I yank the enormous manacles with all my might, but they don't budge even the slightest bit. They refuse to. This being... this long-dead God is far beyond my capabilities to control. And yet...

I can hold it down, even if only for a few moments. As I bear the weight, I feel something inside me crystalizing. It's hard to describe, nigh impossible to pinpoint, but I relish it. Against the planetary weight upon my mind, I tremble with exertion as I am compressed more and more profoundly. As it's authority, it's 'Dominion' crashes against me, I feel something inside growing as I refuse to submit.

Abruptly, however, my vision sputters, and the chains break at their very seams, though not from my own malfunction. A whirlwind of pain surrounds me as I end back in the fetal position. Fire races up my spine into my skull before circling back around as I see Timemi standing over where the pendant once was.

An object rests in her hands as I watch her lips curl up, her helmet already distorted and half-broken off to reveal her face. Grunting, I urge my body to move, but it doesn't, the remnants of that blaze in my body holding me down.

Before I know any better, though, a concussive shock knocks me rolling as Kate lands beside me. Even Lennon scrambles to a stop on the other side of her as well as bullets fire from Billy Grimes, and infernos wash from Bonfire.

Everyone is back up and moving. We can still win this!

Mie, however, is not as optimistic.

"This is going to shit, Wyatt! Somehow, he's locked Kate and me out of our Powers! And now he's using them! Don't let him touch you with all five fingers! And watch out for his last Vessel! Kate and I got all but one in the past few months of hunting! I should have warned you earlier, but I was too lost in the battle."

I nod a smidge in understanding as the lack of Vessels finally makes sense. I had been wondering where they were, but it would seem Kwakiteh went on a vendetta-fueled spree of murder. Well, not really murder.

Why am I getting sidetracked?

My eyes lock back onto Timemi as Lennon and Kate rush forward, still roaring to fight. They sprint at startling speeds for Weiss, even as he holds a dozen bullets in the air from Billy Grimes with his mind. He twists and throws them at the two with nary a swipe, forcing Lennon to bring his own Dominion to bear.

It's Timemi. No, it's that pendant. It hurt me. My soul. It harmed my soul. Aniwye warned me about that, right? I think she did.

I shake my head, attempting to get it working right, as a pair of hands pull me to my fight. Looking to my left, I find Virgil's face right beside mine. He whispers succinctly despite bearing many words, keeping his voice low and indiscernible to anyone but me.

"Should we run? This isn't going too well for any of us. If Eli steals your Power... with how much you've bolstered it... He might kill us all in moments. He's already shown to be able to use multiple at once."

I consider his thoughts for a moment before I remember another fact. There is still someone who has not joined this battle in any fashion. Aniwye.

Where is my mother?

There is zero chance she is already in the Underworld. Not only is there no way she sneaks past Eli in such a manner, I don't believe she would leave me like that. She needs me, plus... she has been more caring lately. I wouldn't dare to say she is motherly, but she is at least attempting to hold me in any sort of regard that is above 'human' in her mind. It's the most I think I can ask from someone as devoted as her.

Aniwye is here somewhere.

"No. My mother is here. We only have to get her to join the fight. What do you think she is doing?"

I propose a question to my shadow as Virgil disappears, Flickering toward Timemi, who is turning toward us. A dagger sinks into her skull as metal explodes out of the woman's head in defense. An oversized scythe tears through the air just in time to protect Virgil as he hangs onto the weapon.

Virgil retreats to me as Timemi eyes us and then stares at the object in her hands. She weighs it, lifting it up and down before smiling. Then she nods to Anodra and Natos.

"Leave us be, human. It is time to go. The Primare is better than advancing for now. But we are not done. Not even close. Wherever you go, I will find you."

