Chapter 588: Bloody Pillar

"Call the main department and have them focus the anti-corruption array to this place," said Jumana into the communication device before she placed it away. "We should get past this hellhole in a few minutes."

"A few minutes would be enough for whoever is inside to sweep this place clean," said Velos with a frown. "I will walk through it."

"As powerful as you are, walking through these would turn you into nothingness," interrupted Arthur, "...but we can teleport there."

"Good try, kiddo," said Jumana with a smirk. "You would disappear as soon as the space-lock is lifted. So instead, we will wait for the anti-corruption array to make a path for us."

"I want to get this done as fast as possible," sighed Arthur. "It might be a risk, but I prefer that we use the captain's method to get inside."

Arthur was anxious to get inside for two reasons. The first one is his need to get back to Kera and the message he has yet to receive inside. The one who built Runera should be the one who left him this message, and Arthur could not miss it.

However, it was as Jumana had said. The moment Arthur regains his ability to teleport, he will disappear from Runera. His mother's safety was above everything else he had, even his identity as Alexie Linan.

The one who forged that identity was Master Ronin, so betraying Sier here would be pulling the trigger on everything they gave him. In the beginning, Arthur believed that it could not be Mistletoe until he learned about the Moonlight Crossbow.

Their desire to save Ivy and steal whatever was in these ruins could explain their attempt to obtain that crossbow. However, what made them attack the ruins if they had such a weapon already?

After the merge, Arthur believed he had figured out everything he needed to know about the past. However, his questions about the present did not seem to be any less. So, he might need to be against Mistletoe if it came down to it.

"And what about the Ancient Arts?" asked Arthur with a frown. "There must be a method the Devils Hunters used for such a situation."

"Most of the Devils Hunters are either in seclusion or on missions. Those remaining are the ones who lost their minds to corruption."

"Seclusion?"

  "That is not something a suspect should know," said Velos with a glare. Arthur stopped asking questions as his mind raced to find an answer. "I am entering the ruins."

"You fool," Jumana shook her head but did not stop him. "I will be the one to kill you if you become a fallen being."

"Thank you, Grandmaster," said Velos with gratitude before taking off his gauntlets and armor. The artifacts on them would just trigger a reaction from the nothingness.

Arthur got to see the man's face for the first time, and he was in his sixties with a head full of gray hair. The wrinkles on his face looked like the numerous branches of the ancient tree above them. As he took off all of his armor, he was left with simple clothes.

"Are you going to use the hourglass?" frowned Jumana before asking, and Velos nodded. "Even time is corrupted in front of their powers."

"But it is the greatest barrier," said Velos. Arthur realized why this man was called the undefeated once the hourglass turned twice.

An ability related to time was rarer than a phoenix's feather, and it was the first time Arthur saw someone with it. However, if Velos truly gets a backlash from Nameless, Arthur could run away if it was just Jumana.

"I am a master of domains, boy," said the Grandmaster after she saw Arthur glance toward the exit. "I can reach you even if you were miles apart."

"Then, there is no need to use the hourglass," said Arthur as he pointed at the entrance. "Whoever went inside had to cross the miasma themselves. If it was truly the Moonlight Crossbow, the culprit should be a human. That means there is a method to enter without getting hurt."

"...that is insightful," said Velos after a pause. "You are proving useful already, Alexie. What method can you think about?"

Arthur pointed upward at his question. The wrinkles on the man's face reminded Arthur of branches, and the branches reminded him of trees. The greatest host for the powers of life was the divine tree above them.

"The Mother of Mana...?" asked Velos. "It would be quicker to wait for the arrays to work simply. Mother of Mana responds to no one's commands."

"It is not a command but a reaction," said Arthur with a shake of his head. "The Divine Tree blesses every soul inside of Runera. If my hunch is correct, we can pass through the miasma under its blessings."

Arthur has made Rega bless the city before to treat the nightmares Lusica was having. Even if Rega did not respond to him, her blessings still covered the city of Runera. This was the only method Arthur could think of for the culprits to pass.

This made him realize that the only person capable of knowing such an obscure detail was the Omniscient Vessel. The nauseous feeling was back, and he knew that it was because Arthur was going against his morals to save his mother.

"You are asking us to jump?" frowned Jumana at him. Arthur nodded, and the grandmaster began to chuckle. "I see no harm in trying."

"You don't see any harm?" Velos grabbed her shoulder. "This boy can be an accomplice of whoever went inside."

"His words make sense to me. Unless the culprit destroyed the entrance and left, they must be inside. The Divine Tree is known to bless all living beings within the city, so disbelieving his words is the same as saying Mother of Mana is useless."

Her argument was logical, but it was not a reason to believe Arthur. As he stared at her, Arthur realized that she thought he was on their side because of Oriole. As for wanting to imprison him, that was nothing but games for her.

"I will jump first," said Arthur as he took a couple of steps forward. "A scholar needs to have faith in the theories he proposes, right?"

"Well said," Jumana walked to stand beside him. "If you die, I will engrave your name on the divine tree as the man who proved its uselessness."

"You truly fear nothing," laughed Arthur before he jumped. "See you below."

His body fell through the air into the dark crater. The tongues of darkness attacked him as expected, and Arthur did not use his powers of creation to block the attack. Mistletoe had no other method to cross except Sier's insight on this twist.

As the tongues touched his body, a soft light appeared around to block them. Arthur watched the darkness shy away from the light as he landed on his feet. Then, he stared at the light in nostalgia.

"I missed you too, Rega."

The spirit was asleep for some reason or simply unable to hear him. Arthur remembered how he saved her from Traitor and the Enders before, making his heart worry about her in this timeline. Then, he snapped out of his daze and waved his hand toward the two.

After a few shocked glances, Velos and Jumana jumped, followed by half of the runic knights. All of them were protected by the soft light of the divine tree, making their hearts filled with warmth.

"A leap of faith," stared Velos at his own hands, touched the darkness but still unharmed. "The answer was to have faith and unwavering belief. Even if you are a culprit, Alexie Linan, you have earned my respect."

Arthur smiled without saying anything before he led the way. This was what he liked about scholars. Their respect was toward the holder of truth and knowledge instead of strength. Finally, they reached the hallway entrance and made their way toward the first grand hall.

This was the hall where Arthur used the pocket watch and the last place he had left Julia and Grandmaster Casca. No sounds were coming from inside the hall, and Arthur could smell the scent of blood.

As the rest of the guards began to feel the ill-forbidding atmosphere, their eyes took in the scene inside. Arthur and the rest halted their steps when they walked into the hall, which was destroyed beyond recognition.

The destruction was immense as if a celestial monster was sharpening its claws across every tile the hall had. In the center of the hall, surrounded by the ten paths, was a giant pillar covered with blood.

Arthur raised his eyes to look at the source of the blood. It was a body impaled to the pillar, bleeding everything onto its bricks. The dead man wore the robes of Runera, which were now dripping with blood.

"That is Grandmaster Casca," muttered Velos with a terrifying calm, "dead."

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