Level Up Legacy

"Then, the gods will destroy everything, even if they did not use Nameless to achieve that," muttered Arthur as he stared at the circle drawn in the sand. "The one capable of stopping them should be the man who can wield wrath better than anyone."

"The more mana of creation you can wield, the more emotions you will lose. It is inevitable not because of the First Contract with spirits, but because a creator should not be able to feel."

"Am I the same creator that jumped into its wheel of runes?" asked Arthur after a momentary pause, and Jizo gave him a slow nod. "How would you prove this?"

"How would you be able to wield wrath and creation at the same time otherwise? What about your abundant spiritual power that could make gods tremble in fear? What is the reason that all spirits love you?"

"These are not evidence of that fact."

"One being could answer that question, and that is Gaia," said the Scholar Guardian as he tapped the circle on the ground, making Arthur confused. "I have also planned a meeting with her. If you are interested, use your golden mana on this circle."

"If there is someone I trust, it would be Gaia," said Arthur as he closed his eyes and sighed. Then, he opened them again, a renowned determination glowing through his golden eyes. Arthur raised his hand and a teardrop of golden mana fell from his finger, the same way he created domains. "Let's go and meet her."

Jizo was the first to enter the portal after rising from his seat, and Arthur followed. He landed inside the familiar white world where Arthur spent almost three years learning about runes with Gaia. The same golden globe, that looked like the core of a machine, span inside the white world.

"We meet again, Arthur," said a voice from within the core as soon as Arthur landed. A smile formed on his face as he stared at the core. "You brought someone else with you."

"This is the Scholar Guardian."

"I know who he is," said Gaia as the core shone. "We met once before, when he sought me to find the creator. I once again apologize for what happened to your wife and daughter."

"I blame no one for their death," said Jizo as he adjusted his robes with a blank expression. "I could have sought to reincarnate them, but what world would I bring them to? As long as the gods exist, no one is safe."

"Your worries are well-deserved, guardian," said Gaia with concern visible in her voice. "I can feel the gods inching ever closer to this realm, where the knowledge of creation lays buried. If they indeed reach me…"

"The world will be doomed," continued Arthur, her words, but he was not in the mood to stand idle and listen. He stepped forward with a frown as he demanded an answer. "Tell me the truth, Gaia. Am I the creator?"

"Truths always find a way to reveal themselves," said Gaia as the core shone and began rotating. "Come and meet me, and I will never lie."

Arthur and Jizo saw a golden bridge form between them and the golden core floating above. It was inclined toward them, with nothing but golden mana forming it. The other end was connected to the golden core, inviting them to ascend.

The first to cross the bridge was Arthur, followed by the Scholar Guardian who walked a few steps behind him. The two entered the world of golden mana and found nothing but a room with no furniture or color. A woman stood in the middle of the room, a smile on her lips.

Gaia looked as the mother of creation would look like. Flowing golden hair, golden armor, fair skin, and two golden eyes akin to miniature suns. In her presence, the two men felt warm and humbled. Her graceful smile contained not an ounce of arrogance, just kindness toward them.

"This is the first time I reveal this form," said Gaia with a smile. "I welcome those who seek knowledge and well-being of the world. Please, have a seat."

Arthur and Jizo were confused because the room had no furniture, but the moment her words landed, two clouds appeared behind them. The two stared at each other before sitting down, feeling like students before their teacher.

"I need an answer, Gaia," demanded Arthur again, reminding her of his earlier question. Gaia did not seem offended by his insistence, only humored as she sat down on a cloud herself. "Am I the creator like the guardian has told me?"

"You always knew that."

"However, the definition of the word changed," said Arthur with a frown. "King Arthur also carried the powers of creation, and I assumed I was the heir of his powers and knowledge. I never knew that before my birth, I was a being with no feelings or desires."

"It had a desire," said Gaia as her smile disappeared. "It had the desire to live, but that might have been the worst of them all. After it granted me the powers of creation, I watched it become a mortal soul with not an ounce of power. That made it satisfied."

"I sought Gaia once before," said the Scholar Guardian. "I wanted to find who the creator would be, and explained how wrath needs to be wielded by the same man who wields creation. She helped me find Seref, your father."

"It was never my intention to disturb your desire to live, creator," said Gaia as she bowed her head, ashamed. "However, the guardian was right about what would happen to this world in its current state. Wrath was never enough to stop it. You had to be the one to carry it."

Arthur was silent as he stared at the golden being, then at his own palms. The repeated fighting made them callused and rough, and anyone could tell that he did not lead an easy life. Gaia was silent, and so was the guardian. Then, Arthur clenched his fist.

"I don't know who I was before leading this life, but my desire hasn't changed," said Arthur with a confident smile. "I don't blame anyone anymore. If I don't descend into hell, who will?"

"I cannot express enough gratitude," said Gaia while bowing her head. "As you have forsaken the powers of creation before, you will need to master them. As for wrath, I know very little in that regard. But you must hasten to prepare against the gods."

"You have been dropping hints since earlier, mother of nature," said the guardian with a frown. "Is there something you have noticed?"

"I cannot glean into Devaheim with ease, but I know that a storm is brewing. Armies of astral creatures are descending to the lower realms, surrounding your tower. Their numbers are enough to cause trouble to Ragnar Netherborne himself."

"Your fight against Artemis must have alerted them of your return," said Jizo with a worried expression. "My contract with Devaheim states that no god can enter my realm unless there is an anomaly, or someone clears it."

"This reminds me," said Arthur as he turned toward the guardian. "Why did you send armies toward the second floor if you were on my side?"

"This tower no longer has a use to stats," said Jizo with a grin. "I gifted the humans in the second floor the stats necessary to survive whatever is about to come. This is the reason I only sent them once they have been united."

"You and Seref have the most twisted ways to do good for the world," said Arthur with a sigh. "Just give them their stats instead of scaring them shitless."

"A tower needs to be fair to operate."

"...whatever," said Arthur as he rose from the cloud. "I obtained the answers I needed, so here is what I really came here to tell you. I plan on saving Diana."

"I know about what happened," said Gaia as her smile faded. "Diana used the Isotox to overcome her contradicting powers, but then used it to transport Runera to Earth. Such a transportation made the Isotox weaken, and could no longer hold back her powers."

"What are you saying?"

"It's impossible to save her anymore."

"No, it's not," said Arthur without a hint of hesitation. "If I use the Isotox to save her, then everything will be fine again."

"It would be, but the Isotox will lose its powers," said the scholar guardian. "I don't want to make things difficult for you, but the Isotox is an artifact of limited capacity. It gathers the tendency of the world to harmonize and merge and captures them. If you release that power to save her, the two worlds will merge again."

"Let them merge."

Arthur stated without looking away from Gaia, who has lost her earlier kindness. Instead, she stared at him with apathy and scrutiny.

"People will die if the two worlds merge."

"I can't always be the hero," said Arthur with determination. "People will die regardless, let it be dungeons, corrupt governments, or incurable illnesses. I cannot save them from death, but I want to save her."

"You are abusing the powers you have been given."

"The powers that I have given you," rebuked Arthur, making Gaia look enraged for the first time. "If Diana dies, I would rather watch the world burn."