Chapter 1144 Thirty Years Ago

After he walked away from his father, Arthur realized that he was on the third floor, where a giant wilderness hides many monsters. However, in that moment in time, Arthur felt at peace. As he relished the method he used to crush his father, a small blue dragon popped up from his shoulder.

"Are you sure about sparing his life?" asked Nova, the blue dragon that inherited Azkahar"s knowledge. "From the timelines I met you, your father was always a source of suffering, despite his intentions to raise you as a demon king."

"Can I relish this moment without thinking about the b.a.s.t.a.r.d?"

"I apologize for bringing him up, but my job is to provide you with knowledge," said the blue dragon with great eloquence, surprising Arthur. After all, this dragon should have been nothing but a baby.

"This reminds me, Nova, do you have a human form?"

"I cannot take that form until I grow older," said Nova as it raised its head toward the sky. "That should take about three hundred days."

"That is very specific."

"As the wise dragon, I must maintain a certain level of specificity," said the blue dragon as it puffed its watery chest out. "I still have a lot of information to digest from the memory core my father left me, but I retrieve the knowledge according to the order that you demand it. What is the first topic you want me to retrieve?"

"The first thing that I want to know is…" muttered Arthur as he stopped walking, pondering an answer before finding one. "Tell me everything you have on the Holy Crown."

"I can retrieve its information from alternate timelines, but the best way to understand that would be to ask the man who created it," said Nova with confusion. "He should be around here, right?"

"I do need to ask him about what relationship he has with Seref, and the truth behind the legacy of the Scholar Guardian," said Arthur with a nod as he walked through the forest. "Let"s go together now."

Arthur returned to the same s.p.a.ce that Jizo was working in, and as he saw how focused the guardian was on building this artifact, he wondered again if this man was an enemy or an ally. As he noticed Arthur was standing there without a word, the guardian sensed that something was amiss.

"Did you meet Seref?" asked Jizo, to which Arthur nodded. "How did it go?"

"I learned nothing new, other than how indifferent I am to his fate anymore," said Arthur as he took several steps forward. "I am more interested in knowing what your relationship was with him. How did the two of you meet, and for what purpose did you work together?"

As he heard the question, the guardian froze in place. He turned toward Arthur with a guilt-riddenly expression as he paused his work on the artifact. Then, he rose from his seat and walked toward Arthur. "I wished that you would never ask me."

"I know that it changes everything I know about myself, but I need to know," said Arthur as he raised his hand, creating golden mana and a black wrath-filled beam. "How did you merge the creator and wrath together?"

"Creation is the opposite of wrath, almost," said Jizo after a moment of silence. "For the two to come together, you need a certain const.i.tution."

"Const.i.tution?" muttered Arthur with confusion, sensing that it had something to do with what Seref mentioned earlier about them not being humans. "Are you suggesting that I"m not human?"

"You have the body of a human, that is certain, but you have a rare const.i.tution of mana pathways, soul structure, and sea of consciousness that allows the two to merge."

"And how did you know about this?"

"This story dates back almost thirty years ago, almost ten years before you were born. Seref was twenty years old at that time, and we met at the Ruins of the Immortal Sage. I gave him access to this tower at that time because of the knowledge he had."

***

25th of October, 2012.

Inside one of the hardest ruins to explore, the Ruins of the Immortal Sage, a young man stepped through the gate. These ruins existed for a long time, and those who entered would be granted immense knowledge about whatever they desired.

This time, the ruins had another ambitious man trying to gain its favor. This man had black hair and golden eyes. His body was lined with muscles and scars beneath his cloak, conveying a past of hardships.

"I have found you at last, Immortal Sage," said the young man with eyes that gleamed with glory. Those who came before him scoffed at his arrogance, but he would soon leave them speechless.

The ruins were vast with many caves and hidden rooms, but this man jumped into them as if he had them memorized. No trap escaped his eyes, and those that did... failed to activate in time before he slipped into the hidden rooms and stole the treasures.

This unknown rising star in the ruins caused a great commotion in the world, but no one knew what ability he had to accomplish such a feat. Furthermore, he was obsessed with meeting the Immortal Sage... and he did.

"A very unique ability," said the sage who presented himself before the young man, adorned in a cloak and a shabby room. "What do you call it?"

"Mana Interference," said the young man as he pulled down his hood, revealing his black hair and green eyes. "It allows me to have direct control over the mana of the surrounding."

"Although this ability can be weak, it has powerful potential," said the sage with interest. "I believe that you have been seeking me for a while."

"I do not seek the Immortal Sage," said the young man with a smile. "I seek the Scholar Guardian, Master of Runes."

As he heard his words, the Immortal Sage had a change of expression. His expression changed to a threatening scowl as he glared at the young man. "Who are you?"

"My name is Seref Silvera," said the young man with a confident grin. "I am the man who will be remembered in history for generations to come."

"History is written by the victor," said the Immortal Sage after a moment of consideration. "How did you learn of my ident.i.ty?"

"I found myself a good spirit that can tell me secrets of the universe, and I have been using it to my advantage," said a grinning Seref as he clenched his fist. "I come here for you with a proposal. A chance to achieve what you have been hoping to achieve."

"And what is that?"

"A man capable of bringing down G.o.ds," said Seref, the words that would change the course of history, and the Immortal Sage could not look away. In the man"s knowing and confident eyes, he saw a future that could topple the scales of power in the universe.

Jizo sought Gaia once before about the ident.i.ty of the creator, and she gave him clues about where to find him. In addition to that, he learned about Ragnar, who once threatened the G.o.ds.

"Who are you, truly?" asked the guardian with a frown as he squinted his eyes at the young man. Hearing his question, Seref lowered his fist and straightened his back.

"My ancestor has once been known as the Demon King, Ragnar Netherborne," said the young man, revealing the shocking secret. "While I did not inherit his blood, I know who will."

"Do you truly know?" asked the guardian with temptation, and Seref grinned in response. After all, the guardian has been searching to find someone who could master wrath and receive the will of the creator.

In the end, Seref received the legacy of the Scholar Guardian, giving him access to countless artifacts that the guardian created. In return, Seref had a single mission, and it could be the most important mission in the universe.

To father a son from a specific woman.

The sole const.i.tution that could master both wrath and creation was called Harmonic Nexus. Seref knew how to utilize his blood as a descendant of Netherborne to father a child who would be capable of wielding both.

However, there was something that not even the Scholar Guardian could understand. Although he sought Gaia to find the creator, he was never able to find him. In the end, he believed that the creator has yet to be born. But Seref somehow managed to make the creator be born as his son.

Even until the end of their relationship, Jizo never learned the truth behind that. As he planted a legacy within the child that Seref presented to him, he wondered about the fate that this child would have one day.

After thirty years, the child stood before him, enraged at his father who manipulated his entire life. The child was now a man with a tall stature, long hair, and a short beard. His golden eyes revealed an immense depth, at its bottom was sadness and disappointment.

"Seref knew that you would be capable of becoming the creator and the master of wrath, a Netherborne. I used the legacy to regulate your powers, but wrath was not something I had knowledge about. That"s why I embarked on a journey to seek Azkahar the Wise."