Revenge: A Path of Destruction
Chapter 60: The Weight of the Throne (4)

Chapter 60: The Weight of the Throne (4)

The very air trembled as the two domains clashed, their opposing laws battling for supremacy. The ground beneath them quaked, deep fissures splitting through the reinforced arena floor as raw power surged outward.

Mankhaura’s domain roared, the nine floating boulders orbiting him like celestial bodies, each infused with his essence. The brownish aura around them pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, the sheer weight of his authority pressing against everything within his range. The earth was his to command—absolute domination.

Thutmose, however, remained undeterred. He took a single step forward, and the entire battlefield shifted in his favor. His domain wasn’t one of brute force—it was one of absolute control. The tremors beneath him stilled, the chaos within his range bending to his will. His enemies’ movements became sluggish the longer they stayed as if gravity itself had conspired against them. His armor glowed faintly, his body pulsing with empowered strength, his very presence reinforcing his indomitable nature.

For a moment, it was as if the battlefield had been split into two separate realities—one where the earth obeyed Mankhaura’s furious will, and another where it yielded only to Thutmose’s quiet command.

Then, they moved.

Mankhaura launched the first attack, sending two of his orbiting boulders hurtling forward at blinding speed. The air howled as they tore through it, each stone large enough to flatten a man with a single hit. But Thutmose didn’t flinch. With a flick of his wrist, the ground beneath him rose in a spiraling wall, catching the projectiles mid-flight before crumbling them into dust.

Mankhaura snarled, slamming his spear into the ground. Instantly, jagged spikes erupted from below, a tidal wave of sharpened stone aimed directly at Thutmose’s chest. But just before impact, Thutmose vanished. No, not vanished—he had synchronized with the earth beneath him, allowing it to carry him forward with a speed that defied expectation.

He reappeared right in front of Mankhaura, khopesh gleaming, already mid-swing.

CLANG!

Mankhaura barely raised his spear in time, but the impact sent him skidding backward. His teeth clenched, but instead of retreating, he twisted mid-motion and used the momentum to hurl a third boulder at Thutmose from behind.

Thutmose smirked.

Without turning, he stomped the ground, sending a shockwave through the arena. The boulder froze in midair before shattering into pieces, as if the very earth had rejected its existence.

The audience gasped. The elders leaned forward in their seats. Even those who had doubted Mankhaura’s abilities moments ago had to admit—he was no longer the reckless child they once dismissed.

Still, Thutmose was far from impressed.

"You’re stronger than before," he admitted, calm but edged with something almost like... approval.

Mankhaura spat blood onto the ground and sneered. "And you’re still acting like you’re holding back." He twirled his spear, slamming its base into the earth. "Enough of this. I will bury you here."

Thutmose exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening around his khopesh. "Then come."

Mankhaura’s six remaining boulders shot toward Thutmose like meteors, their brownish aura pulsating with power. But before they could strike, Thutmose’s control reasserted itself—the earth rejected their presence. A surge of brownish energy rippled outward from his domain, causing the boulders to lose momentum mid-air before shattering into dust.

Yet before the dust could settle—another set of nine boulders materialized around Mankhaura.

Like planets returning to orbit, the massive stones encircled him once more, humming with his sheer will. No matter how many Thutmose were destroyed, more would always take their place.

The audience watched in awe. Some of the elders leaned forward slightly, impressed.

"So he’s reached this level," one murmured.

"Am surprised like you, seems his oppsesion on dominating everything of the battle has been better refined to help him better than just being a pure brute?" another elder mused. "Interesting."

The ground beneath Thutmose twisted unnaturally as Mankhaura commanded the earth to rebel against him. Spikes, craters, and shifting terrain—every inch of the battlefield was Mankhaura’s to control. He didn’t just use his domain for destruction—he fought to dominate the battlefield itself.

Thutmose, however, remained unfazed.

When the ground beneath his feet gave way, he simply walked forward—his domain reasserting itself as the terrain bent back into place under his command.

Mankhaura snarled. His domain should have buried Thutmose by now, but he was still standing there, unfazed, his khopesh gleaming in the dust-filled air.

"Still standing there like you own the battlefield?" Mankhaura taunted, voice laced with frustration.

