The essence energies clashed against each other. The pressure was immense and Suffocating. The air itself seemed to crack under the weight of their power the royal palace building shaking due to the clash and then a few moments later, the energies that clashed dissolved into nothingness.
Aldrich moved his right hands forward, opening his palm. Fingers spread wide. His essence flowed through his body like ice water through his veins.And then it manifested.
The Ice King Breaker sword materialized in his hands. It appeared from nothing. From pure essence given form. The blade was massive. Nearly six feet long. The metal was a pale blue, almost white. Frost spread across its surface. Ice crystals grew along the edge. The temperature in the room dropped instantly. Breath became visible. Condensation formed on the walls of the royal palace.
The sword hummed with power, and that right there was the combination of Solomon's power and that of Aldrich.
King Augustus looked at the blade and laughed. A genuine, amused laugh. "Here we go again with that sword." He shook his head, still smiling. "The last time you used that, you lost, didn't you?"
Aldrich's grip tightened on the hilt. His knuckles went white. His face remained expressionless. But his eyes. His eyes burned with cold anger.
When he spoke, it was Solomon's voice. Solomon's tone. Solomon's absolute conviction. "Today, you shall feel the wrath of betrayal, brother."
His body shifted. His knees bent. His torso leaned forward. Like someone about to collapse. Like a drunk man losing his balance. His weight tipped toward the ground.And then he moved but his movement blurred.
It wasn't speed. It was something else. Something beyond speed. His body seemed to dissolve. To break apart into wisps of black smoke. Dark tendrils that scattered like ash caught in wind. His form became insubstantial. And then he was gone.
Vanished completely.The smoke dissipated. The air settled. And Aldrich reappeared.But he reappeared Right beside King Augustus. Close enough to touch and close enough to kill.
Augustus simply smiled. That same calm, knowing smile that nothing is capable of harming him. "I can already see you, Solomon." He muttered
Aldrich didn't hesitate. His body was already in motion. The Ice King Breaker sword swung in a wide arc. Aiming directly for Augustus's throat. The blade cut through the air with a whistle. Frost trailed behind it. It was indeed a killing blow.
But King Augustus simply side stepped.One smooth motion. His body shifted to the left. So Casual and Effortless. Like he was avoiding a slow moving object instead of a killing strike. The blade passed through empty air. Missing his throat by mere inches.
Aldrich didn't stop. His momentum carried him through the swing. But he adjusted instantly. His wrists twisted and in doing that ,The blade redirected mid motion. Swinging toward the side where Augustus had just moved. Where he now stood, it was clear he seemed Unprotected.
But Augustus chuckled having seen that movement from Aldrich Already. A low, amused sound. And his feet moved backward. One step it was Simple.He dodged the attack once again.
Aldrich struck again. The sword came down in a vertical slash. Aimed at Augustus's shoulder. His collarbone.Augustus stepped back. Another casual step. Like he was dancer who was performing . The blade missed again.
Aldrich's frustration built. But Solomon's training took over. He didn't let emotion control him. He just kept attacking. Again and again. Each strike faster than the last. Each one more precise and deadly aiming for a direct kill strike.
The Ice King Breaker sword became a blur of motion. Horizontal slashes. Vertical cuts. Diagonal strikes. Thrusts. Spins. Every angle. Every opening. Every possible trajectory was been sent towards Him.
But King Augustus dodged them all.One step backward. Another step to the left. A slight lean to the right. A duck under a high swing. A jump over a low sweep. He moved with perfect efficiency. No wasted motion. No unnecessary flourishes. Just simple and precise movements.
It looked like a break dance. A deadly, one sided dance. Augustus was the lead. Aldrich was just following along.It seemed like he was Always one step behind and Augustus was a step ahead.
Their feet moved across the throne room. Back and forth. Left and right. Augustus kept retreating. Step by step. Leading Aldrich in a circle.And then came the final swing.
Aldrich brought the Ice King Breaker sword down with both hands, With Maximum force. Maximum intent. The blade struck the ground like it was pulling dust upwards with a swing And it released.
A wave of ice erupted from the point of impact. Dozens of ice spikes shot forward. Each one as thick as a titan's arm. Each one sharp as a spear. They tore through the marble floor like it was paper. Racing toward Augustus at incredible speed.
