Level Up Legacy

The golden mana intertwined with the black lightning, creating a paradox of destruction and creation. Arthur raised his hand as a golden droplet appeared on his finger tip.

"Domain of Creation," called Arthur as the droplet of golden mana exploded, expanding while mixing with the black lightning. The sphere of golden barrier exploded to cover the entire city of Yalenia, making it his battlefield.

"A city-sized domain?" asked Aedan with genuine shock. Rae grinned beside him, staring at the sphere that covered heaven and earth.

"A real monster is not one you fear but one you cannot fathom," said Rae as her red eyes turned toward Arthur Netherborne. "And when I knew him, I never fathomed the limits of his powers."

Arthur raised his Nightmare, unleashing a scream of blood-curdling wrath. Black lightning exploded into the sky, piercing through the clouds.

"And then I realized," continued Rae as she raised her eyes toward the sky. "That he does not have a limit."

Aedan looked at his saint and then at Arthur Netherborne. He would have been squashed with ease if he had been foolish to fight against him for the Yalen King.

The white mana that Lucian unleashed burst forward, creating a shield against the storm of destruction and wrath. Although the seer was far from a warrior, he had an advantage that no one else had.

"I could see through the fragile balance between your two paradoxical powers," said Lucian as he raised his hand. "It takes a simple attack to disrupt one, and the balance will crumble."

Arthur grinned as the seer raised his palm, commanding spiritual energy to infiltrate the golden and black mana clash. This was his new power to affect the world instead of illusions.

Boom!

The golden mana was pushed back as the spiritual energy struck the black lightning, disrupting the framework that Arthur had laid to avoid their destruction collision. In order to use these two powers at the same time, the finest control was needed.

"This might prove an interesting match," said Arthur with a grin as he released more black lightning, restoring the framework. Then, he spun his dagger before throwing it toward the cliff they stood upon.

Boom!

Whistle!

The dagger traveled faster than sound, striking the barrier and shattering it. As the array crumbled in front of absolute power, the dagger aimed toward the newly crowned prince of Yalen.

And then, something unexpected happened. A future that none of them thought they would see, not even Arthur. As if a god intervened in that moment, pulling strings to make those present unable to understand what was happening. Before the dagger ripped Lucian in half, a figure jumped between them. The Yalen King stared at the dagger with a dignified aura as his violet mana exploded, creating a barrier of illusion.

"...father?" muttered Lucian with genuine confusion, his eyes narrowing as they foresaw a future he could not understand. Arthur himself looked at the scene with utter confusion.

"What is he...?" puzzled, Arthur questioned the king's motives. Then, realization dawned on him for a single reason: he assumed the worst of this king.

"I will not let you harm my kingdom!" roared the king with a crazed madness never seen before. He pushed the shield forward, but Nightmare destroyed it without decelerating.

The king roared again as he erected another shield, his veins visible on his forehead. His heroism was not unseen by the citizen, who began to cheer for their king.

Arthur glanced at the citizens and then at Lucian. Without anyone noticing, he drew a rune before it disappeared. Seconds later, he shared a communication with the seer.

'Your father wishes to sacrifice himself,' said Arthur as his dagger struck the second shield, this time slowing down as it devoured the illusion. 'He wants to leave this world as a hero.'

'That is the future that I have seen,' muttered Lucian as he glanced at his father protecting him. 'This will ensure that the Yalen Kingdom will always see you as a murderer.'

'What a cunning man,' transmitted Arthur as he grinned, watching the king display a heroic feat of protecting his future son. 'Fine, Yalen King. I shall accept this trade.'

'I'm sorry to burden you with this fate,' said Lucian, but Arthur was already on the move. His body blurred before disappearing, rushing through countless souls of wrath before appearing behind his dagger.

The Yalen King saw Arthur arrive, and instead of being afraid, he welcomed him with a look of triumph. His illusions burst forward to attack him. Arthur grinned as his wrath exploded.

