ARTHUR LEYWİN
Is this how you welcome me after two years, old friend? My heart was broken. "I spoke sarcastically"
The veins on Nico's forehead began to tense at my words. He gritted his teeth and looked at me with deep anger. Metal spikes sprouted with spiritual fire and pointed in my direction, ready to attack me at any moment. "You're as arrogant as ever, Grey! But by coming here you'll be repeating your death," he said.
"And you're as stupid as always," I said, grinning at his challenge. "Oh! In case you haven't forgotten, you were the most useless member of our group. Remember, Nico? Why don't you go fuck yourself with the things you invented?"
As Nico's face began to sour, I became more aware of how memories can affect our mood. After all, the three of us had become one from the moment we met at the orphanage until the moment Cecilia died at my hands. He had already taken a step towards the inevitable death of the trap I had set. While a part of me felt sorry for them, my personality that would make the necessary sacrifice for the war did not allow it.
No, I couldn't, could I? Sylvie's devotion to me, Sylvia and Tessia's faith falling victim to a series of events it did not deserve.
"Their revenge must be cold and bitter; it must leave a taste so sharp it cannot be forgotten."
I should have looked ahead
Agrona's manipulation games had paid off. He had used Nico's anger towards me to rebuild a vulnerable, weak soul and offered the promises he already wanted. For "Cecilia", would this set the world on fire?
The answer is simple: She would do anything.
It is too late to apologize and draw new curtains on the past.
I'll use Agrona's dog as a front and get whatever I want.
"Stop looking at me like that!" He screamed loudly. Spiritual flames began to glow wildly on his arms. "All you had to do was die, Grey, and you couldn't even do that. Here you are again, to come between me and Cecilia!"
"Are you getting in the way?" I snorted in disgust. "You attacked the soul of an innocent being, Nico. Tessia was important to me, you knew that, but you still couldn't stop, right?" I knew our conversation wasn't going anywhere, all I wanted was their reaction.
"I just took what was mine, your values don't matter, Grey. Of course, you know better; about abandoning your friends, even your family."
Was there any point in thinking about things in the past that could not be undone? My personality, reflected as King Grey, kept me away from unwanted problems like a castle. The important thing was to produce the right process. I had learned this during my time with Lady Vera; Its benefits were greater than its harms.
"This was who I was. Behind many different possibilities, I chose to be Gray, and I was free to make the choices. Whatever the path, I had to fight to save."
I have almost reached the end of the teachings on the holy tomb. All I had to do was close my account here and return. I was sure that the people I considered close, such as Ellie, Alice, Virion, would see me as a cold, calculating and arrogant person.
"But a small number of sacrifices were enough to foster an endless hope."
"Put aside emotions and move forward, which is my philosophy, for in the complexity of life a calm mind can light the way even in the harshest darkness."
"In my heart, I tucked away all my emotions in a box like a locked treasure. I turned my gaze to Nico; I had to be careful. With the other scythes watching, I had to finish the job quickly instead of revealing my trump card. It made sense, especially considering I kept my best cards in Cadell."
"As I shifted into a battle stance, tracking my breathing and slowing my pulse, I visualized the techniques Kordrin had taught me. Follow the flow, weaken, and be done with it. Everything was ready now. I grinned at Nico. "Are you ready, old friend? Because This will be different from before."
"Didn't you say the same thing before, Grey?" he said with a grin. The ground beneath him began to melt with the spirit fire and gather and disappear with the smell of soot in the air.
We both rushed forward with all our strength
*******
Seris Vritra
"Arthur Leywin, the existence of this child has always seemed to me an inconsistency. I felt this when we first met. The veil of warm mana surrounded the boy like a cloak. When he got angry, the mana moved with him, and when he got sad, the atmosphere would begin to shake like thunder, as if he were reacting to an emotional situation. If I hadn't been there, Uto would have killed the boy with his dragon.
Today was a completely different mystery. I couldn't understand the child's mental state. When I rescued her from Uto that day, she was desperately thanking me while shedding tears for her Dragon. I couldn't help but feel sorry for his situation. He was still very young and was already being assigned to go to critical situations of war.
But while I was trying to help her, she turned to me and grinned maniacally, making me question my decisions again.
The hungry look in her eyes showed that she had already planned today's events.
Since he appeared on the Alacrya continent, I had given him time, thinking that he was only focusing on his development. However, he had planned further ahead. The way Nico used his connections to provoke was a good move. By covering all attempts at the rear, he created an environment in which he could not escape the war.
I must admit it was smart
But the situation with Nico had become more complicated. Although his potential was high, it was impossible to predict where the chaos that would be created by his anger, combined with his stupidity and impatience, would evolve.
