Perish.

Talen inhaled sharply. "You…"

"Yes. Me. I figured you'd be the biggest nuisance so I went after you first. Consider this an honor. Now die." Monstrum pointed at him. "Cleave… Veil."

Amit's body was instantly torn apart. Destroyed by the invisible darkness, his gory remnants fell onto the rooftop, leaking blood from every portion. Now nothing but a disembodied head and disconnected chest missing legs, Talen's eyes were devoid of life. Monstrum sighed.

"All that strength and you perish so easily. That's unfortunate. Well, it's all fine. Now that you're dead, I don't have anything to worry about—" He then realized, crossing his arms with a pout. "Oh right… you have that King and your dad. They'd probably put a damper on things, I think."

Then, someone fell from the clouds. Monstrum's head raised. He watched their body glide through the air until he crashed into the decimated street. The Monster God snickered. He could only watch as the man attempted to stand, steam seeping from his skin. With but a whisper, Malum vanished from the rooftop, reappearing before the man. His pointer pushed into his shoulder, halting him where he stood.

"Careful. If you step any further without my say-so, I'll kill you. Now, tell me. Who are you?" The Disastrous squinted. "I've been watching from the brat ever since I fought them yesterday. You must be the proxy. From where I was standing, you were pretty strong. You pushed the brat to his limit and made him use the Final. You deserve to be acknowledged. So tell me. Your full name."

Keres smiled through the burns. 'So this is him. The Disastrous Monster God. Malum Monstrum. If I weren't a goner, I'd probably be drowning in despair. His energy is different from the kid's. It's overwhelmingly evil. Even more so than… well, that doesn't matter now. Nothing does.' His mouth opened. "Illustrious. Illustrious Keres."

"Illustrious, huh? Keheh! I thought it'd be something funny like that." Monstrum smirked. "I'll be releasing you from my hold. When you do, I want you to flee. Run away as far as you can but ensure the message spreads. Tell them I've incarnated. It's only a matter of time before the rest of my limbs are found and consumed. Soon, I'll reclaim my unrivaled power. And when I do, I'll end it all. By my hand, this Empire… will crumble."

Keres was tossed by Monstrum's open hand. Upon falling to his bottom, he noticed. Not only had the numbness vanished but by merely glimpsing at his skin, all the burns had completely vanished; he'd been healed. Nevertheless, he hadn't a moment to lose.

The Disastrous turned away—arms cloaked within his robe. He shot neither glare nor a grimace. Malum's idle stance was accompanied by unfathomable wickedness upon his voice piercing the air.

"Begone."

Monstrum needn't turn back. From that day forward, Keres Illustrious never entered Barronia's premises again. He was but a forgettable ghost with a forgettable lineage. Despite that, the Disastrous was excited. He only had limited time so he couldn't loiter around anymore. What should he do next? What was his next move? Then, he remembered.

A boy with white hair and a strong sense of justice. The Monster God grinned. Perfect. Without a word, he vanished from the street, leaving Talen's mutilated corpse to decompose alone.

Atlas looked down at the deceased boy, long black hair moving in the wind as a chuckle escaped his lips. "You did well but you have much to learn. I'll lecture you later though. Now is the time for nothing but action."

A cane exited his shroud. Yanking the top revealed another blade—specialized with darkened steel glistening under moonlight's irradiance. Finally, he'd drawn the sword, but instead of using it to fight, he channeled his resolve.

"With this treasure, I summon you. Awaken, Chaos. Grant me your strength."

Alora started shaking Uriel's shoulders. "Uri! URI! SNAP OUT OF IT ALREADY, DAMMIT!!"

The Prince was entranced by personal despair. Surrounding him were his inheritance's corpses. The kingdom he would soon rule when his father's reign ended wasn't noble at all. The strong were monsters. They did nothing but devour the weak. That was the truth of the world he inhabited.

The disappointment he experienced was nothing short of disturbing. Despite that, even now, his conscience started adapting. His surroundings were scorched by blackened flames. All that engulfed him now was the truth of the white-haired Monster God towering over him. Malum needn't say a single word to paralyze the Prince with just his darkness.

"Hello. It's so nice to see you again."

"You… what happened to Anthony? How did this even happen?"

"Must you ask so many questions?" He chuckled, rubbing his chin. "Though, you don't need to worry about the brat. I can't accomplish my plans without him. For now, he lives. He's just dormant. Why?" Monstrum cackled. "HAH! Wait—! Are you seriously thinking of fighting me to free this kid? DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!"

Alora gasped. Both the Prince and Disastrous had instantly vanished. Uriel leaped backward; Malum flawlessly matched his speed and sprinted right after him.

