Chapter 259: NEXUS

"What’s going on?" A loud, authoritative voice cut through the crowd, booming with undeniable command that silenced the murmurs and drew all eyes toward its source, the tone heavy with the weight of years spent enforcing order in chaotic times."Captain?" The knights closest to the source of the voice called out, their tones laced with a mix of surprise and immediate deference, recognizing the familiar timbre that had guided them through countless skirmishes.

Every knight present offered a respectful bow, their armored bodies inclining in unison like a well-drilled unit, creating a clear path through the throng for the captain, the gesture underscoring the rigid hierarchy that governed their ranks.

The captain, a man of advanced age with a heavy build that spoke of raw strength honed over decades, and a great sword strapped securely at his back, walked through the created path, his boots thudding against the ground with purposeful authority, his presence alone shifting the atmosphere to one of tense anticipation.

"Who did this?" The captain asked coldly, a deep frown etching lines across his rugged face as he surveyed the corpses of the two knights, their bodies twisted in death’s final embrace amid the blood-soaked earth that bore witness to the violence.

His eyes fell on Aaron, who stood nonchalantly across from him, his posture relaxed and utterly unconcerned, as if the carnage around him was nothing more than a fleeting distraction in an otherwise indifferent existence.

"Did you do this?" He directed the question to Aaron this time, his gaze narrowing like a predator assessing its quarry, the words sharp and probing, demanding accountability in the midst of the shocked silence.

Aaron didn’t bother answering the captain, his silence deliberate and absolute, for there was no need to engage as far as Aaron was concerned, words being wasted on those who couldn’t comprehend his superiority.

"I asked you a question, you bastard!" The captain yelled, enraged over the death of his knights, his voice rising to a thunderous roar that echoed off the surrounding buildings, veins bulging in his neck as grief and fury intertwined.

"You will join them in death if you dare raise your voice against me again," Aaron warned, his tone flat and devoid of emotion, yet carrying an implicit threat that hung in the air like an executioner’s blade, promising swift retribution without a hint of bluff.

As if the death of the knights had nothing to do with him, Aaron began to walk away from the whole ordeal, his steps measured and unhurried, weaving through the stunned crowd that parted instinctively before his unyielding presence. Follow current novels on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

"And where do you think you’re going?" The captain asked, stretching his arm out to block Aaron’s path, hatred blazing in his eyes like smoldering coals, his muscles tensing as he positioned himself as an immovable barrier fueled by righteous indignation.

"Away. Consider it a favor from me," Aaron replied, his words casual yet laced with a condescending edge, offering the concession as one might toss scraps to a beggar, his expression unchanging amid the escalating confrontation.

"A favor?" The captain asked, confusion etching deep furrows on his face, mirroring the bewildered looks of the knights behind him, their minds struggling to grasp the audacity of the statement in the face of such blatant defiance.

"Yes. The faster I leave, the more lives you can save," Aaron admonished the captain, his voice carrying a prophetic certainty, hinting at the untold destruction he could unleash if provoked further.

"You are not going anywhere. You will be arrested and brought to trial where your fate will be decided," the captain said, his declaration firm and unyielding, drawing on the full weight of his authority to reassert control over the chaotic scene.

"They chose to pester me still. Why are people always begging for death?" Aaron complained to the system.

[Beats me]

"I’m offering you one last chance to save your life and the lives of your knights. Let me through. I’m trying to stay under the radar," Aaron offered the last shred of mercy, his patience evidently thinning, extending the opportunity like a final lifeline to those too foolish to recognize it.

"Seize him. Kill him if he resists," the captain gave the instruction, his commanding presence increasing the morale of the knights, who straightened their postures and gripped their weapons with renewed determination, the order igniting a spark of collective resolve.

"Sigh. Guess I will need to show a bit of my hand. I might as well use this opportunity to create another clone," Aaron muttered, a faint sigh escaping him as a clone just like him materialized beside him, the air shimmering with ethereal energy as the duplicate took form in an instant.

With the use of phantom mask, he altered the appearance of the new clone, weaving subtle illusions that reshaped its features seamlessly, transforming it into something both familiar and distinctly otherworldly.

Instead of white hair, the clone had blood-red shoulder-length hair that cascaded like flowing crimson rivers, catching the light in a way that evoked the essence of untamed fire and ancient power.

The clone had the same build as Aaron, lean yet radiating immense strength, its state flickering on and off reality like a glitch in the fabric of existence, blurring the boundaries between the tangible and the spectral.

The new clone was granted the jinn variant bloodline from the night father codex.

"You will be Nexus. The jinn of all jinns," Aaron tapped the shoulder of the new addition to his already powerful clone, the gesture imbuing it with purpose and autonomy, sealing its identity in the grand tapestry of his designs.

"I hope this one is not as annoying as Astral," Aaron hoped, his thoughts drifting to witch clone with a touch of wry amusement, anticipating the unique quirks that might emerge from this latest manifestation.

[You can decide their attitude, no?]

"Nah. That’s boring. I allow the bloodline to have the greater control of their mentality," Aaron explained, preferring the raw, unpredictable essence shaped by inherited traits over contrived personalities, embracing the chaos of natural evolution.

"What do you want of me?" Nexus asked Aaron.

"Just deal with the knights in front of me. I felt it would be poetic justice for the elemental knights to die from an elemental variant," Aaron explained, a subtle smirk tugging at his lips as he appreciated the ironic symmetry of the matchup he had orchestrated.

"I see," Nexus muttered, fireballs appearing all around him, forming a semi-circle with his waist as the center, the orbs of intense flame hovering menacingly and casting flickering shadows that danced across the ground.

"So you have an accomplice? You both will fall under my sword!" The captain said coldly, unsheathing his sword with a sharp metallic rasp, his eyes locked on the duo with unbridled hostility.

His sword crackled with lightning, the electric bolts bouncing off from the blade from time to time, illuminating the scene with sporadic flashes that highlighted the storm of battle about to unfold.

"Draw your swords and bring these men to justice!" The captain commanded, making the first move with a decisive charge, his leadership spurring the knights into action as steel rang out in unison.

Nexus willed the flames, sending them flying into the midst of the knights like hurled meteors, each projectile trailing embers that scorched the air and promised devastation upon contact.