Chapter 4 - FRATERNAL RONDO

Parliament Chamber, 2:43 AM. Neonatharis skyline bleeds chrome through shattered dome, reality warping under twin heir presences.Chrome Throne doors grind open with seismic groan. Rival heir—MALACHI EMMANUVAL DEVASSY—steps forth: perfect mirror of Thomas, from bespoke crimson finery to obsidian top-hat sigil, down to writhing COLD-BLOODED neural tattoos. His Widowmaker cane-sword identical, blade unsheathing to keen "Brother's blood tastes sweetest... purer than imitation." Silver-void eyes lock, holo-bracelet mirroring: "Seq 7: 92%. Favor: 97.7%."Lilithra's corpse twitches faintly—neural echo whispering from data-crystal remnants: "Beware firstborn... Malachi... Primordial's favored."Malachi's razor smile metastasizes symmetric: "Pure blood claims eternity, Thomas. Father rejects your flawed strings."Thomas laughs counterpoint—symphonic rictus cascade: "Imitation lacks artistry, brother. I compose. You echo."10,000 nano-strings ERUPT from Thomas's form—silver filigrees lancing air. Malachi mirrors instantly, identical strings clashing mid-chamber to weave binary death-mandala—fractal cage pulsing with mutual kill-lust. Emperor's Lament BARRAGE detonates: 99 Sorrow Echoes collide in explosive ballet, brass casings forging holographic requiem orbs that orbit brothers like vengeful satellites.GUNBLADE RONDO UNLEASHES—twin apocalypses harmonize:Revolver duel escalates: 99 chambers sync-fire at 0.3 sec/reload personal best, bullets curving mid-air into Kalabhara infinity symbol trajectories, shredding reality fringes. Widowmaker pirouettes clash at 1,247 RPM—cane-swords screaming layered fraternal regrets: "You stole my cradle strings... my kill tallies... my throne harmonics..." Sparks birth micro-portals, void-fish nipping at heels.87 MP puppets intervene as neural orchestra—revolvers unleash brass storm, swords carve string apocalypse, bodies forming living barriers. Parliament chamber EXPLODES—stained glass shatters into 1,000 chrome shards raining geometric, gears grinding bone-inscriptions to sacrificial dust. Shockwaves pulp 17 puppets instantly, their pyramids fueling the duel.Malachi lunges—anti-grav soles enable mirror pirouette, strings countering Thomas's advance. 10,000 vs 10,000 filaments form execution cage, contracting rhythmically. Holo-bracelets duel-sync: "Seq 7 Mastery: 91% vs 92%. Empire Favor: 97.4% vs 97.7%. Fraternal Parity Rising."Void Emperor hologram manifests colossal—seven eyes flaring: "Primordial Trial: Fraternal Parity. Survivor claims Heirship absolute."Chrome Throne activates—neural conduits multiply x87, snaking toward brothers like hungry veins. Lilithra reforms chrome-threaded (second resurrection), voice choral: "Firstborn vs Secondborn. Conduct or both perish in dissonance."Malachi draws second revolver (99 chambers mirror-sync loaded). Dual Widowmaker canes unsheathe unison—blade duet keens baroque: "Brother's blood completes the symphony... purifies the flawed."87 MP puppets reconfigure arena—living wall of rictus flesh encircling duelists. Parliament ceiling RIPS OPEN violently—Neonatharis Primordial Throne descends crushing Chokmah Spires below, gears pulverizing cathedrals to neural dust. Fracture Vein Gateways EXPLODE outward—Valemaris conversion surges 47.3% → 67.8% Abyss, streets flooding chrome tsunamis.GUNBLADE RONDO II: TWIN APOCALYPSERevolver storm cataclysmic: 198 chambers (99x2) fire simultaneously—Sorrow Echo hurricane shreds intervening puppets, bullets orbiting binary death-spiral, casings constellation-forming Kalabhara skulls mid-air. Widowmaker duet clashes at 2,494 RPM, shockwaves vaporizing 47 MPs into geometric mist, blades trailing afterimages of filleted reality.String Sovereign Armageddon peaks—memory theft mutual infiltrates: Thomas glimpses Malachi's vault of 1,099 kills (solo Parliament massacre, failed Lilithra assassination); Malachi witnesses Thomas's 1,024 kills (Whitechapel, street symphony). Shared sins amplify kill-lust, strings thickening cage to suffocation density.Holo-bracelets pulse unison: "Fraternal Parity: 99.9%. Threshold Imminent."Thomas roars apex: "Pure symphony claims all!" Malachi echoes harmonic: "Pure blood silences echoes!"DOUBLE BANG—twin Sorrow Echoes COLLIDE reality-detonation. Chrome-blood mandala EXPLODES outward, consuming Parliament remnants. Primordial Throne CRASHES fully manifest. Chrome Throne splits/merges—twin seats fuse neural spines.Void Emperor: "Parity confirmed. Enter the Forge."Fracture Vein Gateways SUPERNOVA—Kalabhara Forge-Worlds #1-7 pierce Valemaris sky, seven chrome megastructures descending with gear-grind of 1,247 bone-inscriptions. Thrones liftoff synchronized—cosmic gunbarrel aligns at city core.Malachi whispers lethal: "Conduct eternity, brother... or I'll conduct your silence."