Arthur stared at the rune that was pulsing with evil energy. It was the first time he had created something capable of destruction, and it was the cursed rune. The bright red lines glowed so ominously before they disintegrated, unable to integrate into each other appropriately.
“I always knew that I can create runes out of nothing, but a rune designed specifically to work against a creature is a different matter.”
There were numerous factors to consider when creating such a rune, including the target’s body, mana, ability, weak points, integration into the world, and strengths. For example, Amelio’s stats were what the rune had to counter, and it did not need to affect his mana.
“I am running out of time,” muttered Arthur as he turned toward the screen. It showed a scene of destruction with his followers sprawled to the ground, making him grit his teeth. “A rune to counter absolute stats….”
He could think of one rune that worked on stats, and that was his absorb rune. However, it did not work on creatures that Arthur had not slain himself, as if by doing so, he owned their hard work.
“Can I modify the legacy rune?” pondered Arthur, but he shot down the idea immediately. His current attainment level was V-tier runes at the maximum. These would turn his body into runes, but he can reverse the process.
If Arthur tried to, for example, rebuild Kera with a single rune, that would be a rune much higher than a V-tier rune. It would turn Arthur to nothing but runes instantly. A legacy rune was the same, but it was facilitated by the legacy to be used by Arthur.
This bewildering occurrence disturbed Arthur because the legacy did not belong to him. Instead, it belonged to the Scholar Guardian, Jizo, even though it contained the former Arthur’s ability.
Therefore, it was weird that Arthur could still use the artifact created by the Scholar Guardian. This was not a generosity given to him by his father, who would do anything to threaten him, but a result of an incident he did not know.
“It does not matter whether the scholar guardian owns the legacy,” pondered Arthur. “The question is whether I can manipulate the absorb rune.”
The golden rune appeared in front of him. Its luminous light distinguished it from regular runes as if it encapsulated the core of Arthur’s ability. His hand reached toward the rune, trying to manipulate it, but the mere thought sent his hand flying away.
“Such fearsome power,” sighed Arthur before he retracted the rune back into his body, and it snuggled comfortably inside him. “I cannot count on this one to win. Unfortunately, however, I cannot master the cursed rune as well.”
“It seems you are in a pinch, Arthur,” a voice said from behind him. Arthur turned around with a frown to see a person standing behind him. “You have the greatest runes workshop in the world, but you cannot create a single curse rune. Do you want to know why?”
“That voice…” glared Arthur at the man hidden in the shadows. “How did you manage to get here, Seref?”
“This mansion belonged to the guardian who resides within me,” said Seref Silvera as he walked out of the shadows. “I cannot visit Earth without meeting my rebellious son, right?”
Arthur stared at his father’s face, who had the same kindness as before. It was a reassurance back then, but now it was a disturbing scene to see someone so cruel carry the same kind face.
“You look better than the last time we met,” said Arthur while turning his body toward the man’s direction. “Are you here to make sure we suffer as you planned?”
“This was never the plan, Arthur,” glared Seref at him. “The plan was for you to receive this power and use it to rule the world. But, then, all you had to do was to become the savior!”
“I made a deal with Gaia in return for this power,” said Arthur with a blank face. “When the time comes, I will do as I promised. However, it will never be as you have planned. You pursued the world’s safety for the wrong reasons, using the wrong means.”
“There is no right or wrong, son. There is just what happens and how we perceive it. People will think of me as a hero, a villain, or an antihero, but it does not reflect who I am.”
“And what are you?”
“I am the father I wished I had,” Seref spread his arms. “I gave you my name, my dream, and my life. However, you did not appreciate it, leading us to this situation.”
“A situation where you harm your wife?” smiled Arthur as his rage began to leak. Even though his emotions dwindled by the second, his rage was the only thing that outlasted his powers. It did not decrease, only increased.
“I did not come here for a chat,” said Seref as he began to walk toward Arthur and stood a distance away from him. “I came here to negotiate. You should have realized I have the upper hand in this war.”
“And what is that you want? I don’t know how to restore the timeline you desperately need.”
“I realized as much,” nodded Seref Silvera. “I want what your little lover stole from me. I want the Isotox!”
The mention of Dia made Arthur’s heart flutter. The proof that she tried to hunt down his father left him worried but happy that she still cared about him.
“How would the Isotox return the timeline to how it was?” asked Arthur frowning. “The hybrid was never created because I never gave my powers to the vessels.”
“I wanted to put you against the vessels through that hybrid, but it did not work. A savior of the world cannot exist without those who threaten it. Your existence as the savior needs the existence of the villains who will be trampled beneath your feet.”
Arthur stared at his father silently, wondering how a twisted mentality could have been born. Although he knew what made his father this way, it still seemed illogical for him to be so desperate to be worshiped.
“This is all because you wanted to prove yourself to your father?” laughed Arthur at the absurdity of his aspirations. Arthur never wanted to have children of his own, so he didn’t understand what made his father want to live that dream through him. “Go ahead and be the savior!”
“I wanted to be,” revealed his father. “However, I am too twisted and too old to save anyone. I did not have a father that made sure I inherited the world’s greatest ability, creation!”
“How grateful should I be for this curse?” rebutted Arthur with sarcasm. “If I can give this to you in exchange for leaving us alone, I will gladly do.”
“It seems this negotiation is another failure,” his father disappointedly said. “It does not matter as long as I obtain the Isotox. If you don’t have a reason to be the savior, I will force you to be.”
“I don’t have it.”
“I know you have an idea where to find it. Otherwise, I will have to do the same thing my father did to me. So choose wisely, Arthur,” said his father before he began to fade.
Arthur did not try to stop him because he knew this was just another projection without a real body. His father was elsewhere but still tried to hinder his plans. His body staggered back before Arthur steadied himself.
“It does not make sense. Dia stole the Isotox from Seref, but I don’t have it. What happened to Diana, and why is Seref trying to force me into giving him the Isotox?”
Can his father be insane enough to induce an apocalypse by destroying the artifact that split the world in two? The Isotox was the manifestation of the split and what kept its harmony at bay.
“It seems he is insane enough for that,” muttered Arthur. “Then, if I refuse to become what he wants, he will take away everyone I hold dear.”
This was the epitome of a father’s selfishness. Arthur turned toward his workshop and brought the runes together. This time, he did not attempt to create a cursed rune but analyze the Fallen God Amelio and what rune could be used against him.
Arthur used his blood for this purpose. The runes tried to find a weakness that worked against this blood, but there was none. Fallen God Amelio was well suited to be called invincible. This was all because Jizo gave him the absorb rune.
“Wait a minute,” exclaimed Arthur with surprise. “I always considered that rune his greatest strength, but what if it is the opposite of that? What if Amelio became the most pathetic human because of that same rune?”
As he reached this line of thought, Arthur took out a rune that was one of the first abilities he obtained. Then, he used it on the blood and watched the red droplets turn berserk, and the cells inside began to die.
“…bingo.”
