Sho had heard the rumours about Ares'' pillar but he hadn''t expected a living bomb of all things. The ability to plant explosives inside a human being who was still alive was dirty but, in a way, Sho respected the deviousness. It was the kind of thing he would do if he could. As for the rat that was trying to assassinate him, now Sho had all the validation he needed to fight back and kill Ares here and now. He readied himself to accuse Ares when the explosion faded and reap his life shortly after. Being attacked first in public was as good as an excuse as any. Things didn''t go according to plan when Ares didn''t bother waiting for pleasantries and launched his next attack immediately though. This approach was unfathomable to Sho who was wondering why on earth some mental accumulation brat was picking a fight but he wasn''t complaining as it just made his job easier. He detected magic that was similar in nature to spatial magic right before five Ares appeared around him, encircling Sho between five different angles of attack. Naturally Sho recognised this as Cult Killing but that was confusing in and of itself. Why Ares was able to use the darkness pillar was beyond him. Still, he put it to the back of his mind and analysed all the clones to search for the real one. Each was holding a different weapon and, had Sho been a weaker cultivator, this would have been a difficult spot to be in. Each clone would attack with it''s own unique timing, range, and power, complicating the task of defending against them. Of course Sho could just swat them all aside and kill the real one but there was a slight issue in that none of these seemed to be the original Ares. The clones were distractions and so Sho was tempted to ignore them up until all of their weapons were suddenly coated in a weird, black magic. He could sense danger. Not much but enough to make him re-think his approach to this situation and that annoyed him. Allowing himself to get flustered by a distraction was exactly what that twerp Ares wanted to take advantage of and yet he had no choice but to be cautious against the unknown. Sho dodged the spear thrust behind him and pulled that clone forward, throwing him into line of fire of another clone''s musket shot. Sho prepared himself to kill the rest of the clones but, as he went to crush another Ares clone''s skull with his hands, a chill crept up his spine and the scent of death became a full fledged aroma that suffocated him. The other Ares clones were irrelevant right now as the real one was doing something that might actually kill Sho if he didn''t respond. Luckily, the overwhelming sense of danger was traceable to his shadow so he hopped away and made distance from his previous position, causing his shadow to split in two. One shadow remained in place on the floor, which was where Ares had been hiding and threatening to poke Sho with the Primordial Blade, and the other was Sho''s normal shadow that followed him as he retreated. Being made to run away like that from a mental accumulation cultivator was the height of embarrassment but it got a whole lot worse for Sho as Ares rose out of the shadow, fiddling with the Nyxian Prowler that Aejaz had Relocated into his hand the moment things kicked off, and elegantly stamped his foot on the floor.


    "Chaos Reigns."


    A ring of ten beads surrounding Sho rose to head height and shone brightly. In the brief moment before detonation Sho was outraged. Everything Ares had done up until now was to push him to this spot he''d set up traps in before he launched even his first attack. The exploding Rag pushed him back. The clones were a bait so that he could threaten Sho and push him back again. Nothing up until this attack meant anything and had all been for show! He''d been conned! Ares knew full well all three attacks he launched were pointless but did it anyway to guarantee his fourth offensive was a success. It was a plan with so many layers that Sho felt utterly humiliated as the Beads exploded in his face.


    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM BOOOOOOOOOM BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM


    BOOOOOOOOOOOM BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM


    The Beads were strong but Sho was even stronger. They mostly just tore his clothes, rocked his head from side to side as though he were being punched repeatedly, and tore off a few bits of flesh here and there. The injuries were minor and, even then, calling them injuries was a stretch. What was true, however, was that Ares had done damage. As much as Sho hated everything that had just happened, he acknowledged that the person in front of him was a big deal. No wonder that brat Aejaz had confidence in him! He was a menace and his pillar was unimaginably powerful. Although this entire interaction was a one off and he wouldn''t be able to replicate it, it did prove Ares was capable of killing Sho via a thousand cuts if push came to shove.


