Fin ran as if trapped in a never‑ending marathon, fleeing the laser fire. His heart hammered wildly, his mind flooded with thoughts sharp enough to pierce his skull.
Against thousands of laser shots, against all odds, what's the probability of surviving. He increased his speed. Maneuvering through some laser shots, while some canceled each other out.
" This is the time I wish I still had access to my Celestial Ends ability, what an insult— to be pursued by these wannabe threats ! " Fin mind is clouded with anger.
When it seemed he was thousands of feet away from the surface, he stopped for a while, breathing heavily.
Then he saw the flashlights of the laser, this could only mean one thing, the laser is still after him.
" Good, right where I wanted you" Fin made a devilish grin on his face, as his eyes emitted yellow flames. His body became a consuming fire.
He surged straight into the laser fire, thermal blasts roaring from his hands, each shot burning hotter than the last as it devoured far more power than before..
He lunched towards the heart of the shots,he was caged in searing light and burst out moments later, leaving a vacuum where the frantic shots collided and annihilated each other in a silent, furious flash.
When Fin saw that only a few laser shots remained, he seemed pleased and elated about this. Then sighed heavily as a sign of relief.
…
Andrew and his man face are seen, set up in the sky, the suspense is holding them tight, wondering if the attack was a success or a total debacle.
They watched the clouds bruise and the sky thundered with the clash of destructive forces. But in the ominous quiet that followed, the threat remained—unseen, uncertain, and utterly unresolved.
" God, what's going on up there?" One of the military men is seen longing for fear.
" I'll tell you what's going on up there, Fin is not dead, the fact that we heard the sound of explosion more than twice, means we are having opposite the result" another man from the military squad answered as his eyes is fixed in the sky.
"Listen up!" Andrew's voice cut through the chaos, sharp as a blade. He moved with purpose between the trucks and armor, "First volley failed. but we've confirmed it's a threat to him. Increase fire rate, maximum firepower!. Reload, recalibrate, and prepare to fire for effect. This time, we hit with everything—maximum yield, coordinated saturation. Make each shot count. Stand by!".
Just as he finished saying this, Fin descended from the sky, with his body glowing a yellow aura.
Fin's voice lashed out, thick with contempt. "You believed a handful of watchmen held the key to my demise?"
The whole battlefield is dead silent, no one could give a response. Then Andrew stepped forward.
" No we don't… But we will forge one right now !" Andrew responded with a more intimidating voice that bleeds out assurance.
"Insolence begets finality. It seems we must see this through, Brother." Fin's form shimmered as his aura intensified, coiling around him like a vortex.
" Light him up ! ! !" Andrew commanded his military troops. One could sense an increase in his anger after hearing Fin calling him brother.
Fin and Andrew were brothers—once inseparable. But after the invasion, Fin chose survival, abandoning blood for instinct and pledging himself to Zephyron's army.
Not only did Fin join Zephyron's army, he ended up killing their parents. This severed the bond between him and Andrew.
While Andrew refuses to be at the mercy of his brother. He joined the armies of the rebels— during the rebellion against Zephyron. But they were all eliminated.
When the underworld armies came to help, he joined them, but this only lasted a few months before they also retreated and never returned.
No one seems to be ready to stand against Zephyron, no one dares to rebel.
Not long after Andrew decided to give up, Dexter created Order Organization, and it turns out that it has lasted longer than he expected.
With every intent and vow to put Fin down, he finally encounters him at his weakest moment. There is no way he planned to let that chance slip by.
Fins's movement and speed seems to have been increased, he dodges the laser shots and manages to destroy some, while he tries to avoid getting hit.
" I have to get close enough, I can reduce their attack supply if I can get through their defense" Fin thoughts as he keeps dodging the laser blasts.
…
Vormirem's highest floor is seen completely overwhelmed with silence. Clifford broke the silence.
" I doubt the fact that this new adversary is an astral projection, do I need to explain to us that astral projection is spirit, they can't interfere with the outside world." Clifford explains with a slight anger in his voice.
" I agree with Clifford, this can't be an astral projection, though he might be moving really, but the rhythm of his attacks doesn't look like a spirit" Daniel contributed to Clifford's opinion.
" Hmm, agreed, if this isn't an astral projection what or who do you think it is" Lucian responded, succumbing to their opinion.
" The Sojourner, this guy's power might seem zenith to the Sojourner's, but what gives us assurance that the Sojourner doesn't have an ace off his sleeve" Clifford responded with a silent tone.
He continues " I mean, it seems a little bit easy for Fin to be able to bring him in unconscious, this actually be his plan all along, to get into Vormirem"
Daniel cuts in " If that's so, then what does he need in Vormirem "
"His goals are still unclear, but if he's truly on the human side, then he may be trying to liberate them," Clifford said, rising from his seat—his expression tightening as though the pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place.
Daniel cuts in " We all know that is impossible, to liberate them means he has to stop Zephyron, and Zephyron is not here"
" No he is not, but the machine to get to where he is, is actually here" Lucian responded with a flat voice.
" That's it ! He is actually after Zephyron, he came here for the machine " Clifford exclaimed with a beatific smile on his face.
