Fated Empire Long Abandoned.

"Oh my. And here I thought you'd all last a little longer. What a disappointment. Isn't that right, Monstrum?" asked the King, looking up at Monstrum perched atop a rock.

He smirked. "It's so good to see you again... King Uriel Barron. Where's Talen? I wanna fight some more," he said.

"Hidden. Sorry, but we still have a lot for him to do. You can't kill him just yet."

Monstrum swayed to the left, letting his long hair fall. "Really? And who are you to say what I can and cannot do?" He queried with a wide smirk.

"Enough talk." Aella stepped forward. Letting her powerful aura surge all around her, the Displacement glared at her foe. "Let's slaughter this fool already."

"Ho? I'd like to see you TRY!"

Monstrum pounced at his foes. The activation of his angelic Power was reflexive. As Uriel yanked a heavenly lance from one golden gateway, he lunged the length ahead--feeling it clash against Malum's fist. Aella, using her King's shoulder as leverage, spun her legs over Uri's head and kicked the Disastrous in the side of the head. He flew back into the kingdom behind them. Uriel and Aella glanced at one another, then vanished entirely.

The Monster God, tumbling across the road, dragged the concrete as he flew ahead. Finally, he crashed into a destroyed storefront and perked up, stifling a chuckle. He spat blood out the corner of his mouth.

'I expect nothing less from the second-strongest Displacement. That being said, it's odd to call that wench my sister, despite our shared imprisonment time. She has a technique that interferes with the soul. Meaning...'

Raven dragged her arms behind her and sprinted atop a crumbling skyscraper's rooftop; overlooking Monstrum. He vanished. Hastily reshaping the base of her Fate, she formed a dagger in her hand and swiped at her rear. Malum, appearing behind her, leaned back and jumped away, summoning the darkness in the form of a claymore.

"Hold nothing back," he said.

She scoffed. "Never."

In a chamber shrouded with darkness, Atlas shut a book, sighing longingly. Slicking back his long black hair parted in the middle, the Progenitor stood from the chair behind his desk and pushed the novel back into the shelf. Then, he fell back into the seat. Amit dug into his pocket, revealing a pack of cigarettes; one already between his perfectly-glossed lips.

'Malum Monstrum. The Disastrous Monster God. When I first approached him, I couldn't believe it. Unsurpassable power channeled to the utmost limit can alter one's physical shape and eventually make them an unimaginable monster. A calamity incarnate.'

Aella repeatedly swung the blade at Monstrum's throat; The Disastrous consistently deflected with his sword. Because of the overwhelming weight, untold power was stored within the edge and so, with one clean stroke, Raven watched her blood enter the air. Eyes shrinking to prinks, Malum vented a cackle as his right hand finished slashing her bust. He watched her collapse to her knees.

His eyes rolled. "You Displacements are so inferior. What you should've done is throw that dagger aside and used a decoy. With me distracted, you could use the opening you made with the fake, thereby utterly annihilating me." Monstrum pointed at her. "I'll neatly cut you apart and enjoy the feast later."

A grip appeared on Malum's shoulder. The Monster's blood-red eyes reflected her gorgeous appearance upon gradually spinning around. Aella punched him across the face, launching the Disastrous from the spliced-apart rooftop and through more buildings around her.

Uriel exited a portal manifesting above the building. Aiming the spear he mustered at the heavens, the Supreme King's holy Crown released a blinding gleam.

"My turn."

Using the Angels' pure benevolent energy, Uriel threw his spear into the roof and watched as the skyscraper imploded from within, throwing the Disastrous through the floors below.

Meanwhile, Atlas back in his chamber removed the stick from his mouth and exhaled, venting a cloud of smoke into the air. 'Malum Monstrum's true power doesn't lie in his Fate Mastery. He can barely be called a Fate user, to begin with. Somehow, the Disastrous managed to attain new heights; shattering everything that came before it to achieve an undoubtedly demonic appearance. His Predestined Power is 'Veil'. I'd say that's similar to the Unconquerable technique's Displacement familiars, but since Malum was born from Eros, it only makes sense.' He released more mist from his jaw. Resting his elbow on the desk, he continued smoking. 'I doubt any of them will survive his massacre.'

