Chapter 1020  Retained Sanity

Within the painting where no life existed, Arthur faced the shrouded figure who welcomed him like an old friend. As the familiarity of the voice sank into his mind, Arthur realized the ident.i.ty of this person before him. However, he never expected to meet him so soon.

"…I did not think you would show yourself this easily, Yuvan Perli," said Arthur with suppressed anger that caused crackling lightning to destroy the wasteland. "Have you finally accepted your end?"

"On the contrary, Arthur Silvera," said Yuvan as he pulled down the hood covering his face. "This is the beginning of my role in determining the end of times."

The once freckled and kind face was now covered in a shimmering gray mark, corroding the very skin it rested in. Some of his cheekbone had come to the surface, unearthed by the strange energy digging into his flesh.

"You have already fulfilled your role in your end, Yuvan," said Arthur as he unleashed Nightmare, which let out a cry of wrath as well. "I wished that Ilia would be here to witness your end, but it cannot be helped."

"I see that you have accepted the gift I prepared for you," said Yuvan as he stared at the dagger in Arthur"s hand. The words made Arthur freeze in place, and Yuvan caught his confusion. "You did not think that a simple spider would drop such a weapon, did you?"

"You planted this weapon in the spider?" asked Arthur as he stared at him with both caution and confusion. "For what purpose would you… give me a weapon to kill you?"

"I followed the orders of the Immortal Sage," said Yuvan Perli with a grin as he spread his arms. "Upon your entrance into the tower, his eyes were locked onto you, watching your defiance of the tower"s rules and your audacious battles against G.o.ds."

"Does that sage care about his followers" lives?" asked Arthur as he dismissed the topic entirely. "Because I don"t plan on sparing it for whatever reason is about to come out of your mouth."

"Even if you kill me within this tower, I will revive again," said Yuvan with a grin as he shook his head. "You are too blinded by petty matters like revenge. The reason I summoned this tower… is to show you the truth."

"Stick that truth where it belongs along with the rest of your bulls.h.i.t," said Arthur as his aura exploded. At long last, his rage found an outlet. s.p.a.ce began to shake within the painting as lightning roared into life. "I will give it a second thought… once you die."

"It is almost impossible…" muttered Yuvan with a sigh as he faced the incoming destruction, "to convince the Sin of Wrath."

"d.a.m.n right it is," replied Arthur as his entire body was covered in armor. Screams of wrath echoed from within the thundercloud appearing in the sky before all pouring into one man. Yuvan raised his head with awe as he witnessed the scene.

"As I witness it in person, I realize the reason no one was able to retain their insanity after becoming the Sin of Wrath," said Yuvan while hearing the wrathful cries that almost drove him mad. Then, with a grin, he squeezed his chest tight. "What a fascinating anomaly you are… Arthur Silvera!"

The sky howled with rage as lightning bolts struck the ground, destroying the world within the painting. Arthur was covered with colorless lightning crackling around him. However, even within it, the golden mana was as powerful as ever.

"Are you turning into… your final form?" asked Yuvan Perli as he stared with a crazed expression at him. "Show me the true beauty of defiance and creation!"

The transformation began with a golden aura enveloping Arthur"s form, a cascade of radiating light that emanated from his core. This radiant energy pulsed and swirled around him, crackling with raw potential.

Amidst the brilliance, his figure gradually became obscured as the initial stages of his metamorphosis set in. An ethereal sensation filled the air, as if the fabric of reality itself was being woven anew.

From within the dazzling radiance, the dark silhouette of armor emerged. It was as if the very essence of wrath had been forged into a protective sh.e.l.l, but this was no ordinary armor. As it took shape, intricate patterns of golden roses materialized across its surface, each petal and thorn glimmering with an otherworldly aura.

Arthur"s face remained partially visible within the helmet of the armor, his eyes now aflame with a blend of determination and wrath. The transformation intensified as the golden roses began to intertwine with the darkness of the armor, merging in a mesmerizing dance of contrasts. This fusion symbolized the harmonious balance between creation and wrath, two forces that had defined his journey.

As the transformation neared its culmination, a shockwave of energy rippled outward, shaking the very ground beneath Arthur"s feet. A loud explosion echoed through the wasteland as he disappeared from sight, appearing inches away from Yuvan.

"Ah, this is indeed… retribution," muttered the sinful man as he welcomed the blade approaching his neck with a peaceful smile. "Master was right about you."

These were the last words Yuvan uttered before the blade pa.s.sed through his neck, severing it in one clean cut. Arthur traveled several feet behind him before his legs managed to stop his sprint. Then, the exploding aura turned the ground before him upside down.

Silence slowly descended on the world again as the thunderstorms began to disappear. Arthur stood, covered in his armor and beneath his inhuman mask, breathing heavily. Then, he turned toward the corpse behind him.

"Are you an immortal?" asked the low rageful voice from his mouth while Arthur stared at the corpse rising in the air, separated into a head and a body. "I would never allow it." His stance changed as his aura exploded again. This time, he used the same art Yuvan claimed to have given him. "G.o.dslayer Art, Eternal Night."

No flashing lights or exploding aura, just a silent night pa.s.sing unnoticed. Arthur disappeared and reappeared in his original spot, severing the mage"s limbs and torso from each other. However, even after sheathing his blade, Yuvan"s body still floated beside each other.

"I am… a puppet myself," said Yuvan with his eyes closed. "No matter how much you cut a puppet, its strings would hold it together. This is true immortality."

"There is nothing I cannot break," said Arthur with wrath laced in his voice as he prepared another attack. "I will make sure the world does not witness your evil again."

"You can cut me a thousand times, but this is not my real body," said Yuvan with a smile as he opened his eyes. "I have yet to fulfill my role in bringing the end of times. Once I do, I will accept my death with open arms."

"Do you consider yourself… to be invincible?" spat Arthur from between his gnashing teeth, his voice trembling with rage. "Do you think I am helpless against you?"

The questions fell down like the bringers of a catastrophe. Yuvan watched as the aura around Arthur began to shift, and the shadow of a giant wolf began to take form around him. It was then that true fear appeared in his eyes.

"You killed her father," said the voice of wrath as red eyes appeared beneath the helmet. "I never wanted her to experience the pain that I went through, but you consider it… to be a trivial matter."

"If you let rage control you, no one here can bring you back," said Yuvan in slight urgency that he tried to mask. "It had to be done, for the immortal sage to see how you control your wrath."

"Save your bulls.h.i.t, Yuvan," said Arthur as his figure began to disappear into the shadow of the wolf of destruction. "You summoned the red tower and turned the world against me for your own selfish gains."

"…the world turning against you is necessary," said Yuvan with a determined face before realization struck him. "It matters not anymore. As long as I remain here, this rage of yours will not subside. Come and find me in the last room, and I will tell you the truth."

The separated human began to collapse to the ground like a lifeless puppet. Arthur took a step forward, but the man disappeared as his puppet dissolved into darkness. However, his rage could not be contained anymore. It set a fire in his heart, never to be extinguished.

Arthur opened his mouth, unleashing a bloodcurdling cry that would shatter souls. The painting world began to shatter against him, like gla.s.s falling apart. In its midst, his golden flowers began to explode into golden mana, which turned into a figure.

In his stupor, Arthur saw her figure. The same gaze she stared at him with and the same love she imprinted into him were there to face. In the collapsing world, Dia was the only one who could stop the wrath from burning him.