Cyberknight: One Path

⁕ Athena (part 2)

"Even Gods can fall... "

[Athena] - "... Was a sentence I never believed in until I saw it with my own two eyes. "

The banners of the Empire burned in the fire of battle as Sniper and Mike had their final confrontation. There was little to no empathy in the eyes of those who observed the two mythical men's brawl. There were only vultures waiting to scavenge whatever was left after the dust settled, and hyenas waiting to kneel before their new master. There was no nobility or loyalty in an Empire rotten from the core.

Despite Mike's deeds, not a single cyberknight stepped forward to help him. Despite Sniper's status, not a single one of his men dared come to his aid. Such was the cruel arena they fought in. Their ideas meant nothing to the empty gaze of those who observed them. As Mike fell, the only one crying was his one and only Kadyn. As Sniper fell, the only reaction was that of twisted smiles from the men who used to call him lord.

"I was not present at the scene. I wish I were there. I regretted my absence ever since that day. To think that everything I fought for was for nothing, to think the people I cared about could disappear like this, to think I did not help my master in his most dire moments. It haunts me to my core until this day. "

Thought Athena as tears rolled down her cheeks.

In the aftermath of their battle, there was no victor, just two broken souls and a crumbling empire. The ashes of an idea, an era, clouding the skies as the soulless devoured the flesh of this empire off its bones. Brothers turned enemies, friends turned traitors, and family turned rivals. Mike was the one holding the tie, which prevented this bloated corpse from bursting. Now, only rot remains in a world that was promised peace and a new golden age.

As Athena received the news of Mike's passing on her carrier's bridge, she fell to her knees before letting out a cry of agony and pain. She knew that not only someone so dear to her had died, but also, all the hopes and dreams she bore as well. It was the death of everything Athena stood for, and at that moment, the weight of her world collapsed onto her all at once.

The days following the death of Sniper, the Empire split into a catastrophic power struggle. Aside from the hundreds of self-proclaimed warlords seeking to carve land and power for themselves, prominent figures such as CR-455 and Judge stepped forward to lead their own version of the Empire. In the West, CR-455 established himself as the new Emperor of his Perpetual Empire. In the East, Judge proclaimed himself regent of the New National Empire, which sought to continue the ways of Sniper, though without their God.

As Athena walked amidst the destroyed capital of the Empire in Rome, her eyes remained emotionless. There was nothing left to feel in this empty world, ravaged by fire. Whoever she sided with didn't matter, as without Mike's power as the ultimate equalizer for all those pretentious enough to declare themselves as Gods, this world would fall into chaos no matter where you stand. So it was, due to her proximity to CR-455, Athena and her 9th fleet swore allegiance to their new emperor.

However, Athena was never for CR-455 to command, as she did what she pleased. After all, CR-455 was childish and not material for becoming an emperor. He was like a spoiled child given ultimate power and the unconditional loyalty of the Horsemen of Fate. He was untouchable, yet he is also unable to touch.

As the world burned, Athena did her best to carry on with Mike's legacy. Though she was under no obligation to act, she took on the task of hunting down cyberknights who abused their power against regular people. From warlords to mercenaries, thousands of cyberknights, now without a master to serve, sought to use their divine power for their selfish goals. To mere mortals, the cyberknights stepped over them like Gods.

In the busy streets of downtown Shenyang, a parade was held for a single man. Where he went, cheers would arise from the watching crowd, yet where he left, the cheers would quickly fall silent to the growl of hatred.