"Esoteric Compression.
Genuflection Mandate.
Quietus Edict.
Auriferous Subjugation."
This was the start of calamity, the beginning of the end of days.
After Finnian left to go intercept Charon earlier, Ares finally gave up on holding his ground defensively and unleashed upon the other contenders. He activated Voidwalk, stepped high into the sky, looking down on the rest of the competition like the ants they were, and simply threw out devastating arts one after another like he was handing out free candy during Halloween. To top it all off, the reaper's mark's presence, the war aura, and the annihilation pressure were no longer being constrained to the zone he'd marked out earlier, instead flowing freely throughout the entire courtyard and terrifying all who were caught up in the smothering combination.
Ares was a golden God stood tall in the sky, a domineering spectacle of the extraordinary means at his disposal. His Zephyr was lined with golden patterns, his blood was circulating annihilation mana giving his flesh a slight golden hue, his war aura warped the air around him, and the reaper's mark twisted the souls of all who caught a glimpse of it. Even just looking in Ares' general direction was hard, never mind surviving the catastrophic art onslaught that followed soon after. None of his arts were aimed at the other top five though, because Ares had no reason to attack them contrary to their abandonment of him earlier, so he was just here to do some bug squashing and move things along. He wanted to see what the next and final round was all about, it sounded interesting from what little he knew, so he used Esoteric Compression to stop the challengers from running around like headless chickens by anchoring them to the ground. He used Genuflection Mandate to buckle their knees and force obedience. Quietus demanded their respect, undivided attention, and fealty. And Auriferous Subjugation crushed any hope of resistance as the meteor shower, amidst the golden mirage backdrop of Ares' presence, bore resemblance to eschatology prophesised by madmen, lunatic seers, and occasionally various religious thought leaders.
Even someone as well-travelled as Charon didn't know what to make of this sight. "... The fuck are you feeding these kids nowadays?" He'd been brought to the tryout location by Finnian and the two were conversing behind reality, hidden within a spatial pocket covered by the sky in the dimension in front of them. Charon arrived here expecting to see the reaper candidate using a scythe and, while Ares certainly held one, he damn well wasn't even using it! He clearly didn't need to! "No, but seriously, does a kid like that even need a reaper's mark?! Isn't that an absurd level of overkill?" This 'kid' Charon was watching wasn't even at transition realm and he was pulling this oblivion crap. It was unquestionable he would grow up to be a prominent figure ion cultivation society even if he did nothing but wave his hands around and summing his golden magic to flatten anybody who opposed him. The scythe might as well have been a decoration at this point. Even still, simply seeing Ares hold the scythe was enough for Charon to have an opinion. "That damn runt isn't half bad. Everything about the way he holds the scythe is objectively wrong, but he's not bad..."
Finnian did a double take upon hearing grumpy old Charon's words for two reasons. First of all, praise coming out of Charon was about as rare a diamond can-doo bamboo; which is to say that nonsense didn't exist at all! 'He's not total garbage' would have been a once-in-a-lifetime level of praise such that the receiver would print out a copy of the words spoken to him and frame it on the wall if Charon ever muttered such a thing even in passing. Actual non-backhanded praise was unfathomable so clearly this kid was hyper talented... But then there was the second reason for Finnian's surprise...
What on earth did this boney guy mean?
If Ares was so 'good'... What did Charon mean by saying everything he was doing was wrong? Was that even possible? Could someone do everything wrong and still be considered a prodigy at whatever it was they were doing? What was the logic behind this? Finnian had seen a lot in his time but this didn't add up no matter how he analysed Charon's assertion. "I'm not exactly an expert with the scythe... But I'm pretty sure what you're saying is weird, Charon..."
"Hm?" Charon tilted his head but quickly realised he was being misunderstood. "Ah, kid, you don't get it. I'm not talking about his scythe wielding. That's fine, pretty incredible even. I can tell he hasn't been taught and has instead managed to figure things out on his own. There are traces of individuality unique to people like him and so he's done a terrific job at overcoming a lack of a good teacher. Or any teacher at all, I guess. If it was just a matter of swinging the scythe about, he wouldn't need me at all and he's already good to go. Much like the previous sect master of the Brotherhood, I have nothing to say to him about the basics of the scythe. Of course I'd need to see him swinging it to be 100% certain but there shouldn't be any major problems and he'd slowly figure out the intermediate and advanced stuff by himself.
