Helburk City's Grim Reaper

Brother Rodryck watched from a distance, his mouth agape as the battle reached its conclusion. Aemedius was impressive, but it was Sister Elara's technique that truly captivated him.

However, his astonishment soon twisted into horror as the impossible unfolded right before his eyes. The defeated intruder defied death, suddenly reappearing behind Elara.

Rodryck's instincts urged him to act. But before he could do or say anything, The Matriarch's voice cut through the silence, cold and foreboding.

"Three..." Her malevolent gaze bore into Elara, who immediately crumpled to her knees, pressed down by an inexplicable might.

The witnesses stood still like statues, terror and disbelief flickering across their faces as the severed head and fallen body disintegrated into dust.

"You're mistaken about something, titanium head" The Matriarch addressed Aemedius, her tone laced with a venomous warning.

"There is only one God, and he's not the type to forgive or show mercy to his enemies" A fearsome glint flashed in her eyes as she spoke.

In response, Aemedius drew his glowing handle from its sheath.

"You have once again committed the unforgivable sin of blasphemy," he declared, his gaze sharpening with murderous intent. "But before I lay you to eternal rest, do you care to explain the nonsense you've just spewed?"

The Matriarch hesitated for a moment before turning away from him.

"I can't afford to waste more time on you..." She began walking towards the enormous gateway, then paused abruptly.

"Perhaps if your path crosses mine in the future. But as for today, this is where I bid you farewell..." She resumed her steady steps. "Pitiful subjects of Leonidas."

With a snap of her fingers, the world turned upside down. And one after the other, everyone collapsed like marionettes with severed strings.

Aemedius plunged his sword deep into the snow, seeking to resist the inevitable. But even he soon gave in, his head hanging low in defeat.

Meanwhile, Rodryck's mind raced as his vision began to blur. 'I won't give in. I'm nothing like the rest of them,' his thoughts echoed desperately.

'I'm stronger. I'm smarter... I'm bette...'

But unfortunately, the darkness swiftly encroached his will, leaving nothing but a haunting silence in the winter morning.

—

To begin with, The Matriarch was never physically present at the border. She had left the capital after meeting Invel the night before.

The intruder was just an illusionary double maintained by a hidden animal imbued with a fraction of her chakra and consciousness.

A Faker's basic illusion targets the traditional five senses; sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing. The mode of activation depends on the Faker's chakra usage medium. And The Matriarch is among the handful of chakra-users in history adept at using sound to release and manipulate chakra and prana.

Elara's technique supposedly stops the target from directlyinterfering with non-targets and the space outside. But it has a loophole— it doesn't block sound waves.

So, after Eamon entered the barrier's physical domain, the Matriarch could easily place him under an illusion using her voice.

This illusion made him believe he had unleashed his mightiest blows, when in reality, he stood motionless, a statue in flesh and bone.

Consequently, the more power the double used, the faster the Matriarch's consciousness in the animal faded. And to get rid of Elara's barrier, she sacrificed the initial copy, luring Aemedius with the hand-blade attack on Eamon that wouldn't have landed anyway.

Having created a new copy and put all the hindrances to sleep, she had less than five minutes until her consciousness in the animal disappeared completely.

"Fuuu... I went a bit overboard" She murmured, watching her hand involuntarily twitch and distort, warning her of the impending dematerialization.

When she reached the front of the golden rook etched into the wall extension, right side of the enormous gateway, she halted her steps and reached forward.

But as her fingertips landed on the rook's surface, a sudden premonition gripped her, jolting her senses.

Her eyes snapped open, alarmed. But when she tried to turn—

Zhiiing

A metallic hiss shivered through her shoulder and her right arm dropped like deadweight.

The Matriarch grimaced, not in pain but with a twisted grin of shock and amazement.

Right in front of her eyes, the figure of a person ascended from nothing. It started from the boots, then the legs formed, followed by the gradual solidification of the body and head.

"To have completely erased every trace of your existence..." The Matriarch paused, fascination beaming on her face. "You're one of those generational prodigies, aren't you?"