And with that, the three hurry off, running right by Virgil and me toward the abyssal hole that led us all down here. I give them an odd glance as they take the absurdly powerful and bizarre object away. I don't have the focus or effort to spare, though, so I merely let them go. As I do so, Eli Weiss manages to corner Billy Grimes even under the attack of all the other Angels in the cavern. Weiss, with one hand behind himself to Shift away attacks, claws Billy Grimes' skull.

The whole hand clenches around the old man's forehead, and then Billy Grimes convulses before falling to the ground. Eli then twists and catches a bullet with his mind.

Immediately, I feel the entire cavern's tension switch. Sylvia screams into the open air while Weiss retrieves a dozen bullets from his side pack, where he had been storing all that he had caught.

"HIDE! BILLY'S POWER IS ACCELERATION!"

For only the slightest instant, I wonder why that would matter. Then, my brain connects the dots. It's so apparent that I dive to the ground, covering my brain with my prosthetic as Virgil Flickers in preparation.

Shift and something that accelerates normal bullets to the level that they could pierce even Blodwyn's bones.

This had to have been his plan the moment he awoke that Dominion! He's collecting the perfect combination of Powers!

Mie's for control, Billy's for power and purpose, and then I suppose that Kate's was simply because she was there. What would he want next, then?

Virgil.

Virgil!

Eli hasn't teleported in a while. I bet the Arca has run itself dry or that he cannot use it anymore. The best defense I've ever seen is to simply not get hit, which Virgil is beyond specialized in.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The instant I come to the conclusion, the hail of bullets finally arrives as Eli hurls them outward with the same force as my old Ballistas. Holes appear in every wall around as some, like Lennon, manage to cut the bullets, unimaginable feats to all others.

Yet, the majority of Angels are struck at least partially.

Bonfire stumbles to the floor as a chunk departs his side, and another leaves his hip. Kate tumbles against the marble without her or Mie's Powers to defend themselves. Sylvia has half of her jaw removed in a gruesome graze while Keely Dewey manages to withstand the blows and only slides backward. Parker Callahan, however, is also put down, the Pillar slumping to the floor without motion after a hole emerges in his chest.

As for me?

A hand reaches out from the void, pulling me in with him before puking as rays of iridescent colors blind me. I immediately close my eyes, knowing better, until I hear the sounds of the cavern again.

It all takes place in less than a second, but the body collapsing beside me in pure exhaustion tells me that things are... not ideal.

This is going bad. Real bad.

It's just Lennon, Keely, and I.

Virgil is grasping at the marble dust, practically praying to stand once more, but I shake my head and lay my hand on his back. He needs to stop.

"I got this."

I give him assurance that I can't afford to give, but the older man nods with belief. Then, his eyes fade as he falls unconscious. Virgil has so much trust in me. The raw knowledge places a weight upon my shoulders as I stride forward, each footfall a lesson in determination. Without that pendant, I can rejoin this fight.

Four stand in a triangle, three of us now surrounding Eli Weiss, but we are all exhausted and near-unconscious. My vision is constantly flickering and wobbling, but I know they are all just as bad as we, in synchronicity, take a moment to recover.

Lennon has a single limb left—just one leg. The amputated wound has been sealed by curdled muscle, the man closing it through sheer force. Still, his eyes are lidded, and his skin absurdly pale. He has very little left in him. Keely, a woman I didn't know existed until tonight, stands even worse off. She has all her limbs, but the blacked Ether that protected her is utterly faded. The Dzil that guarded her against any and all damage is gone, leaving her susceptible to the very next strike. Not to mention all the already open wounds dribbling red ichor onto the stained marble.

And Eli Weiss, the man himself, is not much better. His cane is gone, forcing him to be slouched over despite his grand might. The Underground Tree coughs profusely before shifting his eyes over to Keely.

But I know the man.

I know what he presents is not what he will do.

If he wants to kill Lennon, he needs to be able to entirely dodge those strikes, for blocking them is not enough. The only way... is Virgil's Power.