    Now that the explosions had settled and parts of the floor had been chipped away, silence finally descended on the room as Sho and Ares stared at one another. Ares had gotten the jump on Sho but what was he planning on doing now? All of his setups were gone and Sho didn''t believe Ares could win a direct confrontation. He took one step forward but froze on the spot as the entirety of Red Sun started rumbling. The floors and the walls all shook as an ominous buzzing pervaded both the town and sect and a dangerous amount of mana swirled in the air. Sho had heard about this happening once before and he was just now realising who caused it even if he didn''t know what it was exactly. In order to prevent Ares setting off whatever nuclear weapon he had in his arsenal he took a step back, at which point the rumbling stopped. Sho narrowed his eyes and glared at Ares who had been standing around with his arms behind his back during the previous ordeal. He had the keys to the kingdom so he had every right to be cocky right now. Sho was curious, as was everyone else in the room, and so they all stared at Ares waiting for an explanation. This was doubly true for Margaret, Serene, and Rhea who were all sweating nervously. Whatever that last threat was it was more than capable of at least taking a limb or two off of them. It truly dawned on them that the fundamental pillars were uncontested and that they still hadn''t really seen the full extent of their power yet if that previous warning was anything to go by.


    Ares brought his two hands to his front and silently demonstrated the creative process for a standard Shock Bead. As everyone paid rapt attention to figure out what was going on, Ares begun his explanation... Well, by the time he was done with his explanation it would be more of a threat than anything but that was sort of the point. He would have to reveal his single biggest card here, and that was unfortunate, but it would keep him safe for the foreseeable future around this pesky assassin. It would make dealing with the Chen clan, more specifically Lo, a bit more difficult as this trick becoming common knowledge was going to ruin his plan but so be it, right now it was necessary. After Ares produced a Shock Bead at the tip of his finger and caught it, he started speaking. "What you just saw was a Shock Bead. I''m sure you''re roughly aware of how powerful they are individually after taking nearly a dozen to the face so I''ll skip that part of the explanation."


    Sho ground his teeth at the cockiness of this insufferable idiot but had no choice but to keep listening. Plus it was true, Sho had gotten a taste of annihilation magic first hand and that was a better method of understanding than simply hearing about it from the mouth of another.


    Ares held up a palm vertically and poked it with his index finger on his other hand. He generated a Shock Bead on the other side of his palm that dropped to the floor and rolled around. He''d demonstrated this once before to the mecha-dryad in Baja forest and what he''d done earlier was essentially an extension of burying Beads so showing this here was helpful for explaining what came next. "The way Shock Beads work is that I can generate them from either my hands or feet. Regardless of which I choose, I have a little leeway over where they land after being created. If I spawn them underneath my feet, for example, I can bury them underneath the ground and set them as traps. That was what you fell for earlier, Sho. As for that rumbling just now... Let me make this as clear as I possibly can for you so you realise just how dangerous a situation you''re in. Each Shock Bead takes roughly a second to generate, if not shorter. I can generate them underneath my feet as I walk with every step I take. I''ve lived in Red Sun my entire life but I''ve only been cultivating for the last six years, so we''ll focus on that. For the last six years, as I''ve walked around, I''ve been burying Shock Bead after Shock Bead after Shock Bead under every. Single. Inch. Of this entire town. There is not a single tile in this town you can step on that doesn''t have upwards of at least twenty Shock Beads hidden underneath. This town is roughly 10 square miles in size. I have millions of Shock Beads buried underneath Red Sun and they''re in every conceivable location you can think of. Parks. Private property. Famous landmarks. Shops. Houses. Everything. If even ten were enough to scrape some of your flesh, you can imagine what a little over a hundred million of them would do to you instead. In case you still somehow don''t understand, if I were to detonate every Shock Bead simultaneously, you, along with the rest of Red Sun, would cease to exist. Am I understood? Furthermore, I can choose which segments to detonate without blowing all of them up simultaneously. The hotel your clan members are staying at? I can make that disappear. Your hideaway in the north of town that you thought was hidden? I can make that disappear. You? I can make you disappear. Hans and the mayor are cute and all but, really, I own this town. I''ve already put my mark on it. Remember that when you try and puff up your chest in my neck of the woods."