What I'm referring to, when I say he's doing everything completely wrong, is what it means to be a reaper. Being a reaper and wielding the scythe are two entirely different ball games to the point they're games that are not even played in the same ball park. Every single reaper throughout history is different. They have to be, it's pre-requisite to accepting the job. Do you seriously think no reaper has ever simply just wielded a single plain scythe before? That was the first reaper's shtick and has never been done again. It's a unchanging rule of thumb for reapers to seek out a successor who makes the scythe their own and does something personal with it.
With me, for instance, my scythe swings are actually incredibly weak. Highly technical, unmatched in that regard don't get ne wrong, but I rely on an external power source to amp up my swings after I make them. That's where my magic comes in. Without my jade I'm actually probably not the best scythe wielder around, there are probably some exemplars hidden away that could take the position, but with jade I'm untouchable. The jade also lets me fight in unconventional ways by trapping opponents and forcing them to adjust their position to my liking. I may be slow on my feet but if I summon multiple pillars of jade to block of your path I don't have to speed over to you, you just can't escape anyway. You could maybe even consider me to be the 'reaper of traps', depending on how you look at it. The jade obstructs and amplifies so being anywhere near my magic guarantees a swift death. I'm at my peak when I set ambushes in advance and capitalise of jade structures. i can summon them in the moment to, I need that versatility to maintain my status and reputation, but it doesn't change how I operate fundamentally. In that way, my scythe is arguably less important than my magic and so I've side-lined the weapon itself to some degree; that's what makes me unique compared to the previous reapers.
So look at that kid again, the one with the scythe. What's special about him? Make no mistake, I think he has the talent to become a proper reaper candidate. I won't be training him, I have another guy in mind, but it is admittedly a shame. I see talent in that one and now that I'm actually looking for a successor I really don't want to half-ass it. Had I not made a deal with Davey I'd pick that kid probably."
"Huh, you're really serious about giving up your position? I'll be honest, up until now I didn't quite believe you."
"I'm many things but never a liar, Finnian. The previous sect master of this place knew that well. Though it's somewhat late to say this, I'm sorry for your loss. That crooked old man was alright in my books. He was a terrible reaper candidate, I never would have given him the position no matter how badly he wanted it even if he ever actually did, but as a normal scythe fanatic like me? He stood the test of time, no doubt. Anyway, enough about us old folk. Who is that deranged little terrorist bombing your tryouts anyway? I refuse to believe someone of that magnitude is an unknown variable that just popped up out of the blue. It's impossible and I'll seriously laugh at the Brotherhood's information network if you dare tell me you don't know him."
Finnian could only smile wryly in response to Charon's words because... "No, we actually really have no clue. Nobody else seems to recognise him either. According to Mimi he came from inside the Sheryashka barrier and is here temporarily before he'll get dragged back inside... I'm starting to wonder if being isolated has led to some real monstrous guys being born inside that barrier... But probably not right? It's likely just this one kid whose gone of the rails a bit..."
"... Inside the barrier?" Alarm bells were ringing in Charon's head because his earlier suspicions about the frequency of reaper marks down here in the lower domains seeming improbable to him felt related to this piece of information. "That magic the kid's blowing everyone up with... Do you recognise it?"
Finnian shook his head. "Nope. Never seen gold magic before. At least not outside of ferromancy but that seems different to this, whatever it is..."
"Gold magic, inside the barrier, reapers' mark... Oi, you wouldn't happen to know that kid's name, would you?" Charon had a gut feeling he knew exactly who this kid was and that fate was playing a funny trick on him. he'd just mentioned how he would personally pick this kid as a successor if he had a choice and it seemed like he might end up getting his wish regardless.
"No, never heard his name. Mimi ought to know it though. Give me a second."
Finnian sent a mental message to Mimi, AKA fake Alice, who'd skulked off back to the top five, sans Ares, group. She didn't dare mess with the golden menace floating high in the sky because she was no longer certain she could beat him in a head on confrontation. He didn't even appear to be using his full power so she was now somewhat worried she was jeopardising her tryout run by picking a fight with him. Granted she had no reason to even take part in the first place but it was fun and she didn't want it to end because she blindly picked a fight with someone dangerous. Still, she took time out of sulking in a corner to answer Finnian's question before going back to pondering how to deal with Ares in the future if need be. What was the best way to go about attacking someone like that? She didn't really know... And it didn't help that Ares had just thrown a Perish Wheel which only made her sink into despair even further. The firepower this kid was packing was only getting more and more ludicrous the more he casted various arts. She was worried that at this rate he was going to drop a nuclear bomb here! Little did she know it was technically possible but thankfully she wouldn't be seeing Armillary here during this specific trial... Although maybe in the third one...
