Level Up Legacy

Arthur was not in the mood to discuss his goals with these four because he already knew how much Ragnar was hated for his endeavor, too. Living beings always choose safety over the possibility of freedom.

But what these four did not know was that Devaheim did not give a rat shit about them. The Nameless was still here, eating their world as they spoke. Arthur was sure the Empyrean of Janea did not participate in this battle because her haven was being devoured.

"Your records and opinions mean nothing to me," said Arthur as the silence grew thick between them. "If you came here to negotiate that I turn a new leaf, you will have better luck fishing whales on Sourna's coasts."

His strong rejection seemed to be a surprise for them. The Empyreans exchanged glances, thinking that their collective presence around Arthur would intimidate him into submission.

"Is that all you wanted to discuss? Let's just fight already," said Arthur with a grin as he raised a fist, lightning crackling from his hands.

Kael Firebrand shook, his pride wounded. Despite humiliating himself by allying with the other empyreans to take care of a young man, that very same young man was taunting them into a fight, but they were refusing the challenge.

"You will not win, Arthur Netherborne, but neither would we," Saphir sighed. "Before we knew it, you have become a threat we cannot handle. But we don't have to be the ones to take care of it."

"Are you summoning your god?" asked Arthur with interest before lowering his hand. "Alright, go ahead. Bring them down so I can beat them properly. That would make my job a lot easier."

...

Absolute silence.

These empyreans have spent their lives fighting against other awakeners, living for over a hundred years, giving them a unique ability to tell when someone was lying or bluffing.

The man before them, with dark hair like the night and golden eyes like the sun, was a complete and utter madman!

"Cut the act, Netherborne! Are you telling me that if we summon a god, you will defeat it?! Even if you did, we will still be here to take care of the rest!" said Elysia, the Empyrean of Tanera.

"Understand this, and understand it well: I fear none of you – your gods, your armies, your whole miserable realm. The universe will kneel, and I'll be wearing its crown."

His domineering words were accompanied by a flare of black flames from his body, threatening to break free and devour their world. The Empyreans could tell that a single touch from these flames would cause them trouble.

Thus, each of them took a single step back. And then, they noticed what their instincts forced them to do. Kael Firebrand was the first to lose control, reaching his boiling point and rushing toward Arthur.

"I am not a coward!" roared the dragon tamer as he jumped high, his dragons rushing behind him. His entire body began developing scales instead of skin, with yellow beastly eyes filled with madness.

"At least someone is courageous among you," said Arthur as he turned toward Kael Firebrand, his lightning gathering on his hand. "Or should I call you foolish?"

"You dare?!" roared Kael as flames exploded from his body, turning the man into a fiery demon with his three dragons following him. Each was as big as a battleship, but he was not the only one with dragons.

"Lilo! Nova!"

Arthur called for his dragons to hide in his sea of consciousness. As streaks of blue and violet, the two emerged before Kael Firebrand.

Lilo was as big as the three dragons that Kael tamed, but Nova was still just a tiny one sitting atop its companion's head. However, these five dragons were not of the same level.

Arthur realized it, too, when Kael descended with his dragons. These monsters were powerful, too, the stuff of myths, but they were monsters. His dragons were spiritual creatures capable of entering his sea of consciousness.

"Time to shine, Older Brother!" said Lilo to Nova, making Arthur lose his focus. Did his oldest dragon call Nova Older Brother? He must have misheard him.

"Leave it to me, Little Lilo!" said Nova as he looked at the incoming dragons with his two intelligent blue eyes, confirming Arthur's fears. This brat, Nova, has switched their roles!

How odd!

Lilo was far older than Nova, but the latter was far wiser, armed with infinite knowledge. In truth, Lilo could not be blamed because he was not the carrier of wisdom, the Wise Blue Dragon, Azkahar.

"Create nine illusions, Lilo!" shouted Nova like a commander, and the giant violet dragon slammed its claw on the ground. The violet mana burst forward and created nine more replicas of the dragon.

