Chapter 1009: Fatherless Behavior

"Dad..."

Karina had always imagined what it would have been like for his father to swoop in to save the day — she didn't need to. After all, as she had already said before, she was already surrounded by not only the greatest, but the strongest people she knew; she could from the next planet, and Aerith and Diana would hear it and would be there for her in seconds. But still, for some reason, she couldn't help but think what it would be like to be supported and saved by her father.

And now, it was happening.

And it was as amazing and as exciting as she thought it would be. But nobody told her...

...that it would be this terrifying.

"I will give the two of you a choice..."

Riley was not really doing anything, he was just holding Protain and Orgain's faces while talking, and yet Karina could not help but feel as if she was the one being grabbed by him. Of course, this probably had nothing to do with the stories and tales she had been fed by Hannah and the others about how scary Riley could be... right?

"I would offer you the same thing you offered my daughter," Riley continued to whisper nonchalantly even as Protain and Orgain were struggling with all their might, with Protain flailing her muscular arms while trying to push and pry herself away with her even more muscular legs. As for Orgain, try as he might to lift his sword, something seemed to be keeping it stuck on the ground; he could have used his fists to try and attack Riley like Protain, but his hands seemed to also be stuck to the handle of the sword,

"Either you receive your punishment here, or the three of us visit New Theran and I will punish you there in front of all the other gods to serve as an example — I will not, however, be as merciful as to give you your death. So...

...choose."

"Who do you think you are!?" Protain gritted her teeth; her words, slightly muffled while still trying to pry Riley's hand away from her face.

"Riley Ross," Riley just casually shrugged as he very lightly started to lower his arms. Of course, Protain and Orgain wouldn't just allow themselves to kneel, even if their bodies were to be buried and pierced through the ground, they would never kneel.

Unfortunately for them, the ground wasn't as soft as they thought as Riley reinforced it telekinetically. Still, the two refused to kneel, even to the point when their muscle fibers started to tear—no.

When their muscles started to be forced, the two actually started to smile instead of showing signs of struggle — how could they not be, when they were actually growing stronger now that their muscles were being forced to lift a weight heavier than their usual training?

"You fool," Orgain let out a small scoff as he could feel himself getting stronger by the second, "You really think—"

"Orgain!" And before Orgain could say what he wanted to say, Karina raised her voice as she very slowly made her way toward them; the expression on her face, filled with nothing but worry, "Stop resisting... please."

"Any call for mercy is too late, sweet little child!" Protain let out a small but sheepish giggle as she could feel her arms heating up, "You should have shown your father his place if you wanted him alive! But no, of course — we won't really kill him, that would be against the Margrea Oath...

...we will just make it so that he would wish to be dead!"

The two titans then started roaring as the very air itself started to distort from the heat that was emanating from their muscles.

"I'm not..." Karina took in a small gulp as she looked at her father's face, only to see the slightest bit of annoyance pestering it,

"...I'm saying this for your sakes. My dad...

...likes to play around."

"What are you—"

And before Protain or Orgain could even ascertain what Karina meant by her words, they found the pressure being forced down them fade away as their feet now very slowly left the ground instead of being pushed to it.

"Twice now, you people from New Theran trespassed in my territory and harmed both my children," Riley let out a small sigh as he finally let go of the couple's face. The couple thought this was their chance to be free, but just found themselves completely unable to move as they continued to ascend up in the air along with Riley.

"You... you're lucky we can't exert our full force here in fear of killing all these mortals!" Protain once again let out a roar as she looked at Riley's face, "You—"

And once again, the two could do nothing but watch as Riley just very calmly placed his hands around their necks. There is truth to their words, however — they truly are not using all of their efforts in fear of accidentally destroying the only civilization left in the entirety of the multiverse.

"Where are you taking us?" Orgain let out a small grunt; slightly tightening his neck muscles as he looked at his sword which was getting smaller and smaller as they flew to the sky.

"Karina, bring your young siblings and follow me," Riley did not answer Orgain at all, however, as he just looked at Karina; his voice, reaching her despite it just being a whisper,

"It is time for us to formally visit our neighbors."

"Wait, Dad...!?" Karina did not really know what to do, "I... I can't show myself to them! I'm already breaking the agreement as we speak! We are the ones at fault here!"

"No," Riley shook his head, refusing to elaborate any further as he just started to increase his speed and fly directly to New Theran.

"What the shit...!?" Karina grabbed her hair, almost wanting to pull it out as she started to panic. She had heard stories of how impulsive his father could be, but she had also heard how calculative and cunning he actually was...

...but just going straight to where the gods are residing?

Is... he really crazy!?

"Wow, you've handled that quite well, our dear oldest sister." And out of nowhere, Lucy popped out behind her; almost like a shadow that emerged out of nowhere, "Perhaps I should take back my words, you are not boring at all — this development is quite nice."

"Nice...?" Karina raised an eyebrow, "Our dad's about to break the peace we've fought long and hard for centuries!"

"That does not sound like Father," Renna and the others also started to arrive; her eyes, reflecting Riley and the others' silhouette as they disappeared into the sky, "Did he say something to you, Older Sister Karina?"

"Yeah..." Karina took in a very long and deep breath as she looked up,

"...Dad ordered us to follow him."

***

"I suppose this place will do."

"Unhand us, you—"

No one and nothing really blocked Riley's path even as he entered New Theran's atmosphere. He just casually entered and landed his feet on the planet before just throwing Protain and Orgain carelessly onto the hard, crystallized ground.

"You—"

"Kneel."

Protain was going to protest again, but just suddenly found herself effortlessly forced to kneel down; cracking the crystal ground with her knee.

"Protain!" Orgain wanted to help Protain up, but also just stumbled to the ground and kneeled.

"Try it now," Riley glanced at the two as he started walking around the field of crystals, "We are already away from the New World, try using a little effort to fight back, Protain and Orgain."

"You think we won't do—Ugh!" Protain managed to stand up, only for her to drop even more violently to the ground.

"Try it again," Riley whispered as he completely looked away from the two and just started heading toward a monument, a crystal tower standing alone in the field. And there, behind the reflection of Riley's face... was Alice, eternally sleeping now for more than half a millennia.

Thunders started erupting behind him as the very space itself started to crack with Protain and Orgain finally using their strength to free themselves from Riley's invisible chains. But as soon as they found themselves free, they instantly dropped to the ground again.

They were beings capable of destroying planets in a single literal breath — and yet right now, they couldn't even breathe properly. And perhaps the worst of it all is that their opponent...

...their opponent was not even looking at them.

Such... disrespect.

And unfortunately for them, audience started to gather.

"Dad!" Karina and her younger siblings arrived and landed on the field of crystals. And perhaps fortunately for Protain and Orgain...

...the group of siblings did not even bother with them and just landed behind their father.

No — this was even more disrespectful that they were not even acknowledging them anymore as they just kneeled there.

"Where are we...?" Lucy looked at Arthas's hair before looking at the field of crystals, "...I think we landed on your hair, Arthas."

"This is not the time to make jokes, Lucifer," Renna clicked her tongue as she stood by her father's side, "Is that..."

"...Our grandma," Karina was the one to answer Renna's words as she looked at Alice's peaceful face, "Dad...

...why did you bring us here?"