Arena Fifty-Three: The Gods Of Death III

I walked out of the palace with dad, who was staggering. Even though we had won, dad had suffered a lot of injuries.

While these wounds were shallow, they had piled up on one another, making his body look like a bloody mess.

Thankfully, none of the Imperial Guards came after us. The ones we saw were either dead, or fatally injured.

"Did you do all this?"

I asked my father, who just shrugged.

"It doesn't matter, does it?"

I shook my head. It didn't matter.

We were both criminals anyway. Once Felicia snapped out of her grief, or Christopher took control, I was sure that they would send squads to hunt us down. We couldn't let down our guard.

"Even so, he didn't go all out even in the end."

"... Raymond?"

I asked, surprised at my father's sudden comment.

"Yeah. He held back even when you were trying to kill him."

I kept quiet. Somewhere in my heart, I already had that feeling... Or else, how could I beat Raymond, who commanded death itself?

"Well... Good for us, I guess."

I said, feeling slightly bitter. Why did he show such consideration to his murderers?

"..."

Dad didn't reply. He let out a sigh as we walked out of the palace's main gate.

"I hid the car there... Let's go."

Dad gestured at a nearby park before walking towards me.

This time, I didn't follow. After a few steps walking, he turned around and raised his eyebrows.

"It would be better if we go our separate ways, dad."

"... What are you saying?"

"I... I have to go find Roxy."

"We can do that together."

Dad said, furrowing his brows. I shook my head.

"No... We can't. You have to take care of mom."

"That's..."

Dad knew. He knew that staying together would cause issues. Yet he didn't say anything.

Of course, he didn't. He was my father after all.

"So let me go my separate way. We can meet up later once everything has been sorted out."

"... Fine. I won't say anything if you are determined... Besides, you are clearly mature enough to take human lives."

I could feel the uneasiness in his voice, but I pretended to ignore it.

"Yeah... So, take care of mom for me, dad. I'll meet you later."

"Yeah... Take this."

Dad pulled out a hoodie from his backpack... What else did he have inside there?

I took the attire from him and donned it over my dress.

"Thanks, dad."

"Sure. Stay safe, Arnold."

"Yeah, I'll try."

I smiled at him, and he grinned back. Then he turned around and waved his hand, before disappearing among the trees of the park.

"Hoh... Now then..."

I opened the notification screen in front of me and looked at the latest message. The sender was unknown, but I could guess who it was.

"Come to these coordinates if you want Roxy to live."

Under the message was the coordinates I was supposed to visit.

Gritting my teeth, I walked forward after pulling the hood over my head.

...

When Anastasia arrived at the castle, everything had ended.

Arnold was nowhere to be seen, and Raymond had been killed by him. Felicia was wounded, and a lot of Imperial Guards had fallen to the attacks of Alfred.

She stepped inside a devasted hall and stared at Felicia, who was sitting in front of Raymond's corpse while hugging her knees. She was still crying.

"... Feli."

Anastasia called out to her. After a few seconds of silence, Felicia replied in a hoarse tone.

"... Sia."

She didn't even turn around.

"What had happened here?"

"Arnold... And his father... They killed everyone."

"... Arnold did?"

She still couldn't believe the situation. But seeing the evidence... She had to admit.

Arnold wasn't as innocent as she thought. Even so, there must have been a reason why he did this.

"... It was my fault."

Felicia muttered as she turned and looked at Anastasia with hollow eyes.

"What do you mean?"

Anastasia asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I shouldn't have provoked him..."

"You provoked him?"

"Mhm..."

Felicia nodded before turning away. Anastasia didn't ask how she had provoked him, but she could guess that it wasn't a nice idea to do so.

"... Even so, Raymond had nothing to do with this."

Felicia's next words, unlike her demeanour, was filled with rage and hatred.

"He could have killed me... But he didn't. Instead... He killed Raymond."

She spat out as she put a hand on the chest of the corpse in front of her.

"... I'll make sure he pays for that, Sia."

"... I see."

