden blood. As she was lifted off the ground, Cid followed with three more consecutive powerful punches, each one sending her higher until she crashed heavily against the far wall, her armor cracking from the impact.
All the Rulers didn't hesitate to act now, Cid's eyes followed all of their movements as their wings carried them at a supernatural speed. They were all circling him like a ground of vultures as his eyes shifted side to side almost in a blur.
Cid leaned back dodging a slash before standing up straight and twisting to the side dodging a stab. Cid's figure turned into multiple afterimages as he dodged all of their attacks mere centimeters by his side. He was gracefully moving and shifting between all of their stabs and jabs
Cid had twisted alongside one of the extended spears and backhanded Auriel with his fist.
Zeraphiel then turned into a streak of light, she moved at light speed and thrusted her spear towards Cid, but to her surprise Cid started moving at lightspeed as well.
He turned into a purple streak of light while Zeraphiel turned into a golden one. They both moved all over the grand hall in a manner of seconds, the two streaks of light smashing against one another, weaving through everything, intermingling with each other.
Zeraphiel created a shower of sword crosses, which she hurled towards Cid as they flew through the air.
Cid crafted a long whip with his purple light and swung it around at a blinding speed. It was as if an effective flashbang rang out as the two made contact and before Zeraphiel could dodge, the Light Whip slashed her front creating a whip wound in her front in a long slash, which sent blood flying and her crashing to the ground.
Cid was suddenly pushed hard against the wall by a sudden force, which caused it to crack and form a crater around him. When he looked he saw that the three Ruler's had used Ruler's Authority and it had taken three of them to push him away.
Cid counterattacked with his own Ruler's authority pushing against their collective one.
Pyrrhon appeared flying his wings thrusting a flaming spear, Cid kicked off the wall into a backflip dodging the attack, the wall erupted into flames behind him.
He extended his hands towards Pyyron and shot forth a chain of a purple flames, which caused him to scream as it burned right into his neck.
Cid spun him around and sent him flying and crashing into Tylos who tried to hide from him and sneak up against him.
Cid sent them a simple fireball but as it crashed against them it exploded into a dome of purple and black flames which engulfed them completely.
Belisara appeared, slashing her spear, unleashing slashes of starlight, which seemed to explode as dying stars.
Cid flew towards, weaving and dodging all of her slashing and appeared before her before she could react, he kneed her in the face so hard it her mouth had caved in slightly and was sent hurtling back flying through the air.
Cid jumped up, spun sideways in the air in a fast manner and spun kicked Liora across the face which lifted her off the ground and also spinning accidentally dropping her spear.
Cid stood by all the bleeding Rulers and dusted off the speck of dust over his shoulders.
[Third Person's PoV]
Half an hour later…
"Retribution!" shouted Liora, the Ruler of Justice, her voice echoing through the hall. Her armor was marred with cuts, cracks, and gaping openings from her battle with Cid. Despite the damage, she transformed it into her strength. Her body and spear glowed with a silver aura as she hurled the spear like a javelin toward him.
Cid, relying on his Observation Haki, detected the incoming attack. At the same time, he sensed Belisara, the Ruler of Night, concealed and ready to ambush him. As Liora's attack closed in, Cid leaped into a spinning motion, snatching the spear mid-air and thrusting it through Belisara's shoulder. The spear left a large hole, from which white and golden blood erupted, before embedding itself into the wall of the divine hall with a powerful impact, creating a massive crater.
Chrona, the Ruler of Fate, flapped her wings and appeared before Cid. She infused her spearhead with her power, making it destined to strike his heart. Cid summoned his sword, coating it with death energy, and met her strike, creating a cascade of sparks as he nullified the fate held within her spear.
"You can't escape Fate, Ashborn!" Chrona shouted as their weapons clashed.
"I'm not escaping it," Cid retorted with a snarling grin. "I'm making it my wife!"
Cid once again coated his blade with death energy. Sensing the threat, Chrona fated herself to survive. As Cid swung his sword in a vertical arc at blinding speed, Zeraphiel appeared, tackling Chrona out of harm's way as a massive, chilling crescent of energy tore through the air.
However, Zeraphiel, while moving at super speed, had a slow perception of time. She glanced at Cid and broke into a sweat as she realized his eyes were tracking her every movement with ease.
Tylos, the Ruler of Perception, appeared, slightly scorched. He created multiple duplicates of himself, making it nearly impossible to distinguish the real one. Cid unleashed his Conqueror's Haki in a powerful wave, and only one of the duplicates flinched. In a flash, Cid used Ruler's Authority to snatch Tylos' spear. Before Tylos could react, Cid was already in front of him, driving the spear through Tylos' stomach, making him cough up white and golden blood.
