Chapter 755: Astral Gate

The garden was covered with the foul stench of countless poisons, surrounding Arthur like a landmine. His face was sweaty, but a smile appeared when his detect rune showed him that Rain had joined the fight against Erin.

"I don"t need to hold back anymore," Arthur said after realizing his mission was done. Hartman spun his weapon a few times above his head before taking a stance, staring at Arthur with disdain.

"Is this all the outsider amounts to?" asked the executor while staring at Arthur"s tired face. "I expected a proper fight, not a cowardly mouse."

"You will get your fight," said Arthur as he released his [Detect-IV] rune and channeled his fire toward the gate in his consciousness. "Do you know what made me defeat Fallen G.o.d, Amelio?"

"The strength given by the three defenders, who aren"t here now!" said Hartman as he brought his scythe down to slash Arthur, who sidestepped before his arms turned to flames.

"No, it was Amelio"s arrogance," said Arthur before his flames exploded forward toward Hartman. The man sneered before waving his scythe to cut through Arthur, even if it meant being burned.

In response, Arthur turned the rest of his body to flames. His mana flooded toward the gate, and the expansion of fire came with an obliterating explosion that pushed away the scythe and its holder. The explosion was controlled by Arthur, who created a giant out of it.

"Do you think it"s about the size?" asked Hartman before he soared toward Arthur. "A single slash from this will bring you down!"

The giant flames punched toward Hartman, who slashed the arm away before reaching Arthur"s face. The executor brought down his scythe to slice the giant in half, and it was at that moment that Arthur appeared above him.

"Go d.a.m.n, psycho," said Arthur as the golden mana exploded from his body and amplified his strength. He ax-kicked Hartman"s back, which resulted in a cracking voice before the man was launched toward the ground.

Boom!

Hartman crashed to the ground, and Arthur wrote a rune to soar toward the south bridge. His mission here was done, and it won"t be long before the other two Trinity Members arrived. Arthur didn"t go toward the Copper District but dove deep into the trench between the two, making his way out of the city.

Although the Astra-ranker tried to give chase, he soon lost sight of the man capable of anything. As a result, the destroyed Mansell Mansion and the wounded prince were all left from the events.

***

The following day, the events of Helios reached every city in the world. Newspapers printed articles following articles regarding what happened, how it, and the damaged reputation of the light emperor.

"Arthur Silvera Strikes Again!"

"Eradication of The Strongest Gang in Helios."

"An Act of Terrorism, or Retribution?"

Some news stations painted the incident as an act of terrorism, regardless of the goal. They argued that no man should be above the law and that Arthur Silvera was reckless even if he attacked a local gang.

Others painted it as an act of judgment against the gang, regardless of who eradicated them. The crimes of this particular gang came to the surface, and most people found it a relief that they were gone now.

However, the latter news stations quickly withdrew most of their articles regarding the situation, but nothing could be taken down from the internet. But, of course, nothing can be taken down after posting in an age where every citizen can publish.

The mixed opinions regarding the incident became a topic for the citizens and debates on whether vigilantes should be allowed to operate if the law fails to act against such organizations. In either case, Arthur Silvera became more famous and infamous.

Amid the heavy patrolling of the knights and the strict lockdown that the city entered, two men stood atop the high walls of Helios. These walls separated the wilderness and its monsters from the citizens but now looked like a cage imprisoning them.

"How come there is no news of the arrest?" asked Arthur as he flipped through the newspaper. "And I hope no one saw Rain hand him over to you."

"We had to have a fake fight to convince my followers," said Lyle as he stared at the city, the wind ruffling his silky black hair. "In the end, I managed to retrieve Gray from her and arrest him. But, before we met, she made him create a medal for you."

Lyle took out a silver circular piece and raised it. Arthur glanced at it and made a sound of approval before the man threw it toward him. After catching it, Arthur infused it with his mana, which started glowing.

"Then, the first step is done."

"There is one more thing for us to do. There is a trial ground close by, and those who pa.s.s it can join the Holy Knights. But, of course, there are always fallen victims, and you can pose as one of them."

"You seem bothered by something," said Arthur with confusion. "The plan was a great success, but I don"t see you smiling."

"I just locked away a friend of mine for a promotion," said Lyle as he turned to stare at Arthur. "Would you be smiling if you were in my shoes?"

"How did he handle it?"

"Rain told him of the plan. He smiled and asked her something utterly absurd in response, making me question his sanity. Then, Gray didn"t even look me in the eye when I arrested him."

"What did he ask?"

"Whether I would be happy once this is all over."

"Not as absurd as I thought," said Arthur as he placed the newspaper away. "Are you going to be?"

"We both know the answer to that," said Lyle as he stared at the bustling city. "The path I"m walking does not lead to happiness but death. As long as I have my revenge, that will be enough. Happiness was never a goal."

"That"s what bothers you. The forger wasn"t asking whether you would be happy, but whether this is all worth it in the end."

"It is worth it, right?" asked Lyle.

"For the greater good, it is. However, there is nothing for you to gain from this other than the satisfaction of revenge. Are you going to tell me what you are taking revenge on?"

"Does it matter?" smiled the knight before turning around and handing Arthur an envelope. "This is the spot where the trial survivors appear, and a list of every partic.i.p.ant with their faces. So you can pose as the one of the dead, and my men will take you back."

Arthur scanned through the list of partic.i.p.ants, and his eyes fell on one profile, which he removed and showed to Lyle. After a glance, Lyle sighed and nodded.

"So, this is your foster sister and the one who struck Erin in his manhood," said Arthur with amus.e.m.e.nt. "I can"t wait to meet her."

"I doubt you would, but even still, try not to interact with her. Despite her hotheaded nature, Layla is quite acute regarding people."

"If she pa.s.ses this, this makes her quite capable," said Arthur with confusion. "Why don"t you let her join the rebellion? She can be a trustworthy a.s.set in the upcoming fight."

"We have different opinions on how to handle this," said Lyle before turning to leave. Finally, however, Arthur figured it out and smiled.

"She moved on from what happened, but you did not," said Arthur as he stared at the woman, who looked like a gangster rather than the granddaughter of The Knights Commander. "Does she resent you as well for arresting her grandfather?"

"…this is enough information to move onto the next step, Arthur Silvera," said Lyle before he turned into the wind and disappeared. Arthur was left alone over the wall, staring at the woman"s profile.

"Layla, also known as Night," read Arthur. "A gang leader? That"s surprising. I wonder what pushed her down this path," amused Arthur, but this was the second time he had met such a trio. After all, Babo and the Bloodflower Boss had a similar relationship.

In the end, Arthur closed the files and stared at the map. As long as he had a map, Arthur could teleport precisely toward the location given.

[Teleport-IV] appeared in the air and started compressing s.p.a.ce to create a portal between the two points. Then, Arthur walked through it, appearing in front of the astral gate.

"So, this is the one granting blessings," muttered Arthur as he tried to make sense of the engravings on the gate. However, the words were not runes, but a language Arthur failed to understand. "An ancient language?"

Arthur walked toward the gate and placed his hand on it. As soon as he did, countless voices appeared in his head, all talking simultaneously. The sudden influx of sounds gave Arthur a splitting headache, which forced him to let go of the gate.

"Those voices… sounded familiar," muttered Arthur as he stared at the gate and then at his hand. "Those are the voices of astral beings."