1705 Pointing Fingers.

As Apollo's light dwindled into the cosmos, Uranus, undeterred by the vast expanse separating them, called upon the profound depths of his mastery over vibration.

With focused intent, he attuned the very essence of his being to the fundamental frequencies of light photons, initiating a transformation that blurred the lines between physical form and pure energy!

His body dissolved into a cascade of shimmering waves, embodying the very essence of light.

Thus transformed, he propelled himself forward, matching Apollo's escape with the speed of light!

The moment Apollo perceived Uranus's adaptation, an embodiment of light pursuing him through the void, he recognized the imminent narrowing of their tactical gap.

'Trying to catch me using my law? How foolish.' Apollo scoffed.

In a show of strategic brilliance and his inherent dominion over light and darkness, Apollo fragmented his luminous essence into millions of undistinguishable lightwaves!

Each fragment bore his essence, a million decoys darting across the cosmos in a dazzling display of evasion.

As these myriad streams of light scattered in every conceivable direction, the cosmos itself seemed to blink in astonishment at the spectacle.

Uranus, among his pursuit, found himself amidst a sea of Apollo's reflections, each as real and as elusive as the next.

The very strategy he employed to close the distance between them was rendered moot in an instant.

Realizing the futility of his pursuit amidst the countless diverging paths, Uranus was forced to concede.

Each lightwave, a course Apollo could have taken, faded into the vastness of the universe, leaving Uranus among a silent, star-studded expanse.

His fist clenched so tightly that the very fabric of reality began to warp and tremble under the immense pressure of his rage.

"Kidnapping my prey right from under my nose...Unforgivable!" Uranus hissed through gritted teeth, his voice carrying the weight of a collapsing star.

The space around his fist not only warped but started to crackle with a dangerous glow, the ominous light of anti-matter enveloping his hand.

With a roar that resonated through the silent void, Uranus swung his fist to the side, an action that seemed to tear at the very seams of the universe!

"Apollo! Once I get my hands on you, this will be your fate!"

As his fist connected with the nothingness of space, a cataclysmic shatter echoed through the cosmos as if reality itself were a pane of glass under the force of his strike!The released anti-matter, propelled by the destructive symphony of his vibrations, cascaded through the galaxy.

Each particle of anti-matter that met with matter sparked a chain reaction of annihilation, causing stars, planets, and celestial bodies to fall and disintegrate in a domino effect of obliteration!!!

The galaxy, once a vibrant tapestry of life and light, began to fold in on itself, succumbing to the void's unquenchable hunger.

Uranus watched, a deity of destruction, as his wrath rendered a corner of the universe lifeless.

'Uranus, that's enough.' The first ruler ordered calmly, 'Do not cause any more destruction. We can't afford to have you punished by the universe.'

'I know.' Uranus replied coldly, 'This is a deserted galaxy, the universe wouldn't mind that much.'

'Whether it minds or not, we need you at full strength.' The first ruler disclosed, 'Apollo will most definitely take the boy to that place and we need you at full capability to navigate through it safely.'

'I don't care if he takes him to the other side somehow.' Uranus uttered with narrowed eyes, 'I promise you, I will have both of their heads delivered on a plate even if it's the last thing I do in this wretched life.'

'Drop the matter for now and join our meeting.' The first ruler said, 'The prophecy remains unchanged. Therefore, we continue to tread the correct path, and that is what truly matters.'

Uranus cooled down a bit after hearing this. But, he couldn't help but frown deeply at such a bizarre outcome.

'Even after all of this mess, the prophecy's instructions remained the same?' Uranus gazed into the distance thoughtfully, 'None of this has been predicted, yet the outcome remained the same.'

'How peculiar.' He murmured.

***lightsnovel

Meanwhile, the aftermath of Felix's tumultuous assault left the Eternal Kingdom in a state of eerie quietude, the once vibrant capital now shrouded in the somber veil of night.

Apollo's absence cast a literal shadow over the kingdom, amplifying the sense of loss and desolation that permeated the air.

