Neo looked down at them from above, and without further warning, he tightened his grip on the force that surrounded them.
Gravity increased like a suffocating weight, pressing against the air, the ground, and the very bones of those caught in it.
Jack staggered imdiately.
The others—Alia, Layla, and Felix—could still bear the pressure.
Their knees bent slightly as they braced themselves, but Jack felt the full brunt of it.
The crushing force on him was far heavier, as though Neo had singled him out.
Jack collapsed onto one knee.
His face twisted with pain, and before he could even breathe, the weight increased again.
Bones cracked faintly, and blood spilled from his lips.
He died under the pressure before he revived in another undead’s body.
Neo saw everything.
Each ti Jack revived, Neo’s invisible hand closed tighter, snapping him apart again.
"Stop—"
Alia shouted, but her voice cracked under the gravity’s pull.
Her lips trembled as she tried to step forward. Her body resisted the invisible burden pressing her down.
Layla gritted her teeth.
She had arrived to help Jack, but couldn’t get close to him due to the increasing gravity.
Her eyes looked at Jack with worry.
Felix simply clenched his fists and lowered his head, enduring the force without a word.
Jack revived once more, coughing.
His chest rose shallowly before it collapsed inward again under Neo’s crushing control.
Then, all at once, the space above them split with light.
Golden lightning erupted from nothingness.
The lightning bolts were so massive that they could’ve covered the full-sized Solar System.
They slithered through the void, tearing across dinsions.
Each golden lightning bolt humd with a terrifying power.
Neo stopped.
A familiar presence brushed against his senses.
Alongside it ca another unknown, yet powerful presence.
The unknown presence took away the tiny solar system from his hand with a telekinetic pull.
Two figures appeared in front of him.
The first was a man with golden hair and sharp golden eyes.
His expression was cold as frost.
His clothes were white.
He wore a long coat embroidered with golden patterns flowing around him like a mantle of authority.
Neo recognized him almost instantly.
Behind him stood a woman unlike anyone else here.
Her beauty was striking, but what caught the eye were the antler-like horns curving elegantly from her head.
She radiated strength, an aura that pressed against Neo in a way few ever had.
In her hands rested the tiny solar system.
’Arthur.... He is Stage 5. And she is... Stage 6, and quite strong even among the Stage 6 Gods.’
The solar system expanded in her grip, growing rapidly until it was no longer the fragile miniature he had held.
Her eyes ignored Neo completely.
They fell on Jack.
"Jack!"
Her voice cracked with urgency as she rushed forward.
She crouched by his side, cradling his face with trembling hands.
His blood stained her palms instantly.
From her spatial ring, she pulled out several potions, uncorking them with quick movents before pressing them against his lips.
Jack swallowed weakly.
The glow of the potions began to knit flesh back together.
She looked at him with clear worry, brushing strands of blood-soaked hair from his forehead.
Her hands shook as she steadied him.
Layla finally exhaled, relief flooding through her.
Her gaze remained on Jack, but unlike the Stage 6 female God, she hesitated.
Guilt flickered in her eyes, holding her back from reaching him.
She clenched her fists and stayed where she was.
Alia’s attention shifted to the blonde man—Arthur—and then to Neo, who was also being gazed upon by Arthur.
"Who are you?" Arthur questioned.
Neo ignored Arthur.
His gaze stayed fixed on the Stage 6 God tending to Jack.
His face darkened, and when he finally spoke, his voice was colder than he intended.
"Jack, what is this?"
The woman’s head snapped toward Neo.
Fury twisted her expression.
"How dare you hurt Jack," she hissed. Her voice shook with rage. "How dare you! I’ll kill you. I’ll rip your innards apart and give you a painful death."
She rose to her feet slowly.
Her aura began to swell.
Neo t her gaze.
His emotions flared to match hers.
The air grew heavier with tension.
Arthur beca ready to move at the first sign of violence.
Alia raised her hand, preparing herself instinctively.
Layla stepped back, torn between Jack’s condition and the looming battle.
