Level Up Legacy

Everyone sat in silence as the tales of their childhood resurfaced. If Arthur Silvera angered Devaheim, none of them would survive. There was a reason that the guardians abandoned the rest of humanity and saved themselves. A simple, but very cruel reason: Earth stood no chance fighting against a single god. Although these families looked down on the commoners for wielding puny strength, they dared not think of becoming higher existences than what they had already achieved. An empyrean was the limit of this world, and guardians were the closest humanity could reach to godhood.

"Do I need to remind anyone of what happened the last time a god descended to Earth, long before there was any creator?" asked the Yalen King with his violet eyes studying the crowd. "If another god descends to this world with the same intentions, we will be wiped out without a trace left!"

"We made sure that the people remain oblivious about the gods to ensure that no one harbors any idea of antagonizing them," said Queen Ava in a rare instance of agreeing with the Yalen King. "I don't trust a word this man utters, but in matters of the divine, we cannot be sloppy."

"I heard your daughter, Tiara, is friendly with the creator," said the King of Beasts as he studied the queen with a piercing gaze. "Have her tell us his intentions and how he plans to even touch Devaheim."

"It doesn't matter whether he could do something to the gods, what matters is that we will be wiped out if we are associated with demons!" said the Yalen King with a strong gaze. "The black dagger he wielded is the same one described in the legends, used by none other than Ragnar Netherborne!"

His shout echoed in the hall as the crowd made uneasy and worried faces. If someone dropped a pin on the table, it would make them flinch. The severity of this situation made them lose their previous confidence because Arthur Silvera happened to wield a detonator that could destroy the world.

"We must stop him," muttered the Sage of Sourna, who has been quiet all this time. He was the oldest in the group, with a white headband covering his head and a bronze skin from his travels across the seas. "It does not matter what his intentions are. If he wishes to destroy the pact we made with the gods, it would kill us all. This is indeed the greatest threat humanity can face: a reckless and defiant man that can drag us down with him."

In that instance, everyone agreed. Queen Ava did not voice her objection because she knew the dreadful nature of the gods. For the first time in generations, six families agreed on the same thing.

"I have already begun to hatch a plan, but I don't know if it's going to work," said the Yalen King, certain about the necessity of doing something. "Arthur Silvera has a weakness: the daughter of the Agard Family. I announced their execution in a month from today. It should be enough time to lure him into doing something in my city."

"You want to ambush a man who defeated Osian the Invincible?" laughed the cloaked man sitting in the seat of Tanera. "You need a better plan than suicide, Yalen King."

"Do you have a plan, summoner?" spat the Yalen King with disdain. "Even though you sit at this table, we are not on the same level. Summoning is dead, and you killed it with your incompetence!"

"How dare you?!" shouted the King of Tanera as he jumped from his chair, his eyes glaring daggers at the seer. "If not for the wealth you amassed through your cursed eyes, you would barely lead a city!"

"Choose your words carefully, or there will not be any more summoners left in this world," said the Yalen King with a threatening gaze. As he was about to say more, the Sage of Sourna intervened.

"Leave squabbles aside and decide on what to do," said the sage as he tapped the table with his fingers. "We must find a way to eliminate this grave threat without letting the people know about Devaheim. Arthur Silvera has already exposed too many of our secrets to the public."

"He needs to be eliminated," said the King of Beasts with a sharp killing intent. "We will ambush him in Yalen if he takes the bait to save the Agard Family. This time, there will be no failures."

Boom! The entire council shook as space destabilized. The moonlight disappeared and was replaced by a golden glow that took over the hall. Everyone was confused as they looked upward in that instant, seeing a golden star shine in the night sky. Their faces paled as the Yalen King rose from his chair with a shrill scream.

"The golden star is here!" shouted the seer with despair as his entire body shook. "I told you about the golden star! I told you!"

"You said it was metaphorical, you damn seer," said the King of Beasts as he rose and grabbed his weapon, ready for battle. "Is he attacking us?"

"He is far above such schemes," said the Queen of Janea as she looked at the golden star with widened eyes. "This brilliant golden glow is coming from a different realm, a higher one!"

As every astra-ranker stood on their toes in anticipation of battle, prepared to fend for themselves, a voice echoed throughout existence. They all recognized it as the same voice that revealed their secrets in the broadcast.

"My name is Arthur Netherborne," said the voice as it shook their souls. "The era of gods will come to an end, and so will their injustice. I am the universe experiencing itself, and I have returned."

As the voice flowed through their souls like a gushing river, washing over them with cold dread and absolute confidence, it reached every corner of this world. The golden star remained for a few long moments that seemed like eternity before it disappeared.

"We are doomed," muttered the Yalen King as he grabbed his hair in despair, letting his crown fall on the ground. "The gods will never forgive such a declaration!"

"Our pact remains the same! We will not be dragged down to hell by this madman! What does he mean by Netherborne? Is he the descendant of that dreadful Ragnar?!" shouted the King of Beasts as he lost his composure.

"The golden star did not shine on Earth only, but the entire universe," said Queen Ava with sweat rolling down her face as her green eyes shone. "That means Arthur might indeed be a Netherborne. If so, we are indeed in trouble."

The rest could not say a thing as each of them tried to imagine a world where the gods would invade and kill them. Of course, there wouldn't be any world, because it would be obliterated by a single one.

***

Inside the second floor of the Red Tower, Dorian and the rest stood there in silence. After the brilliant explosion of golden mana, nothing more could be seen on the screen. Instead, a golden sun appeared in the sky of the red tower.

"A sun of creation," muttered Dorian as he watched the golden glow and felt someone squeeze his hand. It was his sister, Luna, who seemed worried about Ramiel. "They would never lose."

"I know, but what if they get hurt?" asked Luna with a sigh. After all, if they indeed lost, the tower would have been invaded by Nameless. As the golden sun brought warmth to the tower, it soon began to fade.

The citizens wanted to know what happened outside the Red Tower, and they watched the images on the screens return, showing a confusing scene. The nine warriors, with Arthur Netherborne leading them, stood facing an endless army. Nameless could no longer be seen, replaced with legions of powerful warriors.

"The fight… is not over?" muttered Dorian with confusion as his sister squeezed his hands harder. The crowd watched with bated breaths awaiting the result. The screen changed to show Arthur Netherborne with the black dagger at his waist, his face a little pale.

"My name is Arthur Netherborne," said Arthur as he grabbed the black dagger on his waist as a black aura rose from his body. Screams of wrath echoed as countless souls sought justice through their king. "The era of gods will come to an end, and so will their injustice. I am the universe experiencing itself, and I have returned."

As he finished his words, an unseen but crushing aura exploded from his body. Despite the legions of gods filling the interdimensional space, Arthur had a confident smile on his face.

Dorian wanted to escape the tower and fight with them because his worried heart could no longer take it. However, before another battle began, a portal appeared behind Arthur and the rest. Seraphine glanced at Arthur, who nodded without averting his gaze.

His eight warriors walked into the portal, leaving the battle. The divine army did not attack them for a single reason: Arthur was holding his dagger. As they retreated into the portal, Arthur then turned around and glanced back at them.

"Count your days."

Arthur then walked into the portal, which teleported them back into the tower. Dorian and the rest watched the portal appear on the second floor where the nine warriors arrived. After a moment of silence, the entire second floor shook with roars of triumph. No one would ever forget the turning point of the universe.