Back at the Empire, Monstrum flew out the building's front entrance and bounced off the street, embedding into a wall above the street. He wiped the blood from his nose, chuckling.

"That was a good one—"

It was then he realized. The Disastrous hopped up from his crater and soared into the air, scanning the entire city from above. All that remained were the remnants of Jotan--its residents all burnt to ashes along with their former home on the verge of collapse. At least Malum could marvel at that. Nevertheless, he was still disappointed.

He scratched his nape. "What a bore. That fight against the Unconquerable was fun, but the King intervened and took him away. Neither that white-haired brat nor Raven was here to fight me. They were here to stall." He guffawed. "Wasn't a bad plan. After all, they managed to make me bleed."

Monstrum looked to the sky, reflecting the scenery of the vast blue sky and its infinite white clouds. But one thought coursed through his head as he disgustedly stared at the unparted heavens.

'This world never changes.'

For some reason, the Disastrous Monster God didn't run to Barronia, intending to slaughter them all. Instead, he shrunk back into his human form and once he finished doing so, vanished without a trace. Malum Monstrum was gone. But despite the perpetrator's disappearance, the destruction he wrought remained still.

On June 15th, 2022, the bare flesh of Anthony Whitlock, Monstrum's vessel, was discarded—allowing the Disastrous Monster God, Malum Monstrum, to fully incarnate. With his resurrection came Jotan's complete and utter decimation. Every single peaceful citizen dwelling within the kingdom was mercilessly extinguished by the murderous Monstrum's unavoidable Predestined Power.

In the end, the former decision to slaughter Anthony Whitlock was deemed just and so, the uncountable citizens of the remaining two kingdoms pointed their fingers at the one responsible: Talen Amit.

In Barronia's throne room, everyone gathered together… missing three. The only one uninformed was the Unconquerable, who limped into the chamber with stares spelling disaster. He looked up at them all.

"W-what?" He chuckled. "Tony died, Monstrum escaped. That's all that happened, right? It's unfortunate but… I'll avenge him. And slaughter both Monstrum and Atlas!"

Their somber glares didn't fade. Once those fateful words spouting Archer's name spewed from Uriel's mouth, the world around Talen darkened completely. But that wasn't all.

"After Tony's death and your fight with Monstrum, we gathered to try and stop him. It only made things worse. The Enforcers called for backup were slaughtered by his domain once it was summoned over the city. It massacred everyone. Every last man, woman, and child living in that kingdom. He didn't spare… a single one," said Uriel, rubbing his temples with two fingers.

Tal stepped forward. "T-that can't be possible! A-archer… Archer… can't be dead!" He cried.

Ava clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palm. Biting down her lip, about to draw blood, her mother emerged from behind with one hand on her daughter's shoulder. Valentina didn't glance at her, instead, the lady watched her mother walk down the steps and reach her older brother.

"Talen."

She knelt before him. As her son's head raised, the face of his mother eased him into tranquility.

"Now isn't the time to be emotional. We must grab our bearings and focus on gathering plans for our next move," she said.

Tal yanked back from her. "W-what?" He shook his head. "You're crazy! What are you even saying?! Now's not the time to be emotional? Our brother just died! Your son—"

Valentina hugged him. The embrace was nostalgic. He completely melted in her arms and sunk his face into her neck, sobbing lowly. Stroking the back of her son's head, Val's eyes closed; everyone else looked down—mimicking her action.

They prayed for their fallen comrades and the family they left behind.

'Tony, Archer… keep watching us. We all hope to see you both again someday.'

…

5 hours later.

Royal Palace Dining Room.

Talen closed the door behind him from the bedroom and slid into a chair, sitting beside Alora who smiled.

"You alright?" She asked.

He shrugged, digging into his pocket.

Uriel, standing at the end of the table, looked at his remaining comrades. Talen, Alora, Aella, Ava, Marie, Lily, and Valentina, who was sleeping in the other room. He sighed. Only three of their members were gone and even still, it felt like a huge loss. Especially with their biggest weapon gone and sealed.

