Chapter 1317 A Broken Barrier
Chapter 1317 A Broken Barrier
Julia stared at the screen, watching the broadcast with millions of other viewers around the world. Although the internet had been hard to obtain ever since the two worlds merged, it had now become their beacon of light in this disaster. The broadcast showed them the giant dome of darkness that had been identified as the anomaly.
"Is that what I think it is?" asked Yuran with a frown. "If Arthur has lost control again, how are we supposed to go there and help him?"
"I have no idea," said Julia, having never felt this helpless before. A lack of runes was something straight out of a horror movie for runemasters. Their dome was shut down, but that was also the case for their enemies, who couldn't even use their abilities. As she tightened her grip on her arm in frustration, the camera on the broadcast suddenly changed. The one broadcasting was the Truth Agency, known for its wide coverage. The cameraman spotted something in the cloud and made sure to capture it. The camera zoomed in on the falling object from the sky. At first, it came crashing down from the thundering clouds and straight toward the dome. Once the camera could zoom no longer, it began to focus on what appeared to be a person. "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that there is a person falling from the sky," said the news anchor as he showed the young man. "I don't know who this armored man is, but I fear that he might not survive this anomaly!"
"…Julia… that armor is…" muttered Yuran with surprise as he recognized it. "How could he be there?"
"It might be the Nightroad Company," answered Julia with excitement. "If there is anyone who can stop him, it would be Oren," she said, clenching her hands in excitement. Julia watched as he entered the dome of darkness, praying in her heart for the pair's safety. At the same time, the entire dome began to shake. Julia almost lost her footing if not for Jonah stabilizing her. The other guild masters were also present today at the dome to report their progress with their guilds. Everyone was confused about how the dome could even shake. It was residing in Mountain Range Rovero as per Arthur's instructions. This location was ideal for them because it was hidden from sight and close to the Yalveran Union, which required their assistance against the demi-humans and their invasions. However, the dome was not only shaking but tilting noticeably. Julia and the rest rushed outside, opening the closed gates manually. The forest outside was tilting alongside their dome. The guild members were confused as they looked ahead, seeing the source of this phenomenon. "Is that… the second trial of the holy crown?" muttered Yuran with surprise as he tried to stabilize his body. Julia looked at the rising mountain with a pale face. Arthur had already warned them that the second trial would be here, but they didn't think it would appear now. As far as she remembered, Arthur mentioned that he placed a barrier around the second trial that hid it from the world. Julia realized that the barrier must have been broken due to the Runes Outage happening throughout the world. If that's the case, the entire world will find the trial.
"It seems that we cannot hide it anymore," muttered Julia while gritting her teeth. "If that's the case, then we need to delay it until Arthur regains control. Summon the members and have them posted around this mountain. Don't let anyone enter!" commanded Julia. The guild masters rushed to work, each mobilizing their armies. Although most of their members were on missions already, they had to use those present around the dome, either training or hunting monsters. The situation was chaotic, but Julia was more concerned about the broadcast on her phone. Even now, the dome remained, and her eyes teared up at the thought of Arthur losing control. 'Did something happen to him or to Diana?' she wondered. Then, her eyes turned toward the holy crown trial. The fissure that had been sealed off was spewing out an entire city atop the mountain, raising the entire landscape. Even now, the dome was tilting ever so slightly, but they had no way to escape. The city itself looked magnificent, surrounded by a great fog that allowed no one to see what's inside or even enter. But the mountain towered into the heavens, inviting those who wished to conquer it. Julia knew that their efforts would be futile. She just hoped to buy more time. ***
Inside the black dome, Oren stood next to his brother, whose wrath felt palpable. On the table before him was a woman that Oren had not met before but had only heard about. For this woman, his brother had done the unthinkable: merging the world together. Oren believed that his brother was a hypocrite when he first heard about this. His sole goal had been to prevent the seven families from merging the world, but now, he was doing the exact same for none other than selfish reasons. His opinion changed when the legacy activated and began to strengthen him too.
Arthur stood silent before the woman, his wrath not finding an outlet. Oren knew that this woman was not here but only another memory that did not exist. She must be elsewhere, safe and unharmed. "The entire world is facing this wrath now, Arthur," muttered Oren as he looked at his brother. "You need to stop this now. Otherwise, you will burn yourself in the process."
"I don't know how to stop this," said Arthur with a sad smile. "I thought I had conquered the wrath of others, but it seems I always fail to conquer my own."
"I can help with that," said Oren as he reached toward his sword. "I harnessed the power of souls in order to achieve this. Let me use it against you, and this will be over."
"And what if I need this power to protect her?" asked his brother, hesitant. "What if this wrath was necessary to disable my enemies from harming the people I care about?"
"Then, we can face them together," said Oren as he pointed his sword toward his brother. "Do you trust me, Arthur?" "Always," answered his brother with a smile. The black lightning sensed Oren's intentions and flared, roaring back in defiance. "Be careful, little brother. This wrath is unforgiving."
Oren nodded as he watched his brother become engulfed with wrath that refused to back down. He knew that it wouldn't be easy. The wrath allowed him to enter because Arthur retained his sanity. But once it became threatened, the wrath erupted.