The room filled with commotion, everyone seems to be looking pleased for the fact that they found answer to the conundrum
" You all are not seeing the bigger picture, if he knew that Zephyron is not here, and also knew that there is a machine up here in Vormirem to teleport him to where Zephyron is…"
Daniel cuts in " Then… he is… actually a High End" Daniel voice returned to its flat state.
" So a High End truly did betray Zephyron, who could that be?" Clifford asked in a silent tone.
" Who could do such a thing, I must say, it surely takes a lot of guts to do that " Daniel said, in a lost tone.
" And it takes a powerful High End to do such a thing, It definitely going to be Celestial End" Lucian responded as he moved briskly towards a shelf behind them.
The entire room's eyes followed him to the shelf, wondering what he was looking for.
He continues " A Celestial End gave a report to me, that one of them was missing— at first, I thought this was something they could handle, cause I never heard anything about it again."
" What, you spoke with a Celestial End? " Clifford moved towards Lucien's direction.
" I might not be a Celestial End, but I am in charge of Vormirem, so I have access to such information, if needed !" Lucien rambles in anger, with the fact that Clifford's reaction is unnecessary. Knowing fully well his position in Vormirem.
Daniel who also seems to be angered by Clifford's reaction " Must make everything so dramatic? You speak like you don't the position he hold in Vormirem"
" I do know his position, what I meant is— he never mentioned any of this to us, right Lucien ? When was the last time you informed us that you spoke with a Celestial End? " Clifford barks in anger.
There was a dead silence in the room, a silence that held commotion and resentment. Everyone was on guard. Knowing fully well what is about to happen.
A flash of movement, Lucien closed the distance, his palm stretched out to strike for Clifford's heart. Clifford's own arm snapped up, deflecting the blow, then became a piston driving toward Lucien's jaw.
Lucien tilted his head left, narrowly avoiding the strike, then swung his feet toward him—but Clifford's reaction was too swift, even for a man of his age. In a blink, he appeared behind Lucien. Lucien stiffened in surprise, though he refused to let it show.
Clifford struck at Lucien, whose speed matched his own. Lucien slipped back, creating a narrow gap between them, and for a brief moment, they faced each other, tense and measured.
A heavy silence filled the room as the rest of the board watched the scene unfold. Concern shadowed Daniel's face, but he dared not intervene, better to leave it to fate..
Clifford surged at Lucien, who met him head-on. Their blows collided with such force and fury that the echoes shattered the glasses in the room.
Finally, Lucien landed a sharp blow on Clifford's face, seizing the fleeting opportunity. Before Clifford could hit the ground, Lucien surged forward, matching Clifford's trajectory toward the ground.
He struck again, rapid and relentless, each blow landing with precision, punishing sequence. Momentum broken. In a swift motion, he lifted Clifford by the neck, holding him aloft, one hand casually slipping into his pocket.
"It seems you've grown stronger. Despite your age, your agility rivals that of any youth. But as always, I remain your superior. Consider this mercy—I overlook your audacity in trading blows with me, if only because I needed to stretch my bones a little."
"A commendable performance," he growled. "Make no mistake—this was patience, not weakness. Repeat it, and I will have your spine before your nerves can signal the pain."
Lucien slammed Clifford into the wall with enough force to crater it. His body crumpled to the floor, a silent witness to utter defeat.
" Shall we continue?" Lucien asked as he moved towards the shelves again, dusting his suit.
No one gave any response, due to fear, and Lucien took the silence as yes.
" Hmm, according to the last information I got, the Celestial End, should still be on Earth. We'll start with the Sojourner. Gentleman, it appears we'll be going after him by ourselves"
He continued in a flat tone, "Alright, Sojourner, you've got my attention," followed by a quiet, almost imperceptible snicker.
…
Back to the Sojourner and Aiden. The High End was fighting and the Sojourner is seen laying flat dead on the floor.
The Sojourner is seen standing before the corpse of the High End. There is silence in the room.
Aiden approached the Sojourner without uttering any word. The Sojourner turns his head to his left side, where Aiden was standing, without looking at his face.
" I've seen you before " the Sojourner accused Aiden.
" Oh, yes… you have" Aiden responded, still staring at the High End corpse.
The Sojourner noticed he hadn't taken his eyes on the High End corpse. But I decided not to ask any questions. He then turned back to leave.
AIDEN
The Sojourner turn back to leave, I noticed this, and decided to follow, when he noticed this, he turned back and asked " what do you think you're doing"
Telling him, I had to follow, if I wanted to survive. Plus there are people in the building that need to be save.
" You can't come with me," he responded with a cold voice.
I stared into his black hood, no sign of face shape is revealed, just a dark abyss. I approached him a little bit more.
Before I could make any more moves, he was already behind me. A heavy object hit me from behind, which was surprisingly hot, burning through my clothes.
Then I noticed the Sojourner stopped for a while. Then he held me tightly, his grip was that of concern, which was unexpected.
" Are you from the underworld?" He asked in a strong and concerned voice. While I stood there frozen and shocked. Wondering what he meant by that.
TO BE CONTINUED…