"Apparently his name is Ares..." Finnian turned back to Charon. "... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere recently... Which is funny because Mimi said the exact same thing, like it was on the tip of her tongue. She was going to search for it on the internet but got distracted and forgot... Which is very like her, I guess. Anyway, I can check here now so give me a second..." Finnian was about to whip out his phone and peruse various forums for an answer but Charon shook his head and interrupted him, revealing he was ahead of the times and didn't need no fancy shmancy tech to keep up with the latest gossip. He'd read plenty of good ol' newspapers thank you very much! Better yet, he actually remembered the contents too! That was the problem with the internet, bloat of useless information. At least you knew that when something made the papers it was probably more important than whatever people on social media were blabbering on about and worth remembering.
"No need to scour those worthless blogs. I know him. He's the reaper candidate I'm after."
"Oh really? Huh, small world. Lucky you, eh?"
"Mhm. Thought it was weird two reaper marks appeared at once in a lower domain. Bah, the world might not actually be turning upside down and on its head just yet after all. Anyway, I'm telling you now, Finnian, that's a big fish with big prospects you're reeling in. I'd accept him into the sect here and now if I were you. If I were desperate enough I'd even beg."
"A big fish? Beg?" If Charon was saying it like this then there was no room for doubt; Finnian still wanted to know more though.
"That's one of them fundamental champions. You know, talk of the town lately. Impossible to have not heard of them unless you've been living under a rock, cultivating in seclusion, or hiding away in a legacy tomb like some kind of undead pharaoh."
"Oh crap, yeah! No I remember now, he was the one that was brought out from the barrier via the pagoda, right? Or at least his clone anyway. Dethroned Veteran, even got him moving around in public again, and was an unrivalled sensation in the news for a week or two... What was it again? Fundamental champion of destruction, right?" Finnian glanced back down at the golden hellscape Ares had effortlessly summoned and could weave at his beck and call from the tips of his fingers. "... Yeah, I think I see it... His reputation definitely precedes him... Pft, Mimi must be getting quite angry down there at her inability to kill him. She doesn't take kindly to people more talented to her. Or, rather, she's never really met anyone who fits the bill so this must be insufferable and she must want to tear her own hair out... But still, to think a fundamental champion stumbled across our tryouts while he was temporarily locked outside the barrier... Almost like fate is lending a helping hand, eh?"
"Tsk, you brotherhood freaks need to calm down with the overly excessive fate worship... Though I can't deny the timing of this is extremely fortunate for everyone involved... The Brotherhood is going to have a serious edge in the future with that kid running around in your ranks. This is going to make all kinds of headlines and Ares is going to wind up right back in the spotlight. That kid already has a crap ton of allies so if they're connected to the Brotherhood from now via him as a medium... Hoo boy, your reputation is going to spiral towards the heavens... Ha, I'll congratulate you on your new recruit ahead of time, then. I mean look at that golden prat, no way he isn't making it into the sect right?" Ares had quite literally jsut turned a human into a scarecrow and blown him into smithereens without lifting a finger.
"You can say that again... Doesn't even look like he's really trying down there... His magic is crazy, his pressure is crazy, his war aura is crazy, his reaper's mark is crazy... Apparently he has a unique revenant form that dwarfs even Dominus's legendary form too... So that's crazy... Hearing about the fundamental champions is one thing but seeing is believing, I guess... Huh, I'm actually a little excited for the next round of the tryouts. I'll get to test him myself, after all."
Charon raised an eyebrow. "Ah, that's right, you're the one credited with inventing that aren't you? I heard some organisations are considering making it an official sport held in competitive arenas. Inventing a sport is a bit of a weird legacy to leave behind, especially for someone as strong as you, but I feel like that suits you."
