Chapter 1028 Masked Arthur

Although Uncle John had said that they needed to win against the darkest version of themselves, Arthur never thought he would end up facing himself. However, without a doubt, the man in front of him had no desire to aid him.

"Instead of perishing, why not save the people that you love?" asked Arthur as his dagger flicked the darkness away, illuminating the mansion. "This is not a decision I would make."

"I was different long ago, but you will come to realize that even the strongest wills break in the face of absolute loss," said the Masked Arthur as he held onto his long sword. "If there is a world out there where I can save them, then I would rather do it myself!"

As he declared with a ferocious aura, the Masked Arthur dashed forward alongside his black lightning. It roared with such eagerness to destroy that Arthur was unable to believe this was him.

"Is this how others see me?" muttered Arthur as he gazed into the red eyes the man carried, full of unbridled rage that wanted to tear the world apart. Even he, for a split second, was afraid.

"This is how we chose to present ourselves!" roared the angry man as he struck with his longsword, splitting s.p.a.ce apart. Behind the attack was the entire strength of the Ageless Breaker, making it cut toward him with nothing but destruction.

Arthur flicked his dagger, which the man clearly lacked. His black lightning infused into the dagger, turning into black flames that absorbed everything and canceled it. This way, he received the strike that sent him flying.

Boom!

The walls were torn down by his body, which could not find a way to land. After breaking down several walls, Arthur managed to stop himself. His mind was shaken by the difference in their strength, which should not be possible.

"Who can you protect… with such meager strength? If only I can go back in time… Before it all started…" muttered the hoa.r.s.e voice through the walls, full of pain and regret. "If only I could go back before making the choice…"

"Time never stopped us from fixing our mistakes," said Arthur as blood leaked from his mouth, staining his uniform. "Go back and fix your stupid mistakes, but first tell me what you did wrong!"

"There is no going back anymore, because all I can do now… is to destroy," said the voice coming through the walls, approaching him. "As long as I take your place, I would not lose control like I did before."

"Is this how you destroyed Runera?" asked Arthur while he rose from the ground carrying his Nightmare blade. His eyes scanned through the mansion, jumping from one place to the other. The issue with sharing the same existence as someone else was that it was impossible to sense them.

However, there was no need for Arthur to worry. His alternate version seemed too arrogant to hide, and even tore the wall separating them. Arthur readied his blade for another clash, but the Masked Arthur simply stared at him with enraged eyes.

"You are going to destroy Runera too, Arthur Silvera," said the Masked Arthur as his eyes arched in a smiling fashion. "The consequences of your actions will not stop there, either. The entire world will fall into ruins because of you!"

"Tell me what happened, for f.u.c.k"s sake!" shouted Arthur as he glared at him, black lightning cracking around his blade. "If not, then I will learn the truth from your dead body!"

"These words prove that you are never going to survive the next ordeal, where you lose everyone that you ever loved," said the Masked Arthur with a laugh as he shook his head. "That is right. As long as they are alive, I can still save them."

"You can never replace me."

"Just like how we never replaced the old Arthur Silvera, who never went to Alka?" asked the Masked Arthur with a sarcastic voice. "You are not special, and there are an infinite number of us. Arthurs who never suffered and those who could not survive. Everyone is replaceable!"

Arthur now realized that this version of himself was determined to overtake his position and become the new Arthur Silvera. It was sad to see himself degenerate into a deranged man, but some incidents were bound to change us.

"I do not hate you, other me," said Arthur as he stared down at his dagger with sadness. "I know the pain you feel more than anyone. We love the same people and care for the same followers. I came here to kill the man who killed Julia"s father, and this led me to meet you."

"…I killed her with my own hands," confessed the Masked Arthur, his hand shaking as he stared at it. "In my rage, I tore her apart, even though she trusted me. I destroyed everything. This cursed power, I wish… I never had it."

Tears fell down the mask, dripping from his chin. Arthur stared at the broken mana in complete shock because it was too terrifying to think that he would do such a thing to Julia. Her status was akin to family for him.

"I… would never lose control like this…"

"But you already did," said the Masked Arthur as he stared at him with pity. "Oren warned us about this power. He knew that this rage would consume us every time we used it. Even until the end, he tried to find a way to release us from the Sin of Wrath."

"Oren did…" muttered Arthur as his vision began to lose focus. The large mansion was becoming smaller, making it hard to breathe for him. The black lightning was still crackling around him even though there was no rage in his heart, only confusion.

"Rage is not power," said the Masked Arthur as he drew his sword. "We chose the power to defy the world with our rage because it was the only thing we could feel. It was liberating to let it consume us and still emerge victorious. We failed to see that the greatest battle we were fighting… is against ourselves."

"What makes you tell me all of this?" asked Arthur as he stared at him with a frown. "Are you willing to tell me how to save everyone?"

"The situation did not change," said the Masked Arthur as he stared at him with killing intent. "I just wish… that I could have told myself those words earlier."

Arthur gritted his teeth as he a.s.sumed the first stance in his newfound Art, Eternal Night. It was now impossible to force his alternate version to reveal the truth about what happened. If that was the case, then it would be easier to make him talk once he realizes his imminent death.

"G.o.dslayer Art, Eternal Night," muttered Arthur as his body faded from the world. The Masked Arthur stared at him with interest, since this was not something he had witnessed before. As he looked around for Arthur, he could not find him.

"You learned a new trick, it seems," muttered the masked man as he looked around, his red eyes searching for Arthur. Realizing that it was impossible to find him, he decided to swing his sword to cover the entire mansion.

Rumbling!

Lightning rumbled as it tore through s.p.a.ce, following the masked man"s slash. A force struck the slash and stopped it in its tracks. "Found you," said the masked man with a grin as he tried to push harder.

Rumbling!

The world began to shake as the two forces pushed against each other, tearing everything around them apart. Let it be walls, floor, or ceiling, they were all torn apart like paper because of their clash.

Neither of the two backed down, making the destruction of the surroundings rise to unimaginable levels. The mansion exploded, and half of the city began to disappear under their monstrous attacks. Then, s.p.a.ce cracked before it exploded between the two.

Arthur did not know what happened after that because he opened his eyes to the dusky sky above Runera. He was covered in dust and his own blood, but he was still alive. As he rose from the ground to keep fighting, he found the Masked Arthur sitting a few meters away.

"That attack was… beautiful," said the Masked Arthur with a soft voice. "It had no sound or shape, but it brought peace where it pa.s.sed. It is the ender of suffering, the Eternal Night. You know what those two words mean, right?"

"…death."

"Precisely so," said the Masked Arthur as he opened his robes to reveal a long wound covering his chest. "It was almost a draw, but in the final moment, I hesitated."

"...what for?" asked Arthur as he rose from the ground, which he found hard to do. His head was spinning, and his legs were heavy. There was a long gash over his chest, letting blood spill over the ground. However, he did not want to appear weak.

"Even if I did replace you, I would always know that I was a fraud who failed to protect those he cares for," said the masked man as his hand fell down, limp. "I just wanted… to see them again."