Neo didn’t back down, and the Stage 6 woman didn’t waver either.
The space between them pulsed with killing intent.
Just as the clash seed inevitable, a new voice cut through the rising storm.
"All right, that’s enough."
A presence teleported between Neo and the others.
A man clapped his hands once, the sound echoing strangely, and then smiled as though he had just walked into a room of bickering children.
"This much should be enough," he said, glancing around at all of them with ease. "You should stop fighting now."
Alia frowned when she heard the new arrival’s words. "Percival... what are you doing?"
He only smiled in return.
He turned to look at Neo.
’It took you a long ti to co ho,’ Percival’s voice echoed in Neo’s mind.
Neo stiffened.
Percival recognized him?
He hadn’t expected that.
Percival ignored his surprise.
He turned from Neo to the rest of them, speaking aloud now.
"He is my friend," Percival announced. "I asked him to beco Earth’s ally. He agreed, but only on the condition that Earth proves it’s strong enough to be worth standing beside. That’s why he attacked. He wanted to test our strength, and he did it with my approval."
"What?" Alia’s eyes widened.
Before she could say more, Ilyana’s furious voice tore through the air.
The Stage 6 God radiated pure killing intent as she stepped forward.
"Shut up. Who the hell does he think he is to attack a planet under my protection? And how dare he lay a hand on Jack?"
Her glare locked on Neo, and the weight of her intent pressed down like a mountain.
"I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you so painfully that you’ll regret every mont of your life that led to this choice."
Her hand lifted, fingers outstretched, the air trembling around her palm.
"O Great Spirit of—"
"He is a Heavenbreaker," Percival’s voice cut cleanly through hers.
The words landed like a hamr.
The world seed to freeze.
Heavenbreaker.
Everyone there knew what it ant.
Lofty beings who stood at the peak of existence, feared and revered in equal asure.
The current active Heavenbreakers had either joined the Alliance and the Forgotten Suns, or they were being hunted.
And yet here one stood in front of them openly.
As if he was not afraid of Alliance or Forgotten Suns.
The group’s eyes shifted to Ilyana, whose expression twisted in shock.
She clearly didn’t recognize Neo.
Which ant one thing: he was an unknown Heavenbreaker.
How did a hidden Heavenbreaker reach Stage 5?
"You..."
Alia’s voice broke the silence.
Her eyes had narrowed, studying Neo’s face carefully, as though searching for sothing beneath the unfamiliar features.
Neo didn’t move.
Alia’s breathing grew uneven.
She didn’t recognize the face.
But.....
A Heavenbreaker with black hair, and red eyes.
A Heavenbreaker who knew their nas, and seed to recognize them.
A Heavenbreaker who... had the na Hargraves.
"Are you... Neo?"
The question hung between them like a blade.
Neo hesitated only a mont before forcing the answer out.
"...Yes."
Bloodlust exploded from Alia like a dam had burst.
A massive crimson magic circle lit up behind her.
From its depths, she summoned forth a spear of blood made from Blood Sea.
She hurled it toward Neo.
Neo froze for half a heartbeat.
The shock that she attacked him after knowing his na left him unable to defend himself.
Percival intervened, summoning a shield to block the spear.
"Move, Percival!" Alia shouted. Her voice cracked under the strain of her fury. "Or I will kill you together with him!"
"Calm down, Alia—"
"Calm down?"
Her voice was trembling with rage and grief.
"He killed my mother!"
Her hands moved again, drawing another weapon from the Blood Sea.
She hurled it forward, faster this ti.
Percival was forced to intercept again. His shield trembled from the impact.
"Alia, we’ve been through this before. He didn’t kill Elizabeth. She gave her life to protect him."
"Shut up! Shut up! I don’t want to hear another one of your lies!"
The space around her quivered under the force of her bloodlust, so dense it was almost tangible.
Crimson mist began spreading.
The Blood Sea seed to be manifesting in full force, responding to her fury like a beast called to life.
"Move, Percival. This is my last warning. Did you forget who he is? Did you forget why we had to crawl to the Forgotten Suns for protection?
