Lord Shadow

EARTH 39

Azief looks upwards at the white dome protected by translucent type of metals that is as hard as diamond on the center of the fort.

Azief raises his hand and the people behind him stopped.

‘Enough’ he ordered

And they all stand down as Azief blast an energy blast from his body as gray mist spreads from the soles of his feet and covered the entire area killing everything they came into contact with.

It was the Celestial Meridian fused with the Seed of Death.

Absorbing them and draining them of their energy, sucking them dry turning them into desiccated corpse.

The mist was like corrosive acids that melts them, flesh, bones and all.

As they die, Azief drains their energy down to their energy in their blood as he tries to form the sixth seed.

By now Azief treated the Normies as nothing more than a source for EXP and energy.

It is why he is always fresh and replenished at each battle.

‘Haish’ he sighed.

Even after killing millions of men only half are full for the next seed.

He needs to kill more, absorb more so he could form the other seed. It was only a few second since he said enough before the mist was retracted back.

Then Azief subordinates look in front of them after the black mist recede. All they could see was ashes and white bones.

All of the people inside the Fort….dead. Now the only thing that is left is to meet the leader of this fallen fort.

‘Stay’ Azief said and his subordinates nodded and stand at attention amidst the flames and destruction.

Then slowly raising his hand Azief floated up in the air slowly approaching the dome.

He was like an angel rising up through the air and then Azief reaches the highest point of the structure.

Using his Penetrating Vision he could see people inside that room and one man staring at him.

Azief smiles and then like he was walking walked to the reinforced glass like he was walking on solid ground when he is actuality is walking on thin air.

Then flicking one of his finger to the the reinforced glass the entire glass structure cracked in a web like pattern before exploding as the fragment of the glass exploded inwards and pieces through all the soldiers inside the room.

Some were impaled to death by the glass. The reinforced glass acted like a sharp spear that kills everybody inside the room except two people.

Azief tilted his head and a smirk appears in his face.

‘What do we have here?’ Azief said as he floats calmly and landed his feet inside the room.

The tiles beneath his feet immediately crumpled as a swirl like pattern was formed around his foot.

The ceiling on top of his head concaved inwardly as the entire structure seems to be shaken.

This kind of structure that could not even be destroyed even with missiles attack is shaking just because Azief put down his two feet on it.

The Thorium tile which is hard as diamond crumpled like paper under the intensity of the energy that Azief emitted from his entire body.

The pressure washed over the two people like a storm and that pressure spreads out all across the structure enveloping everything as the structure seems to be shrinked down with the emergence of this pressure.

The unconscious soldiers and the dying soldiers who is on the ground after being affected by the explosion of the glass, exploded into a mass of flesh and blood after being hit by this pressure.

If not for the African men the General named Eric would have been turned into smudges of red liquid if he had to content with such pressure.

That pressure is like the pressure of deep sea powerful enough to turn men into sloshes of liquid because of its intensity.

Two people survived. The African man was sweating with his sweat keep dripping down from his forehead.

‘An Evolver? This is surprising.’ Azief said as he takes another step towards the African man.

‘You are on their side?’ Azief ask, puzzled. The African man did not respond. Azief closes his eyes and the information about this African man appears inside his mind.

He once read on this man. He is on one of the files in the Pentagon archive.

‘General, escape!’ The African man shouted but Azief just smiles.

‘Nobody escapes me’ Azief states coldly as the General tries to escape from the room. Eric runs to the door but Azief said one word.

That one word contains such a powerful energy that ripples of energy emanated out the moment he said it.

The African man was thrown backward when his body collided with that ripples of energy and slammed to the metal wall by the sheer force of pressure in that word.

‘Seal’ and Azief put his palm upward as The Twelve Swords of Heaven Formation was formed, his palm glow in divine golden light as a sword intent that could slash all creation into nihility exploded out.

Divine light was formed on the clouds outside the dome as a gigantic image of a divine sword that could pierce the Heavens materialized itself on the skies.

From his glowing golden palm twelve streak of light shoot out from his palm and form a floating golden sword.

Twelve golden floating swords shoot out towards Eric forming a cage as the twelve golden swords rotates around him forcing him to be unable to move.

He was forced to kneel inside the rotating cage of golden sword flying and rotating all around him.

With each rotation he seems to be weakening but not enough to kill him. After all Azief did not want to kill him yet.

