Sovereign of the Karmic System

As the ashes of the champion of Fate scattered, and Daniel's presence went back to its original state, the thousands of observing cultivators sprung to their feet-In their hands just as many weapons had suddenly appeared. The pocket dimension began to tremble due to the invisible clash of essences, which tried to wrestle control over the surrounding space.

"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" shrieked an old man in priest robes while tightening the grip on the bullwhip he was holding. "WHAT WAS THAT?"

This degree of horror was shared by the champion of most other domains, whose terrified eyes lingered on Daniel's calm appearance. At times, these gazes would shift towards the Overlord, hoping that the organizer of this event would make sense out of the insanity that had just ensued-only to move back onto Daniel once they noticed the already monstrous appearance of the Overlord twist into an even more frightening sight.

"What.. what did you do?" muttered the Overlord with a croaky voice.

The champions of Law and Order took a step forward in unison, while pointing their essence fueled weapons towards the lone champion. Emanated from these weapons were the peculiar powers of the aspects of Law and Order-two powers whose magnitude changed depending on whether the target had broken the rules set, or not. The higher the offence, the more imposing the power would be.

Before the champions of Law could act against Daniel, and the champions of Order could stop the other domains from escalating the situation, several portals were torn open on stage-each resembling the one opened by the champion of Fate whom Daniel's power had just judged and executed.

While similar in appearance, the power that these portals were emanating was incomparable to the previous one, and that was the case for one in particular-the one that had started to open right next to where the young champion of Fate had just died. Impossible to describe, this power took over the entirety of the pocket dimension, erasing any other form of power present, and forcing the observing cultivators' personal essence back into their bodies, caging it in.

Soon after gaining control over the pocket dimension, two hands emerged from the portal's clear surface. More menacing than the sharpest sword, these two hands were covered in an almost tangible layer of emotional aura, black in color and murderous in intent-one that was unleashed the moment the two hands hooked onto the borders of the portal, and forced it open with as much effort it would take someone to open a paper bag.

As the portal opened fully, the layer of hand-shaped black energy expanded, then, united into the shape of a full human as the owner barged through. "WHO!! WHO IS IT?! WHO KILLED MY SON!!" Roared the barely visible entity that emerged. Moments later, several more entities almost as enraged yet just as powerful walked out of the rest of the portals.

The other entities stood still, and aside from one, who stepped close enough to Iewah's daughter to grab the chain that was constricting her, none other moved.

"ANSWER ME! NOW!" Roared the first being once again, allowing for his sharp eyes to slice through the black energy that surrounded him, and cast his monstrous presence over the terrified observers.

Too frightened to even think, the cultivators could only observe the vengeful aura of the man grow thicker and wider. In their minds, nothing but the conviction that the end was near was able to form, while their hearts gave up any form of pride and desire to struggle for their lives. They were hares, standing in front of wolves whose only resolve in life was to kill them-survival was out of the question and no one would be spared.

What the observing cultivators were feeling was not an illusion. One's emotional aura was a reflection of uncontrollable feelings.. If the aura portrayed murderous intent, nothing but murder was on its owner's mind.

The aura kept growing, engulfing the entire podium and reaching for the closest cultivator, the Overlord, who was too scared to even just take a step back.. But before this emotional aura could touch him, a sorrowful elderly voice said, "My love.. Control your temper." This voice came from the same portal the first entity had just emerged from, and was followed by the appearance of a second cultivator, also surrounded by a layer of emotional aura, but of a different kind.. While one could feel nothing but beastly rage from the first entity, the aura of the second one was mostly composed of sadness and confusion.

Touched by these few words, the black aura of the first entity began to retract, until finally, it poured back into the body of its owner completely, revealing an old man with long white beard, and an even longer beard. His sharp eyes glowed with a white hue that was able to outshine his otherwise simple features-his potato shaped nose, bushy eyebrows, and trembling thin lips.

What this old man lacked in physical appearance, however, made up for it in demeanor. Dressed in a spotlessly clean taoist attire, with a long cloth that floated around his head, and that went down his shoulders and by his sides, he presented himself like a being above all else-a cultivator who many would mistake as a deity.

The woman that had managed to calm him down was of similar age. With her white hair tied up in an orderly bun, and much gentler appearance, she stood next to him with a distressed expression. She pressed her hand gently onto her companion's arm, and with a worried tone, asked, "What happened here?" Despite her calmer demeanor, her power was in no way inferior to that of her male companion, in fact, the concentration of Fate's gift contained within her was even purer than his, while their cultivation matched perfectly.

The faces of each cultivator present turned towards Daniel, who was currently standing near his table, almost unaffected by the whole event.

As the newly arrived champions of Fate noticed Daniel, they felt an instinctive repulsion towards him, just like the younger champion had after entering the pocket dimension. Yet, thanks to their cultivation, they were able to maintain their calm.

"Sirs.." Said the Overlord meekly in an attempt to grab the couple's attention.

"SILENCE!" Barked a high ranking champion of Law before marching towards the podium. He then knelt in front of the old couple and said, "My name is Alexios Zervas, commander of Lord Law's fourth division, and man in charge of this Assembly's Security. Before receiving my punishment, I will give a full report of the events.."

