Chapter 563: Three Worlds: World 2 II [Month End Bonus]
The dragonkin among the heroes shifted uncomfortably under Evan’s gaze, their minds racing with the possibility that this might be one of their own who had betrayed them.
On closer inspection, one could see a look of amusement in Evan’s eyes, and if it wasn’t for his mask, then his lips which were barely holding back his laughter would be seen.
Back to Arthur, he tilted his head slightly as he studied the heroes, a flicker of surprise crossing his features when he noticed how young they were.
It didn’t take him long to piece together the reason why—their older, more experienced predecessors had all been wiped out by the demons, leaving these young ones to shoulder the burden of their world’s protection.
The Heroes stood frozen, their eyes darting between the two figures before them, and Arthur’s voice finally broke the silence.
"Well, well."
His voice was smooth, almost amused.
"So, you’re the heroes who’ve come to challenge me. I must say, I’m disappointed. I expected more... seasoned opponents."
Evan let out a low chuckle, deepening his voice and using a little bit of magic to make it rumble like distant thunder as he spoke.
"Perhaps they were hoping for a warm-up before the real fight. But I think they’re about to find out that they’ve bitten off more than they can chew."
Seeing their interaction, Nylia who was the de facto leader of this group, demanded.
"...Who are you?"
She kept her voice steady despite the tremor in her heart. Although she could see Arthur was a Sovereign, she doubted she could win a fight with him based on the sheer amount of law energy she sensed.
’He definitely has a Pseudo-Authority.
His uniform...3 stars? He’s a Lieutenant General in their army. But he’s not a demon, I’m sure of it.
I’ve never seen a non-demon hold such a high rank, so the fact that he has such a rank despite being a non-demon means he must be special...somehow.’
While she analysed these things in her head, Arthur turned towards her and gave a cold, calculated smile that sent shivers down the spines of the other heroes.
Arthur’s eyes gleamed with dark amusement as he spread his arms wide, as if welcoming them into his domain.
"You may call me Arthur, the Progenitor godslayer.
His tone dripped with theatrical flair as he spoke, then he gestured to Evan beside him and continued.
"And this, is my trusted Aide..."
"...the Rogue Hero of Aramis."
Evan completed the introduction, propping his chin up on his arm and tuning up the efficiency of his Intimidation skill to scare off the Level 700s among them even more.
He then leaned back, tapping his fingers lightly against his arm as if bored, before giving a slow, exaggerated shrug
"But that’s not really important, is it? What matters is that you’re too late. This city, this land—it’s already lost."
Evan spoke with a dismissive tone, flicking a speck of dust off his sleeve, the simple action underscoring the futility of their efforts as if he were brushing away their last hopes with the same ease.
"ENOUGH!"
One of the dragonkin Heroes shouted, stepping forward with his sword raised. It didn’t matter if they didn’t see the High-Rank demon they came for. Arthur was the one they saw here and they were going to take him down.
"We’re going to take back what’s ours!!"
Arthur said nothing, only staring at them with an amused smile. Seeing this, Nylia’s eyes widened as she came to a realisation.
"You’re... you’re playing with us."
Her voice was tinged with a bit of disbelief.
"This is all just a game to you."
She could see it—the unconcealed mirth in Arthur’s eyes. She knew his type; they were the ones who saw everything like a game and found entertainment in the struggles of his opponents.
It wasn’t just confidence; it was the demeanour of someone who had already won and was merely toying with his opponents for his amusement.
"Indeed, it is. Consider this the final level of your little quest, heroes. A ’Hero and Demon Lord’ scenario, if you will. Except in this story, the hero doesn’t win."
Arthur’s smile widened, his eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint. Leave it to Arthur to candidly admit that he was treating their world’s situation like a game.
Evan got up from the throne he was on and cracked his neck, slowly unfurling his dragon wings as he took slow steps down the dais where the thrones were and spoke with a mockingly reassuring tone.
"But don’t worry.
We’ll make sure to give you a proper challenge. After all, what’s a game without a good boss fight?"
It was clear that Evan also saw this scenario as nothing but a game he and Arthur were playing.
