Omar dropped to one knee to lift Menora, simultaneously pulling a flash grenade from a pocket in his suit and hurling it swiftly at Margoth's feet. The blast exploded, momentarily blinding his adversary. Following up instantly, Omar threw a smoke grenade at his own feet to conceal himself from Margoth's view as his sight returned. He snatched up Menora, set his legs to their maximum speed, and bolted toward the forest. A quick glance back showed the swords thrashing the air randomly within the smoke, confirming Margoth had yet to pinpoint his location. He was close to the forest; his plan might succeed if he reached cover before the smoke dispersed.

When he looked back a second time, a horrific sight made him gasp: the swords were spinning like rotors, driving the smoke away, which dissipated faster than it should have. Omar was exposed. Margoth instantly sent one of his swords darting toward Omar, who leaped high, letting the blade pass beneath him. Another sword followed, and he slid along the ground, narrowly avoiding it as it passed overhead. He was within a hair's breadth of reaching the forest, but the swords attacked him relentlessly, one after the other. He jumped, ducked, and dodged them from the front and back with increasing difficulty.

Then, he saw one of the swords burrow into the ground and spin like a drill, plunging beneath the surface. Omar realized it could emerge anywhere, at any moment, to strike him from below. With swords above, in front, and behind, he was trapped. He did something Margoth, who had relaxed his defenses, did not anticipate: he placed Menora on the ground, aimed his weapon at Margoth—who was currently unprotected—and opened fire. Margoth's four swords raced to shield him, with one barely managing to deflect the bullets an instant before they struck. Omar grabbed Menora and ran like a gazelle fleeing a lion.

Just as he was about to enter the forest, the fifth sword shot out from beneath the ground, aiming to stab Omar. His eyes widened in shock; he had completely forgotten about it. But suddenly, a body slammed into him. He fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding the lethal blade. He immediately sprang back up with Menora in his arms and looked to see who had saved him. It was Eyad.

A surge of relief and frustration hit Omar. "Eyad, you idiot! What in the blazes brought you back? Haven't you warned the humans yet?" he panted.

Eyad stood, his gaze fixed on Margoth, not turning to Omar. "I knew you'd get yourself killed, you fool, so I came back to drag your hide out of here," he said with an edge of annoyance. "Besides, the humans wouldn't have believed me alone. You need to be with me to confirm what I say... but it looks like our problems are multiplying."

"We have to get out of here. This brute is unbeatable."

"Leave him to me and run with her now. I'll catch up with you once you're far enough away."

"You won't stand a chance against him, moron. Not even the Astra have landed a blow on him. What makes you think you can?"

"Don't you dare underestimate me. Go! Now!"

Margoth watched their exchange, then took a step toward them. "You humans, what is the meaning of this? You should be up top now, defending Atlantis from the robot attacks! Leave that girl and do not impede my mission. You are under the protection of us, the followers of the great Gladious."

A surge of pure bitterness flushed Eyad's face crimson at the mention of Gladious's name. "If it weren't for that accursed Gladious, none of this would have happened! Now, get out of my sight!"

Eyad charged at Margoth, yelling at Omar to run. Omar lifted Menora and bolted into the forest like a rabbit diving into its burrow.

Margoth's swords dashed toward Eyad, who drew his light-saber and skillfully parried and dodged the incoming blades. But they encircled him, coming from every conceivable direction. He stopped advancing and began backing up, deflecting the blades until he felt they would pierce his body at any moment. He released a small cannon from his wrist and fired several small projectiles at Margoth. The swords instantly diverted to shield their master, exploding fiercely upon impact and engulfing a large area in fire.

When the flames and smoke cleared, Margoth saw Eyad emerge, about to strike him. Margoth ducked swiftly to the left, avoiding the blow, then snatched one of his own swords and plunged it into Eyad's abdomen, the blade exiting his back. Eyad coughed up a stream of blood, staining the inside of his helmet. He collapsed, taking his last breaths.

Margoth looked toward the forest. "Now I see why Gladious chose you for this war! You are the smartest race in wartime tactics and the most tenacious in battle. Your bloody history of fighting amongst yourselves has given you abilities that distinguish you from other creatures in this universe... But the people of Atlantis are fools. They attack without tactics because they've had little experience with war."

Margoth's swords shot toward the forest, circling like a devastating whirlwind, shredding trees and leaves. Omar felt them approaching, his heart sinking with profound grief and sorrow as tears streamed down his face.

My God, he killed Eyad, he thought.

Before he died, Eyad activated the comm link to Omar. "Forgive me, my friend, I failed you, but I almost defeated him... Save her, and tell the humans the truth. You must deliver the truth to them, no matter what."

