Chapter 768: Seen Through

The world witnessed the man hailed as Light Emperor get robbed of his powers, as the light spears that he gathered dissipated and escaped his grip. The emperor tried to regain control of his light, reaching out toward the arrays, but they all listened to Arthur, not him.

"You lost the moment that you used runes against me," said Arthur as the runes gathered around his arms, coiling like snakes. "Let the world witness how weak you are!"

The Light Emperor stood frozen with a face drained of color. Arthur was sure he was powerful enough to strike back and force Arthur away from the array, but his façade would be broken. His people would know that he never wielded the light, but its opposite.

If the emperor used his ability now to strengthen himself, then the words that the forger left would be proven true. Arthur and the forger left him with two choices: losing the citizen"s trust or his life.

The world stopped moving at that movement, as no one understood what was happening. Arthur Silvera robbed the emperor of his strength and left him standing there like an idiot as he reached for the escaping light.

"I…" the emperor opened his mouth, looking helpless and pale. "I expected this day to come, for the light to be robbed of me," said the emperor with heartbreak. "Once, our land lost its elements. Now, it happens again!"

Arthur was surprised as the emperor screamed the words that shifted the situation. An unadorned accusation, accompanied by Arthur"s disabling the arrays, made him the villain.

"This is no coincidence," inwardly realized Arthur as he stared at the Light Emperor, spreading his arms toward the sky. He saw the hint of a twisted smile as he used Arthur as a scapegoat. Then, their eyes met. "He planned this."

Arthur realized that he had fallen into a trap that the emperor had orchestrated. This must have been his response to the events of the Mansell Mansion, where Arthur saved Forger Gray.

Hartman was not here, but the emperor must have realized that Arthur disabled the light arrays disguised as blessings. This made it expected that once the two of them met, then Arthur would expose his lies.

"Even the broadcast has been a part of it," thought Arthur. "Lyle was never the target of this broadcast and execution. It was a method to lure me out. The emperor is aware of the rebellion and the impact that I would have."

The cunningness of this man surprised Arthur because he calculated all of these things. He knew that Arthur would intervene if the person he tried to rescue once was executed and would hijack the broadcast as he had done numerous times before.

Like the time with Rolan of Orlan, Arthur realized that these people saw through him. The Seven Families were not targets waiting for him to strike them but cunning veterans that withstood the tests of time.

The knights stood in formation around him, encircling Arthur while aiming their swords at him. They all had hostile faces as if Arthur was their sworn enemy.

"A prophecy was pa.s.sed down in our empire for centuries, warning us about those who seek the elements," said the emperor with sadness. "This is the day where it happens. You are the man who came back to steal the elements from us, Arthur Silvera!"

Arthur was sure that if the emperor were ever dethroned, he would make a promising career being an actor. The emotions, rage, and accusation were all delivered with sincerity. But, unfortunately, the broadcast was still ongoing, and Arthur realized it no longer served its purpose.

"You are one twisted man," said Arthur with genuine admiration, his smile non-retractable. "Is this what you want the people to believe?"

"This is what the prophecy told them!" the emperor waved his hand. "You came here to attack me while stealing the elements and end the reign of the Voldor Family. However, the people know the truth now and will never aid their enemy!"

Countless weapons were aimed at him, and Arthur stood there rooted with a smile. He wanted to force the emperor into revealing his true powers, but he couldn"t do that at the time. It would merely throw fuel into the fire.

This was their stage, orchestrated for the sole purpose of making him the enemy of Ilios. This way, the rebellion would be crippled, and its movement would stagger. Arthur had no other option now but to retreat.

"Anyone who wishes to fight, then step forward!" shouted a voice behind him, and it was Layla surrounded by knights. Ai stood beside her, carrying the healed body of Gray on her back.

"I will handle her," shouted a Knights Captain before stepping forward. Layla slashed with her sword, which suddenly grew and ambushed the unprepared knight. It was no more than a scratch, but he suddenly collapsed on the ground as steel infested his wound. "Do not let her hit you," he shouted, tasting the horror firsthand.

"Who is this woman?" asked the emperor with a frown after seeing her powers.

"Her name is Night, and she is a gangster," answered Erin Voldor as he walked through the crowd. "Can I handle her, father?" asked the prince as his chains appeared. The emperor hummed in response, giving his approval.

A shadow leaped from behind him as the prince made his way toward Night. It was a character that Arthur met a few days ago, wearing the badge of a Knights Captain. Haro appeared behind Erin and slashed his back, blood gushing from the unprepared berserk.

"Guh!"

"Your Highness!"

"What is the meaning of this?!"

The knights fell into disarray as the female captain threw away her sword and jumped to stand beside Layla, drawing her short bow. Arthur stared at her with a smile, remembering her as Haro Goldner from the Mansell Mansion.

"It has been a long time, Sis Night!" said Haro as she stood before the woman. "I am glad to repay this grat.i.tude at last."

"You are…" muttered Layla with shock as she stared at the knight, and realization dawned on her. "HARO!"

"Glad to see you alive, sis," said the knight as she turned to smile at her. "I knew you would pa.s.s the trial ground but never imagined that you would end up with such a blessing."

"Your highness, are you alright?" asked one of the vice-captains as he supported Erin, who almost collapsed on the ground. His blood pooled on the floor as he stared wrathfully at the two women.

"You… I remember that voice. I… will… kill you! Attack! Attack!" said Erin as he flailed his arm, and the knights rushed forward.

Arthur stared at the two women trying to force the knights back on their own. He was in the same position, but no knight attempted to move toward him. All of them knew a single strike was enough, but Arthur wanted to clarify it.

"Given the circ.u.mstances, then I do not need to hold back anymore," said Arthur as he reached toward his dagger and held it with both hands. "This will not be our last meeting, Fake Emperor."

"Attack!" shouted Duke Delano, but it was too late. Arthur raised his denaturing sharpness before bringing it to the ground, piercing the cobblestone balcony. The rune exploded from his hand and penetrated the balcony like cobwebs.

"Leave the balcony!" shouted the emperor, but it was too late. The fortified structure got disintegrated to nothingness. Since Lilo fought the astral being, the place was falling apart to begin with. Now, Arthur destroyed all of it.

Those with mounts soared, while those with nothing had to rely on others. As for those unable to be saved by anyone, they all fell to the trench separating the Golden District from the rest. Arthur and the three women, plus a corpse, all fell toward the waters.

"You!" called Arthur toward Layla and pointed at the lake. "If you create a vessel for us, I will control it so we can escape!"

"And why would I help you?" shouted the warrior back, her expression looking at him with disdain. "You are nothing but a p.r.i.c.k!"

"A p.r.i.c.k that would save you! These waters have Blood Piranhas, which are myth-tier monsters! A single one of the thousand is enough to shred us apart!" said Arthur as he pointed at the waters.

"Trust the Seika," said Ai who was close to her. "He is this world"s hope."

Layla was silent before turning to hug Ai and grab Haro. Steel exploded around them, and Arthur was also pulled into the mix. He smiled before writing a different rune that didn"t involve spatial teleportation.

The steel turned into a giant vessel, looking like a submarine. It enveloped them before diving into the water, and Arthur slammed his hands on its interior. Runes infused into it, and the vessel dove straight toward the bottom as soon as it was underwater.