"Ha, what can I say? I wanted a method to pump up the Brotherhood members and competing amongst each other was always tricky due to their different specialities. This sport was just a convenient way of bridging the gap in the simplest way possible and evening the playing filed somewhat at the time. Never thought it would stick... Never dared dream it would spread far and wide either. That aside, it seems like this event is drawing to a close... What about you? I'm going to go back down there and officiate but do you want to tag along? That kid's going to be your disciple, right, so meeting with him seems like a good idea?"
"Bah, what would you know about good ideas? It's a terrible idea, actually! I mean what am I gonna do? He's only here for a short while, you said? No point talking to him now, there's plenty of time in the future. If I talk to him I'll want to teach and there's nothing I can teach in two days that won't be detrimental to him in the long run if left incomplete. You can't give answers to people becoming a reaper, that's stifling and will kill their uniqueness in the nest, you have to let them discover everything themselves. On the other hand, if I'm too cryptic, he'll get just as stuck if not more than he already is. I'll leave him alone and hopefully he figures something out on his own. I can tell he's seen something already. Don't know what it is but let's let him pursue it for a while, and foster some growth, as I figure out a way inside the barrier. By the time I get in he should be more proficient with the scythe and then we'll discuss finer details."
Charon was correct, Ares had seen a path forward with the scythe... To some degree. Back during the international Ares, thanks to the Primordial Blade, was able to mimic a future art of his involving the scythe. It was a rare and valuable opportunity, and Ares barely remembered what happened, but he did glimpse the future and knew there was a lot more to the scythe than where he was currently at. Knowing that was enough for now and Charon seemed to agree it was too early to be worrying about anything deeper. If Charon said the path Ares was taking was fine then who would dare disagree with him? Charon was one of the strongest reapers ever so arguing with him was a fool's errand and nobody knew what it meant to be a reaper or wield a scythe more so than him in the current era.
"Then I'll be on my way. Take care, senior." Finnian departed down towards the courtyard.
"Hmph, took you long enough to show some respect, brat." Charon began floating away... Slowly, as per usual. He really needed to find a way of moving about faster than this... Regardless, he was still hidden behind space so nobody ought to have been able to detect him... And yet, Ares most definitely stared at his back as he took his leave. There was no way in hell Ares was missing the presence of a man as overwhelming as Charon and there were plenty of reasons the bucket of bones could never escape his sight. First of all, Hiding behind space was Ares' territory through and through and infinitely close to touching upon both void and naughtiness. Attempting to hide back there was almost, ironically, more revealing than not hiding at all. Also, Ares' Omniscience was still ridiculously overpowered and that alone would have done the trick.
Regardless, Ares met Charon's hollowed out skull's eye sockets once before turning back to the task at hand. He didn't know Charon but he seemed to be on talking terms with the Brotherhood at least so Ares figured he could find out later. What he did recognise, however, was that old man's gaze on his scythe was rather profound... But there was no use in thinking about such a thing, Ares was close to obliterating the rest of the competition that still remained. He was excluding the other top five from his rampage, naturally, so there were only a handful of cultivators left to bully, all of which he swept away with the war aura flag. Some became scarecrows too but he immediately blew them up and ended the trial by chaining explosions and catching stragglers with them so as not to drag things on pointlessly. Ares was interested in the last event because there was a potential reward up for grabs, he wanted to join the sect, and he could test his mettle against the other top five who were all strong win their own rights. They faltered somewhat upon witnessing his magical majesty but there was still fight in them yet and they weren't backing down! The chaos of the battle royale, combined with the unfair groups everyone made, didn't feel like a way of conclusively and accurately testing his capabilities compared to theirs so he was hoping the last stage would be a more appropriate one in that regard. No outside interference as he went head to head against them, that was roughly what Ares was hoping for. In a way, he'd get what he wished for, just not in the manner he was expecting.
Finnian teleported the last five cultivators before him and the group were all now standing on the hill once more. Though barely perceptible, Ares noticed the way Finnian was glancing at him out of the corner of his eyes had changed somewhat. It wasn't just the display Ares put on moments ago but rather he seemed properly informed about who he was now. Still, professionalism was the name of the game and Finnian didn't ask him about it. Maybe he would after he talked about the rules and gave everyone time to rest but, for now, he led the conversation with a rather simple declaration... And yet, despite simple, Ares had no clue what on earth this man was talking about.
"It's time for the last round... We're all going bowling!"