Chapter 1110 Gate of Wrath

The adventure on the second floor ended, and the group of nine challengers ma.s.sacred the monsters coming from the third floor. This allowed the second floor to take a momentary breather before they resumed defending their lives.

As this story ended, a new one began. Far from the suffering of the second floor, Arthur and his group rode the wyverns into the third floor. A mountain of ogres lay beneath them, all seeking to enter the second floor for a taste of flesh.

"Their numbers are in the millions," said Whisker as he stared at the ground. "Dorian will have a hard time against them."

"We can help him a little," muttered Arthur as he looked at their infinite numbers. "Guide the wyvern down a little, Lian. Let me reduce their numbers a little."

"We don"t have the time to help him, Seika," said Lian with a frown. "If we want to keep true to our promise, we must pa.s.s everything with haste. We cannot fight unnecessary battles."

"It would not be a battle," said Arthur with a thin smile before he rose, standing atop the wyvern. His black dagger appeared, unleashing a cry of heavenly wrath. "Allow me a single strike to test my newfound strength."

The moment the group heard his words, they perked up with excitement. Everyone wanted to see the limit of his current strength, as he seemed to hold back even against the G.o.ddess Artemis. As the wyvern got close to the mountain"s summit, Arthur jumped and landed atop it.

"You need to fly a little higher than this, Lian," said Arthur as he raised his dagger to the side. "I am about to open the gate of wrath."

Boom!

As soon as his words reached their ears, a wrathful aura exploded from his body. His long black hair flew toward the sky as a black beam connected heaven and earth, with him in the center.

"Scream," Arthur commanded his dagger, and it obeyed. Its scream was akin to a million souls wailing at the same time, seeking justice. As his aura rose higher, the wyvern began to turn frantic. Its furless skin trembled while seeking to flee the scene.

The black light coated his dagger, making it seem to be a hundred times bigger. His hand stood unmoving as it awaited his command. As soon as the wyvern was a safe distance away, Arthur resumed his attack.

"Open for me, Kingdom of Wrath," his voice was low, but everyone heard him as if he was shouting the words. The black lights materialized a gate behind him, as black as the night and formed from some strange metal. Strange engravings covered the gate that slowly parted ways under his command.

All eight stood on their feet, not wanting to miss this sight. Arthur stood atop the mountain with millions of monsters beneath him, marching toward the second floor. Even as he unleashed his aura, the ogres seemed programmed to head to the second floor, nothing else.

"Suffering souls of the dead," muttered Arthur as he stared at the monsters, his dagger raised high without moving an inch. "Heed the command of your king, and obliterate the enemies before me."

As they heard his commands, souls flew out from the black gate. Their cries echoed to the world as they sought their king, carrying the black light known as wrath. Then, they all flew into his black dagger until it could take no more.

Boom!

Arthur raised his dagger toward the sky, and it exploded in a single line toward the clouds. The black line tore through the clouds, creating a gaping hole in them. Then… there was silence.

The eight stood while holding their breaths back, staring at the world freeze for a single second that seemed like eternity. Then, rumbling echoed throughout the sky as it turned dark, turning day to night.

Zzzzzz!

Air buzzed louder than their ears could handle as they saw a giant black circle appear in the sky. The next moment, a black beam tore through the clouds before slamming to the ground. Light exploded as the entire world shook.

Eight challengers stood atop the wyvern as the light blinded their eyes. All they saw before was a black pillar, bigger than the mountain itself, shoot from the sky toward the hordes of ogres. When the rumbling stopped and the light faded, the following scene shook their souls.

Nothing.

Everything was wiped out inside the circular beam. There were no monsters, forests, rivers, or even earth. The only remaining thing was the circular void that seemed bottomless, a reminder for the world of this man"s strength. The eight stood with mouths agape, their hearts almost reaching their throats.

"Is this... even real?" asked Lian with disbelief.

"If he is limited by the tower and his stats, then how would he be outside?" muttered Seraphine with an expectant look. "You were right, Silver Rose."

"As the legends stated," answered Jonathan with a grin, "The demon king will have the power to obliterate the world once he overcomes his wrath. In the past eons before he returned, not one sin of wrath managed to tame the kingdom he just summoned!"

As the group stood there, absolutely shocked, the souls returned to the gate. Nightmare disappeared as Arthur turned toward the departing souls and clapped his hands together. Then, he closed his golden eyes.

"Thank you."

Some of the black souls still cried in agony as they departed this world, and their cries made their hearts wrench. Their sobs were filled with grievances over what they lost, and the eight found themselves crying without their control.

Even the veteran Ilia Perli found himself crying as he heard their sobs. They were not frightening in the least, just heartbreaking. Arthur did not cry this time, but he had a smile on his face as his golden eyes stared at the departing souls.

"I will save you soon."

After those words, the gate slammed shut and scattered like it never existed. Arthur then turned toward the wyvern and jumped, reaching them in an instant. As soon as he returned, everyone hurried to wipe away their tears.

"If we all cry this often, we would be called the Crybabies," said Arthur with a grin as he stared at them, and Ilia coughed as he turned away. "Don"t be ashamed of it, though. Those who cry over others are ones I can trust."

"Teacher, I have a question," said Koby with a red face. "In the hidden dungeon, I saw these souls turn from black to golden. Their auras also changed after that, so how come they are black again?"

"Those are different souls," said Arthur with a smile. "Some of the souls I promised agreed to follow me, while others wanted to wait and see. If I have the strength to take revenge for them, they would turn golden. If not, they would help me grow until then."

"Golden souls?" muttered Seraphine with a frown. "Can I ask about this too, my king?"

"The reason that I control golden mana, the same as the one Artemis used?" asked Arthur with a smile, and watched the group nod at the same time. "The question should be rephrased to this: how did Artemis get hold of my mana?"

His words left the group awestruck. As the tall man raised his hand and released his golden mana, his eyes shone with a brilliant golden light. He did not consider his mana to be stolen from the G.o.ds, but the opposite!

"I remain far from certain about the past, but I know that this mana is mine," said Arthur as he turned toward them with a golden flame flickering over his palm. "My wrath will destroy the world that these G.o.ds created, and my golden mana will rebuild it anew."

The eight were silent, staring at the flames. Then, Seraphine knelt on the ground, and the rest followed. As they all knelt for him, they expressed their loyalty once again.

"Regardless of the power you wield, you will be our king, Arthur Netherborne," said Seraphine before she raised her head with a smile. "Lead against the G.o.ds, and we shall follow without questions!"

Arthur stared at them before smiling and releasing the golden flame. It scattered before entering their bodies, making them surprised. As they were bathed in golden light, a notification flashed from the tower before them.

[Arthur Netherborne has raised the limits for your stats!]

[Arthur Netherborne has raised the limits for your abilities!]

[Arthur Netherborne has raised the limits for your skills!]

...

These notifications appeared for the eight, making them surprised. Arthur did not address it any further as he turned and sat atop the wyvern. Seraphine snapped out of her daze and nodded toward the tamer, who controlled the wyvern.

Their journey toward the Trial of Heroes began, which they would find at the end of this floor. As they pa.s.sed over the void his attack left, the group estimated that he killed at least a million ogres in that attack alone.