Chapter 1009 1009: Fatherless Behavior

Chapter 1009 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...

"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?"