The divine sword image on the skies disappears but the twelve golden swords still rotates vigorously around Eric.

Azief then walked toward the African man.

‘Tell me your name, traitor. I want to remember you’ Azief said.

‘Dibnella’ the man said as he spits blood to the shattered tile. He had his ribs broken after that impact as he leaned on the bent walls.

Azief look at Dibnella with an appraising look before he asks.

‘Why do you side with humans?’

‘They won.’ He answers easily and without hesitation

Azief closes his eyes and nodded.

‘True. You are weak and they are strong. You do not have a choice.’ Dibnella nodded before Azief smiles maliciously.

‘Is that your argument? That you do not have a choice? You have made your choice. IT is the wrong choice. It is a wrong choice then, it is a wrong choice now. And it is now time to pay for them.’

Azief said as he takes another step forward and the tile beneath his feet crumpled even deeper as the structure creaked with sign of the dome about to fall.

‘I’ve read the report about you, Dibnella. You have done more damage to the Evolvers community more than the Normies has ever done. You don’t think Pentagon didn’t keep a file of you?’

Azief said as he takes another step. With each word he spoke, each step taken there is a fury in his word hidden inside his sentence.

A cold fury.

‘You have many abilities. One of them is creating powerful barrier. You also possess incredible strength. You can also manipulate particles to create illusion.’

Then he paused before continuing his word, this time his look was full of condescension towards Dibnella.

‘Your strength is insignificant in front of me. Your barrier is already broken with just a little nudge by me. And your illusion didn’t work on me. From the first moment I entered this dome you have used all your cards on me. Which one of it works against me?’

He asked.

‘None’ Azief answered that question.

‘I….am a God here. And you’re nothing more than an ant. So, don’t be arrogant. You think you could have stopped me and buy time for your General? Na?ve.’

And he takes another step. This time the temperature inside the dome decreases like the air was sucked from it.

‘You have killed a lot of your brethren. You have enslaved your kind, tortured them and throw them into hell that the Normies have created. You are a snake….and I hate snakes’

And he looks towards Dibnella as suddenly Dibnella rib cage suddenly broke. It was the pressure of his energy.

With one glance he broke Dibnella bones.

‘Today, I have come for all of you. You….are just a bonus’

‘You stand for nothing but your own lives. There is value in that as there is value in doing the right thing. It is one thing not to help your own brethren it is another to actively seek to destroy them. I’ve met Evolvers like you. People….who stand for nothing would fall for anything.’

Dibnella did not respond. His face was expressionless. He himself knows what kind of a person he is.

He knows he is evil. And he never denies it. As long as he is safe what do he cares about other people?

He has no remorse whatsoever.

The strong dominates. That is the law. Before it was the Normies. Now, it is the Evolvers. He did not make the wrong choice.

He chooses according to the situation. He sided with the winner and that is how he stays safe and alive.

Even if that means betraying his own race, he survives.

The only reason his ending is like this is because he is unlucky. Who would have thought an Omega Level Evolver would appear and champion the Evolver cause?

He didn’t expect it. He also couldn’t turn back and follow the Supreme General of the Evolver army since the whole Evolver community despised him.

And this Supreme General crusade is fanatical in its pursuit. He would not rest until every Normies in this world is annihilated.

And those that help the Normies would also suffer the same fate like them.

In the end, he has only the Normies to lean on to. IT was not the ideal position but it is the only position he has.

The Supreme General would not accept him even if he wanted to defect.

After all, the Supreme General did not need men or their abilities. He alone has the power to change the current course of this world matters.

But even now, at the verge of his death, he did not regret.

Other Evolvers live like slaves and being sold all over the world but for his thirty years of life he lived like Kings.

He only looked towards Azief and tries to see the eyes hiding underneath that black hood.

‘Evolvers do not kill Evolvers. That is your slogan right?’ Dibnella ask and Azief smirk coldly.

Inside Azief eyes, there is nothing but disdain as he was looking at Dibnella, like he was thinking “how dare you say that in my presence”

But Dibnella has always been shameless. As long as there is a path of life, he would take it even if he has to debase himself.

‘In my crusade, even though I have killed millions of Normies and I would probably kill millions more I’ve never kill even one Evolver. This is why my soldiers were extremely loyal to me. I did not ask for their loyalty and I certainly didn’t need it but I was given it all the same.’

