Chapter 1067: The Appetizer

[Behind you.]

The Grand Elder quickly turned his floating throne around as soon as he heard Ahor Zai's statement, but there was no one there. Even with Elder Apo lighting the area, all they could really see was the empty gray walls they had already been used to seeing.

Everyone remained vigilant; all of their eyes just looking everywhere in order to catch a glimpse of their menacing intruder. After several seconds of this, however, Elder Skeem broke the silence.

"...We're all going to die," Elder Skeem shook his worm-like head, "Elder S'adar and Tedi are species of power and physical prowess, and the only warrior we have now is Elder Zorah - he is not a match against this intruder."

"...I agree," Elder Zorah did not refute Elder Skeem's words at all; his large horns just lightly flickered as he looked at the Grand Elder, "All of us should go."

"Considering it has already killed Tedi and Elder S'adar, I do not think it has any intention of letting any of us go," Elder Skeem once again shook his head, "The only way we have any chance of surviving this situation is through diplomacy. It spoke to Tedi before killing her." "...Who are you, Riley Ross? And why are you doing this!?" The Grand Elder quickly heeded Elder Skeem's words as he started looking around the dome for any signs of Riley. And when he and the others thought Riley Ross wouldn't show himself, he did.

"Show yourself!" The only one that did not see him was the Grand Elder. His eyes, however, started to squint as he noticed the others were actually all looking at him. And before he could wonder why, the tiny Grand Elder slightly looked up... only to see Riley looking down at him.

The Grand Elder was standing on Riley's lap, who was now suddenly seated on his throne; he did not even feel anything at all.

"Wha-!!!"

The Grand Elder was just the size of Riley's arm, and it became even more obvious as Riley placed his hand on the Grand Elder's small head which was as small as a pool ball, grabbing it just tight enough that the Grand Elder would think he could actually struggle himself free.

But of course, Riley had no intention at all to let him go as he just looked at the other Elders one by one with a very wide smile on his face.

"Every time I meet any of you, there seems to be a pattern of decapitated heads," Riley let out a small chuckle as he looked at Elder S'adar's head on the gray floor, "Although I suppose it would be a little premature to call it a pattern since it has really only happened twice."

"Twice...?" Elder Zorah squinted his eyes as he looked at Elder Skeem, who just quickly focused back to Riley.

"Twice? Does that mean you have been to this place before, Riley Ross?" Elder Skeem tried his best to sound as calm as possible, "But I do not recall reading of you in the Common Council's billions of years of history - Could it be... that you are from a time before that?"

"I suppose I could tell you," Riley let out a small hum as he tilted his head to the side, "But I will not."

And with those words, he also tilted the Grand Elder's small head; except he tilted it way more than 30 degrees, it was more like a 210 turn. He then started violently shaking the Grand Elder's body, and everyone just watched as the rest of his body was blown away as soon as the Grand Elder's neck was torn apart from the sheer force of the shake.

"Oh," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at the Grand Elder's torn head that was left on his hand, "I did not really mean to do that, I thought the Grand Elder would be more durable."

Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh as he just placed the Grand Elder's head beside him on the throne. And soon, the throne started to move around as Riley once again looked at the remaining Elders one by one.

He did this for a few seconds until his eyes finally settled on Elder Zorah.

"Hello again, Elder Goat," Riley smiled as he stepped off the throne and just started casually walking toward Elder Zorah, "I suppose we should just get started, then - Ahor Zai, please turn on all the power again."

[Okay.]

"What...?" And to Elder Skeem and the other Elders' surprise, the lights within the dome truly did turn on again as the power went back through the entirety of Ahor Zai, "Why... are you following Riley Ross, Ahor Zai? Explain."

[Because Riley Ross made me see the truth of this universe,] Ahor Zai's words reverberated in the air, [And the truth he revealed has made all of my knowledge irrelevant, perhaps even useless. He has given me the Last Knowledge.]

"...And what is the Last Knowledge?" Elder Skeem whispered.

