Rise of the Cosmic_Emperor

Gregory attempted to struggle against the Bind but stopped quickly once he realized it was practically impossible. He hung his head in a destitute manner.

In the haze of his emotional turmoil, he even forgot to mention the sudden realization he was starting to have...

Hal barely spared him a glance as the Dome barrier that surrounded the two of them faded and he walked to the edge of the hill to peer down at the valley where so many of the Payne forces still lost their lives.

Hal could easily see his Blood knights take advantage of the situation and reap Blood essence to increase their strength and he was proud to see they were that sensible.

That said, he telepathically ordered them all to stop and they all stepped back and became observers. 

In the seconds it would take for the desperate men to realize there were some of them simply standing and doing nothing, Hal leaped away from the Hill and down into the valley of fighting men.

Despite the Dome that should have blocked all entry from the outside, he entered as easily as though it were not there and still left it intact.

In truth, the fact that he drew the Rune should have made such a thing possible but it would not have been as easy as that, after all, someone else\'s Cosmic Energy was used to activate the Array and it had now become their sole property.

This was the whole basis that the sale of Arrays were based on. 

After all, where was the security when you buy an Array and make use of it only for the Runemaster you purchased it from to simply waltz in?

It would be an avenue for so many successful conspiracies.

So Arrays that are for sale have their connection to the Runemaster who drew them, cut off to stop such situations. 

Hal on the other hand would never completely sever his connection with any Array he drew and he prided himself on sneaking the connection past the noses of seasoned Array critics. But once again, that is a story for another time.

*Boom*

Hal landed and the attention of those closest to him turned in his direction, but he was looking at Rita and Melinda, 

"You ladies all right?" He asked with a smile.

"Peachy" Melinda grinned.

"Good" Hal nodded with a smile before he cast a protective Dome of Astral energy around them.

At that time, some men of status who had managed to survive until that moment immediately recognized him, so did many of the Elites.

"Hal?" Called one of the men of status with a little uncertainty.

He had heard that Hal killed Rad and was no longer the pathetic introverted loner he once was but he had not been expecting this. Not in the slightest.

As he looked upon Hal\'s face, he wondered, 

Could a man really look that good?

"Oh Hello, Uncle Julius" Hal greeted in a jovial manner but Julius could not help but gulp.

He and Hal had never had a conversation and he did not know how Hal knew his name not to mention saying it with such familiarity.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Julius asked starting to realize that not many people were killing each other anymore.

They were looking curiously at the newcomer.

"Is that not obvious?..." Hal asked as his eyes turned Dark and occasionally released small bursts of fog and his skin turned Scarlet as he took on the form of a lesser Devil, 

"I\'m here to kill you" He said with a cruel smile and along with his words came the release of a torrent of Devil energy that quickly saturated the Dome.

Melinda and Rita were safe from its pressure thanks to the Dome of Astral energy around them and the Blood Knights could also endure thanks to their Semi-Fiend Bloodline.

The same, however, could not be said for the Payne forces who quickly succumbed to the stifling and suffocating presence.

Those that had still been embroiled in combat could not possibly continue in the face of such pressure and they all fell to the ground clutching their chests while they looked upon Hal\'s face with trepidation and fear.

Meanwhile, Julius who had been closest to Hal felt the most of the pressure and would have very well died, had it not been for his Cosmic Armament Realm cultivation.

That said, he should have not been capable of speech, however, with blood trailing down the side of his lips as he held back a blood spurt, Julius reached out and grabbed Hal\'s leg.

At first, he attempted to use it as support to pull himself up, but he gave up on that very soon when he realized there was no way he could pull himself erect in the face of the nightmarish fog that surrounded Hal.

Instead, he focused on tugging the leg to gain Hal\'s attention which he got as the Devil looked down on him and pinned him with his terrifying black eyes and cruel grin that showed off his perfect teeth, 

"Yes, uncle?" Hal asked with his head cocked to the side.

Julius shivered but still spoke up, 

"Why?" He asked.

It was clear that he was inquiring why Hal wanted to kill the Paynes and he couldn\'t really be blamed for his inquiry. 

After all, while they had all ignored him in his time of distress and instead focused on becoming stronger, none of all those present had ever mistreated him personally.

"Isn\'t just being Paynes enough? Isn\'t just being related to Gregory Payne enough?" Hal asked and this time his voice was completely dispassionate and devoid of emotions.

Julius\' eyes widened and he would have very much liked to yell at Hal that he was being too petty and that killing innocent people just because of a grudge against one particular individual was too cruel,

Alas,

Not to even mention yelling, if he attempted to say another word, he feared his internal organs might completely shut down and or rupture.

However, he did not need to say any of the things he thought because Hal could see it all clearly in his expression.

"Heh Heh, You think I\'m cruel huh, or maybe petty? Or maybe both? Ah, yes. It\'s definitely both.

Well, I\'ve got news for you \'Uncle\'. I am very petty and I am very cruel. Also, if I want to kill you all. That is exactly what I will do.

Besides, you fight for my \'Father\' and you want the glory of the Payne Family to shine while I want it to fade. So you see? It\'s not just Gregory I have an issue with... It\'s all of you"

As soon as he said that, Hal reined in all of his Devil energy and those that had been at the brink of unconscious awoke fully and looked around in mild confusion for having survived.

Hal had been very serious with having an issue with everyone who was part of the Payne family but he had already decided that if he no longer had any real intentions in killing Gregory, then he might as well make use of his men.

With the infighting, hundreds of the Payne men were already dead and their death was bound to have an effect on Gregory\'s mental health and push him even further past the brink of despair.

This was going to be Hal\'s punishment for Gregory;

He would make him wish for death and he was only just starting.