"We were being hunted like criminals by the Alliance because of him! Did you forget what it felt like, knowing every step we took, every breath we drew, we were being targeted by the apex predators of the universe?"
Her voice was filled with venom.
"Did you forget how many sacrifices we had to make because of him?!"
Neo’s chest tightened.
Her words cut through him, heavier than any weapon she could summon.
He turned his head toward Arthur instinctively, as if searching for sothing, maybe understanding or denial.
But Arthur’s eyes were downcast.
His fist were clenched so tightly that blood seeped from his palm.
He didn’t look at Neo. He didn’t speak.
His silence was answer enough.
Neo’s opened his mouth, but no words ca.
He shifted his gaze to Felix.
For a second, he thought maybe Felix would defend him.
But Felix looked away, the sa as Arthur.
His jaw was shut tight, and he had closed his eyes, as if recalling the horrors they had faced in the past.
Neo swallowed.
His lips partied as though he might ask Layla instead, might turn to the one person who could still defend him...
But he stopped himself.
His body was deadly cold.
His heart pounded strangely hard.
He couldn’t bring himself to look at her.
If she too looked away, if his own sister’s eyes carried the sa resentnt... he wasn’t sure he could bear it.
His throat went dry.
His chest felt hollow, as though sothing had been scooped out and left empty.
His heart felt like it was being twisted.
The headache that had dulled after his conversation with Obitus earlier now slamd back into him.
It was sharper and more unbearable than before.
His vision blurred for a mont as if the weight of their hatred, their anger, and the truth of what he had cost them all pressed down at once.
Still, Neo opened his mouth, trying to speak again.
The words ca to him almost desperately.
He wanted to tell them that none of this had been deliberate.
That he hadn’t betrayed them, hadn’t abandoned Earth because he wanted to.
He had been captured. The Alliance had imprisoned him.
He had been trapped, unable to move, unable to fight, unable to return.
If they knew that, maybe they would understand.
Maybe they didn’t know what had happened to him.
Maybe they thought he had turned his back on Earth.
If they learned he had been a prisoner, they would see things differently.
Yes. That had to be it. They didn’t know.
But as quickly as the words ford, Neo shut his mouth.
What if they did know?
What if they had always known what had happened to him, and even then they hated him for it?
That possibility chilled him more than their glares.
They might’ve lived fifteen years, eting countless people, forming countless connections.
But for him... they were the friends he cared about the most.
This place was his ho.
No matter how many mories he regained, and no matter how long he had lived, all of them carried a special place in his heart.
He realized he would rather carry their hatred under the assumption that they misunderstood, than confirm that they knew the truth and still despised him.
His heart couldn’t take that second answer.
His nails dug into his palms, sharp enough to break skin.
His breathing turned shallow.
The longer he stood there, the heavier the atmosphere beca.
His headache throbbed, and made every second unbearable.
He wanted to leave.
He was about to turn away when a holy pressure spread outward from Percival.
The sudden force washed over everyone, clashing head-on with Alia’s suffocating bloodlust.
Neo lifted his head.
Percival’s eyes glowed with a fiery gold.
His presence swelled with divine heat.
His voice thundered out.
"The Earth you’re talking about would have been destroyed several tis over if it wasn’t for Neo protecting it."
The air shook with his words.
His aura grew hotter, and brighter, filling the space with authority that burned like a sun.
His anger, usually hidden behind a calm smile, now bled into every word.
"He nearly caused Earth’s destruction? Do you know how many tis he’s died to save everyone? To save you?
"Age of Gods, Tartarus, Outer Gods. Do you know how many tis sacrifices he has made?"
The heat intensified.
His golden eyes locked on Alia, blazing with fury.
The authority in his tone left no room for argunt.
"If you dare attack him again, then I will—"
Percival stopped suddenly.
His eyes shut tight.
For a mont, the oppressive aura pulsed as if it would explode.
Then it receded, pulled back into his body as though being sealed away.
When his eyes reopened, the golden glow was gone.
