CHAPTER 2: ONSLAUGHT ON ULTRA PLANET 3

Continuation....

We have lost.

The thought sears through my mind like a blade. The Alabaster is gone.

Erebus and Gordon disappear into the shadows, their mission complete, leaving ruin behind. Smoke chokes the air. The ground is littered with bodies—soldiers, warriors. Blood soaks the dirt, and the silence of the dead hangs over us like a curse.

"Zara!" I rush to my sister, who is struggling to stand.

She leans into me as I help her to her feet. "Are you hurt?" My voice is tight with worry.

She shakes her head, her face pale. But the weight of our failure is clear in her eyes.

Serpent groans as he pushes himself up from the rubble. He follows Zara's gaze to the shattered pedestal where the Alabaster once rested. His expression darkens.

"It's gone... The box is gone," Zara whispers, her voice cracking with guilt.

I nod grimly. "He got what he came for."

"No," Serpent mutters. "I don't think he's done."

I turn to him, my stomach twisting. "What do you mean?"

Serpent meets my gaze, his voice grim. "Call it instinct. But I have a bad feeling Erebus is still in the palace. If I'm right... we're about to lose more than a box."

Lightning crackles around me as I tighten my grip on my axe. "Then we're doomed."

I teleport.

The palace is a graveyard.

King Ultron lies beneath a mountain of stone, his breathing ragged. Bodies of our royal guards are strewn across the marble floors—throats slit, skulls caved in, limbs severed. The air reeks of blood and burnt flesh. Heads—detached from their owners—decorate the hall like a grotesque offering.

Erebus stands beside my father. "Don't move," he says calmly. "One step, he suffers. Two, he dies. Your choice."

Rage surges through me, but I don't move. My father's labored breathing echoes through the chamber. I clench my fists. "Aren't you supposed to be running errands for your master, Goliath?" I growl.

Erebus chuckles. "Errands? You think I'm a servant?"

"Every world sees you as a mere agent of the Celestial Being, don't they? Afraid of him?" I scoff.

Abaddon takes a step forward, but Erebus raises a hand. "Not yet."

A column of fire slams into the ground beside me. When the flames vanish, Zara and Serpent stand at my side.

"Father!" Zara cries, stepping forward.

A third figure, cloaked in shadows, raises a hand. Jagged rocks shoot up from the ground, locking Zara's legs in place. She gasps and instinctively raises her hands to freeze them, but Erebus speaks, his voice smooth as silk.

"I wouldn't do that."

"And why shouldn't I?" she snaps, her breath trembling.

"Zara, don't." My voice is barely above a whisper.

She turns to me, her eyes desperate. "Why? He's going to kill him!"

I swallow hard. "If you move, he'll make him suffer first. We can't give him that chance."

I shift my gaze to Erebus. "You know who I am. A member of the Ultimate Ventures. One of the mightiest warriors of Earth. I know you've always wanted to kill us. So do it. Spare him—kill me instead."

Erebus smirks, considering. "Why would you sacrifice yourself after failing to protect the Alabaster?"

"Because I know I'm the one you want." I take a step forward. "If this is about vengeance, start with me."

Silence. Erebus studies me. Behind him, Abaddon and his warriors tense. One of them, Agrona, steps forward.

"My lord, don't fall for his tricks."

Erebus exhales, shaking his head. "You know, I find it amusing when children throw away their lives for their parents. I never did. And yet here you are, groveling like Hannah did on Treasure Planet. How noble."

Serpent steps forward, his voice firm. "Family doesn't enslave each other like you do."

Erebus's smile vanishes. "Threaten me again, and I'll be forced to retaliate. Kill more. Make it messy."

Serpent scoffs. "Do whatever you want. Or better yet... maybe I should kill one of yours first."

Erebus tilts his head. "Try me."

Serpent doesn't hesitate. In a flash, his kunai chain whistles through the air. The blade buries itself in Agrona's forehead with a sickening crunch.

"No!" I roar as her body crumples, the life draining from her eyes.

Serpent yanks the chain back, unfazed. "One down. Now leave."