"The Greatest Elusive Dragon! This is ours!" roared Kael, like his son did when he first saw Lilo. Arthur then defeated Kaius Firebrand for wanting to take his friend away.

"How dare these lesser dragons challenge us?" roared Lilo as before it let out a draconic roar, shaking the entire city of Yalen. Even Arthur was pushed back by the mighty roar.

"Lesser?" muttered Arthur with surprise, examining the three dragons that Kael had. Indeed, they were frightened by the earlier roar, signifying that Lilo was no mere dragon.

Lilo and Nova were Greater Dragons, nurtured by the mana of creation inside Arthur's Sea of Consciousness. The two would have needed thousands of years to grow this much if not for his mana.

"Ten Greater Dragons?" exclaimed Kael with fear before his fiery eyes turned toward Arthur. "You have robbed my family of this fate, outsider!"

"So, I am no longer the respected King of Wrath?" asked Arthur with a grin. "Lilo, Nova, take care of his minions. I will teach him a lesson."

"Arrogant brat!" roared Kael as he stomped on the ground, destroying the landscape. The people began escaping as flames erupted from the cracks as if the demon lord himself had descended. "Don't regret refusing our offer!"

"On the contrary, defeating you would grant me better terms," rebuked Arthur with a grin as he pulled his dagger from the void. "Sever the flames, Nightmare!"

Arthur slashed with his dagger, separating the flames from this world. A flash of black shot through the plains, passing everyone endangered by the fire, extinguishing them without a trace.

"Is that all you got?" asked Arthur, and the Firebrand Lord tried to act nonchalant. Instead, his body grew bigger as he morphed into a humanoid dragon.

"No one that has seen this form remains alive," roared the Draconic Awakener as he shot forward.

"Because it's ugly?" laughed Arthur as he pulled his dagger back and lowered his body. Black lightning exploded around him as, Arthur grinned at the incoming empyrean. "Be honored. You are the first human I use this stance against."

And then, sound disappeared from the world– no screams, no wind, no explosions, nothing except for the man in black robes speaking across the globe.

"Godslayer Art, Eternal Night."

And then he disappeared.

Everyone stared at Kael Firebrand, still rushing forward. But time slowed to a snail's pace, letting them see his changing expression.

And then, Arthur Netherborne reappeared, his dagger aiming forward, far behind Kael's back. And it was at that moment the Returning King showed his wrath again. The earth itself seemed to scream. A wave of destruction, a monstrous shockwave unlike any natural eruption, burst outward from the point of impact. The ground rippled and shattered, not collapsing but exploding in a fountain of pulverized rock and soil. The air turned into a hurricane, unable to contain the wrath it suffered.

The onlookers, even the Empyreans, were thrown back like leaves in a storm. They fell, choked, and clawed at the ground to anchor them, deafened by a roar that was less sound and more an unbearable pressure on their very beings.

When the dust settled, the plains of Yalenia were gone. In their place was a vast, smoking crater, a ragged wound torn into the earth. It was as if some terrible, ancient god had stamped its fist into the ground, a testament to the power of Arthur's wrath. This wasn't just destruction – an apocalypse in miniature, a glimpse of a world torn apart.

The aftermath was the collective fear of the onlookers. Millions gathered to witness this fight, and every single soul tried to witness the figure standing in the crater.

A single question arose in their mind.

Is Arthur Netherborne a god himself? Or is he the greatest calamity to appear in their world?

Some of them refused to believe that such a human could exist, a nobody two years ago now turned into the most powerful human this world could handle.

No, it could not handle him. That was clear when the dust settled, and a giant fissure in space appeared right where Arthur's strike landed. As for the culprit, he stood while admiring his work.

"I might have... overdone it," said Arthur to the empyrean on the ground, bleeding into the soil. "But I know you are still alive, Kael Firebrand."