Why were Dharma Manifestation Entities so feared?
The answer lay in the manifestations they could unleash at a moment's notice—forms so terrifying in size and power that even Ethereal Physiology Masters could not stand against them.
Around Zerrion Draal, a colossal, awe-striking figure of himself erupted from waves of blazing purple brilliance. A fifteen-meter-tall, regal monstrosity took shape—his Dharmic Ethereal Self brought forth in full display.
Unlike his mortal form, this manifestation expanded rapidly. Two additional sets of arms emerged—six upper limbs in total, each one radiating crushing power. In every palm floated blazing orbs of violet fire, burning with the threat of unleashed devastation.
Behind this terrifying construct, thick purple coils of chains erupted—writhing like serpents, twitching with anticipation, ready to bind any opponent within the span of a heartbeat.
From its forehead to its feet, nine dazzling, solid stars spun, each pulsing with its own gravitational field. The pressure radiating from the Dharmic Ethereal Self was enough to shatter the will of even the strongest Ethereal Physiology Master.
And this being—this avatar of royal destruction—looked down at Achilles and repeated his command:
Power spilled outward like a tidal wave, crashing down in endless, crushing force.
The figures of Rose, Luna, and Nyxaria grew tense as they resisted the overwhelming pressure. The tendrils of energy from Achilles, flowing with Evolutius, Primordial Energy, and the searing flames of the Nirvanic Sun-Moon Phoenix, wrapped around them—empowering them to remain floating in the air rather than be flattened to the ground.
Even this small resistance caused Zerrion Draal to observe with sharpened coldness. But before he could act, Achilles lifted his gaze and spoke—his voice effortless, as if the suffocating pressure meant nothing to him.
"You do not know who you tell to kneel."
Anywhere else in this world, Zerrion Draal could have ordered any being—equal or lesser—to their knees. And they would have obeyed.
He had dared to command the Ninth Adrastia Emperor King to kneel.
An emperor whose lineage stretched across eons—generations forgotten by history itself.
Achilles felt fire roar through his veins. The very notion burned in his blood even if he did not want it to.
He was not some pompous, arrogant being who thought himself above others. He was still a young man who grew up poor in Neon.
But the Lineage coursing true him was a truly regal one as when another commanded it to kneel, it seethed with brilliance while asking a singular question of the being dumb enough to do so.
His eyes flared with power—regal and terrifying. He didn't look like a common Advanced Human. No…he radiated ancient dignity. Royalty. And somehow, even more.
He turned his gaze on Zerrion Draal and the Royal Colony Guards behind him, every word like frost on steel.
"A king does not kneel. Especially not to thugs who only know how to kill."
"So no. I will not kneel. But I will give you the chance to do so. In the next three seconds… any who do not will have their deaths determined."
Each word was colder than the last—an imperial decree cloaked in judgment.
And then—it happened.
The moment his words echoed out, the Ethereal Physiology Masters and Meridian Transformation Royal Lunaris Guards—floating proudly atop their Evolutius-Bound Hoverboards—felt their knees buckle.
They dropped—right there in the sky—kneeling toward Achilles.
The sight was staggering. Horrifying.
None of these soldiers had meant to kneel. Their bodies had betrayed their minds. Their wills were overridden.
The onlookers could barely breathe.
Even the women behind Achilles blinked repeatedly, trying to confirm what they were seeing.
He commanded them to kneel…
Three seconds passed.
Achilles turned calmly.
Zerrion Draal was the only one still standing.
He alone remained untouched by Draconian Pathogenicity V as he had an innate field of distortion that warped energy itself. The multicolored, invisible spores couldn't pass without alerting him.
He was the only one not infected.
Achilles had wrapped his energy and binding into their very cores.
Like the Empusa, he could reduce them to vessels—stripped of will and bound to him.
Like the Leucochloridium Worm, he could erase their minds, replace their thoughts, and make them serve him in strength and obedience.
But first—they had to kneel.
Achilles lifted his chin and spoke once more, every syllable like a command from a throne.
"Do not waste my time. Come stand before me."
His voice was cold. Drenched in a royalty so immense, it made everyone question who and what he truly was.
This…was not how a normal being spoke as his voice seemed to be filled with a majesty others could not deny!
And then—something astonishing happened.
The Evolutius-Bound Hoverboards behind Zerrion Draal lit up—moving rapidly.
The Royal Guards—who just moments ago flanked the Judge—now flew past him, forming a line in front of Achilles.
As if they were his guards.
As if they were there… to protect him from Zerrion Draal.
Their eyes still shimmered with disbelief and fear—because Achilles had not stolen their minds. They were aware. Trapped in their own bodies.
They were horrified, but bound!
The Meridian Transformation Royal Guards all lifted their Nuclear-Primed Evolutius Blasters, aiming them squarely at Zerrion Draal.
And the Ethereal Physiology Masters began to glow—both their illusory and solid stars igniting with power.
They were ready to unleash their might… on the very man they once followed.
The sight was jaw-dropping.
Zerrion Draal's Dharmic Ethereal Self roared.
"HERETIC! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
The Judge's expression cracked—shock and fury bleeding across his face.
His mind buzzed as he couldn't understand how this enemy—this boy—could have possibly taken control of his entire unit.
But the only answer came in the form of Achilles' apathetic gaze.
He looked at the Judge with disdain—and delivered the final decree.
"Three seconds passed. You did not kneel, O Zerrion Draal…your death has been decreed."
A decree had been spoken—by the Emperor King.
And many would come to learn in the days to come.
When a decree was given by the Emperor King…it would surely be accomplished!