[That all of you do not truly exist.]

"What are you-"

"Ahor Zai, please broadcast everything that happens to this dome to the entire Known Universe from this point forward." And before Elder Skeem could inquire further, Riley walked toward the other decapitated head, Elder S'adar's head, and just casually placed it on the throne; letting it rest beside the Grand Elder's head - and this action was seen by more than a trillion people.

"Ahor Zai, stop broadcasting," Elder Zorah quickly ordered; Ahor Zai, however, did not respond at all.

"Ahor Zai."

[Yes, Riley Ross?] But as soon as Riley spoke again, Ahor Zai's voice quickly whispered to everyone's ears again.

"Give the data containing all of the locations of active civilizations in the entire Known Universe, no matter what level of advancement, and give it to the clones I left with you."

[Okay.]

"What... are you planning to do with that?" Elder Zorah's horns started to light up.

"I plan to close this universe once and for all, Elder Zorah," Riley shrugged, "But of course, while my clones are traveling to everyone else, I will give them a little teaser of what is about to happen to them. Well, at least to those advanced enough to receive this broadcast. So...

...everyone, please watch."

"What-" And before Elder Zorah or any of the remaining Elders could react to Riley's words, Riley suddenly disappeared from his spot; only to appear behind Elder Zorah, already grabbing his large horns.

"Elder Bato!" Their concern for Zorah, however, was quickly diminished as soon as they saw what was on Riley's other hand - it was Elder Bato, the Elder who literally just looked like a

rock.

"What...!? What are you do!!!" Elder Zorah could not even finish his words before Riley just slammed him on the floor. And before he could even try to get up, Riley placed his knee on his neck and completely pinned him down. And then, without even saying another word...

...Riley started grinding Elder Bato on Elder Zorah's horns.

"No!" Elder Skeem let out an almost screeching scream. As for Elder Apo, he remained there completely emotionless; just watching what was happening in silence and shaking his head.

"Kh... grah!" Elder Zorah screamed from the top of his lungs; his voice cracking without any hesitation as he felt his entire body just tremble from the pain of having his horns shredded. His were not actually necessarily just horns, they were completely an extensive part of his body, like a limb.

He struggled to get up, but the only thing he could really do was slam his waving fists on the floor while Riley had him completely pinned down. And if the uncomfortable sawing and gnawing sound was an indication of how much pain Elder Zorah was feeling, it was almost as if his body was going numb; except instead of feeling nothing, he was feeling everything at a

constant wave.

And soon, blood began to shed from his horns.

The blood, however, was not from Elder Zorah at all, but from Elder Bato; his stone-like

exterior, shattering and turning into powder.

And perhaps the most shocked of them all was Riley as he stopped grinding Elder Bato when

he noticed that the blood was actually coming from him.

"Interesting physiology," Riley looked at Elder Bato's mangled body no, it was not

mangled at all, he could even say it was smoother than before. The only problem was that Elder Bato now looked like an extremely smooth steak due to his flesh.

And that just gave Riley an incredible idea.

Riley tugged and pulled Elder Zorah's horns.

"Gah-!?" And as soon as he howled in pain, Riley quickly placed Elder Bato inside Elder

Zorah's mouth. Well...

...at least he tried to.

Elder Bato was too big to fit inside Elder Zorah's goat mouth, and so, in reality, Riley did not

place it inside, he smashed through his lips and teeth and just practically forced Elder Bato into Elder Zorah's throat; making sure he stuck it in there and using his entire arm to do so.

"So..."

"Gkh!"

Riley then kicked Elder Zorah's throat, causing him to just gasp in pain. As for Riley, the smile on his face never truly fades away.

"Shall we get started then, Elder Zorah?" Riley casually said after doing everything he did to the Common Council, "I will make this as slow for you but as quick as possible for everyone who wants to see...

...I still need to go to Theran, you see. But first, they also need to see that I killed everyone here... Do not worry, only Elder Zorah would be tortured."