Chapter 515: Take It Back

Nathan cursed himself for being lured through the gate by his audience.

Well, if he was being honest, agents from the Directorate had already surrounded the gate. They were in disguise; some of them were even in the Golden City.

He found it odd that they hadn’t sent powerful forces to restore their sense of order. Whatever Godfrey was doing would end in deep strife. Knowing this, he’d followed the knights into the throneroom.

Godfrey’s throneroom!

Nathan had been the first man to call Godfrey the King of Summoners, but he’d never imagined Godfrey actually had a city!

At this point, it was just impossible to believe Godfrey was a summoner. Not after what he did at the Directorate Headquarters in Shanghai.

’He’s some kind of portal between two worlds. Sick!’ Nathan turned around to give his audience a good view of the magnificent throneroom.

Comments flooded his screen. In the past twenty hours, his subscriber count had exploded. He might as well have become one of the most followed men in the world.

But he was afraid the authorities would close down his account. He couldn’t anticipate what they were planning. They could have banned the video and stopped its spread. They hadn’t. That frightened him more than a ban would have.

"Nathan."

The hair on his arms stood on end. He spun around, trembling with shock and a sudden sting of fear. A dark figure stood behind him.

When had he entered the throneroom?

Nathan subconsciously distanced himself as he tried to recover.

"Because of you, Humanoid Summoners around the world could hear my voice. That was commendable." The Unknown King said.

Nathan smiled sheepishly. What was wrong with him? He couldn’t place a finger on it, but the Unknown King’s words made him feel strangely good about himself. Almost like he had the same impact as a powerful summoner.

The Unknown King walked past him, ascended the dais and sat down, legs spread wide. His armoured arms settled on the armrests.

"I have few words to say to those on earth." He said.

Nathan pointed the phone at him.

"The authorities, as you call them, have reported me to the Congregation of Godkings and Queens. There will be no fair judgment. It is a contest of strength, and they intend to see me dead." He lifted his chin. "I am not surprised."

Nathan swallowed. Congregation Of Godkings and Queens? He knew the authorities were up to something, but he would never have thought of a court made up of ancient gods.

"Fear not. I will face this duel and I will return. Those gods will know that no one can stop what is about to come. Earth will be liberated."

Nathan couldn’t see his expression behind the helmet, but he could almost imagine a confident look. He was turning the authorities’ attempt to silence him into something that would elevate him even further.

"That is all."

***

Benjamin walked the streets of Manhattan, a backpack slung over his shoulder as he watched the livestream on his phone.

His gaze dropped to the Class I cuffs around his wrists. The words of the Unknown King were tempting. A life where he wouldn’t have to feel so isolated. Where he wouldn’t stick out as a sore thumb.

Manhattan tried to adjust. Some Humanoid Summoners openly called for people to join them and remove their cuffs, but the protesters were quickly brought down.

The Directorate was powerful here. Under the Bane Family Head, who was also the new Mrs. Manhattan, no one dared start a protest.

Here, the Guilds worked for the Directorate. Raising your voice against the authorities was enough to damn you. There would be no job waiting for you afterward, and your class would be raised to III.

"He won’t survive. The authorities won’t make that mistake again." He muttered and shook his head.

"Talking to yourself?" said a familiar voice.

Dread dyed Benjamin’s face. He turned, eyes widened. Cole and Fred were already making their way towards him.

Benjamin ran. He stood no chance against two Summoners powered by their Symbiotic Bond. Unleashing your summon on the streets wasn’t permitted, but he would not allow himself to be a victim.

All they’d get was a scolding compared to what would happen to him.

"We just want to talk." Cole leaped seven feet into the air, sailed ten feet forward before landing. "Our assignments are troublesome. Just do us a favour."

Fred laughed. He could shoot wind gusts from his hands, using them to launch himself through the air. That short, stout seventeen-year-old clearly enjoyed the hunt.

"We’re not going to hurt you. You’re embarrassing us." Cole said.

"Keep running!" Fred snickered.

’You will have to die or be held down by three times your number before those cuffs are bound to your wrists. Even then, they may conquer the flesh but never the mind.’ The Unknown King’s voice rose in Benjamin’s heart as he fled.

Sweat gathered at his chin, his heart thumped. He was afraid. A single blow would lose his teeth from their gums. He couldn’t face those two.

’Remove the chains from your mind. Look up at those men above you, for you are both men. They are willing to take your pride... Take it back.’

His eyes drifted about. His body lurched forward, both legs working hard to pull him away from his bullies.

Yet, in a mad impulse, he spun and threw a blind punch. To his surprise, his knuckles crashed into Cole’s face. Blood spilled from the bully’s nostrils.

Benjamin stared wide-eyed at Cole, whose eyes were equally wide and filled with disbelief.

Then, his anger flared up.

Fred blasted Benjamin with compressed wind. He flew over a dozen feet, crashed and rolled.

He was back on his lonely street. Alone again.

That punch could cost his family dearly. Why had he done something so stupid?!

Cole and Fred descended on the young boy, groaning in pain. Benjamin curled up, enduring their punches and kicks. He groaned, breathing hard.

He could almost taste blood in his mouth. They hurled curses at him, desperate to prove that he was inferior.

Was he?

If they were so superior, why couldn’t they beat Godfrey?

Benjamin snorted. He didn’t know where this courage came from. Perhaps it might leave soon and he’d return to being the same wimpy boy he’d always been. But while it lasted, he would relish it.

And so, while his body screamed in pain and blood ran down his face, Benjamin smiled, exposing his bloodied teeth.

When they were tired, they left him sprawled on the street, staring at the sky. He was beaten badly, but his mind... God, his mind had never felt this alive.

’I’ve taken it back.’ He smiled, then tilted his head toward the cuff on his wrists.

’Maybe not all of it.’

***

A/N: More are coming