Chapter 25: Chapter 28 – Suzerain Lord Achilles

“What, how is he using Lord Capricorn’s skill?” Achilles looked at the cornucopia of aura from her main skill manifest from the ground. A gigantic cornucopia full of food appeared behind Theseus, and the food was consumed as aura was used. It was like an aura bank, but it was displayed as foods.

Lord Capricorn used this skill in her previous life as highly ranked official with the country Pyrite. It was one of the Four Powers, and as one of the strongest countries in the world, it was founded on the slave trade. Capricorn wanted her territory to be better than Pyrite, but she consented to the reality of the Oceanic Realm, unlike Theseus. She paid a huge price to relearn this skill in the afterlife, but it was also a skill that encouraged bad foundational practices.

Lord Achilles went to attack Theseus, but Theseus wasn’t done attacking.

“Skill: Allurement.”

Lord Achilles was stunned momentarily. This was one of Lord Jezebel’s skills! How was Theseus doing this? Was Theseus secretly a mimicry?

Theseus sent a wave of the cornucopia’s energies at Achilles, sending him flying.

***

Before Suzerain Lord Achilles came to power, he once worked as a proud soldier of Darkin, before Darkin became a Suzerain Lord. Achilles worked his way up the food chain over decades to become a Captain, but the now Lord Darkin had changed. After Lord Darkin was rumored to have investigated the Moirai Dungeon, something in that place scared him to the extent of perpetual seclusion after his ascension to power.

Achilles felt his Suzerain Lord had failed him. Lord Darkin was a tower of skill and power. Truly, Lord Darkin could have represented the most exemplary Suzerain Lord if he didn’t bar himself in seclusion right after becoming a Suzerain Lord. Achilles looked up to Lord Darkin, who ruthlessly delt with his opponents mercilessly. Yet, after Darkin’s personality shift, Achilles grew sad and left Darkin’s territory, a shadow of what Achilles thought it could be.

Seizing the weakest Suzerain Lord Elgar’s territory for his own, Lord Achilles dreamed to one day surpass his former master. Working tirelessly, Lord Achilles ruled as violent Shade, enslaving and killing all who stood in his way. Growing stronger, Achilles rose above his neighbors, Virgo and Capricorn. Plotting for years, he awaited Lord Scorpius and Lord Taurus to complete their little squabble. After one of their downfalls, Achilles would be strong enough to overtake the winner, in theory.

There was an unforeseen variable in his plans, Lord Ahab had fallen to his concubine, Jezebel. With this weaker player now in the ring, Lord Achilles felt even more confident in his own strength. As Achilles grew closer to the D Rank, he knew that aligning with the sly Lord Capricorn was the smartest option to defeat Lord Darkin, but he also wasn’t naïve enough to ignore her secretive plotting.

This was a problem to worry about after the looming threat of Darkin was resolved, yet another variable emerged. Lord Virgo, an older player, was unexpectedly taken off the board, but not by the one Lord Achilles expected. Aries was a notorious Shade with a strong potential as a future Suzerain Lord candidate. His mysterious disappearance led to Lord Achilles believing nothing else could change this large-scale game of seven player chess. That was, until Theseus appeared.

Out of nowhere, a ghost with no backing caused a stir in the borderlands, smashing a bandit organization for no legitimate reason. Achilles ignored the rumors back then; a new Captain level power was nothing to think too hard about. However, when Theseus teamed up with the now found Shade, Aries, it was strange. How did these two even meet? From the outside, it looked like they had nothing in common. Even then, Aries should have been the new Suzerain Lord with Theseus as his head Captain!

After that, Lord Jezebel joined the upstart Suzerain Lord as well. He should’ve known then and there that there was something weird going on, but he underestimated Lord Theseus because he was a seemingly new and weak Lord.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

***

Lord Achilles flew backwards and into the crowd of soldiers.

“Skill: Spirit Rush.” Theseus caught up the flying Achilles and smashed him into the ground.