Its lines were like colors on the palette of an uncertain painter. It was not clear where he would hit
That's why it was easy to control; Throw the bait in front of you and fuel it with fire. This was the strategy employed by the Supreme Sovereign. An anchor manipulated for inheritance, what a pity.
Fortunately, as I turned my thoughts to the arena, I felt a nervous excitement rising within me. This was the day I could finally see with my own eyes how revered Eter was by the Gods
What the hell is this, some kind of kindergarten fight? They were just verbally sparring downstairs, Dragoth growled angrily.
More importantly, who could this Gray be that made little Nico so angry? Melzri was watching the events below with an impassive face.
"I heard that she was a professor of close combat at the academy, she was very talked about among the nobles," I said in a calm voice.
"Is he being talked about?" Dragoth's mouth twisted into a sneer. "Since when did you start following the events of the lesser?"
Before I could answer, Viessa huffed and said, "Great, are we just filming these events for a little teacher?"
HAHAHA, Dragoth's voice echoed beyond measure on the balcony. "And don't forget how bravely he interrupted you, Viessa. I think you should give him some credit," he said.
"Shut up," she hissed, her face contorted as she glared at Dragoth.
As the conflict between them ended, we all looked towards the sovereign to learn his decision. However, he was sitting on his throne with his legs crossed, his hand on his chin with a bored expression, and was examining the colosseum.
He was tall, his wide red robe hanging from his arms while thick horns extended from the sides of his head, sharpening in our direction. Her golden blonde hair was elegantly tied back and highlighted carefully from the neck bulge. His horns were decorated with red and gold jewels to emphasize his magnificence, like every nobleman whose Vritra blood was awakened.
"Don't look at me like that. It's your problem that you can't hold the leash and that you're embarrassed. You should have trained that little one better," she said, moving her hand back and forth effortlessly.
"My deepest apologies for this minor inconvenience, Sovereign Kiros." Cadell said, taking a small step from behind the throne. "Our Supreme Sovereign leaves the reincarnates in a freer position to feel comfortable regarding the cause of the inheritance."
When the topic turned to inheritance, Kiros' red eyes began to shine with joy, but he returned to his boring appearance. "Of course, the Supreme Ruler is being sensitive considering the state of the inheritance. On the other hand, it would be more enjoyable to spend my time watching the development of the inheritance that will do wonders, rather than being in an arena with less, at least," he concluded.
So, does it seem like no one will talk about this introduction? "His control over mana was too good for a teacher," Dragoth crossed his arms, his dark red eyes shifting towards us curiously.
Melzri frowned slightly and looked at Arthur. "The muscle head is telling the truth. From the moment he stepped into the arena until his strange spell, I couldn't sense any mana coming from him," he said.
"What are the odds of using an artifact?" Viessa searched effortlessly
"She doesn't have it. Cadell's eyes opened slightly through the darkness."
"What makes you say that?" I asked in the hope of getting information.
"Insignificant scraps of someone who should have died," she said, her eyes shining with cold determination.
"But I did get the little bit of information I wanted. As I expected, Agrona knew during this time that Gray was still alive. The secret behind her hesitation to act was not just a mystery, but perhaps also her limited knowledge of ancient wizards." "A simple scenario, isn't it? An attempt to find a worthy reason to have fun on a continent with fewer people. But Agrona's true intentions remained a mystery because she masterfully played the information detective game."
Luckily her arrogant behavior would benefit me
When the conversation between them in the arena ended, Arthur assumed a fighting stance. He rushed forward with Nico when the purple particles that began to blow around him began to move.
No matter how hard I tried to keep my cool, I was excited to learn how strong the boy had become. The curiosity that I was trying to calm inside me was covering me like a fire.
"The war has begun," Dragoth said, smiling widely. His huge hands wrapped around the stone railings of the balcony
The black flames rising from Nico's hands presented an impressive visual feast in close combat. These flames sprouted from Nico's hands with each attack, each blow specifically aimed at Grey's deadly points. However, in response to Nico's black flame attacks, Gray was effortlessly deflecting the attacks.
Grey's every blow was covered in a sort of amethyst halo. This amethyst halo surrounding her body created an impressive sight when it met Nico's black flames. Magnificent shades of dark and purple colors were neutralizing each other.
As I added more mana to my eyes, what I saw continued to surprise me. Nico's body was shaking because there was a deep meaning behind Grey's every move. Each of his attacks targeted expertly defined points of his mana channels. This was not an attack that only an ordinary wizard could counter; But it wouldn't be that easy for a scythe.
It became harder to sense Gray as he changed direction and began attacking from different positions. It was as if I had seen this technique used against Uto before; Attacking the enemy by hiding his mana signature. Yes, his technique had improved even more.
"Nonsense," I heard the cadell mutter behind me.
