Dance of The Pretentious

As of late, while Mike and Kadyn lived their dream life away from everything, CR-455's empire crumbled under the immense pressure put upon it by the New Empire and the Allied Forces. To salvage the situation, CR-455 planned a new offensive that aimed to reestablish his regional dominance over the other factions. After being called upon, Gus, CR-455's righthand man, kneeled before the throne and waited for his emperor's instructions. 

[CR-455] - "Ah, Gus, my good friend. Know why I summoned you here? "

Said CR-455 as he crossed his legs. 

[Gus] - "Was it about the recent enemy advance into our territories? "

[CR-455] - "Well, do you have the state the obvious, you dumb imbecile? "

Yelled CR-455 as he rose from his throne. 

[CR-455] - "These pieces of shit don't respect me despite how I was the rightful successor to the throne! Fucking traitors all wanted power to themselves. They say I don't have what it takes to run an empire or that I'm just a fucking moron... What do these fuckers know? "

Mumbled CR-455 as he descended the throne all the way to Gus's level. 

[Gus] - "Maybe you should show them, my lord. Show them what you can do and eliminate all the competition. "

Being the coward CR-455 is, he immediately retorted back at his henchman. 

[CR-455] - "No, I'm the emperor, I won't waste my time dealing with these worms! I want you to do it, I want you to lead an army to the New Empire and behead Judge and his minions. I have tolerated them long enough! "

Said CR-455 while trying to hide his insecurity. 

[Gus] - "It would be much more efficient if you led us into battle, my lord. Think about it, not only would you be able to demonstrate your power but you will also gain the troops' respect. "

[CR-455] - "Who's the emperor here? You or me? "

Yelled CR-455 before kicking Gus with his foot. 

[Gus] - "Right away, my lord! I will gather all available cyberknights and assets and launch an assault on the New Empire. "

Said Gus before rushing out of the throne room in a hurry. 

As soon as Gus left the room, CR-455 began to laugh nervously so to relieve the hidden tension in his heart. Slowly, CR-455 walked up to Sniper's brain and stared at it with a fake expression of confidence on his face. 

[CR-455] - "We are no different! I have your power and more, I have trained with my new ability, yet these bastards don't want to acknowledge me as your rightful successor. Why? Hahaha... Why aren't they kneeling in fear before me as they did before you? "

Said CR-455 with a threatening smile on his face. 

However, after realizing that he was basically talking to a decoration, CR-455 immediately snapped out of his trance. 

[CR-455] - "No, they'll respect me. After Gus fucks them up, they will! "

As CR-455 approached the door, he noticed how his usually fat and lazy cat looked malnourished and alert. 

[CR-455] - "You heard what I said, didn't you? At least with you, I can tell you how scared I am. I don't know how to lead an empire, neither do I know how to properly fight. I only made it here to where I am because I played the role of a cat, a loyal and obedient cat to Sniper just as you are to me. "

However, despite how CR-455 knew the cat won't even understand what he was saying, the animal somehow seemed to stare back at him with a pair of understanding eyes.

[CR-455] - "Heh... you seem to know what I'm saying. No matter though, you are just an animal and nothing else. "

But the cat kept looking at him as if a human was behind its fur. Eventually, the eerie feeling of being watched and understood caused CR-455 to shiver. With a look of fury, CR-455 kicked the cat into a corner while the animal let out an anguished yell. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Gus, he was quietly being observed by a shadowy figure with a distinct grin across its face. 

Sometime later, after a meeting with the general staff of the imperial military, Gus exited the conference room and marched toward the grand arena. Gus was due to make a speech which would motivate the troops and cyberknights in their upcoming war. As he entered a massive hangar bay, a sudden voice echoed through the area. 

[Scaphism] - "So pleased to meet you, Gus. I have been waiting to meet the legend, as they call you across your master's empire. "

Gus looked up to see Scaphism, one of the Divine Servants, walking upside down on a metal beam on the ceiling. Despite the pull of gravity, his hair and clothes remained upside down with him as if he had his own gravity. 