Despite my thoughts, though, I'm not sure if I can stop him. The only reason I'm even standing amidst these three is because of Blodwyn. Keely is an old Angel, gifted with high saturation and varied techniques, and she joined the battle late. Eli Weiss has a whole Sigil above all of us, on top of all his tricks and whatnot. I'm positive he used an Elixer at some point in time to reset his saturation, too. As for Lennon... he is simply a monster. Enough said.

Nonetheless, I stand beside my friend, allowing manacles to burst from my form. They are slower, thinner, and more lax than before, as my soul has been damaged, but they emerge regardless. Eli Weiss notices this, his pupils trailing over me. And despite him not showing it, I know he has realized that I know.

Seconds pass in unadulterated tension before Weiss unexpectedly makes the first move. He sprints right for Lennon, diving toward a possible death. I watch as both of their Dominions contort, but I stand still, knowing better.

"Get your ass moving, Graves!"

Keely shouts at me, but I ignore the woman. She follows after Weiss with enough momentum to puncture holes in the marble below. Lennon swings formless blades at Weiss, who barely manages to deflect or catch them with his stolen Power.

Then, just as Keely steps past the incapacitated Bonfire, Eli finally reactivates his artifact. The man swaps places not with Keely but with Bonfire. My heart practically bursts out of my chest as I watch Bonfire, by the slightest smidge, not get decapitated by Lennon while Eli Weiss tears his fist through the back of Keely's chest.

The same effect that surrounds Billy Grime's bullets encompasses the genius' hands while Mie's Power also bestows a greater force as he rips out the Angel's heart. Keely falls to her knees, wide eyes and starkly colored before having her fetters fade to nothingness.

Another Angel is dead.

"It is such a shame most can only have one Power. The combinations... they are... near-limitless. Shift and Snap are wonderful. I might just keep them forever, but that's... that's a bit more complicated, huh?"

My eyes wrinkle as Lennon steps toward me, circling the man while using an invisible sword as a cane. I can see it via his Dominion shifting underneath my sight of chains, but to everyone else, it would be a mesmerizing sight. If anyone else could see it, that is.

I inquire into Eli's words, wanting to know more about his Dominion. The man does like to speak quite a lot, so I simply hope he indulges me.

"And how many can you take?"

Eli's lips rise a tad as if mocking my question. He shakes his head with an answer.

"No, no, no. I'm not going to tell you anything. That's not how this works. Figure it out on your own, kid. We're enemies, remember?"

Instead, Lennon is the one to answer me as he ends up on the other side of Virgil's sleeping form. The Bladeless Monster, despite what most think of him, is not stupid. He's fought enough battles to be able to analyze any foe. Marshall might have defended Bent for decades, but he didn't fight every single day for those many years. Lennon? I worry more about the days he doesn't fight and instead loses himself in training.

"All Dominions have limits. We're not Gods, after all. We're not even Demigods. He's... a Halfie, and I'm a Quartie if that makes sense. I'd say... five. Five Powers. Ten when he grows again. Maybe more later. Dominions can grow after they are acquired, after all, unlike Powers that are limited when becoming an Angel."

Eli Weiss lets out an indecipherable smile as he questions Lennon. I, however, take his word as truth, no matter what the rat will spit out.

"And how did you come to such a conclusion?"

Lennon grunts out a single word before nodding to me.

"Instinct."

The Underground Tree bursts out into cackling laughter as he bends down as if to retrieve the Power from the corpse at his feet. Not knowing if he can or not, we both rush forward.

I nod to Lennon as we sprint forward. Blodwyn covers my skull with bone as Tsavuk comes into full swing again, Painsforge at its very core. My blood practically boils from the speed while I rapidly approach Ether saturation once more. The use of Burdenless from before was a great help, but it only does so much.

"He wants Virgil's Power. Do not let him get it. Stick close together so he can't teleport to Virgil without a guardian. My Living Manacles will empower you."