Anastasia nodded with a frown. She was torn between whether to support her friend or the boy she loved. She couldn't do anything but watch as two of her most important allies turned into enemies.

"Where's His Majesty, though?"

Christopher was nowhere to be seen, even though the whole palace was turned upside down.

"In the inner chambers... He entered the inner chambers yesterday night... And never came out."

"Is he okay?"

Anastasia knew what the inner chambers were. She didn't know what was inside those chambers, but these chambers were rumoured to hold the core of the empire.

And the emperor entering there would mean only one thing. The empire was at risk.

"... He should be fine."

Felicia muttered with an emotionless voice. Anastasia didn't force her to talk anymore.

After a few moments of hesitation, she left the palace. She had to find Arnold, and she had to do it fast.

She needed to know why Arnold did such a thing. Before he got captured or worse, killed, she needed to reach him.

...

[Inside the inner chambers of the Imperial Castle]

"Great Ancestor, I have come."

Christopher kneeled in front of the large glass capsule, showing the utmost respect to the body inside it.

While he had entered the chambers last night, he had to prepare for hours just to meet this person.

He had to make sure his body wouldn't get destroyed due to the warped flow of time inside the chambers.

And finally, after hours of waiting and calibration, he could enter the innermost room.

The room held the glass capsule, which could be argued as the core of the empire. Not even the Imperial Family could go against the words of the man inside the capsule.

The young man, who looked like someone in his early twenties, lied on a red bed behind the shimmering glass cover. His silver hair was long, and his pale skin was smooth.

His body was slender yet toned. He was an extremely handsome man.

The man in question opened his eyes. His red jewel-like eyes glowed.

"Ah, Christopher. You're here."

Christopher bowed deeper in respect.

"Yes, Great Ancestor. I'm here... Did you call for me?"

"I did, yes."

The young man in the capsule didn't sit up or look at Christopher. He just laid there, staring at the ceiling.

"... May I know why?"

Christopher spoke up, a bit impatient. At the same time, he was scared.

"Mhm... You may. Why did you try to force Arnold Tilgen to join Atlas, Christopher?"

"That's..."

Christopher hadn't expected to hear that name here. He didn't think that a being as great as the man in front of him would know about Arnold, even if the boy in question was an SSS-rank.

"Due to your foolishness, Raymond Winchester has perished."

"R-Raymond is gone?"

Christopher had spent the past night inside the inner chambers, so of course he didn't know about Raymond passing away. This came as a pure shock to him.

Raymond was the man Felicia loved. And as a father, Christopher loved his daughter. This was too big of a shock to deal with.

"Arnold Tilgen took him down. Countless Imperial Guards perished... All because of your selfishness. Why didn't you keep your promise with Alfred Tilgen, Christopher?"

"T-that's because Arnold joining Atlas would be the best for the empire!"

Christopher cried out, but the young man just sighed.

"Maybe... But there were other ways to get him to join Atlas. Admit it, descendent of mine. You were more focused on chipping away the major noble houses' power than the empire's betterment."

"... It's as you say, Great Ancestor."

Christopher, who was forced to admit his mistake, looked bitter.

"You can't change the past. Go fix the future, at the least."

"Yes... Great Ancestor."

Christopher nodded, but then added another question.

"What about Arnold Tilgen? Should I leave him alone, or should I forgive him?"

Hearing his question, the young man snickered in mockery.

"Do whatever you want. This world is going to be destroyed either way."

Hearing those merciless words, Christopher shivered. He bowed hurriedly and left.

The young man heard him leave the innermost room before letting out a sigh.

"... It was just as you said... Huh. I guess I'll need to revert everything..."

He spoke to seemingly no one, but a chuckle came back as a reply.

Then, a divine voice echoed through the room.

"... So, are you going to do it right now?"

"... No, I want to see how this will end. Besides... If I back out now, things might play out the same way next time too. I need to make sure the chances of that is zero, or close to zero at the least."

"Hm... Fair enough."

With those words, the divine voice quieted down. The young man laid there silently for a few moments before closing his eyes again.

The lights inside the room turned dim before shutting off completely.