Thutmose finally lifted his gaze, calm, resolute, and immovable.

"I do."

The instant the words left his mouth, he struck.

With a single swing of his khopesh, the ground shook violently, but unlike Mankhaura’s chaotic devastation, this was precise. Controlled.

The battlefield—previously under Mankhaura’s command—was shifting against him.

Mankhaura barely had time to react before his footing betrayed him, the very earth he commanded working against him. The boulders orbiting him faltered for a split second—a split second too long.

Thutmose vanished.

Then—

BOOM!

A blinding arc of gold split the air, tearing through two of Mankhaura’s orbiting boulders before slamming into him with crushing force.

Mankhaura crashed into the arena floor, shattering stones as he skidded backward. Blood sprayed from his lips as he coughed, but the moment his fingers touched the earth—his domain flared once more.

The battlefield trembled.

A deep, guttural rumble echoed as Mankhaura altered his approach. Instead of another set of boulders forming, his domain shifted, refining itself.

This time—four massive boulders hovered around him, rotating like celestial bodies, but in between them, four deadly spears of condensed earth formed, each radiating a sharper, more focused energy.

The crowd tensed. This was new.

Thutmose, for the first time, narrowed his gaze slightly.

Mankhaura rolled his shoulders, blood dripping from the corner of his lips, but his breathing remained steady. His domain had evolved.

"I told you," Mankhaura muttered, his voice unwavering as he raised his hand. "This battlefield is mine."

The four spears shook violently before launching forward like lightning, while the boulders followed behind, ensuring no escape.

Thutmose, ever composed, lowered his stance.

The battlefield trembled as the two warriors prepared for the next, decisive clash.

....

The battlefield was no longer just a clash of warriors—it was a storm of raw, unrestrained power.

Mankhaura’s domain pulsed like a living entity, his four massive boulders orbiting him with an imposing, relentless force. The four spears of condensed earth shimmered with terrifying precision, each locked onto Thutmose like a predator sighting prey.

Then, they struck.

Boom!

The first spear shot forward, a streak of brownish energy tearing through the air.

Thutmose pivoted, twisting his body just in time to deflect it with his khopesh, but the sheer force sent him skidding backward, his boots carving deep trenches into the arena floor. Before he could fully recover, the second spear came, then the third, each one forcing him further and further away from his original position.

The crowd stirred.

No one had ever seen Thutmose retreat—not once in his countless battles, he always seemed to be in control.

Boom!

The final spear slammed into his shield, forcing him to plant his feet firmly to withstand the impact. Just as he steadied himself—

The boulders moved.

They crashed down from above like falling meteors, forcing Thutmose to dash aside. He managed to evade the first two, slicing through the third mid-air, but the fourth boulder—Mankhaura had timed it perfectly.

It slammed into the ground right beside Thutmose, exploding into a shockwave of jagged earth spikes.

Thutmose gritted his teeth as the ground betrayed him, shifting unnaturally beneath his feet. He moved to leap away—

Too slow.

Mankhaura was already there, his spear flashing like a bolt of lightning, aiming straight for Thutmose’s exposed flank.

The crowd gasped as Thutmose barely raised his shield in time, the impact sending a deafening clang throughout the arena. The force was immense—for the first time, Thutmose’s footing faltered, his body slightly tilted from the sheer power behind Mankhaura’s strike.

....

Lady Nandi sat frozen, her fingers gripping the armrests of her chair so tightly that her cracks could be seen on the chair created to withstand the might of a master rank being.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

As a Grandmaster herself, as his mother, she knew Mankhaura’s power better than anyone in the clan. Or so she thought.

Her mind raced as she watched him dominate the battle—forcing Thutmose, Thutmose, onto the defensive.

This wasn’t possible.

This wasn’t the son she had raised.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as a chilling realization crept into her mind.

Where did he gain such strength?

Then she remembered

Mankhaura had left the estate a few days ago, telling his Shwt not to follow him. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time—he often left to relieve stress, returning the same as before.

But now...

This was different.

The power he was displaying wasn’t just an improvement. It was unnatural. Beyond her comprehension. Beyond anything, she thought possible in mere days.

And with that power came an unsettling question.

What did he sacrifice to gain it?

For the first time—Lady Nandi felt dread.