Zion's chest tightened as his breath hitched—his lungs refusing to work. His wide, disbelieving eyes locked onto the glowing sigils of the Ruler's Palm, the ancient technique that now ensnared them all.
"High Head—!" Zion's voice cracked, raw with panic. "What is this?! Are you going to kill us all?!"
A slow, chilling chuckle rolled from Krelious's lips. The sound was smooth, almost amused, as if he were watching children struggle against an inevitable truth.
"No," he said, tilting his head. "I will do no such thing. I am trying to save our race, not destroy it."
Tavis, his muscles straining against the invisible force, let out a bitter, ragged laugh. His teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached.
"Using the Ruler's Palm on us," he spat, "and you're still talking shit?"
Krelious sighed—a sound of disappointment, like a teacher watching a student fail a simple test.
"Let me help you once more, Tavis."
Tavis's eyes snapped wide. A cold, primal terror surged through him. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped beast.
"NO—NO, PLEASE—!"
But his plea was useless.
Krelious's lips parted, and from them spilled a chant—words older than time, older than their civilization. The syllables twisted in the air, writhing like living shadows.
And then—
Silence.
Tavis's mouth sealed shut, his lips fusing as if welded by an unseen hand. His eyelids locked, plunging him into darkness. His limbs stiffened, frozen mid-struggle. He could still hear—every whisper, every breath—but nothing more.
Leviam stumbled back, his face pale.
"What have you done to our chief, High Head?!"
Krelious smirked.
"I just immobilized him. That's all."
Janyi's hands trembled. His voice was barely a whisper, a fragile thing breaking under the weight of realization.
"Everything he's done until now… it's impossible. Krelious… what are you? Not even a purebred ruler possesses this kind of power…"
Krelious's grin widened, stretching unnaturally, like a crack forming in the world itself.
"Allow me to tell you all a little secret."
Zion's frown deepened.
"What do you mean, High Head?"
Zielan shook his head, his mind reeling.
"I'm lost too."
Nielan scoffed, his pride refusing to bend.
"We already know everything there is to know about our race. What else could you possibly tell us?"
Krelious laughed again—long, deep, mocking. The sound echoed through the chamber, bouncing off the walls like a living thing, taunting them.
Amiss, clenched her fists. Her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood.
"I just hope… that after all this, we aren't executed for our betrayal."
But then—
Nielan had enough.
With a roar that shattered the air, he broke free. The Ruler's Palm's chains shattered like glass. Golden light erupted from his body, a storm of raw, untamed power. The planet itself trembled as he ascended, his form twisting, expanding—becoming something greater, something primordial.
His transformation sent shockwaves through reality. Dimensions quaked.
And then—
He struck.
With infinite speed, he descended upon Krelious, his fist aimed at his skull—
But time stopped.
The rulers froze. The universe held its breath.
And in that suspended moment, Krelious moved.
A single punch.
CRACK.
Nielan was gone—hurled beyond the universe, beyond everything, into the swirling chaos of the multiverse.
Time resumed.
Nielan, disoriented but furious, tried to regain his footing—
Only for Krelious to appear behind him.
Another blow.
This time, to his spine.
Before he could fly away, Krelious grabbed his leg and slammed him downward—
Straight into the core of the multiverse itself.
The impact resonated across all existence.
And as the dust settled, one thought echoed in every ruler's mind:
What… is he?
To Be Continued.