"Alright. Is everyone here ready?"

They nodded. Talen flicked his lighter, inviting the flame.

"First, we'll discuss Eros Amit's sealing. Because of Valentina, we know her husband's sealed in the sword Atlas always uses, however, we don't know how to dispel the imprisonment seal. I suppose we just cross that road when we get to it. I digress. The main topic regarding the Unconquerable's sealing is the information learned through the bug planted on him by me," he said.

Talen hit the end of the spliff in his mouth with the fire.

Alora scratched her head. "You had Eros bugged?"

"Remember when we were fighting in May? Yeah, I sent some drones after him and once he touched them, they bugged him. This is the information we learned through that bug…"

The King displayed a holographic image from his wristwatch that replayed the instant Eros was captured by Atlas and their following conversation. Because the bug was implanted rashly, everyone only focused on the audio.

'You asked me to explain. I'm explaining. Humans aren't exclusive to the Kismet Empire. There's a whole planet left of them far beyond this miniature peninsula. I can't say why the Empire moved away from modern civilization, but their society's inferior to ours. They do have their uses, however. Every Displacement in this building was a former human imprisoned in Fate's Realm by none other than myself. That being said, they're experimental.'

The sound of chirping birds outside the Progenitor's window alerted him to morning's prompt arrival. Mumbling sleepily, Atlas rubbed his eyes and stood from the desk, scratching the back of his neck.

'What a pain.'

"Master…"

Through the scrofulous shadows entangling the entire room, a disturbing sound akin to the undead droned out from the wall before him. Atlas sighed, sliding his hand over the painting, and opening its contents to reveal him inside. Inside a bubbling tank with entirely green liquid was none other than his second-in-command, Apollo Moloch.

"I understand your agony. But I'm trying to get some good sleep in before the big day, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't groan like that," he said.

"Is this a bad time?" A husky voice asked.

Atlas instantly halted. Peering over his shoulder, Amit's barren eyes reflected Malum Monstrum's fully incarnated and human appearance.

"No. Now that we're all here…" Atlas turned to the keypad on the side of the tube and disabled the stasis, allowing Apollo to fall out. "…let's get started."

Back in Barronia.

As the slideshow ended, Talen handed Alora the spliff, to which she quickly snatched it and started smoking. In the background, Uriel kept talking.

The King raised one finger. "First, we suspected as much because of the supposed memories each Displacement receives whenever they exit Fate's Realm. That means they must've had physical forms, but they were altered upon being forcibly imprisoned, with such examples being Umbra and Maeve. Neither possessed amplification abilities like that of Monstrum's power." He raised another. "Second, we need to discuss the method Atlas seeks to use to achieve his goal. Nobody knows what he wants, but from the way he describes the other humans, it's probably something to do with them considering that's how he made Displacements."

The hologram faded. Sighing, the King slicked back his hair.

"And that's just going over the stuff we do know. As for Atlas and Monstrum's long-term goals, we don't even have a semblance of a clue," he said.

"It's simple." Talen's fist sunk into his cheek. "We're going to stop him. Going into unknown territory is dangerous but… I think this is something we have to do. Something we've been waiting for since the start of this conflict."

Alora's head tilted. "Whaddya mean?"

"This has been in the works for centuries. If we let this continue any longer, more innocent people will die. The option to help whenever we can because of the Powers we possess should come naturally. You agree too, don't you… Uri?"

He looked down. "It's not like we have much of a choice," he shrugged.

"Exactly. That's all the more reason to go."

The King nodded. His bright-blue eyes scanned his seated comrades and sighed. Uriel's left hand raised.

"All in favor of chasing after Atlas by traveling to the mainland beyond this island say 'Aye'."

Everyone's hands were raised. Talen, at the table's end, inhaled from the joint fixed between his lips.

"Aye," they all said.

"Alright. Now then, let's start moving... shall we?"

The numerous players on both sides schemed to thwart the other. One in Barronia, the other on the mainland. Atlas couldn't help but sip from his glass and smirk the moment it withdrew from his mouth.

"Let the Game begin."

Deserters arc - Fin!