Cronus' system: Against the gods

"Seraphina, come with me!" Captain Arris' voice called out from behind as he grabbed her hands, dragging her out of the building. His face was filled with rage and confusion.

"What's going on, Captain?" Seraphina asked.

"You're not safe where you are! You and the other girl from the Voss family are being hunted down!" He said as he increased his pace. Now, just where has the voss girl gone to?

"Hunted down? Again? I thought the assassins have been taken care of?" Seraphina's eyes was filled with shock.

"We don't know how but they're back! Right now, we need to locate the other one!" Arris said and then spoke into his wrist-watch ! Do you copy?!"

"Yes sir! Our target has been found and is under our surveillance"

Captain Arris heaved a sigh of relief. "Great! I'll be sending the other one to you right now, secure the targets at all costs!"

"Copy that!"

Arris then turned to Seraphina and scanned her with a teleportation device and before she could even react, he crushed it, causing her to flicker away. "Good! Target secured!"

Not again! Just after they thought it was all over, he had come to show his dirty face and judging from the aura he was sensing, Lucius was even more powerful than the last time they met. "Damn him!" Arris clenched his fist, lightning crackling through it "I swear on their graves that I'll kill you!"

Lucius had killed his loyal soldiers during the first attack. He killed them like they weren't humans- like they were objects that were present just for him to display his power.

Besides, Jefferson was still busy. He needed to take over his place as the Academy guardian. "I won't be left behind by you Jeff!" He humphed

"Deploy all attack units! I repeat!! Deploy all attack units to my location!!!" He spoke into his watch again. Right on cue, soldiers appeared behind him, all dressed in their battle gears and armed with various gadgets.

"The students are all back to the safehouse with the exception of the targets!" Arris spoke to his men, his voice brimming with authority. "All that's left is for us to eliminate the threat!

"For Astral City!" He yelled

"We fight!!!" The soldiers responded in unison.

Lucius hovered in the air just beyond the academy grounds, shadows writhing like living tendrils around his body. The crimson glow of his eyes pierced through the encroaching dusk, his aura a suffocating mix of frost and darkness.

"What power!" He closed his eyes. This feeling of ecstasy, feeling of joy of accomplishment, feeling of absolute power! He just couldn't get enough of it. His goal before was just Astral city right? Now, it was every city he could lay his eyes on.

His goal before was to eliminate the heirs of the two great families but now, it wasn't his goal anymore. He was only doing this to test his new powers. He was sure that the best of the soldiers would appear if he said his targets were the heirs, hence the declaration and just as he predicted....

His lips curled into a cold smirk as Arris and his team of soldiers stood in his path.

Arris stepped forward, his lightning-infused aura crackling menacingly. Sparks danced along his fingertips as his team fanned out behind him. Each soldier carried specialized gear: shock-proof armor, kinetic shields, and rifles equipped with crystals designed to disrupt energy-based abilities. Their formation was tight, disciplined, a stark contrast to the chaotic power Lucius exuded.

"You've gone far enough, Noctis," Arris declared, his voice steady despite the charged air. "This academy is under my protection. You won't touch anyone here"

Lucius raised an eyebrow, his smirk deepening. "Touch them? No. I'll obliterate them." He raised his hand, and a spear of darkness materialized, its edges shimmering with frost. "But if you'd like to die first, I'm happy to oblige."

Before Arris could respond, Lucius hurled the spear with blinding speed. Arris rolled to the side, his lightning aura flaring as he retaliated with a bolt of electricity. The crackling energy streaked toward Lucius, who dissipated into shadows just before impact, reappearing behind the soldiers.

"Focus fire!" Arris barked, his team pivoting instantly. A barrage of rounds and elemental attacks filled the air, a chaotic blast of destruction aimed directly at Lucius.

Lucius sneered, summoning a barrier of swirling shadows that absorbed the assault. The bullets and blasts vanished into the abyss-like shield, their power consumed without a trace. "Is this your best?" he taunted, stepping forward as his barrier expanded outward, pushing the soldiers back.

Arris growled, electricity arcing along his body. "Everyone, follow the plan! Lure him to the decoy zone!" He surged forward, his body transforming into a streak of lightning that zigzagged toward Lucius.

The sudden speed caught Lucius off guard. Arris reappeared inches from him, his electrified fist slamming into Lucius' chest. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the air, momentarily disrupting Lucius' shadow aura and forcing him back.

"I swear I'll kill you!" Arris yelled, sending more lightning-imbued punches.

Lucius staggered, his smirk never wavering. "Interesting," he mused, brushing off the smoke curling from his armor. "I'll enjoy breaking you."

Arris didn't wait for a response. He leapt into the air, a storm of lightning bolts raining down as his team fired grenades designed to release electromagnetic pulses. The combined assault created a maelstrom of crackling energy and concussive force, shaking the ground and shattering nearby structures.

Lucius vanished again, reappearing several meters away with a mocking laugh. "Cute tricks," he said, extending his arms. The shadows around him surged, forming a massive hand that swept across the battlefield, knocking soldiers aside like ragdolls.

"Now!" Arris shouted, his soldiers deploying energy tethers that shot from their rifles, anchoring into Lucius' shadowy form. The tethers pulsed with disruptive energy, causing the shadows to waver and dissipate.