One of the dragonkin heroes clenched his fists, his anger flaring at their mockery.
"Enough of your games! We came here to stop the Demon General, not to play along with your twisted fantasies!"
Arthur’s expression grew serious, his gaze locking onto the young man with an intensity that sent a shiver down the hero’s spine.
"Oh, the Demon General? He’s not here.
You see, he slipped away to the front lines. A pity, really. You missed your chance."
The godslayer spoke with a casual tone and the heroes’ faces paled at this revelation.
’That general is at the front lines?’
This meant he was now facing their comrades. A good number of their Transcendents had come into the Capital and were currently fending off the High-Rank demons, reducing the number of Transcendents at the borders.
But if the Level 999 general was there... the Transcendents at the border wouldn’t last long!
Panic gripped them, their thoughts racing as they realized the true extent of the danger. Nylia instantly reached for her communication device to try and warn them, but before she could activate it, Arthur snapped his fingers and her hand was frozen in time.
"Ah, ah, ah. You’re not going anywhere."
Cosmic energy and spatial power surged from his body, forming a network on the ground and conjuring a giant dome that enveloped the castle with his power.
Arthur had deployed his bounded field, cutting off all connections to the outside world. All of their communication devices went dead and this only increased their panic.
"You’ll be staying here. With me."
Arthur continued, his tone dripping with cold amusement and the realisation that they were trapped and cut off from any hope of warning their comrades sent a wave of despair through them.
"Are you... demons? You don’t... feel like demons."
One of the Sovereign heroes asked, his voice quivering as he struggled to comprehend the situation. The special ritual magic they had was only effective on demons.
It was a Geass, a restriction placed in return for greater strength. In return for lowering its effectiveness against other races, it was nearly 5 times more effective on demons.
The Aramisians had used something similar against Arthur before when they still thought he was a demon, except that theirs dealt 0 damage to any non-demons.
"No, we’re not demons. But that doesn’t mean we’re not your enemies."
Evan narrowed his eyes at the one who asked, watching him closely. As a Hero himself, even if a Rogue one, he could sense the subtle shifts in their energy.
’They are trying to do something with their Hero Authority.’
Perhaps they were preparing a last-ditch effort to fight back, he thought.
"Oh, trying to be clever, are we?"
Evan sneered, his wings flaring out to their full span. Crimson gold energy burst out from him as he activated his Blessing of Destruction Unique Skill.
"Well, I suppose it’s time to end this charade."
He kicked off the ground and dashed forward with a force that caused the foundations of the castle to shake. Evan lunged at the three Legendary Realm heroes, summoning his sword mid-way and unleashing a vortex of bright multicoloured flames.
The heroes were forced to split up and defend themselves, but Evan laughed and used his Mystic Eyes to create what he termed a ’Factor Mimic’.
A clone wielding 50% of his power emerged from his back and charged at one of the Heroes, while he flew in the direction of the other two.
Immediately, a battle erupted and the walls of the throne room were broken to pieces. Despite facing two opponents of similar levels, Evan overwhelmed them with a barrage of skills that forced them on the defensive.
But they were skilled, and though they were young, they fought with the determination born of desperation.
Meanwhile, Arthur turned his attention to the two Sovereign heroes and the lone Transcendent who remained.
His destruction law energy flared to life and tendrils of crimson silver snaked off his arm. The heroes hesitated, unsure of how to approach this enigmatic foe but Arthur wasn’t going to wait too long.
"So, are you ready to face the final boss?"
Nylia gritted her teeth and ignited her blade with magical flames, charging towards Arthur who easily sidestepped her initial attack. Undeterred, she pulled back and struck again, her sword flashing as she unleashed a flurry of blows.
"We’ll never give up! Not until we’ve saved Hollora!"
Rather than informing Arthur of this, she seemed to be saying this as a mantra; a desperate attempt to hype herself up, to renew her conviction in the face of overwhelming odds.
"How noble."
Arthur’s smile didn’t falter as he sidestepped her attacks and spoke with a mocking tone.
"But you’re out of your league."