After all, he was responsible for the day and night cycle.

On the other hand, Eris had meticulously orchestrated the return of the capital's citizens from their temporary refuges.

lightsnοvεl As they trickled back into the heart of their world, the spectrum of their reactions painted a vivid picture of a community on the brink of despair.

Grief-stricken families huddled together in the dim light, their tears reflecting the flickering flames of the candles they held, each one a silent vigil for a loved one lost to the chaos.

Relief was palpable among those who found their homes and families intact, yet it was a bittersweet solace, marred by the knowledge of their neighbors' suffering.

Trauma etched itself into the faces of many, their eyes haunted by the sights and sounds of a nightmare they had lived through but could hardly believe was real.

The kingdom's streets, once bustling with life and color, now bore the scars of the near-apocalypse...

Buildings, though standing, showed the marks of the black flames' touch, and the divine protective barrier above, though healing, flickered like a wounded beast, its light throbbing weakly against the backdrop of an enforced night...

Whispers of fear and uncertainty wove through the crowds, a shared dread of what the future might hold in a world where such devastation could be wrought seemingly at the whim of a single person...

As for the three rulers and the unigins? None of them cared about the woes of the citizens below and bothered to comfort them.

They were all gathered in the assembly hall near the universe's heart, the remnants of the unigins convened with the three rulers in an atmosphere thick with tension and recrimination.

The once grand assembly, now diminished in number, faced the gravity of their situation with a mix of anger, distress, and pointed accusations.

Aeolus, his voice laced with blame, turned his gaze towards the rulers, "This catastrophe lays at your feet. Had you dealt with the paragon decisively from the beginning, we wouldn't be salvaging what's left of our kingdom!"

Artemis, rarely one to court conflict, nodded in agreement. "Aeolus speaks the truth. Leniency has cost us dearly. None of you listened to me and kept underestimating the paragon."

Demeter, usually the voice of reason and tranquility, expressed her frustration with uncharacteristic bluntness.

"Are you satisfied now? With Zeus, Poseidon, and Hephaestus gone, has your inaction been justified? Even Apollo was given a chance to betray us."

Demeter might not have said it outright, but she made it clear that the three rulers' sneaky desire to utilize Felix to get rid of them had backfired in their faces.

The rulers, accustomed to reverence and obedience, found themselves at the center of an unprecedented challenge to their authority.

The room, filled with the heavy silence that followed Demeter's question, seemed to press in on all sides, demanding answers that none were ready to give.

The first ruler, attempting to salvage the situation, spoke with a measured calm.

"Our decisions were made with the best intentions for maintaining balance. We could not predict the paragon's rapid ascent in power, nor his willingness to push beyond such boundaries."

"Don't play dumb with me, you knew what you were doing." Aeolus retorted sharply. "It's not our responsibility to handle your mistakes. You took Asna from him and knew that he would be coming for her. Yet, you allowed him to trot freely in our kingdom to save some of your precious celestial energy."

"Look what happened, you lost a hundred times the amount needed to capture him if you did it at the start." Aeolus sneered as he stood up, "I don't want anything to do with this crap anymore. Please don't call me, don't invite me, don't seek my assistance. You're on your own."

Without an ounce of hesitation, Aeolus ditched the meeting halfway and returned to his territory, desiring to restore balance in it.

He might be lazy and anti-social, but he had no problems speaking his mind when such a mess arose under the three rulers' watch.

"I am sorry, but count me out of this too. If even the third ruler and Uranus failed to capture him, there is no hope for me." Artemis bowed her head politely and left the meeting.

This left only Demeter, Eris, and Uranus who joined the meeting through a spiritual mirror.

The first ruler didn't seem affected by their departure and asked Demeter, "How about you?"

"Unlike them, I am a rationalist." Demeter replied with an expressionless look, "We have long since passed the time to drop from this conflict. The paragon will be coming for us sooner or later again and he has made it clear that he has no interest in peace."

"In other words, either he dies or we die."