"I know your plan with this, Yalen King," said Arthur as he raised his dagger toward him. "But I don't plan on sparing you just to win a single kingdom."

"The Yalen Legacy will survive using this hatred," said the king with a grin as he rushed toward Arthur, raising a sword of violet illusion. "We will never become like Ilios."

Arthur looked down at the king, understanding his motives. He did not fear death but a tarnished legacy and a reputation as a failure. For such a commitment to his selfishness, Arthur could not help but admire that.

"I would ask that you repent, but there will be no afterlife for you," said Arthur as he slashed with his Nightmare, ripping the world in half. His attack was so powerful that it covered the entire Yalen King, obliterating him from existence before traveling toward the palace.

"AAAAAAAHHH!" screamed the Yalen King until he no longer existed, his soul experiencing the pain of destruction and severance from this world.

Vroom~

A single attack killed a king.

Boom!

And its remnants destroyed a palace.

The Yalen Palace was torn and crumbled, creating a catastrophic calamity. Arthur descended to the ground as the wrathful souls that sought the king's death turned golden.

"I knew that killing him was the wrong choice in these circumstances," muttered Arthur as Nightmare dissolved from his hand, staring at the destruction of his attack. "But I made a promise to kill him."

A king who surrounded himself with a powerful army, three astra-rankers, and four empyreans was instantly killed. The cheering of the citizens ceased gradually; their minds could not understand what happened.

This... was not how fairytales ended. In their mind, the villain would be kicked away by the mighty king who rushed to protect his son. But instead, the Yalen King was squashed without mercy.

"What do you have to say, Crowned Prince of Yalen?" asked Arthur Netherborne as he turned toward Lucian. "Or should I say... Ascending King of Yalen?"

Lucian stood there with his mana boiling over, looking at Arthur with a complex emotion. Then, his resolve hardened as he condensed his mana into his hand.

"Forfeit your life, Arthur Netherborne," said Lucian as he stepped forward, his aura exploding to cover the heaven and earth. The citizens snapped out of their daze, realizing they still had a more powerful seer to protect them.

Cheering boomed in the crowd. Hatred poured toward Arthur like an unstoppable dam. Lucian looked pained, but Arthur knew it wasn't because he had killed his father.

But he has become his enemy.

"We can both agree that's not happening," said Arthur with impeccable confidence. Lucian bolted forward, seeking to strike him with the condensed mana. His powers were still immature, making him unable to wield them properly.

Arthur raised his leg and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying like a broken kite. Lucian crashed to the hill, obliterating it as he coughed up blood. Golden mana infused into Arthur's body as his stats soared.

"The Yalen Bloodline ends today," said Arthur as he stomped on the ground, bolting toward the destroyed hill with a lightning bolt. "Send your father my regards!"

Arthur jumped in the air, flying across the plains. As he raised his arm to launch the lightning bolt, a fireball appeared beside him, aimed toward him. His lightning exploded to destroy the fire as he landed, unable to continue his attack.

Then, he turned to see who attacked him. A teenager stood in the first row of the crowd, his hands raised with a pale, shaky face. Another fireball was forming in his hands, ready to be fired at Arthur.

"Leave our prince alone!" roared the teenager, his face drenched in sweat.

"And if I don't?" asked Arthur as he straightened his back, looking at the teenager directly. The young man fell to the ground as he screamed in fear, unable to handle the crushing presence.

"We will protect him," a middle-aged man carrying a sword answered. "My name is Armstrong, an awakener of the Deme-rank. You can kill me in one second, but that second might save him."

"You don't know this man well enough to sacrifice your life for him," said Arthur as he squinted his eyes at them. "You just met him."

"I have seen him before!" shouted an old woman in the crowd. "He was with his mother, the most benevolent queen! We promised her to take care of him!"

"That's right!"

"Protect Prince Lucian!"

"He is our king now! Protect him!"

Arthur stared as the crowd rushed forward, running toward the destroyed hill. They gathered between him and Lucian, using whatever weapons they had.