BACK (1)

Leonel descended. He had been a bit willful just now, but that much was fine. Just like he had said, he needed a Celestial Storm corpse to begin with. He put the corpse away while Aina took what was left of the Void Race.

The two of them shot away, vanishing before anyone could return to check what had happened here.

...

It felt like a repeat of an all too known scene. The Beast Domains were turned upside down, and it felt like several battlefields were being forcefully rebalanced.

But what was the most confusing was that Leonel never allowed one to come out better than the other. It was like he was taking a pound of flesh from both armies.

He and his wife moved between battlefields so quickly that no one could find their shadows, and he seemed to be dealing with both sides as though he wanted to see both parties destroyed.

**

"This is absolutely ridiculous! We can't allow this to continue!"

"We've lost several powerful Commanders, and not even at the hands of the Void Race. This is absolutely unacceptable."

Elysium watched this in silence. He didn't say anything as the elders rampaged.

The hours ticked by, and when they were finally out of breath from all their yelling, his lips finally parted.

"Pathetic."

He slowly stood to his feet.

This was the first time he had moved in all these months. The war had been ongoing for more than a year, and yet he had never shifted from his seated position until this very moment.

He was the strongest expert of the Owlans for a reason. He wouldn't easily make a move. And yet, he was so deeply disappointed at this moment that he had to stand to his feet.

He had personally watched these same elders fall deeper and deeper into despair. There were many times in the last six months where several of their important figures had fallen, but they had never dared to scream out and be so bold.

Why?

It was because Shan'Rae had been the one to kill them. They thought that it was only natural.

But now that it was Leonel and Aina, a pair of Humans, they felt that it was beneath them. Only now did they dare to bare their fangs.

What were they if not pathetic?

"It's time." He said lightly. © 2024.

He waved a hand and at that moment, several powerful auras descended, one after another.

To the surprise of the elders, especially Elrik's great grandfather, Minerva was among them.

Her face was still a mangled mess. She had destroyed her own gorgeous countenance with her own hands, and she had refused to allow herself to heal properly.

Now, standing there, she seemed to have a power that made even their Holy Land tremble.

What was more shocking than even this was the fact that she wasn't the only one.

Dozens of powerful figures appeared, each one exuding a mighty aura that seemed to have already touched upon Godhood.

The group of Owlans realized that this wasn't true Godhood, but rather that their constitutions had evolved, stepping into a new level.

Their eyes opened wide. How was that possible?

"From this day forth, you will no longer be the elders of my Minerva Race."

"... What..." Ancestor Solarius was astonished.

Not only was he kicking them away, but weren't they the Owlans? When had they become the Minerva?

"You do not have the right to know."

Elysium spoke calmly and then looked toward Minerva.

At that moment, Minerva slowly walked forward until she stood towering over Ancestor Solarius. This wasn't because she was so much taller, but rather because the latter was still sitting. He still hadn't seemed to understand what was happening.

Even though it could be said that Leonel was the one who pushed Minerva over the brink, for most of her life, it was Solarius' family line that had caused her the most trouble.

And for what? Because she was beautiful? Because her family held wealth they coveted? Because she had a heritage and lineage they wanted to consume?

She recalled those sick, twisted words Elrik had spoken to her over the years. That her only worth was to birth his children, that he would be the wife he pressed beneath his thumb, that he would conquer her as though she was some object and a living, breathing being.

Elrik had always been far weaker than herself. Alone, he would never dare to do such things.

And yet, it was also his actions that slowed her steps every step of the way.

If not for this, how could she not have known long ago that her parents were still alive? That she wasn't the only one who remembered the glory of the Minerva Race? With her talent, how could she have not long since stepped into the Creation State?

It was this family that had taken everything from her, all because of their arrogance, their greed.

Standing over this Ancestor Solarius that had dictated so much of her life until now, she felt a boundless fury in her heart for but a moment before what remained of it floated off into the wind.

Solarius finally seemed to snap out of it as he realized it was Minerva standing over him.

Immediately, he felt rage.

"Little girl, how dare you disrespect me like this-!"

PA!

Minerva's palm carelessly swung out. Half of Solarius' face collapsed as blood and shattered teeth flew across the air.

Slowly, Minerva walked toward him, but her steps seemed to cover large swaths of land with every pacing gait.

Before Solarius could even scramble to his feet, Minerva had already appeared before him again and stretched a hand out. Her throat seemed to pull itself into her palm and he found himself froze.

Spittle and blood flew from his mouth as he wildly cursed, but Minerva didn't feel the need to waste anymore words on him.

With a simple squeeze of her palm, she ended his life.