Chapter 34: Decree of Fate (Part 2)

Barbarus, Northern Mountains, the old stronghold.

Now.

The once austere and minimally adorned conference room was now bathed in opulence. Not by any added decoration, but by the mere presence of a man seated at its center. His white robe, intricately traced with golden threads, shimmered with a radiant glow. From a distance, the gold was almost imperceptible, the robe appearing to simply shimmer with a golden light.

High-ranking officers crowded the room's perimeter, none daring to approach the man. They looked upon him with a mix of reverence and awe.

The man's demeanor shifted effortlessly between compassion and sorrow to sternness and an aura of impending doom. His long, raven-black hair cascaded freely, each strand appearing as if meticulously crafted by a master sculptor.

His golden eyes seemed to pierce through the walls, reaching out to the highest peaks in the distance.

Is it still not enough?

Suddenly, the man, who had been as still as a statue, moved. He reached for the blade sheathed at his waist.

+Transmission+

Wait?!

Barbarus, Northern Mountains, atop the domain of the Xenos Lord Necare.

Simultaneously.

Hades's vision blurred, large patches of dark green clouding his sight.

As his consciousness teetered on the edge of oblivion, he saw Mortarion, staggering under the weight of psychic energy and toxic miasma, finally collapsing to one knee.

No. It shouldn't be this way.

Then, Hades plunged into the abyss of unconsciousness.

In the final moments before his consciousness faded, a surge of survival instinct and overwhelming despair caused his suppressed nullifying aura to erupt!

Previously, Hades couldn't fully expand his nullifying aura due to the limitations of his physical strength. But now, on the brink of death, his body instinctively unleashed its full power.

— A silent explosion of immense magnitude —

A vast sphere of darkness enveloped the mountaintop. Unlike the usual diluted shade, this aura was a profound black, seemingly swallowing all light and matter. Xenos Lord Necare immediately fell to his knees, blood spraying from his skin as if he were a ripe tomato being crushed. His eyes bulged, and the hand that once held the scythe "Silencer" released its grip, scratching frantically at his chest.

Across from him, Mortarion shuddered, clutching his scythe tightly as blood oozed from every orifice.

The oppressive silence seemed to last an eternity, yet it was but a moment.

As the darkness began to recede, Mortarion, his body corroded by the toxic miasma, struggled to his feet.

He approached the kneeling Necare, raising his scythe.

Necare looked up, eyes wide with terror, as the shadow of the reaper loomed over him.

No—no, no!

Mortarion grinned.

The scythe fell.

Necare's grotesque head rolled to the ground.

Mortarion, barely able to stand, knelt beside the severed head.

"I've finally killed you, father."

His skeletal face, corroded by the miasma, couldn't form a smile.

He glanced towards Hades.

"Sorry, and thank you."

With that, the towering figure collapsed.

As he fell, a brilliant golden light illuminated the mountaintop, dispelling the surrounding miasma.

From the light emerged a majestic figure: the Emperor, clad in his resplendent golden armor. His raven-black hair crowned with a golden laurel wreath, he approached Mortarion, cradling his fallen son.

A squad of Custodian Guards and Silent Sisters emerged from the golden light behind the Emperor.

The leading Silent Sister knelt beside Hades, her gestures conveying a message in the intricate sign language of her order.

"My Lord, he's an outsider."

A Custodian Guard, his voice cold and detached, aimed his guardian spear at the unconscious Hades.

A brief pause.

The Custodian seemed to be seeking guidance from his master on whether to eliminate this unpredictable element.

"No."

"Take him for treatment."

**Only one more chapter, and the Barbarus arc will conclude!**