[Gus] - "Oh? What have you heard about me? "

Said Gus as he activated his crystals. 

[Scaphism] - "Rumors have it that you were able to eliminate ten highly trained cyberknights who attempted to usurp your master's throne... All by yourself. "

[Gus] - "That is indeed correct and I must praise your courage for confronting me directly like this. "

Said Gus as he took a fighting stance.

[Scaphism] - "Heh! A castrated wolf can still fight a pack of dogs but he stands no chance against a man-made instrument of death such as an atomic bomb. "

Said Scaphism while being relaxed and unconcerned with his opponent. 

[Gus] - "Bold words for a dead man. "

Without waiting for Scaphism to act, Gus raised his hands and launched his attack.

[Gus] - "Guilt Extention: Will of the Blood Sky! "

Suddenly, a thousand invisible spikes formed a sphere around Scaphism before collapsing onto him with deadly force. However, to Gus's surprise, Scaphism remained unharmed despite being pressed on all sides by his attack. 

[Scaphism] - "Serving a master whose character is as solid as liquid diarrhea really tells what kind of bottom you are. With this level of self-worth, you might as well kill yourself. Because let's be honest, at this very moment, you are wasting the oxygen that a few amoebas could've used to survive which factually serves more purpose than having you alive. As for shame, you are making your parents roll so hard in their graves that the cemetery might as well be a nuclear reactor. "

Said Scaphism as he let out a mocking grin. 

Instantly, the spikes around scaphism bent backward, allowing their prisoner to slip out of their grasp. With a thundering boom, Scaphism landed on the ground below and stood a mere few metres away from Gus. As Scaphism raised his arms, Gus was shocked to see that he possessed a pair of glowing red crystals instead of the usual blue. 

[Gus] - "Guilt Extention: Mythological Pantheon! "

Yelled Gus as he extended his hand.

[Scaphism] - "Kill yourself, Gus, it would make my job much easier here. "

Suddenly, massive pillars shot out of the earth and walls which crushed Scaphism under their immersive weight. However, just as Gus thought that he had Scaphism under his spell, a twisted laughter abruptly erupted from under the rubble. 

[Scaphism] - "It would be quite embarrassing, wouldn't it? All these people around you are watching you fight. Imagine their reaction when they see their only semblance of integrity and power crumble. "

[Gus] - "What the hell are you? No one can survive my attacks like this. "

Said Gus in fear as he stepped back. 

[Scaphism] - "I think I never properly introduced myself. However, let me be brief with my introduction instead of wasting our precious time. Existential Judgement: Parallel Dimensions! "

Said Scaphism with a shit-eating grin.

All of sudden, exact copies of Scaphism crawled out of the ground and surrounded Gus. Just as Gus realized what was going on, one of the copies charged at him with a punch. As soon as Gus blocked the attack, the reality of his situation finally was made clear; He was just a mouse being toyed around by the likes of a deity. In an instant, the punch broke through Gus's defences and shattered his crystals into a thousand pieces. 

Now, defenceless and surrounded by a row of shit-eating grins, Gus began to back off only to be pushed forward by another clone. Suddenly, a clone jumped forward and tore off one of his arms before another one stripped him of all his clothes with one strike. Finally, Scaphism stepped out of his prison as if the ground and pillars were made of fluid. 

[Gus] - "Please! I beg of you, if CR-455 is who you are after, I will not obstruct you. "

Pleaded Gus while covering his private parts. 

[Scaphism] - "Good Gus, how are you obstructing me? You will be the most useful you have ever been in your life. "

Said Scaphism as he walked toward Gus.

As he moved, his red crystals caused the moisture in the air to condense before being turned into vapour upon coming into contact with his body. As the mist accumulated around Scaphism, the red light dispersed all around his cybernetic body caused the vapour to appear crimson. 