Lennon doesn't show that he hears me, but the man does. I extend my chains out to him and loosen his chains as I take a gasp of Freedom myself. Ether fills my lungs as I take another, feeling a powerful force encroach on my body.

Shift.

He's trying to lift me. It won't work on Lennon anymore as he can use his Dominion freely without the Primare here, but it's open to do so to me. Fleshy tendrils strike out from my boots, nailing me to the floor as I haul myself forward toward Eli. Without the Shaw's aid here, I reckon the two of us would be far too slow to do anything of import. Though, I do feel that boon fading.

Lennon and I both move with enough speed to render sound null. Shockwaves fill the air as Eli Weiss lifts his hands, retrieving debris, fallen casings, missed bullets, and strewn-about knives. Shift allows the makeshift and real weapons to hover in the air.

I flex my mind, rapidly creating a towering shield out of raw Ether from pure Madness. My whole brain wrestles with the fabric of agony as I knock on that edge once more, such large structures absurdly complex to make. A colossal series of impacts wracks the shield, stunting my momentum. I refuse to yield, however, and Arbalest myself forward. The shield formed from Madness begins to crack, but I intertwine its construction with Living Manacles, forcing the thing to stay together.

More and more collisions strike the shield, seemingly never-ending. To my right, I see Lennon's Dominion moving at such a pace that I can't possibly follow. Shadows of movement are all I can see as projectiles are rapidly sliced, deflected, and removed from existence. However, Lennon Hull is just as challenged as I am.

Nevertheless, the barrage eventually dies down. The lack of counterweight has me stumbling forward before I release the pressure on my shield, leaving it to crumble without the aid of my soul.

Gazing at Eli Weiss, I find him kneeling, gasping for air as Lennon surges to kill him without a moment of hesitance. But he's slower than all other times, missing a leg and after hours of fighting.

The Underground Tree raises a hand as I spot a ring on his hand, finally noticing it. The thing is purplish-white and shatters as the old man twists his hand. A surge of Ether fills the air as the Sigil within the ring fades into the world, but that is not where the effects end.

Lennon vanishes as Virgil appears in his place in his exact position, the rules of the transposition breaking for a moment. I curse myself and the old man as Eli grasps for Virgil's falling head with an outstretched arm.

I'm only a foot away. A single foot. Yet it seems so far away.

Liberation falls without me even desiring it with my conscious mind.

Not again. Never again. Not him.

I breathe in deeply, a vast emptiness that fills with Freedom. But a single breath is only the beginning of life.

A second fills my lungs, the tiny, infinitesimally segments of time gaining granularity. I think Tyler Shaw's final act is doing something here, allowing me to move more freely during Liberation.

Still, it's not enough. Power rushes through each and every vein in my body, branching out through the capillaries as my fetters recede further and further. But it's not enough.

My vision fragments as I see a resounding choir of eyes, all of them preaching to me. The depths of my Sigil within my skull flicker with encouragement, acknowledging my Power to be suitable to their whims.

Life begins with a breath of air. That is the birth of Freedom.

Life continues with a clenched fist. That is the start of Freedom.

Life grows with a developing body. That is the path of Freedom.

A third wave of air fills my lungs, and I feel something shake, something rumble within. The chains don't break, they don't shatter, but there is a hint—an element of hope of what lies underneath those chains. They do not break now, but I know they will eventually.

And that's enough.

My hand stops Eli's the instant before his fingertips touch Virgil. The old man's eyes turn to me, incredulous by my quickness. His eyes squint into a smile as he throws his other hand toward my skull. I realize in this split second that Virgil wasn't the goal.

He wanted another twofer.

I twist away, attempting to dodge with my friend in my grasp, but a Mirror appears in my sight as a significant force sets upon my frame. I twist as my vision crackles and breaks, pain overwhelming me, but those fingers, distorted into a thousand phalanges and Snapped forward like a bullet, tap upon my bony forehead.

Not even the path of Freedom can prevent three Powers from working in tandem.