‘Will you broke your oath today?’ Dibnella ask smiling and then coughing blood after the internal injury he suffered began to worsen.

Even with his strength and strong body, being continually stared by Azief with the pressure he emanated, it was like Dibnella is being pressured by the weight of a mountain.

‘Do you wish me to kill you?’ Azief asked

‘Whichever you choose, you lose.’ Dibnella said simply

Azief chuckles.

‘You certainly think too little of me. Do you think I have no other ways of dealing with you?’ as he come closer to Dibnella and put his palm on top of Dibnella head.

Then he said a word

‘Devour.’

An image of a dark mouth appears on top of Azief hand.

Then that mouth seems to devour something from Dibnella head as slowly Dibnella turns pale and he felt his body turning weaker then he slumped to the ground, looking thin and malnourished.

He was parched and trembling all over his body. He was about to move when his eyes widened as he realizes something.

‘What did you do to me?’ he said, stuttering and slurred in his speed.

‘I have taken your abilities. You’re no longer an Evolver. Didn’t you remember what I said? I said I am a God here. Is it so hard to take your abilities? You have done no good and harm so many people. From today onwards you are no longer an Evolver. This is my punishment for you.’

Azief declares imperiously, his finger pointing at Dibnella like it was the proclamation from the Heavens.

Dibnella shock was evident in his expression.

He never heard anyone that could take away abilities. Because it is written in the genes. It’s not something that can be taken away. It can be repressed but never taken away.

Dibnella for the first time felt what it felt like to be vulnerable.

‘Now, run. My children will hunt you the moment this state has fallen. So, quickly get up….and run. And under their hands, you will pay for what you did to all of my children.’

Dibnella was shaking in fear as he strengthened his resolve, even as his knees wanted to buckle, his feet shaking uncontrollably, he got up and rushes to the door.

Azief did not stop it.

The fear he would experience from running and thinking of all the ways he would die….that is his punishment.

Azief saw many slave evolvers living in fear every day, fearing of their lives and their loved ones, their death is insignificant as a bug.

Now, Azief is letting Dibnella felt that fear before he dies.

Then Azief look toward the man near the door surrounding by his formation

‘Disperse’ Azief said and the twelve golden swords dissipated into motes of lights that are blown away with the wind.

‘I guess my plan failed.’ Eric said the moment he could move, sweat could be seen all over his body, soaking his uniform wet.

His hand and feet is trembling.

‘A remarkable plan nonetheless.’ Azief said as he walked step by step to Eric as they are only a few meters away and Azief stopped.

‘Any last word?’

‘A question’ this time Eric has resigned himself to his fate.

‘Ask away.’

‘Why…..did you attack us? We did not provoke you. We did not touch you. Why do you side with the Evolvers? You are a Breacher. You are not even the inhabitants of this world. Why not just do what you wanted to do and then leave? Why must you meddle?’

Eric asks his question, his hand still trembling as he tries to stand upright. Azief look at him lazily, his hazel eyes look scrutinizing at Eric, like he was assessing Eric.

‘Is that your question?’

‘Yes.’

‘Hmm. If I have to answer it….I guess it is because the Normies behavior do not conform with my heart. And I don’t like your side. That’s it’ Azief replies without enthusiasm.

‘Does not conform with your heart? For that reason?’ Eric said shocked before he smile bitterly. ‘How ridiculous’ he thinks to himself.

‘Yes, for that reason.’

Eric then laughed bitterly

‘So, that’s it. Because it did not conform to your heart. HAHAHA. Not because of justice?’

‘Justice?’ And this time Azief scoffed.

‘”Justice” is only the sympathy of someone looking from above. That justice changes with each pitiful person who happens to appear in front of us. What I wanted for the Evolvers race is not justice. Justice is too cheap. I wanted to avenge them. For every life taken, for every lives ruined, there is a debt and a debtor. Humanity on this Earth had a good run. Now, it’s time to pay your dues…..and I’m here to collect’

Eric was tongue tied before nodding his head. He closes his eyes as he understand one thing about the person in front of him

‘A lunatic’ he thought to himself. Only a lunatic would wipe out an entire race just because he didn’t like them.

That was his last thought.

Azief then flick his finger to Eric forehead and when his finger collided with Eric forehead, his head exploded into thousand pieces.