All Tylos saw was the cold, half-lidded gaze of Cid before being pushed back and pinned to the wall, the spear driven deeper, leaving only one way out.
Auriel, the Ruler of Wisdom, appeared alongside Pyrrhon, the Ruler of Embers. Auriel's mind raced, calculating every possible outcome, yet the odds seemed grim, making him wary. Pyrrhon, using his flames to boost himself, appeared before Cid and brought his spear down with all his strength. Cid blocked the attack with his Armament Haki-coated forearm, causing sparks to fly. Pyrrhon grinned as that's what he wanted, he used the embers to create ongoing explosions that engulfed Cid, as long as they were embers available he would be able to keep the fire ongoing.
To Pyrrhon's astonishment, the flames began to dissipate rapidly. Cid was using gluttony to consume the flames into his shadow through his palms, rendering Pyrrhon's assault futile.
Cid extended his hand to the side, releasing all the explosive energy he had absorbed toward Auriel, who was approaching. The force of the blast sent Auriel flying through the air, crashing against the wall with a resounding impact.
Cid turned to Pyrrhon, who was now visibly trembling. Taking a step forward, Cid flash-stepped, appearing behind Pyrrhon. "Boo," he whispered, sending a shiver down Pyrrhon's spine. Pyrrhon quivered as he felt Cid's cold hand wrap around his neck
.
However, Cid quickly sensed an ambush from three sides—Liora, Chrona, and Zeraphiel—moving at incredible speeds. To Cid, they appeared to be moving in slow motion. He smiled, closed his eyes, and allowed them to approach. Just as they prepared to impale him with their spears, Cid used [Shadow Switch], swapping positions with Pyrrhon.
In an instant, Cid stood where Pyrrhon had been, and Pyrrhon found himself in Cid's place, Pyrrhon's's hand were now around Cid's neck. Before the Rulers could react, their spears had already pierced Pyrrhon—Chrona's to his heart, and Liora's and Zeraphiel's to either side of his torso.
As Pyrrhon's grip on Cid's neck weakened, Cid stepped back, a smile playing on his lips. He watched as white and golden blood erupted from Pyrrhon's mouth, his eyes wide with horror. Cid mockingly covered his mouth, feigning shock.
"How could you!" he exclaimed in mock horror. "Or rather, I should be thanking you! When he had his hand on my neck, I thought I was a goner. You three saved my life!" he added, pretending to be tearful.
Pyrrhon slid off their spears, collapsing face-first to the floor. Blood pooled around him, the light in his eyes fading. The three Rulers stood frozen, staring in disbelief at the blood staining their spear tips. Their faces twisted with rage as they turned their tear-filled eyes to Cid.
"You monster," Zeraphiel spat venomously.
"Monsters are made," Cid replied coldly. "I'm merely your creation. None of this would have happened if you had just left me alone, as I asked. We can't blame anyone but ourselves for the monsters we create."
He stepped over Pyrrhon's lifeless body, approaching the three grieving Rulers. "It's a pity," he said, his tone mocking. "But let me remind you, it wasn't me who killed him. It was you three. It's your weapons, your hands, coated with his blood, not mine."
"He was your brother too, Ashborn," Liora said harshly.
"So was I," Cid retorted. "Yet you had no remorse or tears when I was at the end of your spears."
"Let's just end this," Chrona said, her voice heavy with determination.
"If you truly want it to be over," Cid suggested coldly, "then kill yourselves. The result would be the same."
Meanwhile, Tylos, weakened but resolute, grasped the end of his spear and began pushing himself off it. Blood—white and golden—stained the spear and splattered on the ground as he pulled himself free, gasping from the effort.
Belisara descended from the skies like a blazing comet, her voice erupting in a furious shout as she beheld Pyrrhon's lifeless form. Her rage was palpable, radiating in waves as she hurled her spear with immense force toward Cid.
Cid raised his hand just in time, catching the spear mere millimeters from his eye. The weapon trembled in his grasp, not from his own struggle, but from the sheer fury fueling Belisara's attack. The ground beneath him fractured from the intense pressure of her wrath.
The three remaining Rulers seized the perceived opening, charging at Cid in unison. However, he swung Belisara's body toward them like a human shield, forcing them to hesitate—unwilling to risk repeating their earlier fatal mistake. Using their hesitation to his advantage, Cid swung her once more with greater force, sending her crashing into Tylos. Both collided against the wall with a resounding thud.
In a blur of movement, Cid appeared before the stunned Belisara, still holding her spear. Without hesitation, he drove it through her heart, simultaneously impaling Tylos. The two Rulers gasped as the life drained from their bodies, their white and golden blood staining the ground beneath them.
Cid stepped back, dusting off his hands with a casual air. "Now, you can blame that one on me," he said with a smirk. "I take full accountability for it."
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