Eyad fell silent after uttering his final words. Omar screamed, weeping: "Eyaaaad... Eyad! Don't die, please!"

He received no response. He saw the swords tearing down the trees around him, closing in. He dodged and maneuvered among the remaining trees, seeking cover, feeling like he was in hell as the swords chased him from every angle. He felt his turn had come to join Eyad in the heavens.

But just as the swords continued their destructive rampage, they suddenly stopped and retreated.

On the other side, Margoth found the elder Minoth spewing fire at him and sending large rocks to surround him. Margoth realized he would be delayed from his prey once more, so he recalled his swords to protect him from these attacks, having only one sword left for defense.

The elder Minoth stood, grasping the jewel on his chest, drawing strength. His aged face was contorted with fury and resentment at what Margoth had done. Fire raged around him as he said, "You will have to pass over my dead body first before you reach them."

Margoth lowered his head in frustration, speaking in a gloomy tone. "I have to fight an old man after all my efforts! How disappointing."

"You will see things from this old man that will surprise you."

The elder's long silver hair and beard caught fire. Air swirled like a cutting blade around his feet, rock formed around his right hand, and water gathered in his left. Margoth, intrigued, said:

"Controlling four elements at once! That is truly rare. You must be one of Gaia's relatives."

"You'll be surprised to learn that I am his father."

Margoth was silent for a moment, clearly struck by astonishment. He cracked his neck and asked, "But... aren't you dead?"

"I was going to die, but Gaia treated me using the Crystal of Life after the war between him and Athenos began. He gave me some of the Crystal's power so I would agree with his actions and give him the legitimate authority to control all of Atlantis. This allowed me to wield four elements of nature at once. But he did not know that I would oppose the policy he adopted, so he exiled me from his kingdom. At the time, I had no abilities, as Gladious hadn't yet performed his tricks on our bodies."

"How interesting. So you carry a spark of the sacred Crystal's light, which gave you distinction among your people, as I assume it did your daughter."

"Gaia also imbued her with the Crystal's power so she would not be harmed in this war... What do you want with her?"

"I need her because of the spark of light from the Crystal inside her. With that power and sacred energy, we can put an end to Gaia. Had you not been an old man, unable to withstand what we would do to you, I would have taken you instead. You must submit to the revered Gladious, who sees all. He knows, and you do not. Therefore, what you see as evil from your limited perspective, the revered Gladious sees as good. He operates according to an intricate cosmic plan that your small minds cannot comprehend. Thus, all your sacrifices, deaths, and suffering are merely part of a greater, more magnificent picture that will imbue this troubled universe with eternal peace... Now, let us finish this. I must catch her before she gets too far."

Margoth stood, the five swords emerging from behind him in perfect harmony. They positioned themselves above his head, then aimed at Minoth like arrows ready to be fired from a bow. The elder prepared himself. As soon as the first sword lunged at him, the elder bolted to the right, using the air at his feet to make his strides much faster than any normal being's. It was as if he were wearing speed skates that multiplied his velocity.

Margoth noticed his increased speed due to the air and sent his swords after him. The elder dodged them with agility, leaping over them, ducking under them, or creating rock barriers to momentarily obstruct them. But the persistent swords kept chasing him like snakes lunging at their prey from every direction. The elder knew fighting the swords was futile and that they would eventually kill him, so he was trying to mislead them to reach Margoth and take him out, knowing the swords would stop moving once their master died.

One sword spun horizontally and another vertically, ambushing him from the front and back to prevent him from jumping or maneuvering, while the rest cornered him from the left and right. The elder realized he was in a dire predicament and would be shredded if he didn't act immediately. He executed a clever move Margoth didn't anticipate: the elder created a dome of rock around himself, completely covering him like a small house.

Margoth smiled, knowing he had won the fight. The elder was now contained within this fragile dome, making him easy to dice. He ordered the swords to pierce the dome and end him. The swords shot forward, gleaming under the sun, and began penetrating the dome. Inside, Minoth was executing his plan. He directed water onto the surrounding rocks, turning them into soft mud from the inside. He waited until he heard the swords attempting to breach the small dome, knowing they had fallen into his trap, as they struggled to penetrate the sticky mud. Immediately, before they could fully pass through, the elder exhaled fire onto the inner dome, hardening the mud. Then he released air from his mouth, calming the fire until the dome was impenetrably hard. The swords were trapped, unable to free themselves from the solidified rock.

The elder, who had cleverly left a small, inconspicuous exit in the back of the dome, crouched down and slipped out. He saw the swords struggling in vain to escape the dome, but he knew it would take them no more than a minute to break free. He dashed from behind the dome toward Margoth, who was stunned by what had just happened. Margoth realized he was now defenseless, save for the single sword he always kept nearby.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.