The Eminence of a True Monarch of the Shadows

[Third Person's PoV] 

Half an hour later…

"Retribution!" shouted Liora, the Ruler of Justice, her voice echoing through the hall. Her armor was marred with cuts, cracks, and gaping openings from her battle with Cid. Despite the damage, she transformed it into her strength. Her body and spear glowed with a silver aura as she hurled the spear like a javelin toward him.

Cid, relying on his Observation Haki, detected the incoming attack. At the same time, he sensed Belisara, the Ruler of Night, concealed and ready to ambush him. As Liora's attack closed in, Cid leaped into a spinning motion, snatching the spear mid-air and thrusting it through Belisara's shoulder. The spear left a large hole, from which white and golden blood erupted, before embedding itself into the wall of the divine hall with a powerful impact, creating a massive crater.

Chrona, the Ruler of Fate, flapped her wings and appeared before Cid. She infused her spearhead with her power, making it destined to strike his heart. Cid summoned his sword, coating it with death energy, and met her strike, creating a cascade of sparks as he nullified the fate held within her spear.

"You can't escape Fate, Ashborn!" Chrona shouted as their weapons clashed.

"I'm not escaping it," Cid retorted with a snarling grin. "I'm making it my wife!"

Cid once again coated his blade with death energy. Sensing the threat, Chrona fated herself to survive. As Cid swung his sword in a vertical arc at blinding speed, Zeraphiel appeared, tackling Chrona out of harm's way as a massive, chilling crescent of energy tore through the air.

However, Zeraphiel, while moving at super speed, had a slow perception of time. She glanced at Cid and broke into a sweat as she realized his eyes were tracking her every movement with ease.

Tylos, the Ruler of Perception, appeared, slightly scorched. He created multiple duplicates of himself, making it nearly impossible to distinguish the real one. Cid unleashed his Conqueror's Haki in a powerful wave, and only one of the duplicates flinched. In a flash, Cid used Ruler's Authority to snatch Tylos' spear. Before Tylos could react, Cid was already in front of him, driving the spear through Tylos' stomach, making him cough up white and golden blood.

All Tylos saw was the cold, half-lidded gaze of Cid before being pushed back and pinned to the wall, the spear driven deeper, leaving only one way out.

Auriel, the Ruler of Wisdom, appeared alongside Pyrrhon, the Ruler of Embers. Auriel's mind raced, calculating every possible outcome, yet the odds seemed grim, making him wary. Pyrrhon, using his flames to boost himself, appeared before Cid and brought his spear down with all his strength. Cid blocked the attack with his Armament Haki-coated forearm, causing sparks to fly. Pyrrhon grinned as that's what he wanted, he used the embers to create ongoing explosions that engulfed Cid, as long as they were embers available he would be able to keep the fire ongoing.

To Pyrrhon's astonishment, the flames began to dissipate rapidly. Cid was using gluttony to consume the flames into his shadow through his palms, rendering Pyrrhon's assault futile.

Cid extended his hand to the side, releasing all the explosive energy he had absorbed toward Auriel, who was approaching. The force of the blast sent Auriel flying through the air, crashing against the wall with a resounding impact.

Cid turned to Pyrrhon, who was now visibly trembling. Taking a step forward, Cid flash-stepped, appearing behind Pyrrhon. "Boo," he whispered, sending a shiver down Pyrrhon's spine. Pyrrhon quivered as he felt Cid's cold hand wrap around his neck

.

However, Cid quickly sensed an ambush from three sides—Liora, Chrona, and Zeraphiel—moving at incredible speeds. To Cid, they appeared to be moving in slow motion. He smiled, closed his eyes, and allowed them to approach. Just as they prepared to impale him with their spears, Cid used [Shadow Switch], swapping positions with Pyrrhon.

In an instant, Cid stood where Pyrrhon had been, and Pyrrhon found himself in Cid's place, Pyrrhon's's hand were now around Cid's neck. Before the Rulers could react, their spears had already pierced Pyrrhon—Chrona's to his heart, and Liora's and Zeraphiel's to either side of his torso.

As Pyrrhon's grip on Cid's neck weakened, Cid stepped back, a smile playing on his lips. He watched as white and golden blood erupted from Pyrrhon's mouth, his eyes wide with horror. Cid mockingly covered his mouth, feigning shock.

"How could you!" he exclaimed in mock horror. "Or rather, I should be thanking you! When he had his hand on my neck, I thought I was a goner. You three saved my life!" he added, pretending to be tearful.

Pyrrhon slid off their spears, collapsing face-first to the floor. Blood pooled around him, the light in his eyes fading. The three Rulers stood frozen, staring in disbelief at the blood staining their spear tips. Their faces twisted with rage as they turned their tear-filled eyes to Cid.

"You monster," Zeraphiel spat venomously.

"Monsters are made," Cid replied coldly. "I'm merely your creation. None of this would have happened if you had just left me alone, as I asked. We can't blame anyone but ourselves for the monsters we create."

He stepped over Pyrrhon's lifeless body, approaching the three grieving Rulers. "It's a pity," he said, his tone mocking. "But let me remind you, it wasn't me who killed him. It was you three. It's your weapons, your hands, coated with his blood, not mine."

"He was your brother too, Ashborn," Liora said harshly.

"So was I," Cid retorted. "Yet you had no remorse or tears when I was at the end of your spears."

"Let's just end this," Chrona said, her voice heavy with determination.

"If you truly want it to be over," Cid suggested coldly, "then kill yourselves. The result would be the same."

Meanwhile, Tylos, weakened but resolute, grasped the end of his spear and began pushing himself off it. Blood—white and golden—stained the spear and splattered on the ground as he pulled himself free, gasping from the effort.

Belisara descended from the skies like a blazing comet, her voice erupting in a furious shout as she beheld Pyrrhon's lifeless form. Her rage was palpable, radiating in waves as she hurled her spear with immense force toward Cid.

Cid raised his hand just in time, catching the spear mere millimeters from his eye. The weapon trembled in his grasp, not from his own struggle, but from the sheer fury fueling Belisara's attack. The ground beneath him fractured from the intense pressure of her wrath.

The three remaining Rulers seized the perceived opening, charging at Cid in unison. However, he swung Belisara's body toward them like a human shield, forcing them to hesitate—unwilling to risk repeating their earlier fatal mistake. Using their hesitation to his advantage, Cid swung her once more with greater force, sending her crashing into Tylos. Both collided against the wall with a resounding thud.

In a blur of movement, Cid appeared before the stunned Belisara, still holding her spear. Without hesitation, he drove it through her heart, simultaneously impaling Tylos. The two Rulers gasped as the life drained from their bodies, their white and golden blood staining the ground beneath them.

Cid stepped back, dusting off his hands with a casual air. "Now, you can blame that one on me," he said with a smirk. "I take full accountability for it."