    Sho was hesitant and tried to take a logical stance in response to this unhinged mad man... "You would kill yourself just to take me with you? I don''t believe it."


    "First of all, you''ve misunderstood something. I''m a revenant, death is a non-factor to me. Second of all, you''re right. I wouldn''t waste my life, or anyone else''s here, on you. I don''t need to however, as Hans is no doubt going to be keeping a very close eye on what''s happening here today now that I''ve bared my fangs." Ares curled his hand into a fist and extended his thumb towards the window. Sho looked over and winced when Hans'' Invisible Ifrit rose into the sky and stared into his soul. Not everyone here could see what Ares was pointing at but the fact that all the strong cultivators in the room recoiled slightly was a good indicator the threat was substantiated. "I''m going to do you a favour and detail your actions for the course of the international to you in full, so listen well. Today, now, under threat of Hans, you''re going to leave this venue and the sect. From then on, under threat of me and my Shock Beads, you''re going to watch where you tread. Until you leave after the international I do not want to see you hassling me or my family ever again. Aejaz in particular. Go and tell Chen Lo and Maro they can eat dirt. Your contract with them to kill me is hereby cancelled and you aren''t going to take up work in this city again. If you cause any problems I will, without hesitation, detonate whichever quadrant of the city you''re in and reduce your entire family to rubble. If you need an example because you aren''t fully convinced, then allow me to demonstrate." Ares stamped his foot again and the dreaded words left his lips shortly after. "Chaos Reigns."


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Though he spoke in a plain manner, the terror of what happened next was anything but simple. A golden stampede appeared on the horizon towards the north. Despite the distance, a few small ripples knocked against the glass windows and even Ifrit''s flames were buffeted somewhat outside. Although the sound of the explosions didn''t make it over here, everyone watched on in abject horror as the calamity lit up the night sky and ended countless lives. They thought Ares was a true monster but he clarified shortly after. "That was the Chen clan''s residence and no civilians were harmed. The Chen clan are rotten down to the last and won''t be missed, I assure you. I doubt Lo died but pretty much everyone else should have. Rapists, paedophiles, murderers, arsonists, blackmailers, thugs... As you can see, I''m quite good at exterminating pests. So take those insects you call a family with you and leave before you suffer a similar fate."


    Sho looked between the lingering golden explosion and Ares. The explosions were still colouring the night sky in a brilliant hue and it was practically day time above the Chen residence right now. Almost like a heavenly bombardment. It gave off the image that angels would descend through the golden clouds and collect the souls of the damned. The only reason Sho didn''t believe it was because there was no chance the Chen clan were going to heaven. If they were being dragged down to hell then maybe he would believe his hallucinations. With the threat of Hans'' Ifrit breathing down his neck, and Ares Shock Beads waiting for him outside the sect, Sho was antsy. His hands had been effectively tied in the worst way possible. He''d been hired to kill this freak and all he''d done so far was make him look good in front of an audience of gobsmacked elites. His reputation would soar after today all thanks to Sho''s involvement. He''d fumbled big time here and the chances of him being able to undo this mistake were slim. That damnable Aejaz had been right about this menace Ares... Sho had to take the loss here and retreat with his tail between his legs... How utterly humiliating this was. Even if he killed Ares here and accepted his own death, Ares was a revenant and would come right back anyway. Plus the Legion matriarch seemed to be ready to defend him if necessary so today was a complete bust.


