Is this really a Game?!

Outside of the world, back when Avargan had first taken control over the angels…

"Ohhh, you want me to save them, system?" A playful voice echoed through the void as a blurry figure stood still. The figure was shrouded by some sort of energy, and nothing could get a glimpse of its features.

"You know, it is interesting, for you to have not seen this coming."

"And now coming to me, wishing for help."

"You do know I dislike you, right?"

"We all do."

The system continued conversing with the figure, wishing for nothing but the figure to intervene and take care of the angels. That was all it needed, it just needed the angels, who were in the Saint realm, to be stopped, to be incapacitated, and everything would be fine.

"You know, I used to think that fate was something you controlled as well, that you were able to see everything in the river of time, to see everybody's destiny, to be able to change the tapestry of fate as you wish, who would have thought that it was not like that?" The figure said with a chuckle as the system stood silent before once again doing its best to try and persuade the figure.

"No, I won't help them, they don't need it."

The system, seemingly desperate and anxious, continued to plead with the mysterious figure shrouded in energy. The blurred features of the figure remained enigmatic, but its voice carried an air of nonchalant amusement.

"You're quite insistent, aren't you?"

"Always thinking you have everything under control, always being the observer, and yet, you don't mind meddling when there is a need to."

"Are you afraid that the new generation you are placing a lot of faith into will meet their end today, or is it only one person that you are truly afraid will die today, huh?"

The system once again stayed silent, not responding to the provocation of the figure who chuckled before the system spoke to it once more.

"Catastrophic consequences?"

"As if this world and those people mean anything in the grand scheme of things, mortals are but fleeting moments in the vastness of existence."

The mysterious figure continued mockingly. "Unforeseen consequences?"

"Oh, how you love your little games, you want me to fix your problems, to play hero for your precious mortals, I wonder what the rest of the universe would think if they found out that the system is not as neutral as they believed it to be?"

The system spoke to it once again, this time in a more aggressive manner.

The figure spoke with slight contemplation. "Balance, tapestry... Words you throw around without truly understanding their implications, or is it that you simply don't even care for the implications?"

"There is no need for me to intervene because things are already finished, see, your mortals managed to take care of it, the angels are once again free."

The figure smiled as it stared at the world below, only for its expression to change upon seeing what Avargan did.

"Tch, that bastard, it seems I will need to intervene in the end, annoying little mortal that plays a game he is not fit to play at all."

"I will only move if 'his' life is in danger though, I don't care for the rest." The figure said before his form flickered and he disappeared from the spot.

In the present, Avargan's lifeless body hovered in the air, surrounded by a swirling mist of his own blood. The cavern fell silent as they processed the unexpected turn of events. Elyndor, Reign, and Iscandar exchanged glances, uncertain of what would happen next.

The angels, free from Avargan's control, maintained their calm demeanor. The central angel, which had been the spokesperson during Avargan's manipulation, spoke once more. "We are grateful for your intervention. We were bound by a dark force, and your efforts have set us free."

Elyndor, still catching his breath, nodded. "We couldn't have done it without your cooperation. It seems fate has a way of balancing things out, but … this is not finished yet."

As the trio and the angels gathered in the cavern, the mist around Avargan's body began to take a more solid form. An ethereal figure, shrouded in a dark cloak, emerged from the swirling blood. It was Avargan's spirit, tethered to his sacrifice, reaching out to the forces he believed would ensure his victory.

The figure, a manifestation of Avargan's essence, stared at them with hollow eyes. "I am bound to fate, and I shall not be denied. The angels are mine, and I demand their return."

Reign, Iscandar, and Elyndor remained on guard, wary of this spectral entity. They had successfully disrupted Avargan's control, but now they faced a lingering echo of his determination, one whose power was not known to them.

The ethereal figure raised its hand, and the blood mist surrounding it condensed into a swirling vortex. Avargan's voice echoed from within the vortex, resonating with an otherworldly power. "I have given everything to fate, and I demand the angels' return. You, fateless ones, shall not stand in my way."

Suddenly, the entire area fell under immense pressure as even the angels were forced to kneel down.

"You actually sacrificed everything you had to control them once more?!" Elyndor shouted in disbelief as Avargan chuckled.

"You … you realize that after this is finished, you will be gone, and not just dead, your fate will be gone, all of it, and with it, the memories of you will no longer be present, your very past will be wiped, nobody will remember you ever existed!" Elyndor said as Avargan stopped chuckling before suddenly erupting in laughter.

"And?!"

"What of it, what of memories and my existence?!"

"I would rather kill you all, then kill that bastard brother of mine, kill all the powerful individuals of the two kingdoms and never be remembered than to be defeated here by the likes of you!"

"If I cannot have my destiny, if I cannot rule, then I shall simply destroy it all!"

"You have grown mad," Elyndor said as he took a step back while his body shook.

Avargan had truly lost his mind. He had given everything so that he could destroy the two kingdoms and them, even though he would die after that and forever be forgotten.

Before anyone could do anything, Elyndor suddenly froze before glancing down.

His body suddenly had a huge hole in it. His stomach and chest were seemingly gone, destroyed in an instant.

"A traitorous so doesn't need to continue living any longer," Avargan said as one of the angels pulled back its arm, the same one from which the energy blast that suddenly killed Elyndor originated.

"Don't kill the fateless right away, I want them to suffer, to see that everything they had done was for naught." Avargan smiled as he stared at Iscandar and Reign who were immobilized, chains of what seemed to be fate itself wrapped around them.

"Hmmm, start killing the rest one by one, let them feel despair."

The angels nodded, their faces showing no emotions as they moved right away.

They appeared in front of Gideon first.

The burly warrior tried to defend himself, he used his most powerful skills and ability to try and resist, alas, the three angels surrounded him, and their aura alone started grinding his body to a pulp.

The body started twisting and turning, bones breaking and sticking out from some parts, and in only about 15 seconds, what was left of Gideon was a ball of flesh, bones, and the armor he wore on his body.

It was a horrifying death, one that made the rest scatter in order to try and survive.

Reign and Iscandar stared at what happened and did their best to get out of the chains, but it was for naught.

Reign, in his anger, had even turned into his Nephilim form and was using all the power he had, which even managed to surprise Iscandar who was seeing the form for the first time.

Ariol, the spearman, was next.

He tried stabbing one of the angels, only for his spear, and arm, to break on impact.

His arms were immediately broken into pieces before being smashed into nothing but mush before the rest of his body followed. In seconds, what was left was nothing but ground bones and meat on the ground, even the armor he wore was unrecognizable.

In about 3 minutes, half of each group was killed.

In Reign's group, the ones left were Theron, Seraphina, and Lumi, the other 4 were all dead.

In Mia's group, the ones left alive were Mia, Nayle, Isaac, Cosmo, and Iastor, the other 4 were dead as well.

What horrified Reign, however, was the next target of the angels, Mia.

They appeared in front of her and extended their hands toward her. Mia's eyes widened, but she didn't move as she knew that it was useless.

Reign, however, did.

His anger had been rising during the entire slaughter, and it was at this moment that it reached its peak. It had only happened once before, and that was back when Adam died in front of his eyes.

He suddenly heard the same voice that he heard back then, the one he had heard many times in the past, but had seemingly been sleeping for many months. It was the same voice he believed to be his dark copy.