[Gus] - "You... You are the boogeyman! "

Said Gus as recoiled backward.

[Scaphism] - "Yes, the only boogeyman who isn't contained to the pages of a tale. "

With a satisfied grin, Scaphism's clones forced Gus to walk while their master followed closely behind. While thousands of soldiers and dozens of cyberknights stood ready below the balcony, Gus suddenly made his appearance by being smashed against the speech stand. With a shit-eating grin, Scaphism stood forward and kicked down the guard rail so everyone could see Gus being naked and humiliated. 

[Scaphism] - "Gentlemen, I suppose this is a splendid time for our commander Gus to make his speech. "

Suddenly, Gus's body moved without his input. To the audience's horror, Gus reached down and ripped his balls and dick off using his own hand. As Gus gasped in agony in a pool of his own blood on the floor, Scaphism suddenly threw a shard of glass at Gus.

[Scaphism] - "Make yourself useful for once, good Gus. "

Said Scaphism with a shit-eating grin. 

Without hesitation, Gus grabbed the shard of glass and ended his own life by slicing his throat. Satisfied with what he saw, Scaphism snapped his hand and caused all of his copies to disappear. With a gentle tap against Gus's ribcage, Scaphism caused one of the bones to suddenly bulge out of the skin. 

[Scaphism] - "Spread the word of what you saw, folks. I want my hard work to be known. "

Said Scaphism before a few of the cyberknights decided to launch themselves at him. 

[Scaphism] - "Heh! Existential Judgement: Minus One Dimension. "

Suddenly from the centre of the crowd, a wave of energy extended forward at incredible speed. In an instant, those who did not stand far enough from the epicentre of the attack were crushed under an expanding pressure which literally turned the carbon in their bodies into small diamonds. As for the cyberknights who charged Scaphism, their bodies were promptly sent flying toward the wall before being smashed into minced meat. 

Just as Scaphism was about to leave, a janitor who still remained conscious despite having a crushed lower body pleaded for him to spare his life. However, instead of helping the innocent man caught in the crossfire, Scaphism simply grinned at him.

[Scaphism] - "Don't worry, I'm sure your family would live off your life insurance just fine. "

Later that day, CR-455 arrived at the scene of Gus's murder with Death. As CR-455 stared down, he noticed a message carved into the ground which read: "Wise is for a rat who sticks to the darkness of the gutters, foolish is for a king who sits on a throne made of glass. However... "

Before CR-455 could finish reading, the piece of the bone protruding from Gus's chest suddenly flew up and struck him on the head. In a panic, CR-455 removed the projectile from his head before a few drops of his own blood fell on his hand. 

"... Being neither of them, there isn't a street dirty enough to take a sissy like you, Sniper's most loyal and obedient cat. "

There is no doubt the news of Scaphism's actions spread like wildfire within CR-455's empire. From the humiliating death of Gus to the blood which fell from CR-455's head, the emperor's reputation was tarnished beyond repair. Tangeantly, while the offensive planned by Gus never took place, the Allied Forces pushed CR-455's forces out of Europe and Africa for good. To add insult to injury, the defection rate skyrocketed within the ranks of CR-455's empire which further weakened his position. 

Within a week, CR-455's empire shrunk by 75% until he only held Pakistan, India and Nepal under his control. Ever since Gus's murder, CR-455 was unable to close his eyes at night with the fear of his assassination lingering in his mind like the buzz of an immortal fly. The paranoia, combined with the bleak reality in front of him finally pushed CR-455 to act. 

[CR-455] - "We will attack the Allies! Death, War, you two will lead the charge and I will be in the backline. We need to take back what is ours and let the world know that I'm still the one in charge. "

Said CR-455 with a panicked look on his face while pressing his hands against a map display.

[War] - "You should've done so a long time ago. Yet, you had to wait until the almost total collapse of your empire to act. "

Said War, unimpressed with CR-455's little act.