His body slowly falls down to the ground blood spurting out from his jagged neck. The wall behind the body was red like a Pollock painting.

Azief was about to join his men below when his divine sense picked up something.

Smiling Azief shot his palm upward and the so called indestructible ceiling structure exploded as Azief flew out and reaches the clouds in matter of seconds to confront the threat that is coming to him.

From afar he could G13 fighter jets coming down to assail them from the sky. Air battle is actually Azief specialties.

‘They are a good saber practice.’ A hydrogen nuclear missile.

This time the US administration is really intending to fight him to the death even if they have to lose this state.

Azief understand their thinking. They need to stop the Evolver winning momentum. Azief just smiles.

With his Undying Physique, he doubts anything could harm him in this Earth.

Azief now can sheathe the fourth saber.

The moment he unsheathe the fourth saber, a howl sounded from the saber. It was like the sound of a wolf howling.

The runic inscription glowed red.

The Sky as Chessboard, The Stars Are It’s Pieces, Gods Do Not Care About Mortal Live, Carefree Roaming The Universe. With One Slash, Cut Apart Worldly Concerns.

The inscription lighted up these words on the edge of the saber.

It is the World Cleaving Saber.

The moment that saber was brought out the air quake and reality wavered. Time ripples around the saber and space is distorted as even the air itself dissipated creating a very weird phenomenon around Azief.

The clouds all around a hundred kilometers radius of him disperse and disappeared.

A purple mist surrounds Azief body as one could feel that his saber is howling for the destruction of the world.

All of Azief seed glowed with divine white light supplying the energy for Azief to use this saber. All of his five seed hummed and trembling as the leaf inside Azief consciousness swaying left and right viciously like it were attacked by a fierce wind.

The saber howls and the world is shaking and trembling.

All around him every particle that exists is vibrating and some exploded.

The process was so infinitesimal and could not be seen by naked eyes, but all round him every elements and particles are undergoing a very weird mutation and revolution.

Each of them progress to their own destruction.

This is the power of the World Cleaving Saber.

Before it cleaves the world, it will destroy life. Energy, life and anything that supports life all were devoured by the saber.

Only those Azief permitted to live could be spared of the saber destruction.

Thousands of Normies all over Virginia that is hiding and running away dropped dead mysteriously as their body turns to a husk of bones in a matter of seconds.

The energy gathered and the energy formed an almighty divine power that rises up to the sky like an endless flood.

This saber is forcefully plundering the World energy, eating it, cutting the source of this world energy at its core.

No wonder it is called the World Cleaving Saber. It cleaves a world of its life.

Azief felt like he was holding the universe on his grip.

He felt like he was trying to stop the saber from coming down with its weight seems to equivalent that of a star.

This saber suppresses the Heavens and pressured the Earth.

The ground hundreds of kilometers below Azief concave deep into the ground like it was withstanding a great pressure from the sky.

Slowly that depth grew deeper and deeper creating a huge crater with the depth of six story buildings.

It was like a huge meteor lodged itself into the ground.

Azief only understand one thing about this saber….its essence of destruction.

But he could not cut apart worldly concerns. With this saber, Azief still does not know how to cut concept and sever laws.

This is the true power of this saber. It is not used only to cut worlds; it could also be used to cut Laws.

For each Laws is an independent world, thus the saber has two different meaning when it involves things that could be cut

This is one of the Six Extermination sabers.

If its abilities are only purely destructive it would not enter into the eyes of an Asura, a being so feared that he would be sealed by the Elder of the Universe.

This saber is the first true high level artifact Azief has found and it has stayed with him ever since.

Azief was not satisfied that his comprehension of this saber is only this but this is to be expected since he is just on the starting point.

Right now with five seed he barely able to unsheathe the sword.

His seed is furiously unleashing its full might to bolster Azief hand to grip tightly the saber. If not for his seeds, he would not even be able to unsheathe this saber

He knew that his limit is one strike.

More than that and he would use more energy than he intended and might have some unforeseen complications for him.

But one strike is all he needs

Then he spoke one of the sentences from the inscription.

The moment he spoke of that sentence the purple mist envelops the entire state of Virginia and it was spreading to the entire US.

Azief wanted to destroy the hydrogen missile that could decimate an entire state with high precision.