"Oh, isn't it the Thyestes clan's secret technique? How long has it been since we've seen it this active?" Kiros' eyes darted up and then left and right with excitement, as if he were searching for old memories in parts of his mind. While smacking her lips happily, she continued, "I've decided. If he emerges victorious from this little battle, I'll give him a small reward for making my day."
Vritra's predatory eyes were always looking to the other end of the mountain, and their greed for knowledge was determined to open the covers of an old book full of unopened pages.
Grey had fielded Asura's tricks with a mysterious glow.
kiros curled up on her throne with a thin smile and focused all her attention on the war.
Kiros' pleasant smile reflected on me with a slight taste. When I turned to the others, Melzri had a serious expression on her face, she must be worried about Nico.
Dragoth was watching the match with a grin.
Viessa was indifferent; so it was hard to know what was going through his mind.
"You've been speechless this whole time, Seris," he continued as his pitch black eyes fell on me. "As if the events that took place were not a surprise," Viessa concluded.
I returned his gaze. "Aren't you like that too? You were left speechless at his brave attempt," I lightly mocked.
He clicked his tongue at my answer. As he was about to turn from the balcony railings and speak to me, a deeply painful scream pierced our ears.
Nico took ten steps away from Grey, supporting his dangling left arm with his other hand. While there were bruises and burns in many parts, nothing much was visible on the child.
Nico charged forward again, letting his soul fire heal him. Black metals emerging from every shadow his anger reached covered the surroundings with a black cover, while the following black flames prepared to swallow everything like a wave.
Without finding this situation strange, Gray created daggers with a purple halo in both hands. His movements were almost turning into a dance with their fluidity. Black nails jutting out of the ground were cut by his expertly sharp daggers without leaving a trace in the air. The amethyst particles effortlessly eliminated every flame it reached with just a touch.
Incredible, now I was beginning to understand why Caera spoke so eloquently about Grey. This power was enough to challenge reality itself.
Each time the two opposing forces collided, they left destruction on the ground and continued to leave burn marks on the walls. Even while fighting for each other they were disappearing pointlessly
The heavy pressure exerted by the nails continued to crumble like shards of glass within the otherworldly particles of the amethyst, none of which could damage Grey's body.
"What kind of flames are these, surpassing even soul fire?" Melzri asked, leaning forward, careful not to break the railing.
"I don't know, but at this rate, Nico..." Viessa hesitated to continue the sentence.
Nico screamed in anger as he felt his attacks had no effect. He used the mana that filled his core to increase the fire of his soul. As the flames began to cover the area in a rift-like shadow, sharp metal spikes sprouting like a forest began to approach Gray at an even more frightening pace.
Each flame was like a lightning gushing from her soul, and the metal nails falling from the sky to the ground were deadly arrows.
While Nico was giving her all into this attack, Gray grinned wildly in response.
What was he doing, why was he grinning now? Did he go crazy? My mind was filled with panicky thoughts trying to eat each other.
As Grey's hand rose into the air, the amethyst energy of the ether began to shine brighter than before. A nearly invisible web streaked the air in a pale color, while the weight of the ether seemed to warp the fabric of space. As the intensity of the light increased, our view of the arena began to blur. Finding its target like an arrow in the air, the spear wiped out each attack in a second, leaving behind a scream that shook the coliseum.
As the head of the Colosseum collapsed under the impact of the last attack, the screams continued one after another. While a dense cloud of dust covered the surroundings, a black light fading in the air crashed to the ground in slow motion.
While the dust quickly disappeared as if it had never existed, the soul flames that were still trying to cling to the ground were slowly being swallowed by the amethyst energy. As my eyes followed the burn marks, a giant crater literally opened in the middle of the arena.
But... the worst part was that Nico's body seemed unable to resist the purple aura for some strange reason.
Melzri's eyes widened wildly. "Are you serious?" He swallowed and continued his sentence. "Did he lose?"
"Worse still, how about we help little Nico's soul before it leaves his body?" Dragoth didn't look like he was having any fun anymore. He was looking at Gray with his eyebrows furrowed.
Viessa clicked her tongue in annoyance again. "His core was shattered," she said. Then he turned to Melzri and signaled him to leave.
Melzri wasted no time in gliding over Nico's limp body. The bloody smell of the burn marks where the spear passed began to spread into the air. As my gaze shifted to where his chest was, the white particles coming out of his essence were a sign that he would not be able to use mana again.
At the end of the battle, the screams began to lead to new questions when Melzri entered the arena. While many were trying to understand how this mysterious person appeared and knocked down a scythe, the echo that he was a professor was embodied among people.
Melzri placed Nico's head in her lap, squeezed his jaw open with gentle pressure, and began pouring a healing potion from her dimensional ring into his mouth. He placed his other hand on his chest and began to remove the pressure of the purple aura from his body.