Lord Achilles spat out blood, but his external injuries were minimal. The nearby soldiers ran for their lives. Even the Captains of Lord Achilles were in shock.

“Skill: Invulnerable Strike!” Achilles struck up at Theseus.

“Skill: Ghostly Projection.”

“Skill: Projection Swap.”

Theseus created a clone and swapped with it in a millisecond. Aries watched and was perplexed. Projection Swap wasn’t one of his skills. Did Theseus come up another ability to build upon his old one? Just what had Theseus been up to behind closed doors?

Lord Achilles thought his attack hit, but Theseus attacked him right after his clone dissipated.

“Skill: Water Slice.”

“Skill: Slithering Slash.”

“Skill: Watery Stab.”

Theseus chained skills together flawlessly in milliseconds, almost as if he wasn’t using skills at all but speaking in a language of aura.

Lord Achilles took the hits one after another but was known for his impressive defensive capabilities. Invulnerable Body was his best skill and made his skin tougher than anything below the Royalty Realm. For that reason, these lesser skills were just minor annoyances.

“Don’t you ever run out of aura, boy?” Lord Achilles struck at Theseus as the flurry of skills hit his massive body.

“Skill: Holy Light!”

“Skill: Air Burst.”

“Skill: Slithering Strike.”

Theseus kept using skills over and over. Achilles was getting tired, but his injuries were all superficial or minor.

“You will never beat me like this!” Achilles laughed.

“I know.” Theseus stopped attacking. The two locked eyes.

“I just wanted to see how far I could push my skill.” Theseus shrugged.

“It’s time you knew the true power of Oceanus.”

Lord Achilles face darkened, and he prepared himself.

“Skill: Holy Judgement.”

“Skill: Holy Judgement.”

“Skill: Holy Judgement.”

“Skill: Holy Judgement.”

“Skill: Holy Judgement.”

Theseus chanted the Holy Judgement skill five times consecutively. This was an unbelievable feat, and the sky swirled, and the depths of Hell trembled. A light five times as large as the original Holy Judgement consumed the battlefield. The soldiers, Captains, and the other Suzerain Lords present, all ran in terror.

The aftermath left the meadow the battle took place in completely changing into a wasteland. Holy Judgment’s light faded into the sky, crackling, and Theseus stood over the defeated Lord Achilles.

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“How… How did you use that skill five times in a row?” Achilles’s previous injuries were exclusively from the last Holy Judgement and Cornucopia Feast, the trump cards of two Suzerain Lords.

It was as if Seven Suzerain Lords fought Lord Achilles all at once to subjugate him.

Theseus was panting excessively.

“So, this is the limit of Oceanus Founder.” Theseus laughed. About seven F Rank skills used in succession over thirty minutes.

It was overkill. Lord Achilles would’ve been defeated with two or three additional Holy Judgements. He was now dying.

“Your defense is impressive. From my calculations, you lost after four Suzerain Lord level attacks. With your defensive prowess, you would’ve made a good tanker against Lord Darkin, but that’s all you have. Your offensive capabilities are sorely lacking, and the only way you could realistically defeat any other Suzerain Lord is through a war of attrition. You could have beat Virgo by tanking his ability once, Capricorn’s feast ability that can only be used once by her, and you even beat my head Captain, Aries, as well.

But you made a mistake. You laid your hands on Leo. Aries deserves a beating every once in a while, but you touched the precious friend who saved my life. Submit to me right now or pay with your life.” Theseus declared.

“Bastard brat.” Aries mumbled upon hearing his name. Inside though, Aries felt ashamed of his performance against Lord Achilles.

Achilles, who lay on the ground, laughed.

“I could never serve you. It goes against all I stand for as a Suzerain Lord.”

“Then this is goodbye.” Theseus didn’t attempt to convince him. Although Theseus didn’t want anyone to die here, Lord Achilles chose his own path. Oceanus let anyone join, but only if they were willing. Even with Jezebel and Capricorn, they were seemingly bullied into it, but Theseus knew their true natures were better than how they were currently acting.