[CR-455] - "Shut up! I... I can destroy the entire Earth if I so desire! I merely allowed these bastards the opportunity to have a small victory before I unleash hell upon them! "

Said CR-455 with a hysteric look on his face. 

War look at Death, who seemed determined to follow CR-455's rule despite the disaster he brought upon himself and his empire. War knew he would never be able to persuade Death to change his mind, so he simply kept his comments to himself. After all, fate will decide what happens next. If this is how things are going to play out, so be it. 

Sometime later, in the hidden mansion, while Mike cooked dinner, Kadyn gently cleaned the photo display in the living room. With delicate hands, Kadyn placed a few individual photos of either just her or just Mike in their collection. In a quite clever arrangement, Kadyn positioned the new frames to form a small made-up story from their adventures. Lastly, she saved a large space for the future memories they will make. 

As Kadyn stepped back to admire her work, she accidentally tripped on the coffee table and fell backward. Luckily, Mike caught her just in time before bringing a decorated glass of fruit juice in front of her eyes. Without hesitation, Kadyn snapped the glass out of Mike's hand and began sipping on the spiral straw. 

[Mike] - "Dinner's going to be ready, so don't drink too much of it. "

Said Mike before kissing Kadyn on the cheek. 

While Mike headed back into the kitchen, Kadyn sat back on the sofa and clicked on the TV remote. In a flash, the screen lit up with a news report talking about the most recent world events. While the ads flashed around the corner, a button suddenly popped up asking if the viewer wanted to remove the ads for 39.99$ a month. Frustrated, Kadyn clicked on accept for multiple similar transactions before finally clearing the screen of useless information. 

"This just in, we have a report of a terror attack by what appears to be cyberknights. So far, the Allied line has collapsed with no apparent way to stop the onslaught. Towns and cities were abandoned after everyone was wiped out indiscriminately by these terrorists. Civilian or military personnel, these sick monsters will not care. May God help us in our struggle against such devils unleashed upon our Earth. "

At first sight, Kadyn immediately recognized the leading terrorist to be CR-455. Meanwhile, his fellow conspirators were easily identified as War and Death. As soon as Kadyn heard Mike's steps, she instantly shut the TV off and sat back while pretending nothing happened. Knowing how Mike is, she will do anything to prevent him from getting involved with the current events. 

[Mike] - "Well, isn't that strange today? For the first time, you didn't steal anything from the plates before I was done. "

Said Mike as he approached Kadyn.

[Kadyn] - "I was just a bit distracted by the news. "

[Mike] - "Geez, what's so interesting it prevented you from going goblin mod? I gotta see that. "

Said Mike as he summoned the remote into his hand. 

[Kadyn] - "Heeeeyyy! Look, I'm feeling a bit freaky today. How about we eat and then take a shower together? "

Said Kadyn as she jumped up and snapped the remote out of Mike's hand. 

[Mike] - "Wha- "

Before Mike could say anything, Kadyn wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her nose against his. 

[Kadyn] - "We have done so many things but you know what we didn't do? Prego sex in the shower. "

Whispered Kadyn to Mike's ear. 

[Mike] - "What's up with you all of a sudden? "

Said Mike with a confused expression. 

[Kadyn] - "We are fucking in the shower or not? "

Said Kadyn as she sneakily threw the remote away. 

Suddenly, Mike pulled Kadyn forward before holding her in his arms. 

[Mike] - "You better not let our kids see how naughty is their mother. All you think about is sex all day, I bloody swear. "

As Mike carried Kadyn away, she turned her head and breathed a sigh of relief. However, how long could she keep Mike in the dark about the truth? As the sun slowly faded below the horizon, a car slowly made its way down the road toward the hidden mansion's neighbourhood. Inside the car, Dane sat alone with a sombre look on his face and both hands gripped tightly onto his suitcase's handle. 

To be continued...