A/N: okay, I know some of you might think I get emotional over little things, but come on! 200 Chapters? And we’re still going strong? Over 250k words, and we’re still going strong? Yes, I’ll be emotional over every little thing.

If we make it till 300 chaps, 400...500... best believe I’ll disturb you guys on every milestone crossed..

But seriously, thank you guys a lot for sticking with me so far.

Many dropped this book by the 30th Chapter, but you guys are still here.

Some of you want to cuss me out(many probably do) but still, you move to the next Chapter and the next and the next, for that, I say THANK YOU!!

I’ll forever be grateful for your unconditional support, and I’ll always make sure you guys know that I see and appreciate it, so without burning up more words, here we go!!!

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Following a brilliant flash of light, both Malachi and Leo appeared within the ruined city.

What greeted them, wasn’t a land strewn with corpses and devastation..

No!

What greeted them was silence!

A heavy, suffocating, silence.

The atmosphere here felt even more wrong, so much so that the two who had no such deep affinity with it, could feel it.

Malachi looked back, the towering figure of the Collector coming into view.

"I guess we know where all the corpses went then." His voice had lost all form of playfulness, a solemnity that was rarely attributable to him coloring his face..

"Do you think he’ll be alright?" He asked, turning toward the griffon that was silently hovering in the sky.

Before Leo could reply...

Craaankkkk!!!!!

Craaaankkkk!!!!

The sounds of something metallic being dragged across the ground reached their ears..

"I don’t think you should be worrying about Dante right now.." Leo’s voice finally reached the monkey.

This time, it wasn’t his intent.

"You.. you can talk!!"

"Of course I can, I just find the act bothersome, now focus, you’ve got company!"

"You’re not helping?" Malachi asked, turning his attention toward the approaching foe..

"I’m only here as backup, I shall only act if absolutely necessary, otherwise, this mission, is ultimately only for you and Dante to complete." The griffon flapped its majestic wings once, blasting into the sky...

"Hooo... alright, let’s do this.." Malachi’s expression hardened as he finally got a good look at his opponent...

"Kekekek... a monkey... I’ve never had the pleasure of decapitating a monkey before... kekeke.." a laugh akin to the sounds of metal sheets scraping together, tore out of the creature’s throat..

Bulky figure.

Cleaver arm.

Their was only one executioner with such an outlook..

"The butcher, heh, just my luck." The monkey readied his stance, unwilling to give the mutated creature any chance at a first strike..

Yet before any of them could move..

WENG!!!

A humming sound filled the entirety of the city..

"Hmmm??? How???" The butcher’s surprised exclamation landed on deaf ears as Malachi was currently staring up at a sky that had gone dark.

A darkness so overwhelming it felt like the dreariness of the place had been subdued by it..

The atmosphere that had felt stale, weakened, a shy bit away from utter collapse.

Suddenly felt re-energized, the wind picked up speed, dark thunder clouds appeared within the blackened skies, a heavy punishing rain beat down on the earth like judgement had arrived..

The roar of the wind was one of apocalyptic proportions, one didn’t need to be told.

This was the restrained, the tortured, the chained atmosphere, finally releasing all its pent up aggression..

And then, within those darkened skies, they opened..

Twin golden suns that seemed to illuminate the entirety of the ruined city, they looked down like the eyes of a god, surveying the land of mortal filth.

Indifferent.

Cold.

Emotionless.

"Filthy mongrels.."

Then a voice.

One that didn’t seem to belong to anything human.

It was layered.

One moment it resounded like the thunderstorms.

The next it was as swift as the whisper of the wind.

And the next as heavy as the beating rain.

"Welcome."

A beat of silence.

"To your reckoning."

WOOOOOOSHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

A hurricane of catastrophic proportions arose from all corners of the city, effectively sealing the entire place, preventing any thoughts of escape.

"Impossible!! The King’s Dominion was absolute!" Th butcher yelled in rage and disbelief..

"Sorry to say this pal." Malachi had finally gotten over his shock, his figure manifesting before the shocked creature, a fist already flying towards its face..

BOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

The punch connected, sending the burly figure flying backward, crashing through several desolate buildings..

"I’ve learned that impossible doesn’t seem to exist in that guy’s dictionary." He concluded his words..

ROOOOOOARRRRRRRR!!!!!!

"Break... split... collapse... I’ll crush your shape apart!!"

Wooooshhhhhh!!!!

The sounds of the air splitting apart reached Malachi as a massive cleaver was already before him, the butcher moving at speeds his burly figure should never be capable of..

CLANGGGGG!!!!!

The jarring sounds of metal clashing against metal rang out as the monkey summoned his golden staff, blocking the cleaving strike.

But before he could react.

BOOOOM!!!

A massive fist had connected with his midsection, his mouth opening as he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his figure being sent flying...

.... 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Ugh... that thing hit.."

Blerghhhh!!!!

"Wha.. what?" Malachi’s words were cut short as his legs seemed to fail him, his figure crashing back down as he tried to get up..

"What’s happening..?"

Crankkkkk!!!

"Kekekekekekek..." the foul laughter of the butcher reached his ears From a distance..

"You feel that? The feeling of your body slowly Collapsing on its weight? Tell me, how do you plan to fight, when you can’t even move?!" The burly figure instantly appeared before the struggling monkey, cleaver swinging in a devastating arc, a victorious smile on its twisted face until...

BANG!!!!

A massive golden staff connected with its side, the blow twisting its already mangled face even more, as the butcher was sent flying unceremoniously...

"Hey, hey, hey, there me.. you look like you could use a hand... hahahahahahahaha.." the newly arrived entrant laughed..

"Ugh... shit!" A halo of light flashed behind Malachi as he finally regained control of his body..

"Damn, thanks for the hand." He nodded towards his clone as he too finally resummoned his golden staff..

Crankkk!!!!

"Two monkeys... kekekekekek... two monkeys... and one that’s challenging the king’s dominion... kill... kill... KILL!!!!!"

Swoooshhhhh!!!!!!

"Heh! Not this time!" Malachi’s figures instantly moved, they swerved, dodging the wildly swinging cleaver, both staffs splitting the air as they swung them furiously.

CRAAACKKKKK!!!!!

The sounds of bones shattering reaching the ears of both figures as they smiled victoriously, their eyes falling on the collapsed butcher, only for it to widen as the figure stood back up, its shattered head remaking itself..

"Kekekekek... I embody the collapse of all things, you cannot kill me.. cannot kill me.. kekekekekekeeke.. kill monkey... kill monkey.. kill atmosphere... kekekekeke.. kill, Kill, KILLL!!"

Swooosh...

"Damn, just what the hell did you get yourself into this time?" The clone yelled..

"Less shouting, more swinging!!"

""ORYYYAAAAAA!!!!""

Booooooommmmmmmm!!!!!!!

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A/N: and so, the battle begins.

I’m curious what void-tempest can do though..

1/3

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Thanks for reading