Lord Achilles on the other hand, was not immature nor flawed in his Shade Core. Achilles chose this path of blood willingly to overcome Lord Darkin at the expense of others.

“Do you have any last words?” Theseus asked.

“Yes… For me, please defeat Lord Darkin. If anyone can do it yo-“ Before he could finish, he died.

“A selfish last wish, Achilles, but I’ll do it.” Theseus closed Achilles’s eyes and stood up.

He was ready to give a speech.

“Damn it all! I missed the best part!” Lord Scorpius broke through the crowds in despair.

“Who are you?” Theseus asked.

“What? I’m Lord Scorpius! I wanted to fight damn it! Which side was losing? I’ll join that side.”

Everyone at the battlefield looked at each other. This crazy Shade couldn’t be a Suzerain Lord, surely!

“Suzerain Lord Scorpius, you ruined the climax of the fight.” Lord Jezebel whispered in Lord Scorpius’s ears.

“Fuck!” Lord Scorpius yelled and was promptly pulled away from the scene by Lord Jezebel.

Theseus pretended he didn’t see anything and addressed the present armies.

“Today marks the dawn of a new age in the Oceanic Realm. A Suzerain Lord has died, and soon Lord Virgo will return from his exile. Together with the Suzerain Lords, Jezebel, and Capricorn, we will abolish the Suzerain Treaty. The Oceanus Territory will liberate the oppressed and save those who wish to join us.

Anyone who clings the evils of the Suzerain Lords can leave Oceanus to the last three territories of the Suzerain Lords. Oceanus will liberate and bring a new era of peace and prosperity to the Oceanic Realm, who is with me?”

The armies on all sides roared with applause. After seeing Lord Theseus’s power firsthand, they were witnesses to history. Lord Achilles was defeated, Lord Capricorn joined Oceanus, and Lord Jezebel remained an aligned territory. Four of the Seven Territories were now formally under one banner, Oceanus.

Theseus then walked over, unmuzzled Leo, and hugged him, casting healing magic on his wounds.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.” Theseus said through the Soul Link.

“No, I’m sorry for not being strong enough.” Leo said, condemning himself.

“Don’t apologize for that; there was a time when I said the same thing.” Theseus smiled.

“I’ll catch back up to you, someday.” Leo hugged back.

***

“Listen, I have no intention of invading a four-territory superpower, but I do itch for battle.” Lord Scorpius told Theseus behind closed doors later that day.

“At least this Suzerain Lord is honest…” Theseus thought. Up until now, the ones he met all had plans to backstab each other.

“I have no intention in being a war mongering leader, Lord Scorpius. Unless you attack me, I will leave you alone. Just understand that Lord Darkin is a threat that will consume you in the future without my help. Please join us, and afterwards, I will duel you to your heart’s content.” Theseus said logically.

“Seriously, he was getting more and more domineering by the day.” Thought Aries, who stood bandaged in the corner of the meeting room.

“I don’t really care about Lord Darkin honestly. I just want to have my war with Lord Taurus. Once the winner is determined, I could join you or Lord Darkin, whoever wins the decisive battle. I’m pretty neutral. I just want to battle.” Lord Scorpius shook Theseus’s hand and got up to leave. For now, Lord Scorpius wanted to remain neutral.

“You’re an honest Shade. That’s hard to come by. Good luck, and I hope you change your mind about Oceanus.” Theseus said to Scorpius, who left shortly after.

“You’re really just going to let him leave?” Lord Jezebel questioned.

“You didn’t let me leave!” Lord Capricorn protested.

“You two would’ve joined me after hearing my plan anyways. I never forced either of you.” Theseus told them dismissively.

“Like Hell you did!” Lord Jezebel and Capricorn both thought, but Theseus’s analysis was fair enough. They needed his harsh rebuke to see through their sins and wrongdoings. Theseus’s bullying of them saved them both a lot of time running around in circles. Lord Scorpius needed a slightly different approach.

“Come on now, we have a lot of work to do.”

Theseus stood up and resumed his work building Oceanus with his comrades.

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