The hydrogen missile has a programming that decides the range of explosion.

Azief has always marveled at this world technological advancement that seems to outstrip Earth prime.

Then the sentence is finished spoken.

The pressure of his sentence was not oppressive neither it was calming. It was there. And that what matters.

‘The Sky as Chessboard’ Azief shouted but even though he knows the meaning the moment he uttered it the sound that come out of his mouth is a language he do not know and do not understand.

But as Azief slash down, the purple mist exploded into motes of purple light and the world trembles.

The image of a dark Universe was shown behind Azief back. It was like the Universe image was covering the Earth sky.

Inside that dark universe, stars are aligned like chess pieces and two beings with unrecognizable face could be seen using the stars as chess pieces.

Their chairs are the planet and their chessboard is the sky of the universes. Streaming beneath their feet are the pathways of stars and belts of asteroids.

On the left side, the being was garbed in black robe, possessing boundless destruction energy.

Behind that man, an image of a galaxy that is about to form and was about to sprout with life, suddenly wilted and exploded into nothingness.

Galaxies exploded behind him and get destroyed a second later. Wherever he pointed, that galaxy would disappear into nothingness like they never exist in the first place.

That person always closes his eyes with legions of dark beings behind him, killing and warring behind him.

They fall, die and they rise again.

Then they fight, die and they rise again. With each battle, they become more carefree, more vicious, as they are locked into an eternal war with each other.

On the other hand on the right side is a being garbed in light. It is literally like Light was sew and fitted for him to wear.

Behind him, life blossoms, universe formed and prospers.

The being did not look stressed as he slowly making his move, with each star he moves, a new world sprouted from the star last position.

All of this take too long to describe but Azief saw all this in a few seconds that image appeared when he slashes his saber down.

The moment that saber was fully slashed forward, a tyrannical energy filled the entire nation as a gigantic divine sword cut open the sky.

A wave of destruction descended into Virginia. All the things in the sky were cut, the jets exploded into motes of particles and dissipated with the wind, leaving no bones and any evidence they were in the sky.

The hydrogen missile that could level an entire nation was neutralized this easily with Azief one slash.

They all turned into dust.

The sky cracked open revealing the starry skies for a few seconds as the people on the ground all over the world could get a glimpse of the universe outside Earth and this drew a gasp of shock for anyone that watches it

But that is not all.

The moment that slash was released, the souls of death was also cut apart giving them the most tormentous pain one could possibly felt.

A great gulf appears in Virginia that stretches from Fairfax reaching to neighboring states as lakes was formed as the result of the river water flooding in to the large gulf.

It was like Azief created an abyss. One of the mountains that is in the way, was cut into two, leaving a flat surface and an avalanche that claimed thousands of Normies lives below the mountain,

An entire village down the mountain was buried beneath soils and rubbles and the neighboring villages get the dust.

When he slashes that saber he did not bring down the starry skies.

He brings the entire might of the Universe comes bearing down on this state, like that two being determining the fate of the Universe by treating the Universe like their chessboard and the stars as its pieces.

At that moment when he saw that image he felt instant familiarity with that being in black garb.

For some reason, Azief felt that destruction energy emanating out of that being is almost as the same as him.

The shockwaves he releases from his saber slash did not end even when he finished slashing his saber.

It created an earthquake all over the world, with even the sea showing signs of an underwater volcano jolted to activation.

Because of external pressure.

Azief sighed as he sheathes back his saber and the saber enter back into his consciousness. Looking at the clear sky, he floated down to his soldiers.

They are all still on the ground kneeling, their hands of their heart.

‘The CIA at Langley? Did we get their data?’ Azief ask immediately he landed. HE sent his elite teams to get the data he needed. The report is given every hour.

Even when he is fighting he could not help but think the information that the CIA could have on other nations.

That and also because he has reason to believe that the CIA has been experimenting on the azure shard that could dampen evolvers abilities.

Azief has his own theory about what that azure stone is.

‘Partial. The Director manages to delete some of it.’ One of them answered.

‘That’s good enough’ Azief nodded.

‘And Harrison?’

‘President Harrison is moving like Supreme General has planned.’ Azief nodded satisfied with the report

‘You have done well in executing my orders. The day for all evolvers to be liberated from bondage is not long now’

Azief said, sighing as he look at the sky and then back at his soldiers. He touches their forehead and they rise.

