Alarick floated above the city in silence, as he threw the torn remnants of his torn family regalia off of him, letting it go as it was carried away in the chill night wind… He slowly lifted his head, as he opened his eyes. As his opponent’s rage had risen as well… So had his, his anger exploded as he yelled at the Apostle below him

“No ambition?! As if you weren't the one who had your family taken. You're simply carrying on a grudge from centuries ago. With people like you, it's Honor this, my bloodline that. All the damn time and I've grown tired of it. Fighting for this so-called honor, and killing that many in the process… Regardless of how you twist it, you are simply too dangerous to be left alive… With what you kaemerge have done in the past. Who knows what you shall do afterward.”

Alarick straightened his fingers once again, as the black blade of light extended once again. And a small blue light began to flow around the outer edges of his body.

“You are the culmination of everything wrong with nobles, everything wrong with noble politics. I know what my ambition is… Avenge my family. AND CRUSH YOU!!”

Alarick let out a war cry, which echoed through the city as he began his charge at Blumstein, who squinted his eyes, as the cards around him began to speed up, he soon grasped the cards between his fingers, before he flung them at Alarick. The cards soon began to flow around him as he continued his descent.

“Draw, Straight Shot, Barrage!!!”

A weaving Maelstrom of beams began flowing around Alarick. Forcing him to stop his offensive, his eyes darted around as he moved back, landing on a wall and breaking off pieces of stone as he slammed his fist. With the stone moving to cover his arms. Before he began to charge at Blumstein once again. As the beams continued raining upon him, he moved his arms, stopping the assault with the stone, though he found it chipped away by attacks. Blumstein would not let this continue for long, as the cards soon began to change their angles as they fired at him. Forcing Alarick into forging more stone shields around his body. However, the volume of beams simply increased, as the beams began to fire at a higher rate, something Alarick took notice of.

“His beams are faster than I can avoid, just like that Myron brother...But there is one weakness, It looks like he can only fire in one straight line… if I force him to move them and keep watch on their new positions, I can get in close enough… to use that attack. “

Alarick began to set his plan into motion, rather than charge, he began to ascend, which his opponent took notice of, stopping his fire as the cards homed in on Alarick. They began to move around him once again, stopping as they fired the beams, before quickly moving to a new angle. Creating a sort of pattern. Alarick’s observant eyes darted around at the source of these attacks, and the angles. Though he hadn’t been able to get away from the pure speed, he was able to get out of the firing path, the beams going past him and ripping into the ground. It was time to begin the second stage of his plan. He began a charge at his opponent, who squinted his eyes as he took notice of the fact that none of his attacks hit. It was then that he decided to speed up the changing angles, to stop his assault. However, Alarick would simply speed up, continuing to take note of where the cards stopped. Blumstein continued firing regardless, as he began hatching a strategy in his head, eventually deciding on a simple one. About 4 of the cards stopped their assault, moving to fire at Alarick from behind. Unlike those that were around him, these attacks were a direct hit. Though his defense was chipping away, he steeled forward regardless.

“That won't be enough!!!”

Elsewhere, the apostle glanced down at his deck, or rather what was left. Compared to the wealth he had before, there were but 2 measly cards.

“I have a defense and assault card, using a duo is out of the question. I need to shuffle, but with him this close, that'll be an issue!”

As he bent his knees, ready to leap away and make his escape, at least for now. Alarick’s eyes darted over to the man and took notice of his bent knees. To him, it was clear what he was trying to do...And he wouldn’t have it.

“I'm not letting you escape, your life shall end here!!! Von Zaisen-Secret Art-”

The ground soon began to rumble, as the earth began to rupture, the rubble of the buildings around them soon began to float, the pavement and the natural ground did the very same, they soon began to come together in the sky above them. Blumstein did not jump back, though he was prepared, instead, looking up in confusion.

“What is he doing?”

Alarick swiftly ascended, coming to join the cluster of earth and concrete, as he yelled out but two words.

“Adler Fahren!!”(Eagle Drive)

The stone soon began to morph, into a familiar construct. A bird-like torso formed, soon followed by two stone wings springing outward, with sharp talons at the very end. Then, out came the legs, sprouting from the bottom of the torso, with the eagle-like head coming out soon after… As the beast began to descend, it cast a shadow over the multiple blocks below it. The flapping of its wings was much more life-like. In addition to its noticeably larger size. Gihren’s mouth was left agape… But he soon regained his composure, forcing it close.

“It's the same technique that he used against Alfon… And it looks to me like it’s gotten stronger.”

Alarick floated above with his gaze fixated on Blumstein, he was near the center of the construct.

“Von Zaisen shall be avenged, I shall end you, and along with you, This futile feud!!!”

Soon, the construct let out a sound, something resembling a caw. As alarick pointed at Blumstein, the thing almost seemed to look...Angry, even with its lack of expression. Alarick began to think as he prepared to strike him down, the one he’d been chasing after for years.

“Before… I was much too focused on replicating my father's attack, that I forgot the nature of the move… to adapt to the user. However, that has changed. With my perfected attack. I shall end this!!!”

