Level Up Legacy

Earlier in the Light Prison, a calamity stood inside the empty room after closing the portal connecting it to another dimension. The calamity pondered his recent loss as it stood, waiting for his enemy.

Cassius was the supreme being.

This belief was absolute.

It never wavered in the Battle of Gods and was not about to be broken now. As he stood inside the prison cell where Zonas Mantra used to live, Cassius thought about this truth. He lost against Morana, the Gatekeeper, not Arthur Silvera.

Thus, he believed that Cassius was still the supreme being in this world. It was a different matter if Gaia’s sister interfered. Cassius has failed to evolve into an astral being because the gatekeeper was the final obstacle.

“You don’t need to wait here,” said a voice from the wall as a woman walked through it. Cassius glanced at her to find her wearing red robes, with weapons strapped into her inner pockets. “If they break through the dimension, they will find me here.”

“Kneel before you talk to me,” commanded Cassius as he looked away, making Eloisa fall to her knees against her will. “You humans underestimate Eragon too much. There is nothing that can chain him.”

“Even so, we have witnessed the creator fail to utilize his powers,” Eloisa countered with a smile. “His newfound strength has become a handicap that limits him. If he loses his senses again, then he would be the one to die first.”

“If the wolf of destruction appears again, then you will die,” said Cassius without a change in his expression as he stared at the window in the ceiling. “I am the only one who can stop it.”

Eloisa bowed and stepped back, taking out an artifact that resembled a sphere. “Let us change this place a bit,” she said, controlling the object to shift the prison cell’s layout. The walls slid into the ground, giving them ten times the space they had before. Furniture moved to the edges of the cell as the space expanded.

“What are you doing?” inquired Cassius.

“Preparing for the battle,” Eloisa replied calmly, settling into a chair. “If the outsider does break out of prison, we will need some area to hold him back. In the meantime, let’s watch the show.”

She revealed a giant hologram that displayed the ongoing fight between Lyle, the Knights Commander and son of Zonas Mantra, and the emperor. Cassius turned his head in curiosity as he watched the knight of green flames emerge as a new fighter, even stronger than the emperor.

“A new fighter emerges,” said Cassius with curiosity as he witnessed the knight of green flames. “Where has this one crawled out from?”

“He is our Knights Commander and the son of Zonas Mantra, Lyle,” Eloisa replied, her eyes fixed on the hologram. “It seems that he has… revealed his true colors.”

“Humans are deceiving beings,” said Cassius, unimpressed. “None of them live true to themselves and would change their beliefs at the slightest inconvenience.”

“Are calamities not a manifestation of human desires?”

“There is a resemblance, but no calamity would turn a new leaf just to survive a fight. I would rather die than change the path I’ve chosen for myself. Humans are the opposite of that, and that makes them pathetic.”

The Prison Warden was silent before she nodded and returned to the hologram. She rested her chin over her hand as she watched the rebellion as if it was a show.

“Human,” called Cassius as he stared at the screen. “These forces have come to take down the emperor, so why hasn’t he summoned his forces yet? An empire should have hundreds of thousands of soldiers.”

“Our emperor carries a great secret that cannot be known by all of his subjects,” said Eloisa while watching the fallen beings on the screen. “The twelve commanders are indeed powerful, but that makes them hard to control. All of them would fight the emperor if he attempted to devour Helios for his sake, and Ilios would fall.”

“It seems that this empire has been dying for a long time,” said Cassius with a grin. “A throne based on lies is fragile, unlike one based on absolute fear. Once I take over the world, this will never happen again.”

“Is that your goal, my lord?” asked Eloisa, turning her head toward him. Cassius glared at her as he sensed slight sarcasm, which she quickly defused by sitting properly and repeating her questions. “I am just curious about what a great being like yourself wants.”

“I have no obligation to answer your questions.”

“The world would be a better place if you graced us with your ambitions,” said Eloisa to please him. Cassius saw through her flattery but still enjoyed the feeling of being feared. Despite the calm acting, he knew this human was afraid of him.

“I want to be the one.”

“…can I know what that means?”

“I want to be the one true god,” said Cassius with pride as his whitish aura grew more ferocious. A grin appeared as he clenched his fist, making the Light Prison shake. “I will become the one standing above all else.”

“…this is befitting of the calamity of pride,” said Eloisa with genuine awe because she could feel that the man before her had a real chance to achieve what he said. “How does aligning yourself with Ilios help you achieve that goal?”

“There is a troublesome gatekeeper that allows no one to ascend to the next realm, and Ilios has the backing of the only one capable of defeating anything.”

“Nameless.”

“Indeed,” said Cassius as he stared at the glass window above, and his eyes glistered with excitement when golden cracks started appearing on it. “However, there is just one exception.”

Before Eloisa could ask anything more, the glass window shattered as golden light exploded. She covered herself with her robes before jumping backward, dodging the golden mana and shard glasses that came crashing from the ceiling.

A storm of golden mana whirled inside the prison, pushing Eloisa and Cassius back. A figure stood in the middle of the storm, looking distant and apathetic. His robes were shining golden as black vines covered his chest. A crown rested on his head, lined with golden flowers.

“This is a new look, creator,” said Cassius as his feet started rising from the ground. “Are flowers your current symbol in this world? Or do they mean that you have grown soft?”

“An emperor is different from a calamity, creator!” roared Cassius with pride as he spread his arms, making his authority almost rip space apart. “I won’t lose against a human! You should have brought the Queen of Souls!”

The calamity was gaining confidence since the golden storm grew smaller as it collided with his authority. Cassius could command everything in this world; even the creator once lost against him while in his prime.

“…there is no need,” said Arthur Silvera while staring at his hands, which twirled with black and golden energies. “A single attack… would be enough.”

“I am the sin of pride, creator, not you!” roared Cassius as he reached out toward the world and pulled, making space tilt sideways. “Never dare show arrogance before me!”

Arthur Silvera looked detached from the battle. His eyes were clear and calm, although the black lightning in his hand crackled with rage. It was an eerie sight where the golden mana, colorless lightning, and their owner looked unrelated.

“A calamity is indeed not something I should be able to take on,” muttered Arthur Silvera as he clenched his fist, making the golden and black energy coil around his arm. “My stats are lacking, and my mana is useless against ancient creatures. However, there is one thing that no one can match me with.”

“Bring it on, creator!” the calamity excitedly roared as his aura exploded, and he clapped his hands together. Space was pulled together like fabric, making the prison fold into itself in a giant wave that rushed toward Arthur.

“My soul is second to none,” said Arthur Silvera as he raised his left hand over his right arm. An ethereal aura started appearing around his left palm, and a thin smile appeared on his face. “The last time I used this attack, I destroyed a city and became known as Lorius. This time, this attack will defeat the calamity.”

“Nothing can defeat me,” Cassius roared as the world started folding into itself while he bolted after it. His aura exploded as he turned into a white meteor that raced toward Arthur, who was still taking the same stance.

“You have the right to be proud, Cassius,” muttered Arthur as he pulled back his arm while holding his shoulder. Golden mana and colorless black lightning intertwined as they glowed under the nourishment of spiritual energy. “You will receive my strongest attack.”

Cassius reached him instantly, and Arthur punched with his spiritual arm. Although the calamity tried to control the world to strike Arthur down, he realized something was wrong. Arthur Silvera exploded with unimaginable might, and he turned into the world himself.

As soon as the attack touched him, the proudest being realized he was weak. No amount of control or authority could prepare him for this attack, which exploded like the sun on his chest. The world was dyed black and golden as the Light Prison was torn apart, and the calamity fell from the sky.