Uriel aimed his palm at Monstrum. The Disastrous's eyes widened. Two invisible beings possessing immeasurable powers had manifested behind him. Wielding heavenly axes, the warrior Angels slashed him from behind. He couldn't vanish. Arm over his head to block their attacks, the Monster God smirked and slapped away their blades, watching them stumble back.

He leaped, reappearing beside one of the Angels and kicking it in the back of the skull. The other Angel sliced the air with its hatchet—the slash soaring through the air to slam Monstrum through the surrounding buildings.

He smashed through a building's rear, landing on his feet and sliding across the ground. His eyes widened upon noticing a golden lance inch into his pupil. Monstrum spun around and kicked Uri across the face, grabbing him by the throat and launching him into the sky. The Prince spun around momentarily until he summoned a wing—maintaining levitation amid the clouds. Spinning the yellow spear around, Uriel scanned the sky.

The Disastrous on the ground pointed at the sky. "Destroy… Veil," he said.

Uriel raised his spear to block the darkened slash.

Gritting his teeth, he peered through the blackness, realizing a hole was forming in its center. The projectile gradually disassembled before fading away completely to reveal he who stood on the other side of the sky. Monstrum pulled back a bow composed entirely of shadows—releasing an arrow that split apart the clouds and shot toward the Prince. Another Angel manifested in front of him, covering its chest with crossed arms.

Uriel's eyes widened.

Monstrum reappeared behind Barron, grabbing his foe by the head and guiding him into his knee. Blood splattering from his face to dirty the air around them, Uriel reeled back; his right arm shivering.

The Prince stifled laughter. "You're really strong…" he said weakly.

"That's funny. So are you. Back then, why didn't you try so hard? And another thing. Why haven't you asked… about the Amit boy?"

Uriel's eyes widened. "What? What the hell are you talking about? What did you do to him?"

Monstrum was silent. Still smirking.

"HEY!! ANSWER ME!!"

Then it hit him. He could only ask himself why he was screaming moments before the Angels were summoned. Instantaneously, an army of winged beings wielding heavenly weaponry and insurmountable strength appeared all behind the Prince. The cut across his temples pouring blood down his face sunk into his eyes to give them a crimson tint.

"Divine Intervention. Final Summon."

Uriel aimed ahead with one golden sword—pointing the tip at Monstrum's throat.

"Archangel Assembly."

Monstrum chuckled. "I see. So this is where you start burning through your life! ALRIGHT THEN!! SHOW ME, PRINCE URIEL BARRON—!!"

The unexpected happened. Both of them were seconds away from beginning a dangerous duel. What stopped them? It was the scent of a familiar soul. One who'd all but perished. It couldn't be right. He'd undeniably fallen when Monstrum's technique destroyed him. So how was he alive… and why did he feel so much stronger?

Despite his damaged arms, Talen Amit stood tall on the rooftop he'd died on—finger aiming directly at the floating Disastrous.

"Destroy, Disorder."

As the clouds drifted apart, they revealed the night sky; stars barely visible while the moon reigned all. The darkness was vast. It seemed never-ending. Then again, that was before someone invaded the darkness. An emotionless devil with horns for eyes and a sealed mouth entered the atmosphere. Right now, the planet they inhabited could be crushed at any moment—by the literal Devil incarnation holding Earth between his fingers.

Even Monstrum couldn't contain his confusion. It was remarkable. A mere human of this world was capable of summoning a real-life otherworldly Daemon. And even more so than that… this boy somehow resurrected from his technique. It didn't make any sense. How far could Talen grow before he hit his limiter? It intrigued him. After all, in the wrong hands, the Unconquerable technique could be the key to destroying the world. Of course, it intrigued him.

"I see. I'm outmatched here. If I wait for even a second longer, I'll surely die. So, goodbye." Monstrum's white hair started returning to brown. "Let us meet again, Talen Amit, Uriel Barron. I hope the next time I see you two… you'll have grown ten times as strong!"

And with that, the Disastrous Monster God was repressed once more. Anthony's body was caught from the air by Talen's regenerated arms. As he landed carefully onto the road beside Alora, Uriel followed suit and released the wing aiding him. Finally, he sighed.

Talen knelt, cradling Tony in his arms. Despite the dire circumstances Alora couldn't ignore it—the uncaring grimace across her brother's face.

"Hey. What happened to you?" she asked.

Amit looked at her. "I don't remember. I think I died," he said.

Her eyes widened. "I… how did..?"

"It was my bad. I was superstitious and arrogant. I'm sorry. I used too much of my power. The proxy's plan succeeded. At least Anthony is still alive—"

"Keres," said Tony. "The proxy. His name was Keres Illustrious. He must've been… Alora's father."

"My… father?"