Erebus's eyes darken. "You've forced my hand."

Before I can react, he grips my father's skull. A sickening crack echoes through the hall. King Ultron screams as blood pours from his eyes, nose, and mouth. Abaddon lunges for Serpent, gripping his limbs and twisting.

Their screams fill the chamber.

Then—

Erebus tears my father's head from his shoulders.

Blood splatters across the ground. Abaddon crushes his fist, and Serpent's heart explodes in his chest.

"No!" Zara's scream rips through the air, raw with anguish.

She collapses over Serpent's lifeless body, sobbing. I am frozen, my mind unable to grasp what just happened.

Erebus turns to me. "Your turn."

He raises his hand.

My lungs seize. My vision blurs. I choke, my body convulsing as invisible hands crush the air from my chest. I collapse to my knees, gasping soundlessly.

"No! Please! Not again!" Zara's wail is pure agony. "I'll do anything—anything you want—just spare him!"

Darkness creeps into my vision. My strength ebbs away.

Then—

A voice. Ancient. Powerful.

A spell is cast. Magic hums through the air.

My lungs open. I gasp, air rushing back into my body. The weight lifts.

Then—

I am falling.

The world shifts, blurs—

And I crash onto solid ground.

Earth.

EREBUS

The battlefield is drenched in blood and smoke, the air thick with the scent of death. I watch as the rainbow light engulfs Trivium's sister, her form vanishing into nothingness as she is teleported away. The black man before me—his chest heaving, eyes burning with defiance—glares at me with unwavering resolve.

"You just made a big mistake," I say, my voice cold as steel.

He moves closer to me. "I would rather die than let my prince perish."

His words amuse me. Loyalty is a powerful thing, but it is also a fool's noose. Without hesitation, I snatch my fallen sword from the ground and hurl it with merciless precision. The blade slices through the air, embedding itself deep into his forehead with a sickening crunch. His body stiffens, pinned against the wall like a grotesque trophy. The light in his eyes flickers, then dies.

I step forward, stretching out my hand. The sword jerks free from his skull and flies back to my grip, dripping with his blood. "Take Agrona's body. We leave now."

A portal opens before me, swirling with dark energy. Without another word, I step through, my assistants following close behind, carrying the lifeless form of Agrona.

---

CITY OF LIGHT

The portal deposits us inside the grand hall of my Master's palace. Towering obsidian pillars stretch toward a ceiling lost in shadow, torches casting eerie flickers across the polished floor. Goliath, our master, sits upon his throne, an imposing figure of absolute dominion. His eyes gleam with amusement as he watches us approach.

Abaddon levitates Agrona's still body before him, while I kneel, presenting the Alabaster Box with reverence.

Goliath rises slowly. "Well done, my friend," he says, his voice deep and rich with satisfaction. He steps down from his throne, his gaze shifting to Agrona's motionless form. "What hath befallen her?"

"Trivium's brother eliminated her," I reply, my tone respectful yet firm.

He nods, unfazed. "Didst thou do the needful?"

"We did," I confirm.

A dark chuckle rumbles from his throat as he moves closer, placing his hand upon Agrona's forehead. A low hum fills the air, dark energy crackling at his fingertips. "Thy pain is no more. Thy life returneth unto thee."

A sharp gasp fills the room as Agrona's body jolts back to life. She clutches her throat, coughing violently, her wide eyes darting in confusion. Goliath places his steadying hands on her shoulders, his grips firm yet comforting.

"Be still, for thou art safe. Welcome back, Agrona. Thy time to perish is not yet come."

She nods, her breathing ragged but steadying under his touch. Slowly, she rises to her feet, her body still trembling from the brush with death. Goliath turns to the rest of us, his expression unreadable before his lips curl into a malicious grin.

"There remaineth yet eight weapons. Go forth with haste and bring them unto me. I shall not tarry long, for my warriors must be trained, and war shall soon be upon us."

I lower my head in acknowledgment. "We will not fail you, Master."

His smile widens, cruel and full of promise. "Yea, I know."

The room hums with tension, the promise of destruction hanging heavy in the air. The hunt has only just begun.