Level Up Legacy

The snake was ethereal but seemed to burn as the golden mana engulfed it. Arthur smiled as he landed on the Runic Dome opposite the summoner.  Jin frowned as he stepped back while reaching out toward his back. Arthur threw the snake into the air, and the summoner took out a teleportation runic card.

“There is no need to run,” said Arthur as he raised his hand, making a rune of his own negate the effects of the runic card. Jin disappeared before reappearing in front of Arthur and falling to the ground.

Jin collapsed on the ground as the sudden interruption of his teleportation made him nauseous. Arthur crouched to look him in the eye as he stared at the bottom.

“I heard that you have betrayed Hazel, too, choosing to side with the crown prince of Tanera. Is this who you truly are? A man without a shred of principles?”

“You don’t know who I am,” said Jin, gritting his teeth. “Even now, I do not regret that I betrayed you. But, given our position then, it was the right thing to do.”

“…if you want to fight me, just do it.”

Jin stared at Arthur with defiance. Arthur stared at him for a few seconds before reaching his hands toward him, but Lilo landed beside them. Lilo nudged Arthur with its head, making him turn around.

After a few seconds of staring at each other, Arthur frowned and sighed. He rose from the ground before walking past Jin, ignoring him. This made the summoner feel both confused and humiliated.

“What is this?” called Jin toward him, making Arthur stop. “Are you taking pity on me? Do you think I need your mercy?”

“This is not mercy,” said Arthur as he stopped and turned around. “I seem to have made a promise before regarding your life. Therefore, I will spare you until I meet Hazel again and ask her myself. However, don’t think that you are safe. I can always find and kill you.”

“A promise?” frowned Jin as he clenched his fist. “That idiot is still trying to protect me?”

“You will die, Jin. I will make sure of it. All those who wronged me before and betrayed my trust will meet that fate,” said Arthur as he turned back toward the three and walked forward. “You will meet that fate too.”

“Arrogant bastard,” said Kaius as his dragon growled. “Let me show you the true might of Dragonir!”

“I already said that I would retreat here,” said the Princess of Sourna with a frown. “There is no need for us to fight. We lost many men, but we will back down here.”

“I still refuse. Your existence will threaten Ilios as long as you are alive. I need to send an example to the whole world,” said Arthur as he raised his hand. Elements started to gather as a long sword materialized in his hand. “It saddens me, but this was your choice, Ilia Perli.”

“I’m too old to beg for my life,” said Ilia with a smile as his lightning spear appeared. “Let me have one last proper fight.”

“I have no reason to fight here anymore,” said the witch with a frown before a smile replaced it. “How about we make a deal, Arthur Silvera?”

“A deal?”

“Come to Sourna one day, and I will let you visit your father’s birthplace, Seref the Traitor. I heard some of his relatives still inhabit and protect my land.”

Arthur was silent as he stopped walking. His sharp sword turned to aim at the witch as he squinted his eyes at her. It was foolish to lie to him because he could always tell.

Seref was now titled the Traitor because the world realized that he brought calamities to their world. Arthur never wanted to research anything about his father, but Amelio’s comments bothered him. It was tempting to know his father’s past.

“You can leave and take your armies with you.”

The Princess said no more but merely bowed and flew away. Her soldiers rose in the sky after her, carried by the invisible force of Sourna. This left two out of the original four, as Jin summoned a creature and flew away. He seemed uninterested in aiding the rest of the summoners and chose to save his life instead.

“I’m afraid the two of you cannot leave,” said Arthur as he started walking toward Ilia Perli and Kaius. “One threatened my family, and the other is too prideful to run. I wish that you didn’t have your pride, Ilia. However, I know I wouldn’t like you if you did not.”

“This old bag of bones is grateful that I have met you, Arthur Silvera,” said Ilia Perli with a smile as he raised his lightning spear. “Your existence is… extraordinary.”

Ilia Perli pierced with his spear, and lightning crackled. However, his target was not Arthur but the man standing atop the dragon. With unprecedented speed, the lightning spear flew toward the guild master and struck him in the chest.

“…you… bastard…” said Kaius as he reached out toward the spear, trying to take it out. However, it was useless. Lightning filled his body and wreaked havoc in his bloodstream. Kaius screamed as his skin turned black, and the dragon roared with rage.

“What is the meaning of this, Ilia Perli?” asked Arthur as he stared at the tamer die as his dragon started to cry and fly away. It seemed to realize the imminent death of its owner, so it wanted to flee.

“This means I have lost the last shred of my honor,” said Ilia Perli with a smile as he fell to his knees and started taking out his green and black jacket. “I am ready to die, Arthur Silvera.”

“You are…”

“That man I killed was not the real Kaius Firebrand but a small shard of his being. He has tamed doppelganger monsters and infused them with parts of his personality. I just wanted… the fight to end.”

“At the expense of your honor?” asked Arthur with disappointment, but Ilia Perli seemed content and at peace. “What is that face, Ilia Perli?”

“I am glad that in my last moment, I protected someone. This was why I became a soldier in the first place, but somewhere along the road, I forgot to whom I was loyal. The Yalen King sent me here as a punishment and one final test to see if I had betrayed him. He knew the fight was futile. He always knows.”

“…and now you want me to kill you?”

“It is only proper,” said Ilia Perli as he folded his jacket and placed it aside. “I am a traitor and someone who came here to fight against you. I now realize that it was an impossible fight to win. Therefore, I deserve to die for not choosing.”

Arthur stared at the man silently, before turning toward the rest of his knights. They all stood in the same spot they had descended, staring at them with steel-hard expressions. Ilia Perli has told them about his plans to die, and they all choose to accompany him.

“I cannot refuse now, can I?” said Arthur helplessly before raising his sharp sword. “You lived a good life, Ilia Perli. Let me relieve you of your duties.”

“I have not lived the life I always wanted, but fighting alongside a god made things worth it,” said Ilia Perli with a smile. Arthur said no more and brought his sword down. He did not sever his neck but simply cut through its arities. Blood gushed out before the man fell to the ground.

After seeing their leaders die or flee, the rest of the armies were helpless to do a thing. Their ships have been destroyed, and their willpower has been crushed. Despite ending in such a manner, the fight has finally ended.

Arthur stared at the rebels and knights atop his Runic Dome and the flying soldiers in the sky. Then he turned his attention toward the citizens on the ground. All of them waited for his declaration.

“This fight…”

“…is not over!”

A shout finished his sentence as blinding light came from the sky. A white being was hovering above the Runic Dome with an arrogance that defied the heavens. It was the Sin of Pride, Cassius, who should have collapsed on the ground below.

“I am still here, Arthur Silvera,” said Cassius, looking down at him. “Did you expect that everything would end like this? The heavens cannot afford to let you win again, outsider!”

“Is that who you were talking to earlier?” asked Arthur with a smile as his golden mana lifted him off the ground. “Heavens have laid their eyes on this world?”

“They have laid their eyes on me and chose me as the Bringer of Order. And you are… not a part of this world.”