Crucible Aeternum

"Futile tricks."

The words were so crisp and clear that it sounded as though it came from right next to Galeon's ears. But that could not be the case as he saw the hulking man wade through the settling dust cloud, walking toward him. The large sword was left stuck in the ground once again in a show of dominance. He was telling Galeon that he did not even need a weapon to kill him.

Galeon found himself unable to move. An overwhelming force seemed to be pulling him toward the ground, and it was all he could do to remain standing, bracing against the sudden mountainous weight that bore down on him. He felt stifled, an unbearable urge to roar in defiance threatening to escape him, but he held back this sudden unknown and primal urge.

There was a nagging sound that kept ringing in his head, muffled and unclear. But it was there, seemingly pushing him every closer toward a tipping point that Galeon felt an unprecedented horror for. It was not a fear of what would happen but rather a fear of what he would become should he let himself be taken over by this urge.

It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. And although his mind was slowly starting to cloud over, aching with each pounding footfall of the hulking man that continued to walk toward him, Galeon honed his mind onto gleaning something about this unknown sensation that threatened to take him over. And in the depths of his murky quagmire of a mind, he found a word whispered in a restrained yet furious defiance.

Freedom...

And as soon as he heard it clearly, it was as though he had found a sharp sword to cleave the whirlpool that wanted to drown him. His mind cleared and he could finally refocus on the battle. His Eyes of Clarity shone dimly as they looked at the threads all around him, and there he found what was restricting him.

Gravity, the very presence of the world was being used against him. The hulking man was somehow able to manipulate gravity to a startling degree and with such mastery that Galeon could not even do anything at all. It was not just his body that was stuck. Even the Lights that he scattered everywhere were grounded, unable to exert any of the power they should carry.

How was this possible?

His Light carried an authority of its own. It should be beyond most powers wielded by the people of Corrin, and then it hit him. The hulking man was not using just any power. He was using Corrin's own gravity, wielding Corrin's authority however little was permissible to him. And this alone was able to affect the authority of Lux, Bringer of Light. No matter how powerful it might be, in a battle of authorities, Galeon's understanding of Light still paled to the natural understanding of gravity. Everyone had an innate understanding of what it means to fall to solid ground inevitably.

This was a lesson that Galeon had to remember. He was not afraid of the battle itself. He knew he would not die here no matter how much this man wanted to kill him. It was not because the man was merciful, but because of other things that gave Galeon assurance. One of them, in fact, had already arrived.

"You will die in helplessness as she did."

The hulking man said gravely as he raised his right fist and threw an earthshaking punch at Galeon's face. This was an attack meant to kill, to pulverise him beyond recovery. But the moment it was about to reach Galeon's face, an explosive force erupted, pushing the man's arm away and blowing Galeon even farther away. The sudden interruption dispelled the hulking man's hold on gravity, allowing Galeon to regain his footing as he observed with sharp eyes the unfolding scene.

Standing opposite each other was the hulking man in full-plate armour and another man with light garments and exposed tanned skin. Scars riddled his body as he seemed more feral than most beasts. He stood imposingly in front of the armoured man, blocking his path toward Galeon. It was the help that Galeon was expecting, but his eyes only grew even colder as he looked at the new entrant. He felt no gratitude as his eyes seemed to be glimpsing at something that was not quite clear to him just yet, a puzzle whose pieces remained incomplete.

"You dare interrupt me, Fury."

The hulking man stared coldly at the new entrant. They obviously knew each other as both had been alive for a few centuries already. They had their own virtues and creeds that often overlapped. But there were also times when they cannot see eye to eye, their disagreements devolving into battle. Nothing overly serious, but still something that they avoided themselves. After all, both of them were Divines.

As Galeon stared at the two men, his Eyes of Clarity gleaned more information about their identities through the threads connected to them. His expression did not change even when learning who they were. He had already guessed them before even confirming with his eyes after all.

The armoured man who was trying to kill him was none other than the Divine Blade of Retribution, Latonai. And the one who stopped his attack was the Divine Fist of Fury, the Guild Master. Interestingly, the Divine Fist's name remained unknown even after all these years. Even the Guild may not know it.

"Latonai, just wait. We have more important things to do right now. Whatever grudge you have with him, you can settle it after."

Hearing Fury's words, Latonai merely scoffed as he reached out with his left hand. The sword that was stuck in the ground behind him came flying back to him, settling in his grasp once more as he prepared to strike. This time, he would make sure to cut everything in his way even if it was a Divine. Seeing this, Fury's face contorted in anger as his body began to grow slightly larger. His stance shifting into battle-ready as he howled at the old Divine Blade before him.

"I'm not trying to stop you, Latonai! I'm only asking you to wait! Don't you see that mountain in the distance?! Do you really think this is the time to be reducing our numbers?!"

Latonai seemed to not care about any of Fury's words. His two hands clasped tightly around the hilt of his giant sword as he raised it up high. And as he breathed in, the sword seemed to glow, not from light, but from the aura emanated by his power. The glow grew more and more intense as the pressure of gravity around him rose once more, spreading its influence farther from him. Fury prepared to charge at him, hoping to interrupt whatever attack he was preparing, but Latonai's cold voice rang loud in his ears.

"You've lost your son years ago, Fury. You know the pain I feel. I will erase this filth now and avenge my daughter. If you don't step away now, then I'll you to your son as well."

Without even waiting a second longer, Latonai brought down his sword the moment he finished speaking, leaving Fury no time to think through his options. Instinct took the reins as Fury leapt out of the way of the devastating attack. Although he was certain he would have survived it, he did not want to find out the damage it will cause to his body. And with the unknown mountain still rising in the distance, he could not afford to be in a weakened state. The world was in a state of emergency. And although it would be great to have one more Divine helping them, they had long been used to having just seven.

Galeon, however, was not like Fury. Although instinct played a part in his decision-making processes as well, he did not always rely on it. And with the Eyes of Clarity, he did not even feel the passage of time the same way others did anymore. In his perspective, the wave of power rushing toward him had the speed of a brisk walking man. He had enough time to weigh his options, but there was not to choose from anyway.

His first option was to dodge the attack and continue the battle. This would be the worst choice because he had already recognised his disadvantage against the Divine Blade of Retribution. So until he has found a way to resist his gravity fully, he would not continue this pointless battle. And yes, he could already feel his Retroactive Physique working as it began adapting to the sudden increase in gravity, but it was not yet enough.

His second option was the only one left to him. And it was the one that he preferred. His gaze shifted as it locked onto the towering mountain that spiraled upward into space. It seemed to be puncturing the very bounds of the world itself as it sought to truly reach the stars. And yet the authority gushing out of it had already covered Galeon's entire vision. He could not see the stars without the filter of this strange authority. He could not let this continue.

"I'll be keeping my eyes on you, Retribution."

Those were the last words that Latonai and Fury heard before the attack ravaged everything in front of the giant sword. Latonai stared at the place that Galeon should have died on for a brief moment before turning around and leaving in silence. Meanwhile, Fury's expression was sombre as he realised that Galeon was stronger than he thought. They both knew that he was not dead. Just his words alone were enough evidence of it.

And so, they both left and headed toward the heaven-reaching mountain. Perhaps there, they will meet him again.