“Flügelschlagwelle!!!(Wingbeat Wave))”

With his words, the earthen eagle began its attack, throwing Blumstein off of the ground with the first flap of its wing. The man clicked his tongue, as he prepared to fly out of its range...But the beast was faster, beginning to barrage the man with the flap of his wings, which sent the man barreling back and forth, unable to escape from the attack. Alarick floated above the man, watching as his construct executed his commands… Before he straightened the fingers on his left hand once again, as the black light surrounded it, once again morphing into a blade-like shape. He brought it over his chest diagonally, before he burst forward at Blumstein… Though it was hard for the apostle to see as he was barraged by the strikes, he was not completely unaware of what happened around him. If that were the case, he’d have been dead long before now, nobody like that survived on the battlefield for long. He fought through the repeated attacks, as his hands began to inch toward one of the two cards that remained around him. He soon grasped it between his fingers, before throwing it out.

“I'm not finished yet!!! Reject!!”

Soon, a burst of pure kinetic force sent the beast's wing away from him, stopping the attack, even if temporarily. The man began to huff as he prepared to push himself out of its range… But for the moment, he did not take notice of Alarick coming at him, now increasing his speed. The youth did not go unnoticed for long, however, as Blumstein heard it, the sound of the air around him shifting. His eyes darted up to the charging alarick, he quickly went to draw his last remaining card.

“Draw- Shie-”

Alarick, however, picked up on this fact, and was soon there within an instant, raising the void blade above him, priming for an attack on the man.

“Void Blade- Cutting Surge!!!”

Alarick soon began swipes of his hand at blinding speed, cutting along the man’s body. Blumstein soon escaped out of his range, reversing. Though he was not undamaged, with some gashes remaining on his body. But he was soon knocked back into the attack, with the beat of a wing. As Alarick’s eyes focused on the man flying back at him… He began to block everything out, aside from him… This was it. As Alarick readied his blade once again, Blumstein began to fall into his thoughts as he did, not even attempting an escape.

“How did I allow myself to die to the likes of him?! The power of my will should be unstoppable... Father-- I've disappointed you…”

The void blade soon clashed with the man’s skull, cutting through like butter, with the very same happening to the rest of the body as Alarick cut along the body. Before separating it into halves, The remains of Blumstein fell into a bloody puddle on the ground below… Following this attack, Alarick’s eyes bored down onto Blumstein's remains, as the construct behind him deformed, falling into clumps of debris, as the black light around his hand disappeared.

“No ambition… Incorrect, I do have ambition. Destroying people like you, who'd do all this just for honor… Though that's out of the window. In a way, one could say that I'm in the same boat. But at the least, that stage is over... Aside from my issues, it looks like that was the last one… but that emperor of theirs. I could've died against him if I wasn't careful, though I hate to admit it. If he's strong enough to keep these 4 in line, Corde will definitely have a problem… I won't stay idle here.”

To 2:33

Alarick soon began flying away, stopping as he grabbed what remained of the top half of his Regalia. Though his chest remained bare, given that it wasn’t wearable, not anymore at the least… Perhaps he could restore it later, but that wasn’t important now, he soon continued in his previous direction. Elsewhere, Zhao grabbed hold of his blade, sheathing it as he began to fly once again.

“That was the last apostle... But we aren’t done just yet.”

Rhuskov as well, lifted himself from the side of his mother’s body, gazing down at her yet again, before flying off... Arctaius himself flew along the walls of Rizian, his eyebrows arched, and face in a cowl. As he advanced, however, Proto-humans wearing the kaemerge’s standard uniform came to meet him. Desperate too, at the least, keep him away from their emperor, even for a bit. However, as a yellow light flew out of Arctaius, they soon found themselves vaporized within seconds, all the while, his expression remained unchanged.

“I know very well… It wasn't any of the apostles, I would have noticed the moment I saw them… I'll have to worry about that later, here he is.”

Arctaius soon reached the very top, the final floor of the tower. He smashed through the walls of Rizian with a single punch, exposing an ornately decorated room, with many objects within lined in gold… But that was not what the Youth took notice of, that did not matter to him. Rather, it was the man at the center, sitting on a throne in the very center, The emperor of the Kaemerge, and herald of Ardam… Selenium Ignatius. Arctaius tightly clenched the fists at his side as he took note of the man’s appearance, Selenium, however, remained unfazed at the boy's anger.

“I recognize you… you're the one who killed my father, and grandfather. Not only that, but you're the one at the head of this little cult… That makes all the more reason to kill you…”

The man spoke with a regal, authoritative voice.

“You believe you can kill me? As if… Some boy, filled with hubris, stands no chance.”

“Hubris? It seems you underestimate how I've grown in these two months… Your Apostles have all been killed. You aren't as far above us as you believe.”

The man remained silent for a moment.

“As I said… Hubris.”

A golden light soon burst around Arctaius once again. While a dark blue light swirled around his opponent, the eyes of one bored into another, and vice versa. For some moments, the two stood opposite of each other, with neither willing to break their gaze. There was no movement between them, until Selenium got up from his throne, beginning to walk toward him, with Arctaius advancing at him as well. The colossal tower began to shake around them as they did so, the floor cracking under them as they walked. As he did so, Flashes of Arctaius past ran through his head. His time with his parents, cousins, brothers, and friends... And then, the destruction that was wrought when the man in front of him appeared, and his very vivid memories of the life leaving from his father and mother’s body… Regardless of however strong the man might be, he would not look for an escape, it was time to finish this.

To Be Continued