Bro, I'm not an Undead!

The inside of the Cluster was as some would have at least guessed.

There was gold, gold, and more gold.

The horizon was brimming with a pale golden hue while everything from plants to landforms exhibited a sheen akin to that only fine ornaments could exude.

The view was absolutely precious, especially to those that buckled easily whenever monetary value could be attached to something they could see.

Replicus too was astounded by the sight as soon as he emerged with his subordinates as a thick bolt of Levin that exploded to then reveal their figures, and create footing for them in the air – a wide, dark and brimming storm cloud.

Allora wobbled, but the rest were fine. They were used to it. What baffled them instead was the ravine down below, which looked to have been was carved by the river of liquid diamond flowing within it, however it could have possible been processed into such.

Replicus spotted the other Factions, most of which created distance from each other while looking at the large opening beyond the ravine.

He could see the Mad Bishop muttering something while in the company of her beefy guards, Warding Pride with hers, several others he didn't care for and...

Hmmm.

'Where's Eaniss?' Replicus thought.

He last saw her when she had been conversing with Dander, Musing and Thrill outside the Cluster.

Wait...

Strangely enough, two more Factions were missing.

The man with the crystal of black and white – the Harmonic Amber – was nowhere to be seen and another Faction Replicus considered to be a bastion of the Severed Union was lost to his sight and senses too.

Where they stuck outside? Perhaps.

For some reason, Araeyn became uncharacteristically restless. He turned towards Replicus with an oddly enraged face.

He established a mental link to the Penetrator, but all Replicus felt from it was jumbled emotion.

"What's your problem?" Replicus said with a side socket, irritated.

A searing smoke and steam followed a loud boom that signalled the descent of the Scorching Tears on the golden ocean outside.

Replicus' attention was stolen away.

The Ardent Curses marched into the Cluster and Thrill sealed the crack in and out of it and made it impossible to perceive with a wave of his wand.

Replicus snorted.

'They really intended to trap us in here after all. It wasn't a kind invitation. But what for?'

Donning a double grin, Thrill raised all four of his arms beneath his pristine, lettery cloak as he welcomed everyone.

"Thank you for accepting our invitation after all, despite your earlier reluctance. We were told you would serve us all well, and I'm glad that so far, you do not disappoint..."

'Told?' Replicus thought.

"There is no escape, unfortunately. You must understand, everyone must take care of their own. This is all in the name of tradition and safety. Our safety."

Replicus and the rest watched as the Curses' wands released the same cords they had seen drawn from the Curses' victims outside. The cords, as Replicus saw were sucked into a distant object that housed...

'What is that? A Cluster General?' he thought when he took at the full grandeur of the figure trapped within the large crystal tens of miles away.

That thing...

His thoughts were interrupted by another mental connection from Araeyn who looked strangely irritated as he faced Replicus.

Replicus was annoyed.

"If you have something to say, just say it," he told the Apostle.

"Boss, what's wrong?" Grim asked.

"Nevermind," Replicus said as he turned from Araeyn who shockingly moved to stand in front of him on the cloud and opened his mouth.

Nothing came out at first.

The Apostle looked to struggle as croaking and wet groaning noises came from his mouth.

They were somehow chilling instead of cute.

Replicus was taken aback.

What was this?

Was Araeyn already beginning to rebel against him?

This turned out to not be the case, thankfully.

The Apostle finally spoke. However, he only managed a single word in a language none other than a Null Lifeform could understand.

"Past..."

The Penetrator was puzzled.

Araeyn almost looked as though he had run a marathon. In fact, he almost keeled over from just the one word.

Yet, Replicus had no idea what he meant.

"KILL THEM ALL!" Thrill screamed with an elated look before hurtling into the sky and sending jets of silvery flame flying at the Factions.

Dander and dozens of those under him took flight towards Replicus and his group while Musing headed straight for the Mad Bishop.

Replicus turned cautious.

A massive amount of clouds appeared everywhere, nearly blocking out the light from the silvery moony sun overhead.

'Will Eaniss join or what?' Replicus thought, sparing only a single look towards where the crack in space had been sealed and cloaked.

Turning himself and his subordinates into bolts of Levin, he darted from cloud to cloud with immense speed, while Dander gave chase. Unfortunately for the Curses, even when they split up and tried to shoot jets of energy from their wands in an attempt to cause the odd storm clouds to dissipate, they could not have expected that the Penetrator's fluffy stairs would only grow in number despite their efforts.

They could only give chase while trying to aiming at the rapid bolt itself.

While in the bright form, Replicus began to brain storm.

What was he to do with these Ardent Curses? Would Aggrante work on them? Would raw Null Life Essence work on them?

He didn't have enough time to stop and experiment, especially when he was carrying his subordinates. Setting them loose on a threat they had no way to defend against and defeat was sure to kill them.

Thrill, Dander and Musing had purple cores and were of the same Tier as the Definer of Causality, as far as Replicus could see.

He couldn't afford to be lackadaisical in his approach.

They were bigger threats than Nedalia.

If he couldn't stop to test whether Null Life Essence worked or not, how was he to...

Wait.

"Baddan. I think you have something that can solve our problems..." Replicus told the currently transmuted Baddan.

Moments later, he then spat out and sent him hurtling down as a smaller bolt that smashed into the golden ground with a hoarse impact!

The Sky Watcher emerged, morphed into his normal self again.

Oddly, when in that Levin form along with Replicus, it was easier to share thoughts and ideas, as though they were no boundaries between him and the Penetrator.

He knew what to do.

As a set of Curses split from Dander's charge towards him, Baddan wore a solemn look as he raised his hand above his head.

With a light clink as that from a cymbal, two thick disks – one twice the size of Baddan's head, and another half the size – appeared, floating over the Sky Watcher's head.

At once, a staggering amount of mana flooded from Baddan's core and fuelled the two disks.

The Sky Watcher burdened himself into a complex stance where his hands were brought together in a gesture where it seemed as though he was about receive something that would fall from the sky.

Then he spoke in a stern voice, initiating the mechanism of his granted technique.

"Grant me the chances."