Chapter 739: Judgment

Lyle snorted before bursting out laughing, and Rain glared at Arthur with a hateful expression. However, Arthur simply smiled and started eating before putting the spoon down. The food was still bland, but Arthur forgot that.

"Is it done?" asked Lyle after calming down, and Arthur nodded. "Then, you know where to find Gray?"

"I do, but this will be a bit complicated," said Arthur as he took the drink and gulped it down. "His captors are the Mansell Gang. I know their mansion"s location and have a bit of a grudge against them."

"A grudge for what?"

"I witnessed them extorting money from innocents yesterday. I wanted to visit and eliminate them, but I decided it would cause too much chaos."

"And now, we have the reason to do that," said Rain with excitement. "Let"s burn those stingy b.a.s.t.a.r.ds down! A few refused to pay for my services after the deed was done."

"The nerve of these people!" said Arthur, mocking her. "They don"t pay after you steal their strength? How can such humans exist?!"

"I lost faith in this world," she said while shaking her head and realizing that Arthur was being sarcastic. Then, she kicked his shin, making Arthur snicker to himself.

"The initial plan is for me to use the knights and raid them, but this might be hard with the Mansell being involved. After all, their leader is close friends with Erin Voldor."

"Why would they give an arrest order if such a task was impossible?" asked Arthur with a frown. "Is it merely for appearances?"

"It is indeed so," said Lyle as he held his chin. "An arrest of such a caliber would give me a chance of being promoted into a vice-commander. This can be helpful for our plans."

"Alright, I will go to the Mansell Gang and create a disturbance. After that, I will free Gray and allow him to run away, only to be caught by you."

"This should be our best plan, but are you fine with that, Lyle?" asked Rain with concern. "After all, Gray used to be your partner. Sending him to the Prison of Light might be too harsh."

"We have to save all of them, and this might be a good chance to find where the prison is," said Lyle before he turned toward Arthur. "Can you achieve that?"

"There is little to what I can"t achieve, but I would need time," said Arthur. "Furthermore, this will create great chaos in the capital. After all, everyone will know that the culprit is Arthur Silvera."

***

His decision to use his actual face made Lyle uneasy since this revelation might make their plans harder and the security stricter. However, Arthur wanted to use this fear that the Voldor family had to throw them off.

It was a risk that could kill them all, but Arthur believed they should see what they had up their sleeves. In addition, it was a way of telling Ori about his existence in the capital. After fighting Amelio, Arthur realized his fighting style had been incomplete until now.

Arthur needed to study his opponent to a.s.sess how to take him down. The droplet of blood he took to create a cursed rune against Amelio made him realize as much. However, through that testing, he realized Amelio"s true weakness: his own strength.

"The Light Emperor should have such a weakness," muttered Arthur as he strolled through the streets of the Copper District, making his way toward the bridge. "If I can create a single rune that counters him, then we would have more than just a chance."

The bridge crossing toward the upper district had many people coming and going, all producing their medals to the knights. Arthur didn"t have one, but he still marched toward them. His face was undisguised too.

There was a long line before the entrance to the Silver District, heavily guarded by knights. Arthur took his place in the line and waited until it was his turn. The silver gate of the upper district hung above the inspecting knights.

"Next!" shouted the young female knight, and it was finally Arthur"s turn. He stepped toward her, but she was still scribbling something on her clipboard. "Name, medal, and purpose."

"The name is Arthur Silvera. But, unfortunately, I have no medal, and I"m here to take out the Mansell Gang," replied Arthur. The woman was still scribbling before she paused and slowly raised her eyes toward him.

Arthur saw the recognition on her face, which turned petrified and pale. He never once believed he could make a person make that face with just his name and face.

"Arthur… Silvera…" muttered the young knight with shock, her mouth big enough to fit an egg. Her hands started shaking before she reached for her sword.

"Don"t move or let out a sound," commanded Arthur, his golden eyes seizing her existence. The young knight froze in place, making the rest of the knights suspicious. "You will let me throw without creating a fuss and won"t tell anyone about me for another twenty minutes. Then, after I pa.s.s, you can move again."

His art of creator made his body glow golden, but it ended before anyone noticed. The knight started moving and opened the way for him, her face covered in sweat. Arthur smiled and pa.s.sed through, his face covered by his black robes.

"Don"t worry, I"m here to make this city better," said Arthur as he walked past the knight. She was still shaking, although she had regained her free will. Arthur crossed the bridge and entered the Silver District, walking straight toward the Mansell Gang"s mansion.

The address that the bartender gave him seemed to be correct, as Arthur found the mansion with guards protecting it. However, they weren"t knights but seemed more like a mercenary. Arthur walked to the front gate with leisure before being blocked.

"Who are you?" asked a tall, tanned man as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. The rest of the guards started at Arthur and his suspicious black cloak and white shirt.

"I am the judge," replied Arthur before he pulled down his hood, revealing his face. The gangsters seemed confused before one of them started shaking and pointing toward Arthur.

"You are… you… Arthur Silvera!" squeaked the burly man, who seemed to have lost his earlier ferocity. The rest of the guards seemed confused as to what made him so scared before realizing the name that he had said.

The footage showing Arthur Silvera fighting Amelio was watched by the whole world, several times even. After that fight, he was unofficially labeled the strongest man because he defeated a calamity that made Astra-rankers helpless.

As the guards snapped their necks toward the young man grinning at them, they all reached for their weapons. Arthur raised his hands, and golden threads exploded from within his fingertips. Every threat pierced one of the gangsters" bodies, making them freeze in place.

"It is too early to let them know that I"m here," said Arthur as he grabbed the golden threads with his hands. "Therefore, answer a question of mine first. What is the worst thing that each of you did?"

The guards let out sounds from their throats and confessed their worst crimes. Hearing them made Arthur sick since all of them killed and raped innocents.

"The judgment is death. Feel the pain that you have inflicted on others, and then die," said Arthur before he clenched his fists and twisted the threads. The guards released inhuman screams as they fell to the ground and shook. Then, one after the other, they collapsed motionless to the ground.

Arthur resumed his stroll past their bodies after their screams alerted the gangsters inside the mansion and the knights on the streets. However, it did not matter. He was here to deliver his judgment.

More guards stormed out of the mansion, filling its gardens. Arthur spread his arms as he walked toward them, and flames flickered from his hands. Then, two pillars of fire exploded from his hands, gathering above him to form a great sun.

"Those of you who did nothing wrong should leave," said Arthur as he joined the two pillars. The guards stopped running toward him as they saw this sight, and all of them started seeking shelter or shooting at him. "And the sinners… should burn."

Arthur lowered his hand, making the giant sun come crashing toward the guards. The sizzling flames silenced the chaos and shouting as they whistled through the air.

"Run, run, run!"

"We are under attack! Report to the figureheads! Activate the array!"

"Ice mages, do something!"

BOOM!

The gangsters were thrown into disarray as the giant sun crashed to the ground, causing a violent explosion that obliterated the gardens. It was powerful enough to shake the world, and the scene turned into a sea of flames from h.e.l.l.

Arthur stood there as he heard the screams of those struck by the flames, but he didn"t allow his heart to go soft. These were the sc.u.m of society, and leaving them alive would endanger innocents.

Although he knew this was the right thing, it never felt good to take a life. Arthur stared at the dying gangsters with sadness, wishing they had not chosen this path. However, they did, causing great pain to others through their actions.

"This is… judgment."