Chapter 1285 Blade of Wrath
Chapter 1285 Blade of Wrath
Ascending the mountain was a little trickier than Arthur had anticipated. He wanted to be civil about his entrance, to at least negotiate Rain's fate. After entering the Uncharted Lands, he became aware of her existence atop the mountain, although his rune did not allow him to communicate with her. The fog had unique qualities of its own, as Arthur could not find the direction to ascend the mountain. However, the fog seemed to disperse once he used his lightning to navigate, albeit in a small radius, but just enough to tell him where to go.
Thus, his journey began toward the mountain top, which took another precious hour, but was necessary to avoid conflict with the clan. Arthur concluded that this place was his hometown, or something of the sort. Even from here, he could feel the wrath condensed atop the black mountain.
This black mountain served as a cradle for the wrathful souls, nurturing them and even bringing out the best in them. Although he was usually mistaken for his powers being evil due to the souls' wrath, his powers were anything but. Much like this mountain, Arthur was a medium for the wrath to find an outlet.
Karma might not be tangible, not even spiritual, but it did exist in a sense. Those who caused injustice would leave souls demanding that justice be obtained. Arthur was the one to rectify what the world had done to them. However, one should not assume that Arthur himself did not leave a few wrathful souls of his own. 'Few' being an understatement.
Arthur saw the mountain top in the distance while he still entertained such ideas. After all, he needed to think about wrath as something of a double-edged sword. Souls that had indeed been met with injustice were abundant, but the same could be said for souls that merely existed as a consequence of their own actions.
For example, a certain village was eradicated from history by powerful entities. Arthur met the villagers who sought justice for their fate. The story turned out to be, when questioned, quite different from what Arthur had expected. The village itself had sacrificed its own to obtain the favor of a higher being.
In the end, Arthur turned them down. Their wrath still existed in his kingdom, but Arthur would not seek their justice, for he would have done the same to punish them. This was to prove that Arthur was not obliged to follow his souls' whims and wishes, and he could just choose the side he believed was right.
But in the same sense, this made the Kingdom of Wrath not exclusive to him. At least, not the one he ruled. Most souls in his kingdom listened to him, letting it act as a vault for the souls that Arthur had contracted. But wrathful souls had other places to inhabit, like this mountain, which was flowing with them.
"Who goes there?!" roared a voice from a distance, a little too enraged for Arthur's tastes. He wanted to be civil, he reminded himself, as he raised his hands to appease the other party, who stood atop the gates of the fortress.
"My name is Arthur Netherborne," he did not hide himself, not anymore, and not in this place. "I came here to save my friends. I received a signal from this place."
"Please turn back! What you seek is not here!" said the voice, making Arthur snicker to himself as a black flame appeared atop his fingers. Then, he snapped them and the flames burst in a wave pulsing throughout the mountain, clearing the fog. Arthur didn't want to be this extreme, but the other party clearly took him for a fool.
The fortress revealed itself from within the fog, with its high black walls, bricks dating back centuries, and flames that Arthur extinguished with his own. Atop the fortress' walls were a few people standing, glaring at Arthur who, in their opinion, was rude.
"I cannot have that," he said with a smile, sensing their presence but unable to see them with his robbed sight. "Please open the gates. I'm trying my best to be civil."
"You knocked down our guardian and still expect to be civil?" asked a different voice from before. "You spit in our face and expect us to welcome you with a smile."
"A smile won't be necessary, and I didn't come here for a visit," he said with a smile. "But to clarify things on my end, your dragon attacked me, not the other way around. If not for its own actions, I would have loved to tame and claim it as my own, not knock it down."
"Do you believe saying that pardons your crimes?" asked a voice from within the gates, not atop them. Arthur turned in its direction, surprised at the serenity embodied within the feminine voice. "Open the gates!" the voice commanded again, and to Arthur's surprise, they obliged without hesitation.
The person that came out from behind the gates had a soft presence, almost unspoken, but yet firm and steady. Arthur might not be able to see them, but he could feel that this person was different. A bell chimed with each step, giving Arthur the image that the newcomer tied a bell to themselves.
"You must be the grandson of Benjamin," said the woman, whose voice told Arthur that she might be as young as him. Arthur let his senses take in the general shape of the woman, even though it might be rude if she realized. But he was, after all, blind.
The woman wore long robes, with two swords strapped to her waist, a bell attached to each handle. She wore long earrings, with her hair tied behind her back. Her face was not something he could recognize, but he did realize she was as tall as him.
"No idea who that is," he answered, although having an inkling that Benjamin must be related to him. "I came here for a woman as tall as you are, with silver hair, tanned skin, and childish antics. Please don't try to deny her presence here."
"I wouldn't," said the woman. "She is here in our prisons, alongside your grandfather and two more people. They came here to ask a few questions, to which our clan leaders answered with all honesty. However, your grandfather demanded something funny. Are you aware of it?"
Although the woman seemed to snicker, Arthur sensed no ill-intentions toward him. She was amused, nothing more, nothing less. "Enlighten me," he asked with a frown. His surprise came from the fact that Rain seemed to have met his grandfather along her journey with the princess.
"Your grandfather demanded that we hand over our techniques to you, his grandson, the self-proclaimed King of Wrath." The woman now had an edge to her voice, and Arthur could see her smirking at him in a threatening manner. "Are you aware of it?"
"I am, without the tiniest bit of doubt, the King of Wrath," he declared again with a provocative smile. "As for your techniques, you can keep them. I am doing just fine alone."
"Let's put that to the test," said the woman as she pulled out her sword. Arthur saw them to be slightly curved, slim and agile, reminding him of weapons only seen in ancient artifacts called Katanas. "If you survive even for one minute against me, I will declare you as the King of Wrath."
"Survival is easy," answered Arthur with a frown. "Not killing you will be the hardest part."
"Arrogant!" shouted the woman with a grin as she jumped forward, unleashing a flurry of slashes each bursting with black lightning. Arthur stood there with his hands down, unresponsive to her storm of wrath.
The woman continued her attacks, approaching him. Arthur sighed and took out his dagger, letting it unleash a cry of wrath that dispelled the lightning. The woman seemed surprised and jumped back, staring at Arthur with widened eyes.
"That weapon…!" A flash of realization appeared on the woman's face as she stared at his weapon, putting a momentary halt to her attacks. "How did you obtain that weapon?"
"A friend gave it to me," answered Arthur with a little smile. "Do you recognize it for what it is?"
"Blade of Wrath, Nightmare," answered the woman with a frown as she glared at him. "Our clan has been searching for it for countless years. A guild once obtained it in the Yalveran Union, before it disappeared in recent years."
Arthur was confused for three good seconds, but then realized what had happened. His father was the one to steal this blade and give it to Seref to reward him with it during the Red Tower. That makes this dagger the item that caused his family to be labeled as thieves.
"I obtained it as the rightful owner and inheritor of Ragnar," Arthur answered her with a smile. "Come again and try to test me." The woman stood silent with her swords brandished, black lightning covering them. Arthur has managed to provoke her.