"Prodigy?" The figure, with hair like molten silver, tilted her head in thought. "Cross says the same so maybe... I suppose so."

In response, The Matriarch gave a knowing smile.

"I see. You must be the Silver Slayer. You're a living legend in Helburk City's underworld. Such an unexpected time and place for our first encounter."

Crescencia was taken aback but after a moment, she opened her mouth and spoke.

"It's the first... the first I've been called that name in years," she said, her tone tinged with surprise. But then, her expression suddenly shifted into a bloodthirsty scowl.

"But tell me... if I slayed your god, will the real you come after me for revenge, miss clone?" Her threat hung in the air like a heavy fog, and in response, the Matriarch's gaze hardened.

"Don't kid yourself. You do not have what it takes nor will you get the opportunity to meet him today..." Her cold and calculating eyes flung wide open with urgency. "For, you're about to join your allies in slumber" She declared, snapping her fingers to seal Crescencia's fate.

Reality shuddered. However, Crescencia defied the supposed fate, suddenly appearing beside the Matriarch.

"I see..." The silver haired enigma paused, reaching below to grab something.

The Matriarch's pupils shrunk, her instincts kicked in and she leaped back. But Crescencia's reach had not been for her. The target was the snowshoe hare that was concealed beneath her cloak, now dangling helplessly by its ears in Crescencia's grip.

"You must have been worried Mr Gorilla's attacks would harm this bunny, how touching" She said, referencing Eamon. In response, the Matriarch's face contorted.

"Seeing as you're still on guard even after putting almost every obstacle to sleep, it must mean you haven't achieved your true aim yet" Crescencia raised the hare up to eye level. "You know what happens if I kill this bunny, don't you?"

A gale descended and the Matriarch's frown deepened.

"But you haven't, so what now?" She asked and in a blink, a whisper of steel sang past her, almost grazing her cheek.

Next, Crescencia vanished, only to reappear in the same split-second holding plucked strands of black hair.

This prompted the Matriarch to instinctively touch the jagged edges of her tresses in disbelief. She had completely failed to keep track of the silver slayer's movements.

"You might be a mere clone that turns into dust once killed and replaced," Crescencia's face softened as she brought the strands of hair close to her nose. "But you smell just like him."

"I have a feeling you're just as strong. So hurry up and tell me where to find the real you" She added.

The Matriarch's internal alarm rang.

'She's crazy,' she took a step backward, her skin breaking out into a cold sweat. She glanced at her severed arm that lay lifeless on the floor.

She hadn't created another one to conserve chakra for the purpose of her main goal. But after taking a moment to collect her thoughts—

"No!" She responded firmly.

"I'm serious. I'll really kill this bunny." Crescencia warned, lifting the hare higher for The Matriarch to see.

"Not a bunny, but do as you please." The cloaked intruder shrugged, her voice devoid of concern.

"You don't care what happens to this super cute bunny?"

"As a matter of fact, I do not."

"How heartless..." Crescencia lamented. "Such a shame, I really wanted to fight someone as strong as Invel..." She channeled her chakra into the hare, burning out the final ember of the Matriarch's power and consciousness.

But then, Crescencia's eyes widened with a sudden realization.

"Ah, aren't you worried about your god? With me here, he'll never be able to escape" She said. And the Matriarch smiled, her hand slowly disintegrating into dust.

"You have a point, you're one big hindrance..." She paused, her voice grim yet composed. "But make no mistake, the outcome has already been determined. He was always going to escape the capital irrespective of your efforts, mine or anyone else's."

A heavy silence fell as Crescencia watched the Matriarch's remnants fade away.

"Also, it's a bit wrong to put Invel in the same bracket as me. I may not look it, but... I raised that child." With this final declaration, The Matriarch vanished completely and there was silence.

"Oh God! I can't believe I forgot to ask the name of her shampoo" Crescencia lamented regrettably, releasing the hare as the hair in her palm turned into dust.

***