(Execution Livestream Continuation, The Pit, Leo’s POV)
For a moment, even Leo could not track what was unfolding before his eyes, as the speed at which Gods moved was something far beyond his mortal comprehension.
Unlike the others, he was not blinded by the big flash, nor rattled by the massive earthquake gripping the planet, and yet, he could still not get a grasp of everything unfolding before him, for such was the chaotic state of his surroundings.
For the briefest of moments, he felt as though he saw Soron skidding on to solid ground just outside the core of the Chakravyuh.
However, in the instant between that thought and his next blink, everything changed, as Soron and every other God vanished from the battlefield, already locked in a clash unfolding on the very edge of reality itself.
*SHLICK*
*BOOM*
*BLAST*
Within a split second, a chain of explosions erupted dozens of kilometers beyond the shattered core, drawing Leo’s gaze instinctively, but by the time his eyes focused on the devastation, the battlefield had already shifted again, leaving behind nothing but scorched land, fractured terrain, and lingering traces of divine aura hanging in the air.
*Sigh*
’Give them hell, Cult Master.’
Leo thought, as he wasted no more time trying to follow the battle between Gods, as instead, he immediately diverted his attention toward Veyr, who now knelt alone on the abandoned execution platform, utterly ignored amidst the chaos consuming the battlefield.
From the stunned expression frozen on Veyr’s face, it was clear that the Cult Dragon had no idea how to process this sudden reversal of fate, for while he had once hoped and prayed that somehow, someway, someone might come to save him, he had long since accepted that no such miracle would arrive.
He had already made peace with dying.
Which was why, when he finally saw Leo charging toward him to break his restraints, the emotional weight of that moment crashed down all at once, and before he could stop himself, tears spilled freely as his mind struggled to comprehend that he was still alive.
’I— I can be saved?’
Veyr thought, as the realization settled gently into his mind, not like a shock, but like warmth spreading through a body that had long grown cold.
The words repeated again and again, each time sounding less impossible than before, as disbelief slowly gave way to something fragile and bright.
’Still Alive.’
The thought alone made his chest tighten, breath catching as emotions he had carefully sealed away began to leak through the cracks.
For days—no, for far longer than that, he had lived with the quiet certainty that he would die on this platform, that the universe had already decided his ending and simply delayed the moment of execution.
He had made peace with it.
He had told himself that acceptance was strength.
But now that strength wavered.
His vision blurred, not from fear, but from relief so sudden and overwhelming that his mind struggled to contain it, tears welling despite his attempts to steady himself as the weight he had carried alone finally began to lift.
’I’m... not done.’
He thought, as his body trembled from excitement, however, before he could fully even begin to process that thought, Leo was already there beside him, ready to break his chains.
’Huh?’
Veyr thought confused, as he barely registered the distance being crossed, only that Leo suddenly stood before him, close enough that he could see the exhaustion beneath the calm, the dried blood along his armor, and the quiet certainty in his eyes that made the world feel real again, as Leo reached for the first chain.
*CRACK*
The restraint shattered cleanly, dissolving into nothing as freedom returned to Veyr’s arm, the sensation light and almost unreal, like waking from a dream he hadn’t known he was still trapped in.
Then the second.
*CRACK*
And the third.
*CRACK*
Each chain fell away without pain, without resistance, as if the universe itself had already accepted that this execution was over, that the verdict had been overturned.
Veyr remained silent throughout, lips parted but voice lost somewhere beneath the rush of emotions flooding his chest, his hands trembling faintly as he watched Leo work with quiet efficiency.
When the fourth and final chain broke—
*CRACK*
—Veyr finally found the strength to lift his head.
He looked at Leo then, truly looked at him, eyes shining and unguarded, expression stripped of pride, fear, and doubt alike, leaving behind only something raw and pure.
"You came for me..... brother."
The words broke as they left him, voice cracked and uneven, as though speaking them made the moment real at last.
Leo blinked, then raised an eyebrow slightly, a small, gentle smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he glanced past Veyr, toward the Cult Army now surging toward the platform in a tide of devotion and fury.
"Of course I did," he said calmly, turning his gaze back to Veyr.
"We all did."
He gestured lightly toward the approaching figures, his voice steady and warm.
"You’re our Dragon, no?"
As in that moment, standing free beneath a broken sky, Veyr realized he wasn’t alone anymore.
That he wasn’t an orphan anymore.
He was Aegon Veyr of the Cult.
He was the Dragon.
—------------
(Meanwhile, Raymond)
Meanwhile, as Leo shattered Veyr’s bounds, Raymond quietly stirred nearby.
The strain of sustaining the Chakravyuh for so long had left the Demi-God’s body in revolt, every circuit aching and every breath shallow, as he forced himself upright through sheer stubbornness rather than strength.
*Wobble*
His legs trembled beneath him, vision swimming for a moment before he steadied himself, jaw tightening as humiliation burned hotter than the pain.
He watched the final chain fall.
Watched Veyr finally be free.
And something ugly twisted inside his chest.
Fury surged, raw and unfiltered, drowning out the lingering dizziness as his nails dug into his palms hard enough to draw blood, the sight before him offending something fundamental he believed in.
’How dare you try to free my prisoner?’
Raymond thought, teeth grinding together as his aura stirred in response to his anger, flickering unsteadily but violently all the same.
’How dare you try to overturn divine order?’
His gaze locked onto Leo, hatred sharpening his focus as the weight of what had just occurred finally settled in.
Leo rescuing Veyr was not a simple affair.
For the Cult to arrive on The Pit and save Veyr with the whole universe watching, was not merely a rescue, but a public humiliation of the Universal Government itself, a blatant slap to its authority and honor so severe that no amount of propaganda or retaliation could ever fully erase it.
’This isn’t over. Not yet.’
Raymond thought, as he forced himself fully upright, spine straightening as his pride refused to let him remain kneeling any longer, even if his body screamed in protest.
’You think you’re strong because you killed a few mortals?’
The thought curdled into contempt as his eyes flicked briefly toward the wreckage of the Fourth Ring, bodies scattered like discarded tools.
’I’ll show you what real power looks like.’
His lips curled into a thin, venomous smile, resolve hardening as fury replaced exhaustion.
’I’ll crush your dreams before you can finish building them, just to remind the universe that the Universal Government is not weak..... that ’I’ Raymond, am not weak.’