Lucius snarled, his smirk faltering for the first time. He yanked against the tethers, but more soldiers fired, securing him in place. Arris landed in front of him, electricity crackling around his fists.

"End of the line, Noctis!" Arris roared, driving both fists forward in a devastating punch. The impact sent a surge of lightning through Lucius' body, forcing him to his knees.

But as the dust settled, Lucius looked up, his crimson eyes blazing with fury. "You dare?" he hissed, his voice dripping with venom.

The shadows around him exploded outward, shattering the tethers and sending the soldiers flying. Arris barely had time to react before Lucius was on him, his speed unmatched. A blade of ice and shadow formed in Lucius' hand, slashing toward Arris with lethal precision.

Arris raised an electric shield just in time, the clash of elements creating a deafening crack. Lucius pressed forward, his strikes relentless. Each swing of his blade carried the weight of his godly power, forcing Arris to retreat.

"Pathetic," Lucius spat, his smirk returning. "Your gadgets and tricks are nothing against me."

Arris gritted his teeth, his lightning aura intensifying. "You haven't seen everything yet!" He slammed his hands together, creating a surge of electricity that rippled outward in a dome, momentarily blinding Lucius.

When Lucius' vision cleared, he found himself surrounded. Arris' soldiers had deployed towering mechs equipped with cannons, their barrels glowing with raw energy. Arris stood atop one of the mechs, his fists crackling with power.

"Fire!" Arris commanded.

The mechs unleashed a devastating barrage, beams of concentrated energy converging on Lucius. The ground trembled under the assault, the air thick with the smell of ozone and scorched earth.

Lucius stood in the center of the destruction, his shadow aura absorbing the brunt of the attack. He clenched his fists, his smirk widening. "This is the best you've got? Pathetic."

With a wave of his hand, the shadows surged outward, enveloping the mechs and crushing them like paper. Soldiers screamed as the darkness consumed them, their weapons useless against Lucius' overwhelming power.

Arris leapt from the collapsing mech, landing with a roll. He turned to face Lucius, his chest heaving. "What the hell are you?! What do you want?"

Lucius stepped forward, his expression cold. "I want the heirs of the Valenbrook and Voss families. The academy is just collateral damage... and as for what I am.....You can call me the god of death!"

Arris looked around, his soldiers all gone again!

His chest heaved as he glared at Lucius, his teeth gritted in fury. The battlefield was littered with the wreckage of mechs and fallen soldiers, the air thick with the scent of smoke and the sharp tang of ozone. Lucius stood there, unscathed, his eyes glowing like molten crimson.

"You think you're a god?" Arris spat, his voice full of venom. "You're nothing more than a monster! And I'll put you down like one."

With a defiant roar, Arris extended both arms, his body crackling with raw lightning energy. The air around him seemed to vibrate as his aura flared to new heights, surging and twisting in impossible patterns. Bolts of electricity shot out in all directions, arcing through the sky like serpents of pure power.

Lucius' smirk faltered for a moment. He could feel the immense surge of energy from Arris. This wasn't the captain he had faced before. Arris had tapped into something deeper, something primal.

Arris roared, his voice full of fire. His body surged with lightning, every muscle tensing as he poured his will into his next attack. "I am the storm!"

Without another word, he launched himself at Lucius, a streak of blinding light. His fist crackled through the air, trailing arcs of lightning, aiming directly for Lucius' chest.

Lucius reacted instantly, his shadows moving to block the blow. But the force behind Arris' punch was enough to send a shockwave through the air, tearing through Lucius' barrier. The shadows cracked, splintering under the pressure.

Arris' eyes burned with determination as he poured more energy into his strike. He was going to fight to the death with all he had.

Lightning surged through his body, and in that moment, it felt as though the entire world was his to command. His fist collided with Lucius' barrier once more, shattering the remaining resistance. The blast of energy that followed exploded outward, creating a blinding flash that momentarily consumed the battlefield.

Lucius was forced back, his feet dragging across the earth. His eyes widened in surprise, the first sign of vulnerability he'd shown. But his smirk didn't fade entirely. "Impressive," he murmured, recovering quickly. "But it's still not enough."

Arris stood tall, his entire body radiating with the fury of a storm. He was covered in burns and cuts, but his eyes blazed with unyielding resolve. "I won't let you destroy everything I've fought for!" he shouted, raising his hands above his head.

This time, the storm didn't just crackle. It howled.

A massive bolt of lightning shot into the sky, twisting and coiling like a serpent as it gathered in a whirlpool of raw energy. It pulsed with blinding intensity, shaking the ground beneath them. Arris channeled all his power into the bolt, his body glowing with lightning, his hair standing on end as arcs of electric energy danced around him.

"Now!" he yelled, slamming his hands forward.

The bolt shot down like a divine punishment, a beam of pure destruction aimed directly at Lucius. The air seemed to hum with power as the lightning tore through the sky, cutting through the earth like a spear of divine retribution.

Lucius barely had time to react. His eyes widened, but the shadows around him roared to life, trying to block the attack. A swirling vortex of darkness wrapped around him, but the bolt of lightning struck with the force of a thousand thunderclaps, tearing through the shadows and colliding with Lucius' body.