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Chapter 1111 A Certain Belief

"You seem serious," muttered Arthur with a raised brow as he turned toward Lian, who carried a similar expression. "What is it, Lian?"

"I met a man who claimed to be your father and threatened that a loved one of yours would suffer if you met the blue dragon," said Lian with a shrug. "I didn\'t have time to warn you because I was injured. I apologize."

"There\'s no need," said Arthur with a smile as he leaned back on the wyverns\' neck. "I know what he\'s trying to do, as he has done it a thousand times before. He wants to affect me and the choices I make through threats."

"But my lord… the things he has done in Kera," commented Ilia with worry while sitting cross-legged. "If he attempts to bring another calamity to Runera, we might be caught unprepared."

"Calamities are just kids fighting in a sandbox; a real war is happening outside," said Arthur as he narrowed his eyes toward the clouds flashing before their eyes. "Our enemies aren\'t other mortals, but those slamming us down every time we try to rise."

"Calamities are considered demigods, so we should be wary," insisted Ilia despite what Arthur said. "Do you remember what happened in Ilios with the Sin of Pride, Cassius? He obtained the powers of time just moments before his death."

"That was the work of gods too," said Arthur with a thin smile. "I did not know that there were such beings watching us before, but it makes sense now. The calamities and guardians sided with Nameless because of Devaheim."

"Then, what is our next plan?"

"We prepare."

The conversation ended, and the harsh climate began to take its toll on the wyvern. After passing the ogres\' mountains, the group crossed glaciers and volcanoes. The tamed mount could no longer carry them when a thunderstorm filled the skies ahead.

"My tamed monsters cannot help us any longer," said Lian as the wyvern began to shake its head, its muscles spasming. "We need to get on the ground until the storm passes and my monsters rest."

"We will travel on foot, then," said Arthur with a nod as he rose and patted the wyvern. "You did us a favor, friend. Rest well."

The wyvern let out a hum as it began to descend toward the ground, right in the middle of a forest. It used its barbed tail to slam the trees, clearing them enough for the wyvern to land. As the group landed, they found themselves in a forest with interwoven trees.

"Many creatures lurk in this forest, so we should be careful," said Seraphine with apprehension as she stared at the forest with an ominous aura. "I sense a dozen powerful presences."

"The third floor is on another level," said Sarohan as his fur trembled, rising on its ends. "The creatures here are monsters, not just wildlife!"

As soon as his words landed, a giant creature jumped from between the trees. It was a giant head with no body, looking like a human, but with a head as big as the wyvern. It bit through the trees and devoured them before trying to eat Arthur and his friends.

"What the hell is this?!" shouted Sarohan as it jumped back in fear. The head tried to eat Arthur whole, but he just stood there gazing at it. A blood scythe cut the head in half and then into tiny pieces, not even letting it scream before exploding into red particles.

"The monsters on this floor are made by the tower, so expect all types of weird stuff," said Seraphine as her blood scythe returned to her body. "You should protect your king, not run away when a monster attacks him, Sarohan."

"If a thousand of them attack him, they would be killed in an instant!" said the Waiga as he puffed out his chest. "This is what it means to have a powerful king! You have absolute trust in them!"

"…he\'s not your bodyguard," said Jonathan with a frown as he stared at the Waiga, but softened when he saw Arthur still carrying his smile before walking into the forest. "Forget it. We have no time for this."

"I would hate it more if any of you sacrificed your life for me, or went beyond their limits to protect me," said Arthur as he walked into the forest. "Before you agreed to follow me, you were my dear friends. Don\'t think that everything has changed between us."

Arthur walked into the woods, leaving the eight of them stunned for words. Then, they all smiled as they followed after him into the forest. In their hearts, everyone knew that they have chosen a king who cared about them.

Monsters appeared more often in this forest, but they were still too weak for them. Arthur did not need to fight anything himself because his comrades tried to protect him when they could.

Arthur himself never pictured himself as a king nor considered himself one, but he realized it was not a privilege, but a necessity. Someone had to lead the suffering souls and lead them to salvation. Hundreds of races suffered while scattered, waiting for someone to unite them.

The first plan that Nova suggested was to recreate his art, Submission, and force the suffering souls into obedience. However, Arthur could not bring himself to do that for a single reason: he would be no different than the gods. Thus, he embraced the wrathful voices and listened to them one at a time.

Their stories changed him for the better and worse. Each of them broke his heart, and each of them taught him how to be human again. The golden mana negated all emotions, but his wrath was the gateway to relearn his humanity through empathy.

After hearing so many stories of injustice, of cities wiped from existence or worlds turning to hell because of the gods, Arthur grew a sense of wrath of his own against them. There was no one else to lead these souls toward salvation.

"If I do not descend into hell, who will?" muttered Arthur while they were walking through the forest, catching the attention of his disciple, Koby.

"What is that, teacher?" asked Koby with confusion as the rest cleared monsters. Arthur was still gazing at them from afar while deep in thoughts. Thunderclouds rumbled above them, flashing every now and then.

"This is a line from a famous saying we had in my world," said Arthur with a smile. "I do not worship any religions and don\'t follow any gods. However, I remembered these lines while undergoing my training."

"Can you recite them for me, teacher?" asked the one-armed mage, and Arthur nodded with a smile before beginning to recite them. The rest of the group paused as they listened to his words, which pierced through the momentary stillness of the forest. Then, his deep voice echoed.

"Until the hells are empty of suffering beings, I will not be enlightened. Once all sentient beings are saved, I will attain enlightenment. If I do not descend into hell, who will?"

His words echoed through the empty forest, mesmerizing the eight challengers in his team. Arthur seemed to be glowing in their eyes as his long black hair and beard gave him the appearance of a monk.

"During my time in the Kingdom of Wrath, I formed a certain belief in those words. Demons are those the gods hate, and if I am not the one to descend into hell and save them, then no one else would."

A certain silence descended on the forest, as no monsters attacked them anymore. After the daze of his words, the eight realized the oddity of this momentary peace. The trees rattled and parted as several figures came out from within the forest.

"Are you challengers too?" asked a voice from within the group, before their torch revealed their faces. It cast light upon the group of nine, who seemed anything but ordinary. "Do you seek the Trial of Heroes?"

The man asking them seemed to be a middle-aged man, silver eyes, and a long nose. A common trait in the group of six was that they all wore armor while examining Arthur and the rest with caution.

"We do," said Arthur with a nod. "The thunderclouds prevented us from flying over this forest, so we are trying to cut through it before flying again."

"You have a flying mount?" muttered the man with shock, before adjusting his expression. "Even if you could reach the trial, you should give up on the Trial of Heroes. Monsters are flocking around the monument!"