Although no one around made a single loud noise, the only thing that was evident was Melzri's anxious compassion. For the rest of us there was incomprehensible confusion.
The child had become a force of change beyond my expectations. However, knocking down the scythe with a single attack was something else. Even though Nico was weak, it was still a success, right?
The mysterious magic of the ether arts was brilliantly engraved in all of our minds. Now all that was needed was for the shah to appear. Can Agrona take the child seriously and come? So how will he escape when he comes? This was a question I couldn't answer inside me.
But the plan was in effect; Gray did not disappoint me and gave me the effect I wanted.
time continued to flow
Gray brushed the last remaining crumbs from his fabric with the back of his hand, turned in our direction with his golden orbs, and began to move forward. He was calm and dignified; He had the air of a king, as if there was no being higher than him here.
Fiyuu, who knew a scythe could cause so much trouble, right? Grey's sarcastic voice reached the back of the coliseum effortlessly.
His eyes met me first, then Viessa's, and finally Dragoth's. Was he trying to gauge our reactions, or was he going to create another incident?
kiros made a noise coming from his throne, causing us all to look at him. "Well, I promised," he said, leaning forward slightly. Then he turned to Viessa and added, "Ask him, does he have any requests from us?" He continued his speech, quickly passing over the events.
Viessa shook her head and placed both hands on the balcony railing before speaking, "First of all, nothing that happened here was planned. Nico the Scythe dug his own hole by attacking you without orders from us. You will not face any punishment," he continued after a brief pause, "This "Sovereign kiros has kindly offered you a choice for entertaining him. However, I want you to know that the choices are limited. It cannot be the position of Nico the Scythe or any higher rank," he stated.
Gray's eyes met Viessa's with a bored expression. Her lips pursed and opened freely as she spoke, "You are the second woman to break my heart today, Viessa. Am I bad enough to look for a weak scythe position?" The provocative edge of his voice changed the weight in the air. Unable to bear any more mockery, Viessa's hands destroyed the balcony railings.
"We don't have to endure the ridicule of an academy professor. Just state your trivial request so that this can be over quickly," Viessa's angry voice replied, enough to make the weak pillars of the arena tremble.
"If it's gold you want, you'll have plenty of it ..." Dragoth said, as if she had figured out what she wanted, but Gray interrupted her with a No.
Gold is just a worthless material to obtain worldly riches, just like the people who believe in it, she refuted Dragoth's words with a grin.
So what do you want then?" Dragoth's bushy eyebrows drooped like a bow.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth ... blood for blood," she remarked as she moved forward, step by step, with her hands clasped behind her back.
Cadell, the scythe of the Central Dominion, will fight me to the death in the arena. All this he said, looking with his piercing golden eyes at Cadell's impassive presence behind the throne.
"Just because you can make a request to Sovereign Cyrus doesn't mean everything you say will come true. Find other things to entertain you," she declined.
"You think so, Cadell?" Gray asked. Then he suddenly turned and continued his speech: "Why don't we reflect this on our nation? One of the scythes, who swore to protect our borders that we just trusted and even complimented, turned his eyes from the audience in the seats and looked at Nico. He was defeated by the insignificant Academy professor." His voice was heard by everyone
I couldn't help but grin inside, the kid was acting smart. Using the Scythes' public trust as a front, he continued to lure Cadell into a game he could not escape. Just like Nico.
When I looked out of the corner of my eye at Kiros, who would be making the decision, he replied, "Go ahead, Cadell. I'm sure this little guy has a lot of trump cards he hasn't revealed, right?" He looked down as his smile widened.
"Of course, I will be sure to make sense of your insignificant time, Sovereign kiros," Gray said with a slight bow.
"He has a point," Viessa interjected. "We must regain the public's trust," he said firmly.
"Well, this battle looks like it's going to be interesting," Dragoth said, stroking her beard.
"What am I, entertaining the unimportant?" said Kiros, as his hand went up like a chain of command. Cadell could say no more. "Are my decisions being questioned, Cadell?" his voice had turned cold.
"I dare not do that, Sovereign Cyrus. If that is your wish... I accept it." he said, bending down to the tip of the sovereign's hanging cloak.
When he stood up and stood upright, he soared into the air from the balcony and began speaking from the base. "Good, you will get what you want, mortal." As an overwhelming aura began to gather around him, Melzri picked Nico up and carried him to safety.
Gray grinned back, lifting one hand into the air and bending it slightly. "Come, Cadell, come, let me teach you how wide the world is," he said. As the amethyst energy of the ether around him begins to take on a brutal form.
After the suffocating atmosphere, mutterings and screams had already begun.