Chapter 1219 Arthur is Here
Chapter 1219 Arthur is Here
The day of the execution arrives. Countless ambassadors, emissaries, and nobles arrived to the capital of Yalen, Yalenia. The entire cities were crowded, and no one could find a foothold among the crowd.
If anyone was to look at the city in its current gown, they would assume a celebration was happening. But the morbid reality behind the festivities made the true face of the Yalen King show.
An empyrean has died.
Traitors are being executed.
A crowned prince is returning.
A previous crowned prince has gone missing.
This overwhelming series of news has struck Yalen like a plague, each more unfortunate than the last. The sole exception was that Lucian Yalen has returned, and words have it that he has become the strongest seer.
Thus, the festivities.
But everyone knew that the real event today was the execution of the Agard Family. Countless nobles tried to dissuade the king from such a cruel act, but they all failed. Thus, rumors on the streets spread that a change is coming.
On the day itself, the sun hid behind the clouds, casting a grim shadow on the streets of Yalenia. Music and trumpets echoed throughout the city, powered by the Yalen Workshop led by Grandmaster Alex. They were responsible of facilitating the entire ceremony.
Although attendance was not enforced, many people wanted to see their future king. The streets were packed, making it nearly impossible for foreigners to reach the plains in front of the palace.
As the palace and workshops were situated atop valleys, the land between them was turned into a giant venue for the execution and ceremony.
As the clock struck midday, the trumpets blew so loud that it forced everyone into silence. The entire world was watching the ceremonies. From the sky above the palace descends a giant fleet, with a dais being lowered down by two white angels. The dais carried a coffin and the King of Yalen.
As for the coffin, it was made of white marbles, covered with violet flowers. As the dais reached the ground, which has been turned into a giant garden elevated from the rest of the valley, the trumpets stopped.
"Greetings, my people," began the Yalen King, voice dripping with grief. "As many of you have already heard, we lost the backbone of our nation to a terrorist."
Instead of hiding the news, the king decided to face it directly, showing his vulnerable side. He turned toward the coffin in front of the millions watching him.
"Our world has reached a stage of no return," muttered the king, caressing the coffin with sadness. "A terrible fate will befall our world because of a single individual."
The king then turned toward his people, millions of them watching him. And then to the broadcast showing him to the entire world, revealed a shocking truth.
"Our world is just a tiny one in the cosmos, but there are greater forces that could eradicate it us with a blink. Some of you believe that Arthur Netherborne is the savior, the prophesied man of the twin stars. But that very same man wants to fight those higher forces, endangering our entire world."
The king allowed his words to sink in, but the world stood frozen. No king has ever spoke of something this absurd.
"I am the Seer King of Yalen, a descendant of a family that built nations with nothing but knowledge. And I have witnessed the past and future, so I can say with clarity."
After pausing and scanning the crowd, his voice dropped an octave.
"Arthur Netherborne will bring doom to this world, as he has done to my father. And for that reason, I will never forgive, him and the deep-seated darkness in this world."
A figure ascended the field of flowers and the dais, wearing violet robes over his white shirt and black pants. His long hair was tied in a pony tail, and his brown skin reminded the people of his deceased mother.
"As the world takes away two of my family, it gives me one back," said the king as he turned toward the newcomer. "I hereby welcome the returning crowned prince of Yalen, Lucian the First of His Name!"
And the crowd exploded with cheers. The music played again, forsaking the sad tones they had earlier. The crowned prince has returned, a beacon of hope in these dark times.
Lucian took his father's hand as he ascended the dais, which the latter raised for the crowd to cheer louder. Then, he summoned a different crown with his other hand before placing it atop Lucian's head.
As the ceremonies were complete, the crowned prince has returned. He became the heir of Yalen, the hope for its future.
"In order for us to move forward," announced the king for his people. Nobles and runemasters stood among the crowd, waiting for his judgement. "We must eliminate the threats that hinder that path!"
Everyone could tell what was happening next.
The king has promoted for the execution so much that some believed he was making an example of the Agard Family. No one wanted to see an execution, especially of a family as beloved as the Agard.
However, the king demanded their witness of their crimes.
"For conspiring against the crown and allying with the terrorist, Arthur Netherborne, the Agard Family has been found guilty of treason!" commanded the king as he waved his hand. A platform rose from the ground having three chairs surrounded by runic arrays.
After that, the king took out a small dagger from his inner pockets and infused mana into it. The dagger lit up with spatial energy before the king used it to slash space apart.
"President, please escort the criminals to the execution platform!" commanded the Yalen King as he turned toward the Awakener's Union President. With a grim face, he nodded and advanced toward the fissure before disappearing into it.
This same man fought against the Calamity Spider and lost, an Astra-ranker with immense power. But after Ilia Perli abandoned the Yalveran Union, their powers drastically decreased.
However, there were still several Astra-rankers within the union, mostly belonging to guilds and underworld organizations. Although they did not have the numbers of the Yalen Army, they had the quality of their awakeners.
What remained of the Yalen Army after the battle of Giant Garden was here too, riding their battleships and mounts, both for security and paying respects.
The army was divided into three sections, each belonging to a different general that once worked for Ilia Perli, their Major General.
The first one was Zera Novak, a dark-skinned woman in her forties who commanded absolute discipline on her troops.
The second was Damien Shaw, a strategic man whose eyes gleamed with intelligence and mischief.
The third was Rowan Ellis, a frail-looking woman with ashen hair that was known as the strongest healer of the union.
These three became the current backbone of Yalen after its Empyrean fell and its Major General defected. Their presence alone prevented anyone from having any malice against the crown.
As for the president of the union who had entered the separate dimension, he was their last Astra-ranker. However, after several minutes of waiting, there were no signs for his return.
"What is happening?" asked the Yalen King, confused. Lucian also seemed worried as he gestured for the three generals to descend. As the crowd grew uneasy, a shift happened in the clouds.
The white clouds covering the sky suddenly became black, and thunder rumbled from a distance, causing the entire city to shake. Then, from within the clouds, a bolt of black lightning shot toward the dais where the king was.
"Protect the king!" shouted Lucian to the three general he has summoned. The one who rose to the task was Zera, summoning her Astral-being. It was a giant behemoth covered in metallic scales.
As she waved her hands for her astral creature, it rushed to stand in front of the dais. The bolt of black lightning flickered across the sky, zigzagged through the crowd, and struck the Astral Being with great precision.
Boom!
Screech!
As the creature let out a painful scream, it suddenly flickered out of existence and disappeared, as if it never was. The crowd stood astounded, and so was Zera herself.
"My Astral Being was unsummoned?" she muttered, her age-wrinkles betraying deep worry as her brows furrowed. "What kind of power can cancel an astral summon?"
"The same power that could kill an empyrean," muttered the Yalen King as he glared at the sky, his eyes shifting in panic. "Arthur Netherborne is here."
The entire crowd panicked as they heard his words. Some of them began to flee, while the Army began moving to surround the king, separating the sky from earth. As everyone looked among the clouds, a figure ascended the dais with leisure.
"A mere astral being is not enough to stop my lightning," his deep voice seemed to penetrate through the chaos, enforcing silence on the world. "We meet again, Yalen King."
The three generals, the Yalen King, and Lucian froze in place. His arrival was unexpected, and he managed to get so close without anyone feeling a ripple of mana. This was...
Arthur Netherborne.