    Wordlessly, Sho glared at his family before walking away and expecting them to follow. Silently and obediently, they did but Ares wasn''t going to let them go just like that. This sect was going to be his one day and yet they''d come here just to make a scene, and on an important day for Ares too no less. He wasn''t going to just let them leave like this so he put his arm in front of Lacy before she could walk by. "You''re staying here."


    Sho turned around in a rage and his face had reddened considerably as he angrily complained about this treatment. "You can''t keep her! We already lost Trixie and our backup team member for the international is half-dead thanks to you!" Rag was being treated by an elder off to the side but his combat ability was basically non-existent now. "You can''t take Lacy! We need her damnit! Don''t push your luck brat."


    "Don''t push my luck? Are you an idiot, old man? You came into my town, entered what will one day be my sect, ruined part of what is an important day for me, attacked my brother, threatened to kill me, made me unveil my secret weapon prematurely, and you have the nerve to claim I''m pushing my luck?! I have shown the utmost of restraint with you. You should be grateful I''m not turning you and your family into a bunch of corpses, let alone demanding anything else of you. I don''t care whether you can field a team for the international, that''s your problem. If you hadn''t come here looking for a fight, you wouldn''t have lost one. I don''t believe for a second you don''t have any other clan members who can act as a substitute. I don''t give a damn how useless they are in comparison to those you''ve lost because you brought this upon yourself with your actions. Get out."


    Sho punched a wall in anger but argued no further as a fair few Heaven''s Path elders had shown up and making any more of a scene here would be suicidal. Considering the circumstances he really was lucky to be leaving alive so throwing that all away was pointless. He clenched his fist so hard he bust a nerve, however, and that just enraged him further. He punched open the double doors and stormed down the stairs as his family followed him timidly, knowing full well what kind of beatings were in store for them when they returned to their residence. This was also partly why Ares had detained Lacy. obviously she was Aejaz'' sister, and the one relative he actually cared about, so Ares had to get her away from that detestable family; but the threat of what either Job, Yvonne, or Sho would do to her after what happened here tonight had to be prevented. Job had a single minded determination to ruin everything Aejaz cared about and Ares didn''t put it past the psychopath to kill Lacy for that reason and that reason alone. Yvonne had demonstrated she had no qualms abusing Lacy anywhere and at anytime for any reason. Sho was going to beat everyone regardless. If all three took out their anger on Lacy she may not have even survived the night. Phlo and Scowl wouldn''t intervene and Fletch was a bigger coward than Aejaz when it came to standing against his family. Getting Lacy away from that family was a ''tonight or never'' situation and Ares had picked up on that and acted. He wasn''t sure if he''d settled this whole matter in a way that solved everything for good. He wasn''t sure if he''d ruined the night for everyone. He wasn''t sure if there were going to be problems going forward as a result of his Shock Bead card being drawn out of him before it was time to use it properly. What he was sure of, though, and what he absolutely didn''t and would never regret, is that he protected his family tonight. On that matter he''d succeeded and so he sighed in relief as he directed Lacy over to Aejaz... As for what would happen now for the rest of the night... Who the hell knows? Trying to plan and prepare for this night had been almost utterly pointless thus far so he was going to have wing it from now on. He''d single-handedly turned this event into a shitshow circus and he was the leading act with a spotlight bearing down on him as he flushed away the Fleeting Glimpse clan.


    Ares turned around and, sure enough, the entire room had their eyes fixed on him. Some were still gawking because of the Shock Bead threat. Some very quickly realised Ares was, in fact, a big deal. Some were curious as to what he would do next. Some, namely the other contestants in the tournament, were dreading having to fight this natural disaster personified. Amongst all these people''s expectations, Ares just did the same thing he was trying to do before... Walk over to the table and sit the fuck down!


