1684 The First Ruler's Might. I

On The Other Side...

Amid the once tranquil territory of Athena, now a battleground of clashing elements, a clone of Felix stood at the heart of the chaos, mirroring his creator's formidable power.

As he focused, his hair ignited into vibrant flames, a fiery crown that mirrored Felix's own, signaling the unleashing of his full potential.

Whoosh!! Whoosh!!

Around him, the black flames he commanded surged with renewed vigor, a dark tide spreading relentlessly across the realm.

These sinister flames devoured everything in their path, transforming the terrain into a nightmarish expanse!

"Child, you shouldn't have done this..."

Suddenly, a divine authoritative voice came down from the heavens, causing Felix to lift his head with a murderous look.magic

He recognized the voice to be of the first ruler as he could never forget the one who kidnapped his beloved right in front of him.

As he looked up, he saw a massive golden hand descending upon him, its absolute size throwing the landscape below into shadow!

This was no mere display of divine might; it was the will of the first ruler manifesting, a celestial decree that sought to quell the chaos Felix had wrought!

'Sh*t! I can't get hit by that!'

After being told about the might of the three rulers in detail by Lilith, Felix respected and feared their strength more than anything else. Thus, he didn't hesitate to try and get out of the palm's way.

Alas, the understanding dawned upon him swiftly and mercilessly: he was ensnared by the Celestial Decree, an invisible, unbreakable chain that bound him in his place!

The air around him thickened, time slowed to a crawl, and even the act of lifting his arm became a Herculean effort!

'The Celestial Decree!' Felix's expression turned for the worse.

He knew that the Celestial Decree was like being put under the territorial pressure of the entire eternal kingdom!This type of territorial pressure was exclusive to the three rulers and could only be applied in the eternal kingdom.

The only way to counter such pressure or at least mitigate it was through using one's territorial pressure or celestial powers.

Although Felix was aware of the overwhelming pressure, he did not expect it to be potent enough to affect him even when protected by the celestial black flames.

Still, he had no plans to let this stop him.

With a resolve forged in the fires of countless battles, he mustered his strength, channeling the very essence of his being into a singular act of resistance!

His hand, trembling under the immense pressure, rose slowly, a testament to his unyielding will.

"I AIN'T MAKING THIS EASY FOR YOU!"

With a roar that seemed to split the very fabric of the realm, the clone released his counter: a massive palm, crafted from the black flames underneath, causing it to resemble a giant palm tree attached to an ocean!

This creation, a symbol of his power and defiance, swelled upwards to meet the golden divine palm in a collision that promised to shake the foundations of the kingdom itself!

'Will he win?'

Athena watched the upcoming impact with bated breath from a distance while giving her absolute best to quench the black flames.

Even though Felix had attacked her territory, she didn't hate him in the slightest as she treated the whole matter as a business matter...She came for him first and he retaliated. Nothing more, nothing less.

Thus, at the depth of her heart in a small, small place, she kinda wished that he would win against the first ruler...At least in this small confrontation.

'Felix...Please don't overdo it.'

Meanwhile, Asna's heart was about to beat out of her chest in agitation and worry as she watched this scene...She had no idea what was going through his mind and the only thing she could do was trust in his vision as always.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

With a thunderous explosion that sent destructive shockwaves across the kingdom, the two divine palms were finally connected, from the tip of the fingers to the back of the palm!The golden palm, a manifestation of celestial authority, met its match in the clone's blazing defiance, a standoff that encapsulated the eternal struggle between the dictates of the heavens and the indomitable will of those who dare to challenge fate!

"Argh!!!"

Felix kept drawing upon the boundless depths of celestial black flames underneath, pouring more and more energy into his palm, determined to not just hold his ground but to push back against the divine mandate that sought to crush him!

The palms locked in a stalemate, neither yielding, radiated a blinding light that illuminated the cosmos.

Amid this cosmic tug-of-war, Felix's mind resonated with the voice of the first ruler, a telepathic outreach that cut through the chaos with clarity and calm.

'Why do you strive so against us, Child? We are not your enemies, nor have we sought to harm you,' The ruler inquired, his tone one of genuine puzzlement and a hint of sorrow for the path Felix had chosen.

'You never wished to harm me? Hah, haha! Hahah!' Felix broke into a burst of chaotic laughter as he had just heard one of the sickest jokes, 'What about the smite?! You f*cking smited out of nowhere, killing me instantly!'

He didn't even need to mention Asna and what they did to her. Just the fact that the three rulers had decided to kill him on a whim out of nowhere was enough reason to never reconcile with them.

'Child, if we wanted to kill you, you wouldn't be standing before us now.' The first ruler replied calmly without any further explanation.

As much as Felix hated to admit it, he knew that he was being for real...If the three rulers were to decide his damnation that smite would have erased his soul.

'And now, I extend an olive branch,' The ruler continued, his offer hanging between them like a beacon in the storm. 'Let bygones be bygones. You may dwell with Asna near the heart of the universe, where peace and love can flourish unimpeded. All that is required is for you to bow your head and extinguish the flames that threaten to consume everything.'

The offer was generous, a promise of reconciliation and a chance for Felix to live in tranquility with Asna, away from the strife and battles that had marked their existence.

But, even if the condition to bow his head wasn't involved, Felix wouldn't bat an eye at such a humiliating offer.

'Peace and love? Live near the universe's heart? Even when you aren't trying to, your tone makes it clear that you are treating us as some sort of pets.' Felix replied with a tightened fist and a suppressed icy voice, 'I know all about your plan and what you are trying to do with Asna's core. So, tell me now, are you going to let her be free when the time comes to commence your plan?'

Asna's core was her heart and if the three rulers still wanted to use it for their scheme, then, it would be the same as killing Asna.

The first ruler didn't need time to think about it as he responded with the same emotionless voice, 'For the sake of reaching the other side, all sacrifices are worth it. You would understand this if you were in our position.'

'I will never understand it and I don't want to.' Felix sneered coldly, 'As long as you have Asna in leashes, we will be at odds until the dawn of the universe.'

'How disappointing...Expected response, but disappointing nevertheless.' The first ruler sighed, seemingly genuinely disappointed at not being able to bring Felix to his side.

"You might be all great and powerful now, but there will come a day, sooner or later, a day, where your heads will be the ones bowing to me." With a dark grimace, Felix bellowed, "THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!"

As the soundwave of his shout traveled far and wide, the scene that accompanied it left Athena and the rest of the watchers with widened eyes in shock.

Whooshh!!

The black flaming palm emerged victorious as it engulfed the golden palm and continued pushing forth into the heavens, growing bigger and more powerful like Felix was seeking to smack the first ruler in the face!

"He won...He actually won."