He looks at the surrounding and checks with his divine sense. He senses a few people hiding, mostly Evolvers who do not know what is going on but no Normies.

He then said

‘My work here is done. Like always, rescue your brethren. I have other things to do.’

‘Order received, Supreme general.’ Satisfied, Azief launches himself up into the air and with a cracking sound of supersonic boom he is gone.

***

United States in chaos. Russia is undergoing massive revolts with Evolvers on the street and slave factory being burned and looted.

The regime responded with an iron fist killing thousands of Evolvers in the street. That is happening all over the world. However in United States, the reverse is happening.

Evolvers are killing Normies by the millions as the victory after victory of the Rebellion Army emboldens many slaves to rise in tandem with them.

All over the United States Evolvers rises.

In Las Vegas, Desmona, a pleasure slave girl manages to kill her master and wit her ingenuity free her Evolvers brethren and mounted a massacre on all the big slave owners in Las Vegas.

With the military focusing on Virginia, they lack the manpower to quell the rebellion in Las Vegas causing Las Vegas, the City of Sin to fall into the hands of Desmona and her subordinate.

They have already pledge their allegiance to the Supreme General and initiate contact with President Harrison to join the Rebellion Army.

Now, all Evolvers no longer look towards Germany for guidance but to America where the Supreme General is.

They wanted his protection and wanted to help him to realize the world of Evolvers liberation.

Slowly, with all of this people moving and persevering, the rise of the Evolvers freedom could no longer be stopped.

The rebellion is winning.

***

OUTER SPACE

TITAN

WORLD COUNCIL HQ

Inside a dark room, four people shrouded in shadows are sitting around the round table. Their faces could not be seen clearly seems the lighting is dim.

Outside guards are lined up on the hallways path leading to this room. The sign on top of the room was the designation of the name of this room.

Hall of Five.

This is the room where the Five Supreme Potentates meet each other and discuss matters of the world as the leading voice of Normies.

They all seem to be waiting for someone.

Then a door opens and light went inside the dark room giving a brief glimpse on the four men. One of them seems to be sitting on a floating metal chair that resembles a metal throne.

A man walks inside holding a book on his left hand.

He is six feet two, thin, and wears a very formal attire of the nobility of the World Noble with purple colors.

He has dark eye bag below his blue eyes and he look weak owing to the fact that his skin is white pale like pasty toothpaste.

‘You’re late, Historian’ one of them said.

‘Shut up, Analyst.’ That man shot back

‘Hmph.’ one of the four people snorted

Then another voice speaks.

‘You…did you find what you are looking for?’ Before coughing loudly. The other pays it no mind. The man called Historian then answer

‘I found it. A weapon I know that could hurt the Supreme General and ….possibly killed him.’ The other four, with the darkness of the shadow behind them, smiles mischievously

And with that declaration the door closes again

***

So, here it is the end of Azief conquest in Virginia. Not before long United States will become the base of rebellion for Evolvers in Earth 39.

There is also a little snippet about Russia which undoubtedly had to do with Will involvement though Lord Shadow still didn’t know yet.

Then a brief appearance of the Five Supreme Potentates that seem to have dire consequences for Lord Shadow.

Do not underestimate the resourcefulness of other Earths.

And if you notice the Five Supreme Potentates refer themselves with a title. That would be explained later. At least now you know one is called the Historian and the other one is called the Analyst.

Why do you think this five is the one controlling the Normies population? The hint is in their title.

Hmmm.

And then we see Azief improving once again, as he now could sheathe the World Cleaving Saber. He got it from the Great Asura Satrya in his first high stakes journey.

Anyway still short chapter which also means I have to modified the length of chapters for this Third Arc.

The last polling will be in Monday where I will check the result and from then on, that will be the format of this story.

And can anyone help me polishing the first few chapters in the beginning. At least the first ten chapters.

Many people seems to left in disgust because of the first few chapters since I did not pay attention to grammar in those first few chapters.

Anyone that could help me with those is appreciated. Just send your edited chapters to my email

I need only the first few chapters and not all.

If you like this story and wanted to support this pitiful writer, please either donate, leave some comment below or leave some review. Thanks and meet you all next week. And below is the preview of the next chapter.

This time we will be traveling far far away or to be more accurate light years away.

***