Level Up Legacy

Chapter 940 A Black Mask

Thunderclaps echoed through the clouds as a golden figure cut through them. His speed broke through the sound barrier, echoing booms throughout the battlefield. His body turned into a haze, unable to be seen by the soldiers.

"Julia!" roared Arthur with such a ferocity that her name came like divine retribution from the skies. Arthur then dived toward the walls like a meteor seeking to destroy Runera. However, Runera still had the aid of the strongest guild.

The one who came to stop him was none other than Guild Master of the Strongest Titan Guild, One-armed Asura. His long silver sword left its sheath as it cut through the cold. Then, he took his stance to stop the incoming Arthur Silvera.

"I'm afraid that I also have duties to answer," said Asura with sadness.  Before he could finish his sentence, Arthur reached him like a meteor. His speed accelerated at a monstrous rate, and he did not stop even when meeting the swordsman. Asura brought his sword down, and Arthur clawed it with his bare hand.

Clang!

A loud resonating sound echoed throughout the battlefield as the two met, and Asura was pushed back. His feet began to sink into the walls of Runera as they dragged back.

The golden eyes stared into his from behind the silver sword. Asura could not recognize the man, although he had met him a few days ago. It seems that these short days were enough for Arthur to turn into a threat.

"Move aside," said Arthur before he brought the sword down, and his body flipped in the air. Then, he axed Asura with a kick over his shoulder, using the same momentum to launch himself toward the Twelve Masters.

"I will not let you," said the swordsman as he used his sword to block the kick. Moments before impact, Arthur burst with golden mana before his speed accelerated further.

The kick came down like a mountain and pushed away his sword. Even though he tried resisting, Asura was thrown away like a broken kite, hurled toward the Twelve Masters behind them.

Arthur, on the other hand, rushed forward toward the twelve. Everything turned into a blur around him as he used terrifying amounts of mana to get there in time.

As he arrived on the scene, the Twelve Masters all stood there in shock. In mere seconds, Arthur flashed through countless kilometers to save his friend. However, as he looked at them, Arthur could tell something was wrong.

Julia was on the ground, and she turned toward him. Her eyes were full of tears as she called for his name. Wrath swelled in his heart as soon as he realized what had happened. Eragon snickered in his ears, telling him that this was the world he wanted to defend.

***

The moment that her hand gripped the dagger, Julia could no longer control her body. Yuvan was grinning at her, his eyes containing the command she dreaded. Even without him voicing it out, her body started to move.

"No…" she could hear herself mutter, but her body did not obey. "Dad, run… I cannot…" she used whatever strength she had to tell him, and every word seemed to steal the breath in her.

"Julia, what happened?" asked her father as he sensed something was amiss. He could see her struggle and shake with the dagger before the struggle broke, and her hand whipped swiftly toward him.

Julius realized what was happening in time, and he caught her arm in time. However, the two fell forward, and Julia pushed the dagger toward his chest.

Her father was supposed to be stronger than her, but he struggled against her strength. Julia realized that after the fire went through her heart, she had released the limits of her body. Thus, her muscles were tearing apart to push the dagger through his chest. Julius stopped her with his other hand but could only slow her down.

"You have to… kill me…" said Julia, as tears fell from her eyes. "Please, kill me… before I… before I…"

The dagger inched closer toward her father with every passing second, and it was soon to pierce through his heart. Julius grimaced as it started cutting through his chess, a millimeter per second.

Then the roar came from the sky, calling her name. The two knew Arthur was here, but he could not stop what had already started. Her father had a look of realization before he smiled.

"I would never hurt my little girl," her father said with a smile before grabbing the dagger's hilt. "And I will never let you be the one to kill me. Do not blame yourself for this."

Before Julia could realize what he was doing, she could feel all resistance disappear. Then, the dagger was snatched from her hand before the bright red blood filled her eyes. His heart was beating when the blade tore open, pushing every ounce of blood outside. Julia was then released from the force controlling her body, but her mind crashed because of the scene before her.

The light quickly escaped her father's eyes as she reached toward him with shaking, trembling fingers. Julia called for her father but did not know what to do.

"I..." her father muttered with a hoarse, fading voice, "love you, Julia. Then, tears gathered in his eyes as he seemed to see something. "I will finally… see her… again…"

Julia could not answer him as her breath grew rapid and shallow. She could no longer feel her fingers as a lump blocked her throat from making a single sound. Then, something whistled behind her, and a person landed on the platform.

"Julia," called the voice behind her, and the moment she heard it, Julia snapped her neck toward him. She saw him with his black and golden robes, staring at her with confusion, then toward the corpse beside her.

"Ah… Arthur," called out Julia toward him with tears. "Please… my father is… he is… I…"

Arthur seemed to understand what had happened, but his expression crumbled as soon as his eyes turned toward Julius. Julia could tell what he was thinking, and she knew it too, but she begged again.

"Please, Arthur… save him. Please, please, please, please," she repeated the word more than she could count as her vision blurred from the tears. "Please, save him."

"There is no use in begging because I laced the dagger with Doom Owl blood," said Yuvan with a grin as he stared at her. He did not even turn toward Arthur. "That wound will never close. And even if it did, the blood has already destroyed his body."

"You made her do this?" asked Arthur as his expression darkened. Julia could tell that his voice was different, even in her despair. Yuvan turned toward him with a shrug.

"I did no such thing. I just gave her the dagger, and she killed him," said Yuvan, making Julia stare at her bloody hands. "An ungrateful daughter who betrayed her city has returned to kill her father. We live in a twisted world!"

"Close that mouth," this time, the voice did not belong to Arthur. It was hoarse and sinister and appeared with a dark aura around Arthur. "To every one of my soldiers," called Arthur with his wrathful voice, "kill every last enemy."

The army behind them cheered, and Julia raised her eyes to look at him. She flinched when she saw his face because a terrifying black mask had formed around it. Arthur fisted his hand and clenched his teeth as he stared at Yuvan.

"As for you," said the wrathful monstrous voice, "I will drink your blood."

"This is so terrifying," said Yuvan without a care as he stepped back. "Are you sure that you want the world to see the true you, Arthur Silvera? No one will be on your side after this."

"If the world takes your side, then I will crush it too," said Arthur before the dark aura exploded from his body. It burst like a flame that pulled the sky downward, making every soul feel it.

Those closest to him saw the black flame and the pair of red eyes within them, and their hearts trembled. Arthur then stepped forward, tearing through the colorlessness, and stomped on the ground.

The ground beneath him began disintegrating before the cracks spread over the walls. The arrays holding it together broke down, and the walls started to fall apart again.

However, no one cared about the crumbling structure because a bigger threat was before their eyes. Yuvan started shaking, but his smile never disappeared. Instead, it grew wider.

"This is what I wanted all along, Julia. I always knew Arthur Silvera would win, but I wanted him to lose control. The world will see him for what he is… a walking disaster. Then, he would lose every ally there is."