Level Up Legacy

As the emperor heard the mention of a certain man, he flinched his head toward the sky. His eyes lingered on the parting clouds as if trying to see what was beyond them. Then, they returned to Cassius.

"Why is he here?"

"Because we lost against a boy and a girl," said Cassius before turning toward the giant wolf. "Although I doubt that count as a boy anymore."

"No! I haven't lost yet, and I will fulfill the prophecy!" said the emperor as he tried to rise, but his wounds ran deep. Cassius stared at him before raising his finger.

"Return," muttered the Sin of Pride before the blood on the flood started flowing back into the severed veins of its owner. Then, it started resupplying the organs. "At least now, you won't die of blood loss. You can't win against him anymore, Joseph, son of Voldor."

"If we work together, then," said the emperor with a trembling hand as he stared at Cassius. "We can win!" shouted the emperor.

Cassius was silent for a second before he sighed and turned back toward Eragon. He studied him for a few seconds before shaking his head, grabbing the emperor, and throwing him toward his subjects.

"Fenrir is a myth of the wolf that will eat the world," muttered Cassius as the emperor was caught by his men. "All I can do is stop it for a few minutes and divert its rage. After that, we will retreat. Take him away!"

The knights dared not refuse, and the disheveled emperor was carried away against his will. As for the Sin of Pride, he turned toward the wolf, growing more ferocious with his arrival.

"Sins do respond to each other, but I never believed this would be used against us," said Cassius. "Eragon, and Arthur Silvera inside it, listen to my words. The woman from earlier is not dead but will be if no one rescues her."

"Lies…" a hoarse voice came from the giant wolf. Then, it started to howl, almost ripping space apart. The exploding aura pushed Cassius back as he clicked his tongue.

"You were always unhinged, even as an ally," Cassius said with a frown. "Is the outsider worth summoning this wolf for? I thought that the two of you hated each other."

The wolf howled again before slamming its claws to the ground and rushing toward him. Cassius raised his arms and pulled the surrounding buildings in front of him, but the wolf tore through them.

"Again!" shouted Cassius as he tried to move more buildings, but his fingers twitched, and nothing happened. "Dammit," cursed the sin before staring at the wound in his chest. "Although I managed to awaken, my soul is still in turmoil."

Boom!

The wolf drew near and clawed at him, making Cassius block the strike with his body. A shockwave exploded with the two in the center as their bodies caved into the pavement. The wolf sought to flatten the calamity, but Cassius used both arms to ensure he stood strong.

"Stand down, Eragon! Any more of this, and your vessel will die!" shouted Cassius as his expression darkened. The wolf didn't care and howled in response. The calamity sunk deeper into the ground beneath the giant claw. "Arthur Silvera! Can you hear me?!"

There was no response, and the wolf raised its other claw and struck the calamity's side. Cassius was sent flying, whistling through the air before hitting a building and passing through the other side.

The calamity passed three streets before finally coming to a stop. Once he did, he raised his body from the rubbles with three long black marks on his abdomen.

"This damned wolf wants to end it all?"

If vanity was the Sin of Pride, then madness belonged to wrath. As long as Eragon kills his enemies, he doesn't care about the cost. This made it harder to fight a sin that had wanted to die since birth.

A howl came from the sky, making Cassius flinch toward its source to find the wolf of black lightning standing atop the buildings. Its figure was indistinguishable from the night sky except for the pair of rageful eyes.

"This madman wants to kill me."

As Cassius finished his words, the wolf turned away and jumped. It took him a few moments to realize that the wolf was not following him but going toward the valley. It seemed like his plan to lure the wolf away worked.

"You over there," called Cassius toward a nearby knight, who was also watching the wolf. The young man flinched and turned toward him with confusion. "Where is your emperor?"

"His grace is… I saw him rushing in that direction…" said the young knight with a trembling hand. Cassius frowned because the direction that he pointed at was the valley. But then, he realized it.

"This land is infested with my Sin of Pride," muttered Cassius as he realized the emperor's aim. "He wants to kill that woman to gain face… a foolish human."

If that were easy, then Cassius would have done it himself. After all, she was Morana, one of Gaia's sisters. Morana will spare no expense to save its vessel if push comes to shove. After all, this is the first time that one of them manages to awaken.

***

The Light Emperor knew that one defeat would mean another and that this could be the beginning of his downfall. However, the Sin of Pride was saved by a man, and that can only be his father, which the world believed to be dead.

His father was the real patriarch of the Voldor Family and its real backbone. However, it has been years since he entered seclusion in another attempt to transcend. Therefore, for him to appear here can mean one thing: his solitude was over, or Joseph was about to die today.

In either case, the emperor rushed toward the valley. If his father were there, then he would seek to appease him. If not, he would kill that woman to ensure she never hinders their plans.

The wounds on his reminded him of his foolish belief that the Sin of Wrath could hurt no more than his soul. However, the blood followed the calamity's command and retained itself with the emperor's vessels. Thus, he reached the valley in an instant.

Joseph Voldor expected many things but never the scene before him. The valley, which countless meteors had overturned, was the same except for a giant hovering vessel above it.

A group of people was below the vessel, crowded around a person. The emperor observed that person was Little Yin, the woman he wanted to kill. As for those around him, he would be blind to misrecognize them.

"Rising Guild, Ascent," muttered the emperor with realization before raising his head toward the sky. "And this must be… the calamity spider, known as the strongest vessel. Did Arthur Silvera summon them?"

The emperor watched them heal and treat Suyin, which would spell doom for him. Therefore, the emperor rushed down the valley as his strings latched to the surrounding. The elements in the valley flowed into his veins, and he was faster than any of Ascent could react.

"An enemy!" shouted a voice from within the calamity spider, but the emperor was already close to the unaware group. He passed through an unaware pale man and another taller one, reaching Suyin without an obstruction.

"A miscalculation cannot exist!" said the emperor as he slammed his fist downward on them. It rushed toward Suyin, seeking to crush her skull, and he was so damn close. Yet, another miscalculation and a broken sword rushed to strike his fist.

The wind blew around the three as the emperor was pushed back several meters by a masked man. His sword managed to cut through the emperor's hand, lacerating it. The weight behind his blade was astronomical, as if the stars themselves backed it.

"Who goes there?" asked a man with a tree mask. The Light Emperor would be living under a rock if he failed to recognize him. He was Mistletoe's strongest member, Li. This mysterious man had no past or background other than appearing out of nowhere.

"Move aside, thief," said the emperor as he glanced at his hand. "If not, then all of you will be killed."

The two men, unaware earlier, were surprised to see an enemy approach them. Alongside a youngster with partially white hair, the four men rushed to stand between the emperor and Suyin.

"If so, why are we still alive, Emperor of Light?" asked the youngster with a smile. His giant great sword was stabbed to the ground before he lifted it. "You have taken good care of my brother, framing him as the Stealer of Elements."

"Brother?" asked the emperor with confusion. "You are… Oren Silvera, the outsider's failure of a brother. I wouldn't expect someone living in his brother's shadows to talk so big."

"Spare me, wise emperor," said Oren before armor started enveloping his body until nothing could be seen but his green eyes. "Our bonds are not so easy to break."