Chapter 57: Chapter 58
Draining a bottle to the last drop, Arthur tossed the bottle aside and caught his breath. While wasn’t tired in any sense, his joints did hurt from the few times he spared with Marcus.
"To think an ultimate awakening would make stronger than that beast." Arthur said throwing a glance at Marcus, he was the only person he could go all out with, without worrying himself about hurting the person.
Caelith was still strong despite the gap, her skill and dexterity made her almost unstoppable. He only won with overwhelming superior physical might.
If he was still in level twenty and without his abilities, he wouldn’t even stand a chance as most of her stats are at a hundred, while he slacked slightly behind.
After learning they were now bonded for pretty much life and all of existence, he felt weird but not uncomfortable. And if it was whether he enjoyed that night, he didn’t more than he would admit.
Not only was it sensational, it also granted him a hundred unassigned stat points on the go. He smirked, so just by having sex, he could grow boundless stronger without risking his survival.
If that be the case then he was read to find the remaining seven women. He was ready to build the villain harem in the apocalypse.
Looking up at the overcast sky, he was a bit relieved from all the fighting, planning and major stress. The others sat on the courtyard talking and treating themselves from their spar injuries.
A quite peaceful bonding session.
However when the world has ended, a moment of peace is to long. Destruction and death always loomed around the corners.
With the corner of his eyes, he caught something moving on the third floor. Two shadowy silhouettes, watching, observing.
’Tier two.’ Immediately Arthur’s heart dropped. Only one nearly killed him, the chance he had was that it was merely playing with those who fought it.
Arthur had won with a 000.1% chance, a win with genuinely screamed plot armor. Now they weren’t one but two. He was strong enough to lift enter building sections, his speed was faster than most pre-apocalyptic ballistic missiles, had the durability of a tank.
Yet he was very sure this was a one sided fight. Still looking at the silhouettes he rose. "Everyone hide, if you aren’t strong enough to effortless break a concrete wall and you aren’t willing to die just yet, this is a nice time to start running."
Everyone froze, fear and panic surging through their bodies. They knew Arthur never joked, if he did it wasn’t even considered one. A declaration that was was coming was going to cause death, was going to cause death, and on a massive scale.
Ethan ran to his side, trying to see what he saw. Julian not far behind had already seen it, but was too busy puffing up his cigarette.
"You guys should stay here, I would go and check whether they are hostile." Arthur said vanishing from spot with a small bang and a crater left behind from where he previously stood.
Turning to the threat, Vernon prepared to defend himself with no experience and what ever he could muster. With a clenched fist he was moments away from attacking.
"They say you already speak, thankfully mother’s teachings weren’t in vain." The deep voice said. Before him was a tall six foot seven man.
He had with hair and dark eyes, just by looking at him was akin to when He had looked into the mirror previously. "Who are you." Vernon asked deactivating his tribrid form.
The balcony was pitch black, and even if he could be seen, it was only an vague outline. "I can’t see you clearly." The man of probably twenty three asked.
Dropping the blade that was still in his hand, Vernon reluctantly walked out of the darkness. Allowing the light illuminating the room to bask him in warmth.
"That’s a Vanguard alright, I thought it was only I, Lucien, and Cassan that took the signature white hair. You look exactly like mother, with her green eyes, beauty, charm and everything." He said walking closer.
Vernon subconsciously stepped back in fear, although the man before him had zero presence like his mother and Aunt. He knew they were all dangerous, to a ridiculous scale.
The man cupped him by the cheek, inspecting his face thoroughly, singing praises of mother Celestine. When he was done, he took a step back and bowed.
"I am Ferdinand Vanguard, sixth son of the Vanguard bloodline. Introduce yourself in the same way." He said rising, the last sentence sounding more like and order than a request.
With a sigh, Vernon bowed. "I am Vernon Vanguard, seventh son of the Vanguard bloodline." He said rising before rising from the bow. "We have a better introduction ritual, but we can forget that since you are unique. I can’t wait till Alaric sees you, he would be all..."
