Chapter 785: Eternal Ruler
Chapter 785: Eternal Ruler
The two men flew for several meters before rolling on the ground. An otherworldly aura exploded from within the opened gate before it started to crack. Arthur felt the shaking soil beneath his cheek before lifting himself and looking at the entrance.
The white gate started cracking as white light rays came from between them. Then, as if the gate couldn't take anymore, it exploded into a million pieces that dissolved into mana.
A great influx of mana spread to the surrounding, making Arthur feel as if he has been submerged in water. As for the gate, it was replaced by a portal from which a hand reached out. It was white and without a physical form.
"Return," a husky voice commanded from within the gate, and Arthur felt the mana stop and start flowing back into the hand. It started entering the hand, brightening the white lights until the Sin or Pride stepped out from the portal.
As his foot landed on the soil, Arthur felt a force slam him from above. His knees grew weaker as he tried to resist the aura of a true calamity. In the end, Arthur decided to release his aura of creation.
Golden mana exploded from Arthur's body as his restrained aura of creation exploded in full force. This was a side effect of his command over runes, which Arthur usually hid because of its impact on existence around him.
The two auras clashed against one another, but Arthur was far from restraining his opponent. His aura didn't have the same overbearing pressure, but it was enough to protect him from the feeling of dread.
As the Sin of Pride stepped out of the gate, the aura reached an extreme level until everything around them seemed to fade into the background. Arthur never thought he would see a creature that made everything else seem trivial.
His skin radiated white mana as if the world was undeserving of seeing him. Muscles lined his body as if a master sculptor chiseled him. Cassius wore no clothes as if not unashamed to show everything.
Although he appeared to be a man with flowing white hair, Cassius loo had no genital parts representing his gender. He seemed far from being a human, and his eyes were pools of darkness, contrasting with his white skin.
"Are you the current vessel of that man?" asked Cassius after noticing Arthur, who was overflowing with golden mana. "You are far weaker than your predecessor, who fought against I, and far from being as wise."
His voice was arrogant, and his eyes looked down on Arthur. The Sin of Pride stared at the world with disdain, seeming to find it distasteful.
"I failed to keep you out of this world, but that just means I have to send you back," said Arthur as he took a step back and reached out toward the void. "I defeated a calamity once and can do it again."
"A braver man you are than before, but bravery is for the uncertain; courage is a quality of those knowing their weakness and position. It is the opposite of logic and the embodiment of weakness."
As Cassius delivered his speech, he raised his hand toward a nearby mountain. He then stared at it and released his aura to control it. Arthur could feel the world shaking, and the mountain started crumbling.
"Kneel before me," said Cassius, and the mountain started breaking itself in an attempt to kneel. Arthur watched with fear as the giant structure, a thousand meters high and existing for thousands of years, started to lean toward them.
An earthquake struck the valley as earth layers shifted, allowing the mountain to kneel. Arthur watched with horror as the mountain's summit turned toward the ground, as giant boulders fell from the sky to land around the valley. The loud sound ended with a boom as the summit struck the ground, impaling it in a kneeling position.
"I heard that you defeated the Sin of Greed, Amelio," said Cassius as the world started stabilizing, seeming unfazed by the natural disaster he had created. His eyes never stared at Arthur so far, but then he turned. "I expected the creator to be back, but what is this?"
His face showed his disdain toward Arthur and his puny strength. Arthur realized the difference as well since he was facing a calamity capable of rivaling the legendary empyrean rank with the strength of a peak Vetus-ranker. However, "Courage is the embodiment of weakness?"
Arthur smirked as he faced the Sin of Pride and his arrogance without a hint of his earlier fear. "Courage is the difference between those who bow to gods and those who slay them. After all, if you reach for the stars, you might end up catching one."
"What foolery are you spewing, outsider?" asked Cassius with disdain as he started levitating. "The Eternal Ruler, Cassius, has defeated you once before. You were not courageous when you ran away thousands of years ago."
Arthur frowned because it was the first time that someone had looked down on him in such a way. The giant inside Arthur was silent, not reacting to the current events.
Although Arthur was angry at the calamity, he still knew that his real target was the dog behind him. As long as he kills Hartman, Suyin can be saved.
Therefore, without a hint of hesitation, Arthur bolted back toward the executor. Hartman was watching Cassius on his knees, too afraid to stand, when he realized that Arthur was coming for his life.
"Great Ruler, save me!" shouted Hartman with his left eye oozing the black tar. His face was still pale, and his scythe was barely visible now. It was the perfect chance to kill him, and Arthur was a meter away from him. A spear of golden mana appeared in his hand, ready to pierce Hartman.
"You dare ignore me?" asked Cassius with rage from behind him before raising his arm again. His white mana exploded as he waved his hand, forming a circle in the air. "Turn."
Arthur thrust the spear toward Hartman, who suddenly dodged to the side. However, he then realized that Hartman was not moving, but the ground beneath him was turning in a ring-like fashion until Hartman was kneeling below Cassius.
"The outsider wants to kill you. Tell me the reason, human," said Cassius toward Hartman, who was shaking on the ground like a frozen corpse. "Speak."
"I… I poisoned someone he knew using my astral being," said Hartman as he gathered his wits but never dared to raise his head. "If I die, the poison will disappear from her body. I lured him to this place using her as a threat."
"A threat?" said Cassius with disdain. "What a cowardly method to achieve your goals. You can release the poison now since the outsider shall not live much longer."
Hartman nodded before he paused. Arthur was still watching Cassius with surprise over his unexpected magnanimity. However, the executor had a glint as he stared at Arthur and realized that he was now protected by the man known as First Sin.
"Great One," started Hartman. "Being merciful to one's enemy can be seen as a sign of weakness, although your greatness is untainted by such a thing. The outsider dared to disrespect you, so we must strike where it hurts him. If we let her go, then he might run away again."
Arthur watched how Cassius had a change of expression at the end, seeming to realize that Arthur might actually escape. Although he wanted the calamity to believe otherwise, Arthur would indeed escape if he could.
"Are you going to let a human manipulate you like this, Cassius?" asked Arthur with disappointment. "Don't let him fool you into fighting in such a manner. Even a win under such circumstances will be dishonorable."
"Do not use your words, outsider. This fight is fair, but you will not fight unless your hands are tied. And do you think I care about honor against the man who imprisoned me for thousands of years?"
Cassius was rageful as his white hair flowed like a curtain of light. It seems that he resents Arthur for being entrapped in a dungeon, the same as Amelio, who sealed himself.
Arthur knew that the Calamities were imprisoned behind the Calamity Gates, but the weakening of the Split made their dungeons appear in this world. In the end, the three worlds, Alka, Earth, and Calamity Grounds, became tied in a circular fashion.
"She has nothing to do with this," said Arthur with rage. "Whatever enmity we have, a bystander doesn't have to take the fall for it."
"A human should be honored that they get to die for my desires," said Cassius in disregard as he raised his arms. "Let our third rematch begin, outsider!"
Arthur was sickened by such selfishness, and something within him snapped. A rageful wave of emotions overwhelmed him until he could feel nothing but rage. It was momentary, but Arthur lost himself to these dark emotions.