Chapter 1787 - Solus’ Fury (Part 1) "No. I'm not a monster!" Bytra returned to her human form, sobbing. "Not anymore." "Bytra, what's going on? You are scaring me." Solus said. "Good. You have to be scared of me. No, you have to hate me." Bytra endured the pangs from the blood madness and kept it at bay. "Hate you? I barely know you." "You are wrong, Elphyn Menadion." A thunder accompanied that name and black clouds appeared out of nowhere, covering the clear sky. Solus froze, feeling her world turning upside-down for no apparent reason. "We've know each other for a long time. Yet there are no words that can express our relationship. I'd rather show you, if you'll allow me." Bytra took her Forgemastering wand, creating a blue tendril that stopped in front of Solus. The mind link had to be her choice. Solus extended her hand and she witnessed Bytra's life ever since her first meeting with Menadion. She saw them becoming friends until Ripha took the Raiju as her apprentice. She saw the friendship grow into rivalry as Bytra poured her sweat and blood to become a Ruler of the Flames. She saw her failures turn into bitterness and envy after she achieved the title and yet failed to craft a tower of her own. Solus relived the one-sided rivalry that Bytra felt toward Elphyn while the young mage ignored the Fourth Ruler, considering her but a pale imitation of her mother. Bytra had known Elphyn since her birth whereas the girl barely acknowledged the Raiju's existence. Then it came the night of the attack, and Solus witnessed her own murder. Bytra had exploited her status of former apprentice to bypass the tower's security system and kill Menadion's students one by one before any of them could sound the alarm. Then, the two Rulers had briefly fought and Bytra survived only because Ripha cared more about saving her daughter than chasing the runaway traitor. It was in that moment of distraction that Menadion had let go of the Fury and Bytra had snatched it. Solus cried at the sight of her mother focusing so much on her dead body to not even spare the necessary thought that would bring the Fury back to her hand before the Raiju could store it in her dimensional object. Bytra made sure to highlight that moment, to let Elphyn know that Ripha Menadion had loved her daughter more than her work. Then the visions moved away from the tower and Bytra's euphoria for her victory almost drove Solus insane. The Raiju had bathed in the blood of Elphyn's friends and family yet she laughed with pride. Solus witnessed Bytra training non-stop to reach the bright violet core and then her final fight against Menadion. Rage and sadness ravaged her as Solus watched her mother die. Menadion had fought valiantly, but she was still too worn out from fusing Elphyn with the tower. On top of that, she didn't have the Fury with her whereas Bytra had thoroughly prepared for the fight, setting several arrays. Then, she witnessed two different lives. The story of the original Bytra and of her clone ran parallel until the goblin-Abomination hybrid swallowed the Eldritch, becoming the person that Solus knew. Her meeting with the rest of Vastor's Organization, her love for Zoreth, and the happiness they had shared together. When the visions ended, Solus saw Bytra kneeling in front of her. Her arms were raised, her palms opened, offering her Menadion's Fury. "Menadion's legacy and my life belong to you. Do with them whatever you think best." Bytra said. Solus glared at the Abomination, her pupils fully dilated and her teeth bared in fury. "Murderer!" Her right fist struck Bytra's jaw, dislocating it at shattering the bone on the point of impact. "Monster!" A left hook at Bytra's temple crushed her skull and turned her brain into mush. "It was you all along! You took everything from me! My mother, my friends, my life!" With each word, another fist struck until the Raiju's head was reduced to a bloody paste of flesh and bones. Bytra didn't try to defend herself nor did she offer any resistance, refusing even to use darkness fusion. She knew that the pain she was experiencing was nothing compared to what she had inflicted on countless others and to Elphyn in particular. She had offered Solus the Fury because even a bright violet cored Awakened couldn't harm an Eldritch without a weapon, let alone one of the Master's hybrids. Yet Solus wasn't just an Awakened. The mass of the tower she manifested in her human form was further enhanced by the mana geyser below them, giving her a strength on par with an Elder Divine Beast. One of Solus' fists would have been enough to breach a castle's gates and Bytra had already taken dozens of them. "How dare you." Solus snarled as she picked the Fury from the ground. "How dare you steal my mother's tool and use it for your monstrosities? How dare you be happy when you left me to rot for 700 hundred years?" She couldn't activate its spell since the hammer bore Bytra's imprint, but it still worked as a Davross weapon. Solus pummelled at the helpless woman in front of her, crushing her hands first, then her joints, and finally her chest, making it burst like a watermelon. "The pain, the loneliness, the madness, it was all because of you! How dare you thrive on my misery? How dare you find love in spite of the countless people you murdered? You don't deserve to live!" Solus kept bashing with the Fury until her arms gave out and the blood that soaked her hands made the hammer slip from her grasp. *** "Thanks for your help in the Royal Court, Jirni." Lith said, unaware of what was happening just a hundred meters away. Elina had let go of him as soon as Peonia had done the same, busy with a call about national security. Lith's mother hoped that Kamila would exploit the moment to make her move. "You are welcome." She graciously nodded. "If you want to repay me, I'm in dire need of a new rejuvenator now that Manohar is no more. Also, I know that he told you about my private research team and I would appreciate it if you took his place." "Couldn't you talk with me about this first?" Orion flinched, unaware of Jirni's plans until that very moment. "Hush, dear." She said like to a child. "You know that I love you and I'm only doing what I consider the best for our family." "Why me as your personal rejuvenator? I'm the third best healer." Lith asked. "Marth wouldn't approve of my methods and would ask too many questions. As for Vastor, I don't fully trust him. He has gotten very powerful very quickly and I don't understand how. I hate mysteries, that's why I am a Constable." Jirni said. "What about me?" "Tell mister Tiamat that his secret is safe with me. Also, tell him to keep his temper in check. After that shadow show at Zeska, it wasn't hard understanding that he's also the one responsible for Derios' blackout.." Jirni said with a smug grin, leaving both Orion and Lith flabbergasted.