Interrupting him was the arrival of their mother. She looked at the both of them before her gaze settled on Ferdinand. "Why did you attack him."
Immediately Vernon felt him shaking like a cat brought out from ice water. "It isn’t as it seems mother, I was just testing his durability, at his age I could survive hypersonic attacks." Ferdinand said with a dry chuckle.
"False, you were only able to do that at eighteen." A voice resonated from a dark mist which had fabricated besides Celestine. Vernon’s entire attention was soon on the mist as he didn’t know how or when it appeared.
What he couldn’t understand more was why neither Ferdinand nor Celestine was talking about it’s existence. The mist began clearing and Vernon’s eyes widened in shock.
Standing beside Celestine was a male exactly identical to Ferdinand. He had jet black hair, with heterochromic eyes of black and crimson.
Cladded in dark robes, his grumpy eyes turned towards Vernon. "Looks healthy enough. Too bad he didn’t try my elixir, I was almost done, he would have been much healthier, stronger even.
Still this doodle dares attack him with a blade, insolent, mother he deserves to be stripped of all his privileges as A Vanguard prince." He said with a dark smile.
"Bastard." Ferdinand made to punch his brother but was stopped by a glare from his mother. "Fernando, Ferdinand." She whispered and both stood extremely still, contrast to how they were behaving previously.
Their face frozen like a zealous soldier giving his commanding officer a salute. "Sorry mother." They both chanted in unison. She ignored them and walked closer to Vernon.
Standing besides him, she held his head over to her side. Ferdinand and Fernando looking at this scene only had a sorrowful expression as if sympathizing for him.
"These are your immediate elder brothers, Ferdinand and Fernando. They are the closest to the palace so you would get to see them often." She said calmly.
"They would also serve as your teachers. Fernando in combat, Ferdinand in magic arts if you awaken a compatibility. Since you turned sixteen a few weeks ago, I believe you would awaken soon.
Before that you are supposed corporate your race capabilities, I am very sure that they have manifested." She lead him to his bed and sat him down.
"Erm, mother, you do know I am supposed to be working on the..." Fernando was abruptly cut short, Vernon didn’t know why but the grown up man was staring at the ground with his hands behind his back.
When he looked up, he said with a low voice, "The mortals could wait I will arrange a short visit with Kaelira." "Ohh wonderful." Celestine said joyfully. "My favorite daughter in-law from you, how is she, it’s been a while."
"She well mother, and she would be very excited to see you again." Fernando said in a more cheerful voice. Still trapped to his mother’s side and forced to listen to the conversation of which he was left in the dark, Vernon cursed at his luck.
"How about you Ferdinand." She said but he stared at the mirror for a moment before saying, "I could get here in an instant, however at the sunset of tomorrow, Viessa would be here to pick him up."
"For what?" Fernando asked, his twin facepalmed before looking him dead in the eye, "For his magical appraisal you fool. He needs to be tested and trained for the academy."
’So quickly, I just got here.’ Vernon sighed, "Oh I forgot, it only a few more weeks from now, how strong do you think he would be by that time." Fernando asked.
"He’s Vanguard, he would be fine." Celestine said, "No one works harder than a Vanguard under pressure. A few training schedules, extensive magic practice and Aetherion shouldn’t be a hard place to enter."
At the mention of Aetherion, the twins abruptly looked at their mother. "I would leave it in the hands of you two help him achieve." Scuffling his hair, Celestine gave him a peck and left.
For some reason, Vernon saw her words as more of a command than instruction. The feeling of inevitably hung on him, coupled with the pitiful stares given to him by his elder brothers, made it worse.
"I would have stayed or better died cripple if I were you kid." Ferdinand said vanishing into a mist of darkness. Fernando sighed, "Expectations are high and you won’t want to go below mother’s, I’d advise you kid, don’t trust that personality of her’s."
He walked out the door, "Rest well, at noon your physical training begins." The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Vernon with the feeling, that this transmigration was more than it seems.