    This trial had lasted far longer than it should have and it devolved in a way that was absurd to even mention but all he wanted was still just to sit down damn it! He sighed to himself as he pulled down his gloves that had gotten a little loose during the scuffle and started walking over to the table yet again. Thank fuck I kept the suit safe. If Sho had ruined it I might have actually killed him on the spot. This thing is important!... If I lost it Enyo would definitely never forgive me... Bellona probably wouldn''t either... And neither would Hans. Ares realised the biggest danger to his own life hadn''t been Sho but rather his ability to keep his suit intact during the fracas. He shivered in fear at the thought of his wives'' potential displeasure but kept walking with a fearless face. As he did, he almost threw out a Grand Annihilation on the spot when he realised his trial was demanding an encore. A bunch of bigwigs were approaching him with intentions that were as clear as day. They wanted to become acquaintances with Ares. To be fair, who wouldn''t? He was definitely up and coming and may very well be the biggest catch in this venue across all three floors! Even if these people couldn''t coax him to work for or with them, even just forming a meagre connection would be worth its weight in gold. Brilliant gold, like the kind that was still clouding the northern part of the city! Ares prepared himself mentally and put his brain into overdrive. He was going to play verbal tennis with these fools and swat them all away like a champion! These people wanted to schmooze? They were about to learn what schmoozing with a revenant was truly like! Ares identified the shortest path, the one fraught with the fewest obstacles, and ventured down it. Four ''combatants'' lined this path and he took them all on rapidly, one after the other with no breaks!


    "Hello! I''m a conservationist!"


    Ares cricked his neck. "And I''m a conversationalist!" Ares bizarre wordplay threw the man for a loop and by the time he figured out what had just been said to him Ares was already gone.


    Another man blocked Ares path. "Excuse me, I happen to be a renowned geologist. Could you spare me a moment of you time?"


    Ares cracked his knuckles. "Bricky and Rocky send their regards!" Ares used the names of two people he was not affiliated with to stump the poor man who wasn''t even remotely prepared for this level of weird conversation.


    A woman in her mid thirties stopped Ares in his tracks this time. "If at all possible, there are some things I would like to discuss with you about your pillar. I''m a historian, you see..."


    Ares clicked his shoulders by rolling them. "A historian? How lovely. I''ll talk to you at some point in the future!" He shuffled past the dumbfounded woman and squared up against his final foe... Eagerton?! Ares didn''t rightly care why this bastard was here as it was probably for some stupid request like ''please blow up some more of the town so I can feel inspired''. Ares just shook his head at the monocled mad man.


    "Ares! Mr Magical Mogul! May I ask that you..."


    "Yeah that''s wonderful, really. Write me a letter sometime." Ares ducked past Eagerton who kept blankly staring at the spot Ares was in previously. He''d been ignored! Curses!... All he wanted was for Ares to blow up one specific fountain... What a selfish man, denying his request like this!


    Ares made it to safety and finally, FINALLY, the table, and his seat at it, were within reach. No more obstacles, his trial was finished! he didn''t even bother looking at the Umbra Wolf table yet, he would deal with that after. Right now, he wanted to relax for a hot minute so he took his seat between his wives and almost cried when his but touched the chair. Truly a moment of bliss if ever there was one. He looked around and, sure enough, people were starting to chat amongst themselves. Not everyone was having a conversation as some spectators were still watching his every move but, at least now, the atmosphere in the room had returned to normal. He was mentally exhausted, and still had tasks left to complete, but the soft feeling of Bellona and Enyo each holding onto one of his hands beneath the table re-invigorated him as he prepared himself for whatever came next. At the very least the chances of there being another fight was low. All of the problematic people were gone now, leaving Ares to navigate his future family in peace. He looked up at everyone on the table and very quickly realised only one of Enyo''s siblings was happy to meet him, and that was Pele. Phobos was scared after Ares'' earlier display and Palioxis was shooing him away with her hand. Deimos was grumpily muttering ''rooftop king we meet again'' under his breath while Tyr was leaking a violent aura because his sixth sense had informed him about the unapproved-by-Tyr handholding currently occurring beneath the table. Ares had a tough crowd to work with, that was for sure...