Chapter 36: Take It All the Way to SSR

Seraphina suddenly grabbed Arthur by the arm and pulled him away from the center of the podium.

Arthur blinked in surprise.

"Hey—"

She didn’t stop until they were far enough away that the Iron Angels couldn’t easily hear their conversation.

Seraphina turned toward him.

Her expression was unusually serious.

"What exactly do you think you’re doing?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Don’t ’what’ me."

Seraphina folded her arms.

"You just stood in front of five hundred Iron Angels and claimed you could cure every single defect they possess."

Arthur casually shrugged.

"I was just... going to perform some advanced Riki Arts, that’s all."

An explanation he had made up after their spar and was going to use as an excuse for many absurd phenomena that would occur around him in the future.

Seraphina’s expression immediately stiffened.

"...Advanced Riki Arts?"

Arthur nodded.

"Yeah."

But Seraphina didn’t look reassured.

If anything...

She looked even more concerned.

She grabbed his arm again and pulled him farther toward the edge of the podium.

"Young Master Arthur."

Her voice became noticeably quieter.

"I don’t think you understand what you’re getting yourself into."

Arthur tilted his head.

Seraphina stared directly into his eyes.

"Chi Psychosis is not something that can simply be treated."

Her expression became solemn.

"It isn’t an injury."

"It isn’t a disease."

"And it certainly isn’t something that can be healed by simply pouring more Riki into someone’s body."

Arthur’s expression remained calm.

Seraphina continued.

"When an Iron Angel suffers from Chi Psychosis, the problem doesn’t merely affect their body."

She placed a hand against her chest.

"It affects their Chi pathways."

"Their nervous system."

"Their mind."

"And eventually..."

Her gaze darkened.

"...their very sense of self."

Arthur’s eyebrows rose slightly.

Seraphina glanced toward Octoria.

The purple-haired Vice Commander remained kneeling in the center of the podium, patiently waiting for Arthur’s next command.

"Gold Iron Angels are especially dangerous."

"They possess terrifyingly large Chi reserves. Among all the Iron Angel types, Chi Psychosis is practically an inevitability for them. Their cultivation speed is absurd, and the sheer size of their Chi Cores allows them to accumulate power far faster than their bodies and minds can safely endure."

"But the more Chi they accumulate..."

"...the greater the strain placed upon their bodies and minds."

Seraphina looked back at Arthur.

"Octoria has spent less than two centuries cultivating, yet she is already at the peak of the King Realm."

"Her instability isn’t something that happened overnight."

Her voice became increasingly serious.

"Her condition has been developing for decades, if not a century."

Arthur remained silent.

"And now you’re standing here claiming you can cure her."

Seraphina clenched her fists.

"Do you understand what will happen if you fail?"

Arthur blinked.

Seraphina pointed toward the hundreds of Iron Angels watching them.

"You just gave them hope."

Her voice became quieter.

"Real hope."

Arthur’s expression changed slightly.

Seraphina continued.

"These people were abandoned."

"Most of them have spent years knowing that their cultivation has stagnated."

"Some know their transformations are becoming increasingly unstable."

"And others..."

Her eyes briefly moved toward Octoria.

"...already know exactly how they’re going to die."

Arthur’s gaze followed hers.

Seraphina’s voice softened.

"If you cannot do what you promised..."

"...you won’t simply lose their loyalty."

Arthur’s expression became serious.

"You’ll destroy whatever hope they had left, as well as some of their loyalty to you."

For several seconds...

Arthur didn’t respond.

The humming of equipment in the massive hall continued around them.

Five hundred Iron Angels stood silently below.

Waiting.

Watching.

Arthur eventually let out a small sigh.

Then he smiled.

"Seraphina."

She frowned.

"What?"

Arthur glanced toward Octoria.

"Do you trust me?"

Seraphina paused.

Her expression changed.

"...What kind of question is that?"

Arthur chuckled.

"Just answer it."

Seraphina stared at him for several seconds.

Then she sighed.

"...Yes."

Arthur’s smile widened.

"Good."

He gently removed her hand from his arm.

"Then trust me on this."

Seraphina’s eyes narrowed.

"Young Master—"

"I know what I’m doing. Just relax."

That confidence in his voice caused her to fall silent.

Arthur returned toward the center of the podium.

Five hundred pairs of eyes immediately focused on him.

Octoria remained on one knee.

Waiting.

Arthur’s expression slowly became serious.

Because unlike everyone else in this room...

He knew something they didn’t.

Chi Psychosis might be incurable by the standards of this world.

But...

That didn’t necessarily mean it was beyond the capabilities of the System.

In fact...

It was one of the things the System existed to fix.

Arthur then continued addressing the Iron Angels.

"Now, where were we? Ah, I was about to begin the cure—"

"Fleet Commander, permission to speak."

Octoria suddenly raised her voice.

Arthur paused.

Then he nodded.

"Permission granted."

Octoria spoke calmly.

"As I’m sure your bodyguard just told you, my condition is incurable."

She glanced briefly toward Seraphina.

"Trying to make promises you can’t keep will only affect your image."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, his eyes gleaming with excited curiosity.

"Impressive hearing, Vice Commander."

Octoria looked mildly annoyed for a moment, feeling as though Arthur was making light of the situation.

She continued.

"You don’t have to continue."

"I can address the Angels and tell them you made a mistake, but that you still have our best interests at heart."

She was about to rise.

But Arthur suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back down onto one knee.

Octoria looked up at him in confusion.

"Commander...?"

Arthur smiled.

Then he leaned closer and whispered.

"I mentioned earlier, Vice Commander, that Arthur Von Ashbourne’s words are worth their weight in gold."

He paused.

"Don’t you think doubting me right off the bat is rather discourteous of you as my Vice Commander?"

Octoria lowered her gaze.

"My apologies."

Arthur pulled back.

"Don’t worry. I’m not offended."

He smiled.

"I just need you to completely trust me."

"Can you try that for me?"

"Just this once?"

There was a brief pause.

Then Octoria nodded.

"Understood."

〘SYSTEM NOTIFICATION〙

〘Loyalty of Vice Commander Octoria has increased to 95%.〙

Arthur’s eyebrows rose slightly.

...Interesting.

Even after everything he had just said...

Her loyalty still increased simply because he asked her to trust him.

Arthur couldn’t help but feel impressed.

He turned his attention back toward the System.

...I want to enhance my Iron Angel, Octoria’s, Constitution.

〘Calculating...〙

〘Target: Octoria〙

〘Current Constitution Grade: D-Rank〙

〘Enhancement available.〙

〘Notice: The target is a Gold-type Iron Angel. Increasing Constitution beyond D-Rank will require a significant quantity of Enhancement Points.〙

Arthur’s eyes flickered.

...Take it all the way to SSR.