Reincarnated with a lucky draw system - Chapter 218

Chapter 218: TITAN OF DESTRUCTION
“Havoc!” Otis gasped, his voice a strangled cry, terror eclipsing the pain of the blood roses. “It’s not what you think! I was joking—please, don’t kill me!” His fear of Havoc dwarfed even Aaron’s threat, his focus shifting to appease the titan he deemed the greater peril.

“You should know better than to speak traitorous words,” Havoc said, his voice a glacial decree, devoid of mercy. He stepped forward, his hand—deceptively small—expanding to dwarf Otis’s head, its size shifting with unnatural ease, like a planet condensing into a fist. “I don’t offer second chances.”

“Please!” Otis sobbed, his eyes brimming with dread as he pleaded, the stench of death closing in like a noose. “I was overwhelmed by him—he’s the enemy, not me!”

“Too late to choose,” Havoc replied, his hand closing around Otis’s head. With a sickening crunch, he crushed it, brain matter splattering across the crystalline floor, the hall falling silent save for the guards’ horrified gasps.

“You arrogant prick,” Aaron said, his voice icy, a cold smile curling his lips as he rose from his throne. “Killing someone I was dealing with? How dare you?” His aura flared, a crimson storm that warped the air, the blood roses trembling in resonance with his rage, the palace’s spires quaking as if in fear.

“Origin point,” Aaron whispered, his voice a command that echoed through the hall, heard by all. Time rewound, reality bending to his will as Otis’s crushed head reformed, his body restored to moments before Havoc’s strike. With calm precision, Aaron encased Otis in an isolated spatial pocket, a shimmering barrier that barred Havoc’s reach, its surface glinting like starlight.

“Hmm?” Havoc’s red eyes shifted to Aaron, intrigued by his audacity, his colossal presence looming like a dark star. A titan of the Destruction bloodline, Havoc could scale from a dwarf to a planet-sized behemoth, his smooth, dark skin and trimmed hair a deceptive veneer over his apocalyptic might.

“Who are you?” Havoc asked, his voice a low rumble that shook the palace’s foundations, his curiosity piqued by Aaron’s defiance.

“You don’t have the right to know my name,” Aaron replied, his tone casual yet venomous, still lounging on his throne. “I’ll tell you when my foot’s pressing down on your head.” His words were a brazen challenge, thrown at a titan who could shatter worlds, his crimson eyes glinting with unyielding arrogance.

“Hahaha,” Havoc laughed, a sound like continents grinding together, shaking the hall’s crystalline spires. “Your power justifies your arrogance, but don’t test me. You’ll regret it.” His gaze flicked to Otis, trapped in Aaron’s spatial prison, his expression a mix of amusement and disdain.

“Don’t get too happy,” Havoc said coldly to Otis, his hand surging with red and black energy, a destructive force that pulsed with annihilative intent. He pressed against the spatial barrier, its surface cracking under his power, much to Aaron’s shock. With a final push, the barrier shattered, and Havoc’s hand closed around Otis’s neck, the dark energy obliterating his life in an instant, leaving a lifeless husk.

“When I want someone dead, no one stops me,” Havoc declared, his eyes locking onto Aaron’s, a silent challenge as the air thickened with tension. Aaron stared at Otis’s corpse, his expression neutral, but inwardly he seethed, his attempt to rewind time thwarted by the dark energy clinging to the body, negating his power.

“System, what’s happening?” Aaron demanded telepathically, his face a mask of calm to deny Havoc any psychological victory, though frustration burned within him like a furnace.

[My guess is destruction,] the system replied, its tone analytical yet tinged with urgency. [He likely has a talent or bloodline tied to destruction, possibly amplified by a skill or blessing. From what I’m seeing, it’s rooted in his bloodline.]

“I don’t care what it is,” Aaron growled mentally. “Why is it negating my ability? Worse, why can’t I undo it?”

[That’s the essence of destruction,] the system explained. [It annihilates abilities and laws it contacts—a low-grade form of negation.]

“That shouldn’t affect my Primordial-rank ability,” Aaron snapped, his mental voice sharp with irritation, his patience fraying.

[Your Primordial-rank ability isn’t truly Primordial yet,] the system countered. [You’re using a downgraded version. Without Primordial energy to fuel your talents or skills, they’re not operating at their full potential—just a shadow of what they could be.]

Aaron’s frown deepened, the explanation sinking in like a bitter truth. “So it’s like running cutting-edge software on an outdated phone,” he mused, piecing it together. “It works, but not at full capacity?”

[Exactly,] the system confirmed. [Or an old car with a sports engine—it’s usable, but not optimal. The engine’s potential is wasted.]

“Great,” Aaron muttered, his mental tone dripping with sarcasm. “Now this overgrown titan’s got a smug grin plastered on his face.” He glared at Havoc, whose expression radiated triumph, a silent taunt that fueled Aaron’s growing ire, the hall’s air crackling with the promise of an impending clash.

Aaron locked eyes with Havoc, their gazes a clash of unyielding wills.

“Aren’t you going to show some humility and step off that throne?” Havoc’s voice was a glacial taunt, each word laced with cold menace. “Pride, they say, comes before a fall.” His trimmed hair framed a face that radiated apocalyptic power, his eyes narrowing as if daring Aaron to falter.

“That’s only for those who can’t back it up,” Aaron shot back, his voice a sharp retort, dripping with confidence. “I like my current position. No need to stand for someone like you.” He leaned back, his throne’s crimson petals pulsing faintly, a silent testament to his dominion, the air around him humming with the latent power of the Night Father.

“Hah!” Havoc’s laughter rumbled, a sound like tectonic plates grinding, shaking the palace’s foundations. “Where did you come from? I’ve never seen anyone as arrogant as you in this solar system. Are you like me—a foreigner?” His question carried a probing edge, his red eyes glinting with intrigue, as if sizing up a rival who dared challenge his cosmic authority.

“Nope,” Aaron replied, his tone deceptively casual, a smirk curling his lips. “This is my solar system. So do me a favor and crawl back to wherever you came from. I’ll deal with you when I invade your turf.” His words were a bold challenge, delivered with the certainty of one who bent reality to his will, his aura flaring subtly, a crimson haze that warped the air like heat rising from a forge.

Havoc’s laughter erupted again, a booming cascade that echoed through the hall, his amusement tinged with a dangerous edge. The crystalline spires trembled, their illusions flickering as if cowed by the titan’s mirth. “What’s the point of such arrogance?” he said, his voice calming to a deceptively soft tone, like the hush before a storm. “Given your strength, I’ll offer you one chance at mercy. Bow before me, submit, and I’ll spare your life.” His red eyes locked onto Aaron’s, a silent promise of annihilation if refused, his destructive aura pulsing like a heartbeat, threatening to unravel the very fabric of the palace.

Aaron’s smirk widened, his eyes glinting with defiance, unshaken by the titan’s ultimatum. The throne room seemed to hold its breath, the tension a palpable force, as two titans of power stood on the brink of a cosmic clash, their wills a storm waiting to break.