The sound was deafening. A crack and roar of shattering stone and forming ice. The spikes multiplied as they traveled. Spreading outward. Creating a wall of frozen death.m if contact is made with it.But King Augustus simply vanished.Not blurred. Not dissolved. Just gone. One moment he was there. The next, he wasn't.
The ice spikes continued their path. Unimpeded. They shot upward. Piercing through everything in their way. They hit the ceiling with tremendous force. Embedding themselves deep into the stone. Forming a massive wall of ice that stretched from floor to ceiling. Twenty feet tall. Ten feet thick.
Ice vapor escaped from the wall. White mist that spread across the throne room. The temperature dropped even further. Frost spread across every surface.
And then there King Augustus reappeared On his throne.He sat casually. One leg crossed over the other. His silver sword pinned to the ground beside him. Point down. Perfectly balanced. He looked completely relaxed. Untouched. Not even breathing hard.
He chuckled. That same amused sound. "Solomon, you know all of that movement was already a waste. So why do you insist on trying to defeat someone you can't win against, hmm? Little brother?"
Inside Aldrich's mind, his own voice erupted. Frustrated and Desperate alongside Confusion. "Why aren't your attacks hitting him?!" He spoke.
Solomon's voice responded in a very calm manner . "It seems he's using his Foresight ability. Look at his eyes. Do you see it?"
Aldrich focused. He stared at King Augustus across the distance. Past the wall of ice. Past the mist. Directly at his face. His eyes.And there it was.
In King Augustus's eyes, a symbol shined faintly. It was a Clock shaped pattern . Perfectly geometric. Each point sharp and defined. It rotated slowly. Clockwise. The symbol pulsed with a soft yellow light, like that of gods.
"Yes. I see it," Aldrich confirmed.
"That's his signature ability," Solomon explained. "It lets him see a few seconds or a bit more into the future as far as i know . He perceives what you're about to do before you do it. Then he simply avoids it in this reality. But there's a limit to what he can do. Watch me, Aldrich. Watch and learn."
Solomon took full control. Aldrich felt himself being pushed back. Becoming the observer. The passenger.Solomon stretched out both hands. Palms facing forward. Fingers spread wide. His essence flowed differently now. Not cold like ice. But bright radiant and Warm.
He spoke clearly. His voice echoed through the throne room. "Archive One Point Two. Multiple Sanctum Aegis."
And then the world changed.Mirrors appeared.Not slowly. Not gradually. Instantly. All at once.One hundred mirrors materialized throughout the throne room. On the floor. Floating in the air. Attached to walls. Hanging from the ceiling. They filled every available space. Every angle. Every surface as little as they were.
Each mirror was identical. Six feet tall. Three feet wide. Framed in ornate gold. The glass was pristine. Perfect. Reflective. But the reflections weren't normal. They reflected into each other.
The entire throne room became a maze of mirrors. A labyrinth of glass and reflection. Light bounced between them.Creating a dizzying effect. It was impossible to tell which direction was which. Which reflection was real. Which was illusion but this didn't affect King Augustus and Solomon didn't care.
The temperature shifted again. The cold from the ice wall. They began to dissolve and melt down into liquid.
King Augustus stood from his throne. Slowly. His expression changed. The amusement faded. Replaced with something more serious and More focused.
"Hmm. It seems you're now taking this seriously eh" His voice was quieter now. Measured. He looked around at the mirrors surrounding him. Assessing and Calculating them, he had faced this ability before and he hated them . "This is One ability of yours I truly hate little brother ."
He reached down and gripped his silver sword. He pulled it from the ground with one smooth motion. The blade shined in the fractured light.And then his essence flowed into it.
The sword began to change. Black essence energy coated the entire length of the blade. Like liquid shadow poured over steel. The color was deep. Absolute. It didn't reflect light rather It absorbed it. The air around the sword distorted. Warped. Like reality itself was bending.
King Augustus held the blackened blade up. Examining it. Then he looked toward where Aldrich stood. Through multiple reflections. Through the maze of mirrors.And he smiled.It was A warrior's smile. A king's smile. A brother's smile.
"Now, shall we go power for power, little brother?"
The black essence around his sword intensified. The pressure in the room doubled. The palace trembled. Some walls cracked slightly at the edges.
This was no longer a one sided dance.This was war.and both brothers were ready to go all out.