Godslayer's Legend

Indeed, Hermes had shouted Arthur’s name just now, or at least the part of it that was known across this region of the multiverse.

It was also immediately after he’d spoken that name that Arthur had started acting strangely.

Only then did Hermes fully understand he’d been an unwilling participant in Arthur’s scheme, and he couldn’t help but mutter, "You’re insane."

Arthur burst into laughter at Hermes’ words before nodding.

"Yes, I am insane," he said, agreeing with the Olympian. "What were the odds that you’d recognise me and call out my name the moment you recognised me?"

He rubbed his chin lightly before saying, "Well, I suppose they were fairly high. After all, we Deities are very, very predictable."

Arthur spoke the same words Hades had spoken to Hestia over fifty years ago: that they were all very predictable.

Those were the words Hades had spoken after realizing that everything that had happened, Arthur’s presence in Olympus before the time he was supposed to arrive, Zeus taking advantage of the opportunity to use Prometheus’ power to block Arthur’s future sight before attempting to kill him, Persephone going to Hades immediately afterward and allowing him to discover Arthur’s presence through the single strand of hair mixed among the flowers in her hair that day, Diablo’s declaration of war, and Hades’ violent retaliation when he attacked Dodekapolis, slew several Main Entities, and sealed off the Underworld—had all been actions and reactions Arthur had predicted and engineered.

"So far, everything has gone according to plan," Arthur muttered. "I suppose it’s time I brought Phase One of the Script to an end."

He rose from the earthen seat, and Hermes instinctively took a step back.

However, Arthur didn’t appear to have any intention of attacking him. Instead, he simply looked up at the messenger god and said, "Once again, Hermes, I thank you for your assistance. To show you my gratitude, I’ll allow you to witness a glorious sight.

With the comprehension I’ve acquired by sealing away my power, and the energy I’ve gathered by sealing away my name..."

Spreading his arms wide once more, Arthur declared,

"Behold... my ascension to Monarchy."

What followed was an instantaneous eruption of cosmic energy from Arthur’s body, a vortex of power swirling into existence around him as his body slowly levitated into the air.

Clouds of cosmic energy gathered overhead, lightning descended from above and hit the ground, and the grey energy of the Law of Causality was drawn toward his location, sparks crackling throughout space.

However, none of those sparks reached Arthur, as every single one was repelled by what appeared to be an invisible field surrounding him.

Closing his eyes, Arthur released the restraints on the enormous amount of cosmic energy his body had absorbed over the past century, and his heart began pounding violently within his chest as that immense power flowed through both his body and soul.

Within the immense vortex of cosmic energy, the murky grey filter over Arthur’s energy disappeared, revealing its true silver colour.

Every energy circuit within his body lit up as cosmic energy flowed through his flesh, reaching every one of the billions of cells that made up his physical body. Those cells absorbed the cosmic energy greedily, every trace of exhaustion and damage disappearing as they were revitalised, strengthened, and elevated by the overwhelming power flowing through them.

The cosmic energy didn’t stop at his flesh. It flowed into his soul as well, washing through every fragment of spiritual material that composed it.

Every protective layer surrounding his soul shone with silver radiance as the immense energy nourished it, restoring every minute imperfection before flowing even deeper, reaching the very root of his soul.

Deep within that root was his Soul Core, and deep within that Core was the Existential Graph that defined Arthur’s very existence.

As the cosmic energy poured into it, that conceptual foundation itself began to evolve. Every line that composed the graph radiated with silver light as every aspect of Arthur’s existence was elevated simultaneously.

Five pairs of wings burst from Arthur’s back, black as night, with brilliant silver lining tracing each wing from base to tip.

Then Arthur slowly inhaled.

As he took that single deep breath, the immense vortex surrounding him rapidly collapsed inward, every last strand of cosmic energy flowing into his body before the violent storm completely disappeared.

Silence returned, and Arthur slowly descended through the air until his feet touched the ground.

