Chapter 52 - Never A Fool Again
Jizo fell to his knees at the doors of a hut at the world's edge. It was his only safe place, he had nowhere else to go. The door opened to reveal a woman in her thirties. She wore a black robe that was a contrast to her silver hair and eyes, giving her a gloomy deposition.
"What have you done?" The woman asked coldly, eyes full of rage. Jizo's body trembled at the question, as pain and agony filled his heart.
"I…" He pulled his hair so hard that it started to come off before he smashed his head into the ground. "I trusted him… He wanted to get stronger, to take revenge, and I helped him."
"You gave him the rune? Have you lost your goddamn mind!" She pulled him off his knees and shouted to his face, her beautiful face turning terrifyingly demonic.
"No…" Jizo shook his head, tears rolling down his eyes. "I gave him an artifact that I made. It allowed him to… get stronger." Jizo cried bitterly before he continued. "He killed millions using it, he… did things I would have never done."
"It was you who killed them!" The woman shouted throwing him to the ground. Jizo didn't resist as he felt the hard ground underneath him. He dug his hands into the soil as he remembered how he was betrayed by the friend he trusted so much.
"I was a fool, but never will be again. And neither should you, Arthur." Jizo looked at him, and Arthur snapped his eyes open. He could still feel his blood draining, but a single sentence filled his eyes.
[New legacy rune has been obtained.]
***
"Arthur!" Miko sprinted to his side, but she was too late. His blood was draining so fast that she couldn't even stop the bleeding. At this rate, he would be dead in a few moments. Her mind was going blank at the sudden turn of even. From Erin's appearance to Jin's betrayal, she couldn't wrap her head around it.
"How could you, Jin you bastard!" Miko shouted with rage as she dashed toward him, slashing with her dagger. Even if she had no mana, she just couldn't forgive him after all the times they have been through.
Before she could reach him, Erin appeared in front of her with his bloody armor on, sending her flying with a fist that twisted her organs. She coughed blood uncontrollably as a result of the difference in their strength.
"I had to, Miko. You think I would endanger Hazel's life and mine by going against Erin for your sake?" Jin's words were colder than ice, and they stabbed into her heart. She should have expected it, but she was blinded. She wanted to believe in what Arthur believed in, but she made a deadly mistake.
"And it's the right choice," Erin took a step forward, chains appearing around him. "No one would side with a killer like you!" He appeared in front of her before she could react and sent another fist at her, making her crash against the wall like a broken kite.
"But he trusted you, he helped you!" Miko found herself shouting despite her organs breaking down. Why was she saying such a thing? She wondered. Why did he influence her that much with his kindness? She wondered again.
"Hahaha, are you being serious right now? You, a bunch of stealthily killing dogs, talking about trust and help?" Erin laughed loudly while the rest of the group surrounded them.
Miko looked for a way out, but there was none. Hazel was unconscious on the floor, probably drugged by Jin's potion from earlier. It was a relief that she didn't betray them, but she wished she could help them.
"I won't go down so easily, you bastards!" She brandished her daggers as she tried to replenish her mana, enough to send Arthur away at least. Her body was failing her as it would never be enough to do that.
"Jin, you still haven't proved your remorse enough. Kill this bitch. I know you're tired, but we'll help." Erin took a step back and grinned, it seemed like he enjoyed this whole show.
Jin gritted his teeth and took a step forward. He was also drained of mana, but he was in a far better situation than Miko who left no energy to be used from the earlier fight. He walked over as he convinced himself this was the right decision. If they fought against Erin, his and Hazel's life would be a lot more difficult in the outside world.
"Nothing personal, this is merely the best choice I have." Jin unsheathed his sword as mana coursed through it, strengthening it greatly.
"Tell Arthur I'm sorry when you meet him in the afterworld." He whispered just enough for her to hear. He wanted her to know his hands were tied too, but it sounded like empty excuses.
"Why don't you tell me now?"
A voice came from behind him, sending goosebumps over his skin as if it came from the underworld. He turned around in haste, expecting to see a body lying on the ground, only to be greeted with exploding golden light with hues of blue. Standing in the middle was the person he just stabbed, and he disappeared like a ghost.
The next moment that he appeared, Jin felt like he was being hit by a train as his body crashed to the wall. Arthur had his foot on his chest as he looked at him from above, disdain clear in his eyes.
"Is that the best you came up with? Do you think we wouldn't have been able to fool them if we worked together?" Arthur's words were cold, emotionless, and filled with freezing-rage.
Jin wanted to say that he had no choice, but Arthur kicked him another time in the stomach burying him deeper into the ground.
"No," Arthur grinned as he looked at Jin. "You wanted to get rid of me for a different reason, didn't you?" He picked Jin up with one hand by the throat, the latter struggling and whimpering for air as he felt his neck being crushed.
'Why is he so strong?' Jin tried to use his mana, but it wasn't enough to summon anything. Arthur sent another fist toward his abdomen, crushing several of his organs before whispering into his ear.
"You saw us that night, didn't you?" His words were slicing into Jin's heart like a hot knife through butter. They were a reminder of his true selfish self. The true reason he wanted Arthur dead.
It was then that he could see red mana in the corner of his eye, Erin was here for his rescue. He felt relief seep through, as there was no way Arthur was a match to Erin.
"Die already, you cockroach!" Erin bellowed with rage as he sent his strongest fist toward the insolent bug who refused to die. His fist made a booming sound with how powerful it is, making Erin confident in ending it with one blow.
A thin palm blocked his fist, ending its momentum without being pushed in the slightest. Erin felt like his hand was almost broken as if he had just struck an immovable mountain.
"Ah yes, the rapist was also here." Arthur looked at him, smiling as he held Erin's fist in his hand. With a single motion, he lifted Erin's body in the air like he was using a whip and smashed him to the ground. Air pressure spread in the surrounding as a crater was formed under Erin's body that was bloody and broken.
Arthur felt his body beginning to be damaged under the effect of the great power he felt within. He knew he had no more time so he flung Jin to the wall, his life and death being questioned.
With another step, he appeared next to the Dark Queen's corpse, and he picked the mana core up. It had the energy required to use the teleportation circle Solomon mentioned, and Arthur planned on using it.
[Dark Essence has been absorbed.]
A single phrase appeared after he absorbed the queen, with no stats added. Arthur had no time to mull over it as the squad was shouting and coming to attack him.
Under the gazes and threatening blades of a dozen people, Arthur pierced the mana core with the dagger he had. A single phrase appeared in front of him.
[Key has been used to activate the circle. Insignia has been gained: The Breaker.]
White light appeared underneath everyone as giant lines appeared on the ground. After another moment, the world disappeared in front of Arthur.
He felt his consciousness drift into awareness as he opened his eyes, but his body refused to move. He was in the tunnel that he had teleported from almost a month ago, in Furlair dungeon. He wondered why he was the only one transported, but he thought maybe it had something to do with him being the one to activate it. He struggled for a while before he felt a presence in the tunnel.
"Welcome back." He turned around when he heard a voice, it was Sier standing there with Master Ronin.