His calm smile returned.
"Sunshine," Percival said lightly, his voice back to its usual tone. "We’re here to stop a fight, not exaggerate one."
It was subtle, but everyone there knew what had just happened.
That wasn’t Percival speaking earlier.
It was Sunshine, the Spirit of Tiless Sun.
Percival had reined it back, and taken control before things escalated.
He looked at Alia again, smiling.
"I don’t want us tearing at each other. But Sunshine was right. Neo is the only reason Earth is still standing. You don’t have any authority or right to attack him for what happened with the Alliance."
Alia’s jaw tightened. Her knuckles beca white as she clenched her fist.
She didn’t reply, but her bloodlust didn’t vanish either.
Percival shifted his gaze toward Ilyana, who still stood protectively by Jack’s side.
"And Goddess Ilyana, listen carefully. Neo isn’t the sa as the Heavenbreakers you’ve or other Gods t. He is a True Heavenbreaker. If you try to kill him, you won’t just risk your life. You’ll cost Earth and the Forgotten Suns sothing we cannot afford to lose."
Ilyana opened her mouth, fury still burning in her expression, but before she could speak, Jack squeezed her hand.
She stopped.
Her eyes snapped to him.
He shook his head quietly.
His expression was calm despite the bruises and the blood still on his body.
Slowly, with her support, he stood straighter.
His eyes turned to Neo.
"Are you really Neo?"
Neo hesitated. He couldn’t force himself to speak right away. The silence stretched too long, but finally, he gave a faint nod.
"...Yes."
Jack’s lips curved into a grin.
He scratched the bridge of his nose awkwardly.
"Welco back."
His voice carried no malice, only an odd mixture of relief and acceptance.
Neo blinked.
He hadn’t expected that.
Jack let out a small breath and added, "And, well... I can guess why you were out for my blood. I’m sorry about that."
"Jack—" Ilyana started.
He lifted a hand slightly, stopping her. "Ilyana. This is between and Neo. Please, let it go."
She bit her lip hard, looking torn between anger and restraint.
Finally, she turned her head aside, but not before sending Neo one last glare that carried every ounce of warning she couldn’t put into words.
Percival let out a slow breath.
He glanced around at everyone with that sa easy smile he always wore, though the atmosphere was still tense.
"Since everyone seems to have cald down, let’s head back and talk at ho, shall we?"
"He isn’t stepping on Earth."
The smile stayed on Percival’s face, but his eyes beca cold as he t Alia’s gaze directly.
"Earth isn’t ruled by you, Alia. If you don’t want him walking in your territory, that’s fine. But don’t mistake yourself into thinking you have the right to tell who I can bring into my own ho."
The firmness in them left no room for argunt.
Alia’s jaw tightened.
Her teeth ground together audibly before she turned away.
She didn’t speak to Percival again.
Instead, she reached for Layla, grabbing her hand firmly.
"Let’s go," Alia said.
Layla’s gaze was still fixed on Neo. Her eyes were wide, filled with a conflicted mix of confusion, hope and disbelief.
"But, big sis... it’s big brother—"
"Layla." Alia’s voice beca colder than ice as she faced her. "He wasn’t even there when Henry died. If he actually thought of you as his sister, he would’ve co to see you while Henry was still alive."
Layla froze at her words.
But she spoke, clinging to the fragile thread of hope.
"Big sis, maybe he was busy. He left Uncle Nyxtharion, and Nullhour—"
"Layla." Alia’s tone sharpened like a blade. "We are leaving."
The younger girl bit her lips so hard they almost bled.
eting Alia’s glare, she lowered her eyes.
She gave a small nod.
"...Okay."
Alia pulled Layla along, and together, the two of them vanished.
Arthur let out a long sigh.
He looked at Neo for a mont, as if wanting to say sothing, but no words ca.
His expression was hard, difficult to read, though the coldness gave way to a trace of weariness.
Finally, he turned.
Without another word, Arthur teleported away, and returned to Earth.
"Neo..." Felix opened his mouth, unable to find words.
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