-----

".. That is impossible.. it wasn't written!"

"It shouldn't.. could we have missed it?"

After a quick and concise explanation, the old couple, as well as the other champions of Fate were left baffled. The first one to regain her calm was the old woman who, after understanding the situation, stepped towards Daniel and asked with a calm and almost polite tone, "Young man. I do not know you, nor do I know which Lord you serve.. What I know is that our son was not fated to die today.. I want to know what happened."

Surprised by the old lady's benevolent attitude, Daniel could not help but put aside the contrasting feelings he felt for her kind, and say with a polite yet slightly monotone voice, "I am sorry for your loss, but I am afraid your son bit off more than he could chew. He offended my Lord, and was punished for it."

"LIAR! Which Lord would meddle in a mortal's business?! Which Lord would dare challenge High Lord Fate himself?!" barked out the old man while unconsciously stepping forward. His anger had once again started to surge, fueled by the natural and unexplainable animosity he felt towards the young man that stood just a few steps away from him.

"One with very little patience, I assure you." Daniel muttered before once again turning to look at the old lady. He then added, "Your son's actions were never without consequence. Every step we took, the words we speak, the lives we take, and the suffering we caused.. It all piles up. It lingers over our necks like the blade of a guillotine, and he went and bothered the executioner."

Daniel's words were shocking to all those who heard them, and yet, they weren't unbelievable. The pressure they had felt coming from him was not that of a simple champion, but that of an aspect of existence. But why would an aspect of existence meddle with humans, especially the followers of a major aspect like Fate. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it.

Due to being the only ones who hadn't witnessed the events in person, the champions of fate were the only ones who were struggling to believe Daniel's word, and the old couple was not an exception. As champions of Fate, they knew that the pantheon of aspects had strict rules like any mortal organization. Fate was at the very top for the simple fact that being born first meant that his influence in the multiverse was unmatched. Every object, idea, living being, and universe lived within the canvas of Fate, and that included the other aspects of existence.

For an unknown aspect of existence to completely ignore rules or hierarchy, nobody would believe it.

"That is impossible.. No matter which Lords you serve, his actions are part of the High Lord's plan. What kind of entity could break fate itself?" The old woman asked, now slightly less calmly than before.

"It matters not whether you believe me." Said Daniel while calmly sitting back in his chair. "All I can tell you is that you are a fool if you think something as trivial as fate can stop the weight of your actions from crushing you." He said before taking a brief pause, after which, he added, "You all said you know nothing of the Lord I serve, so let this be the first thing you learn about him. You all have a debt with Karma.. you may run from it, but he walks way faster than you."

Daniel's threatening words resounded in the crowd's ears like a wake-up call.

For hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years, these cultivators had lived their lives with nothing to worry but politics. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to claim they had existed as gods among men.. But now, Daniel's words changed everything. For the first time in their lives, they had to face the possible threat of an aspect of existence, and based on Daniel's words, not a single one of them would be able to slip through the crack.

Worried about the sudden appearance of such a willful entity, the champions of the various domains could do nothing but seek clarification from the champions of one of the most powerful aspects of existence. 'Your Lord will fall in line, like others did before him.' Those were the words that the crowd hoped to hear from the champions of Fate, and yet, such words were never spoken.

The fact that 'Karma' had changed the young champion's fate was proof that Daniel was not bluffing. His Lord's power was outside of the spectrum of Fate, and if anything, it was more in line with Destiny's interpretation of casualty-which meant that the course they could predict of the future was not guaranteed anymore, and that the wrong word could possibly spell their death.

This simple concept alone sent the extremely ancient and powerful minds of the champions of Fate out of control, causing them to experience something they had long forgotten.. Fear and uncertainty.

The only two of them who could maintain their composure were the old couple. "Your Lord's decisions will make you an enemy to the rest of us.. Are you aware of that?" Said the old lady with a matter-of-fact tone. She felt no hatred towards Daniel, since based on the report she had received, he was not the one who had killed her son. Unfortunately, she also knew that her husband would want someone to pay, and that was Daniel's fate. All that she could do now was to gather as much information about Daniel and his Lord as she could, while hoping that one day, the High Lord of Fate would get revenge for her.

"Who knows, we could be great friends after this. After all.. Your divinations were proven wrong before." Daniel muttered through a slight smile while crossing his arms and legs. He then added, "If you have no intention of finishing this, I will gladly take my leave."

Daniel's taunts did not go unnoticed, especially for the champions of Fate, whom the simple action of being spoken to by him felt somewhat irritable. Yet, no one lost their composure. To act was the old man, father of the champion of Fate whom Daniel had killed. He gritted his teeth in an attempt to stop himself from lashing out, then turned towards Mirah, the championess of Destiny, and barked out, "Do what you were brought you here to do. NOW!"

The young woman, clearly terrified by the presence of the old man, nodded her head calmly before closing her eyes, and focusing on her task. At the same time, Daniel sucked his teeth in frustration.. He had hoped to use the accident to take his leave, but he had been ignored. Now that his powers as the aspect of Karma had gone dormant, and entities of much higher power had arrived, he had realized that escaping would be an even harder task than before.