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Chapter 766: A Selfish Request

"You asked what's next, right?" replied Arthur to his question with a smile as he turned toward the arrays. "The next thing is your dethronement. The people have now seen what happened and heard the lies left by a family who sacrificed itself."

"My subjects know that those are nothing but lies," said the emperor with confidence, regaining the composure he lost while spreading his arms. "Gray Ravin was no more than an anarchist, just like you, who allowed criminals to roam the capital. How many of them harmed our people because of him?"

The Light Emperor was trying to shift public opinion in his favor, using the crimes that Gray was forced to do in his favor. Although Gray gave criminals an outlet, the imperial family knew about the gangs capturing him and forcing him to do it. The Imperials allowed it.

"A cluster of rotten imperials who can only accuse but never take responsibility," said Arthur with a smile. "When was the last time you admitted something was your fault, Light Emperor?"

"I have done nothing but serve this nation, protecting it from the day you arrive and destroy it," said the emperor while pointing his finger at Arthur. "Your lies are ineffective here!"

Arthur was silent as he watched the knights move to circle him, leaving no gaps for his escape. The reason that none of them attacked seemed to be the handiwork of the emperor, who wanted to discredit Arthur before shooting him down.

Arthur's accusations, including those he said in Kera, would be proven if the Light Emperor allowed himself to grow flustered. He needed to treat this as no more than lies that wanted to harm the citizens and order.

The knights covered every path of escape, including the sky. Some vice-commanders summoned astral mounts to ride, making them hover in the sky; one was a divine eel, while another was no more than a cube.

"I never expected a wanted criminal to be so stupid and never expected that you care about this small fry to show yourself," said Erin Voldor as he stepped forward. "However, I had an inkling that you would show yourself after what happened in the Silver District."

"Knights Commander Lyle," called the emperor, and Lyle was surprised before stepping forward. Ishmael followed after him, staring around nervously. "You are the reason that we managed to lure this rat, so how about you arrest him? This will be your reward for this unexpected harvest."

"I am honored, sir," answered Lyle as he raised his hand and summoned a blade of wind, rotating like a chainsaw. The gale of wind raved the balcony, uprooting the plants and toppling the statues.

Arthur met Lyle's eyes, and the two exchanged a knowing look unnoticed by all. Their plan was a grand success since the man standing next to Lyle was no longer Arthur or Ishmael but Gray Ravin.

Commander Barbora said that as long as Arthur had a useable body and a soul, she could merge the two. Such a bugged ability made her the longest-acting commander, ironically serving the empire's enemies.

Arthur had the body of the man named Ishmael in his subspace, which he snatched to replace him from the trial. It was a fortunate coincidence that this worked out this way. Arthur used the moment that the light exploded to switch bodies with the image he created from light, leaving the corpse of Ishmael for Gray to take over.

Their plan was far more sophisticated than his previous one, where he faked death. It was all thanks to Barbora that they managed to pull this off, but the price wouldn't be light too. The sole reason that she even gave him this favor was that Little Yin liked Arthur.

"Alive or dead?" asked Lyle as he turned toward the emperor. In response, Joseph Voldor smiled before placing his finger on his chin, thinking.

"I'll leave that choice to you," said the emperor, and Lyle nodded. He stepped forward from the circle, standing several meters away from Arthur and taking his stance.

"Dead it is, then," declared Lyle as his Mantra Style appeared, coupled with the wind that made him more incorporated into the world.

The knights made a barricade around the two, creating a tiny arena for Arthur to fight against Lyle. This wasn't outside their expectations since Lyle needed to maintain a certain fa?ade in front of the emperor.

"Bring it on," said Arthur to the swordsman, who disappeared before he finished his sentence. A shadow suddenly appeared over Arthur's head, descending to slash him in half.

Even though he was prepared, Arthur was still caught off guard. The wind blade tore through his shoulder before he managed to step back from it, letting it disappear again. Lyle was nowhere to be seen since he turned into the wind.

The combination of the wind with the Mantra Style made it impossible for Arthur to catch up to the swordsman, who was vying to earn the emperor's trust by showcasing his powers. A Knights Commander needed overwhelming strength to back up his position, and the sword style was why the emperor believed Lyle had what it took.

The wind gales disappeared, and the deathly stillness of the air made it impossible to predict the next attack. Before Lyle disappeared, the storms of wind raged through his robes. Now, there was nothing.

"A chilling ability," muttered Erin Voldor as he looked for Lyle. "This power is more suitable for an assassin, not a knight."

"You think I haven't tried?" bemoaned Eloisa while crossing her arms. "If he entered our division, all enemies of our empire would cease to exist. A true pity that he is a genius of the sword, making me unwilling to pouch him for myself."

After several minutes of being promoted, Lyle earned the knights' respect. This combination of his ability, astral blessing, and sword technique made him create an incredible fighting style.

Arthur felt pressured for the first time against Lyle. The use of Mantra Style made Lyle blend into the existence of the surrounding, making him invisible to Arthur, even unknowingly. He had no idea where he would strike from.

A whistle rang in his ears, and Arthur could feel condensed air appearing close to his neck. He retreated, wanting to explode into flames, but something interrupted their fight. A shadow loomed from above before something descended in front of Arthur, dissipating the condensed air seeking to slash him.

A pillar of metal, almost a square meter big, impaled the ground and pierced through the balcony. The structure shook as a giant crack connected the already falling rubble, making Arthur retreat in a hurry to avoid falling.

The sudden appearance of a giant pillar shook the crowd as two people descended beside it. Arthur steadied himself as he stared at the two newcomers; one of them hugged the other. He was surprised to see it was the girl he saw beside the astral gate, Night.

"What are you doing here?" asked Arthur as the woman struck the metallic pillar, making it expand sideways. The column turned into a wall that enclosed Arthur with the two newcomers, who then turned toward him.

"Are you addressing me?" asked Night with confusion, seeing that Arthur was staring at her. She then turned toward her companion and made her turn around. "This is the person you know, though."

Arthur was confused as he turned his eyes toward the person radiating creational mana. It was a petite woman who wore a pair of baggy trousers and a crop top, looking like a dancer. However, she wore a veil.

"It seems I am unrecognizable," said the woman before she broke free from Night and knelt on the ground. At that moment, the knights started banging on the steel walls surrounding the three. "I have returned, Seika."

As the name fell on his ears, Arthur remembered the identity and voice of this person. He couldn't be blamed since he had only met her once before, although the two were undoubtedly fated.

"Ai."

"Yes, Seika," said the woman while bowing down. "I came here to return the debt you gave me through the awakening. You have freed me from slavery."

The banging on the walls grew louder as they dented inward. Finally, Layla turned around and placed her hands on the steel, making it expand and grow more durable.

"Are you here for just that?" asked Arthur with doubt. Ai flinched and then raised her head. She then turned toward the throne behind Arthur, which had the corpse of the forger.

"I am not," admitted the Schelerian before pointing at the throne. "I want to request a selfish matter. This man is the friend of my benefactor, and she cannot see his death."

Arthur was silent before he glanced at Night, who should be the benefactor that Ai mentioned. Meeting the saint was a surprise, but the real surprise was her demanding something from Arthur.

"I revived you last time because you saved my life, and that was the end of this debt," said Arthur with a frown. "You appear here claiming that you want to repay gratitude through this request?"

Ai was silent as her hands shook, turning them into fists. Then, she slowly nodded. Arthur was not enraged but disappointed. Ai should be aware that reviving someone would damage him as well.

"Get out of my sight, and never act as if we still have something," said Arthur with an apathetic expression. Ai lowered her head with shame before slowly nodding.