The moment they did, he looked upward, his eyes no longer focused on Hermes. Slowly raising his right hand, he began to mutter a chant.

|Souls lost in Hell, doomed to roam the fields of Asphodel in vain for all eternity, heed my call and bend to my will. I summon thee, Cosmic Sword of Destruction: Lostvayne.|

At Arthur’s declaration, a black and crimson light began swirling beneath his raised hand. Space cracked, and the colours of reality inverted for a split second before a jet-black blade manifested, silver lines running across its length like veins.

As Arthur wrapped his hand around the sword’s hilt, he quietly said, "Hello, Lostvayne."

[Hm...?]

A groggy voice echoed in response, sounding like someone waking from a deep sleep.

Arthur then extended his left hand and spoke, |Come forth, Celestial Darkness.|

Sparks of cosmic energy danced across his palm before a flash of light erupted. When the brilliance faded a second later, there was now a semi-transparent one-handed sword within his grasp.

"Wake up, Celestia. Nap time’s over."

[What...? Master...?]

The familiar voice of his Ego Weapon echoed outward.

Before Hermes’ shocked eyes, both Ego Weapons awakened from their century-long slumber.

[Has it been a hundred years already?] Celestia’s voice echoed as she floated out of Arthur’s hand before taking human form, her hair messy as she rubbed her eyes with both hands and staggered forward sleepily.

"Yes, it appears so," Arthur replied.

[We’re still in Olympus, it seems,] Lostvayne’s much calmer voice said.

Arthur nodded silently.

Celestia finally lowered her hands from her eyes, blinked, and looked toward Arthur, a broad smile spreading across her face.

[Master.]

She reached forward and hugged him lightly, and Arthur, smiling softly, returned the hug.

"It’s good to see you again, Celestia."

Lostvayne then floated out of Arthur’s grip while he hugged Celestia, cosmic energy expanding from the blade as it scanned their surroundings.

[It appears your gamble paid off,] Lostvayne said. [You successfully attained the Monarch Realm, and given the enormous amount of energy you absorbed because of that ridiculous plan of yours, you completely skipped the Inferior and Intermediate Stages and advanced directly to the Superior Stage.

What’s more, there’s still energy left over, which you can use to completely break the last barrier ahead of you and step into the Sub-Cosmic Realms once your current power stabilises and your soul fully adapts to your new Realm.]

"Yes," Arthur replied. "Depending on how things go, it might take anywhere from months to years, but I’ll succeed."

[Master, can we leave this place already?] Celestia asked.

Smiling wryly, Arthur ran his fingers through her hair before replying, "We can’t leave just yet, Celestia. I still haven’t accomplished what was technically the original reason I came here, the Ancestral Regression Spell. I have to go to where Gaia is sealed."

Hearing this, Celestia groaned lightly.

Lostvayne then asked, [In that case, your presence can’t be revealed just yet. So, shouldn’t you deal with that Olympian who’s trying to run away from us?]

At those words, Arthur turned toward the empty space Hermes had occupied moments earlier, which had now been completely abandoned as the messenger god had, with all his strength, crossed beyond this star system and was racing toward the edge of Hades’ Domain, gathering his power along with every Divine Artifact in his possession to unleash a blast powerful enough to bore a hole through Hades’ Domain and escape.

"Yes, my presence can’t be revealed," Arthur replied.

He reached out and closed his hand around Lostvayne’s hilt.

"My apologies, Hermes. You helped me so much, and yet, I have no choice but to kill you."

Both of his eyes glowed blue, and the world around him changed.

Illusions of this land’s past appeared all around him, one of them depicting Hermes in his True god Form from the very moment he landed on this planet.

Infusing Lostvayne with destructive cosmic energy, Arthur quietly muttered,

|Chaos.|

He brought the blade down, unleashing a single slash of crimson light that split the land apart while dividing the illusory Hermes before him into two, from the crown of his head to his crotch.

At that same instant, the effect rippled through time.

The real Hermes, already several thousand light-years away, suddenly froze.

Without warning, a silver line appeared across his body, splitting him into two as golden blood splattered through space.

The whole of Olympus trembled as Hermes’ death was felt throughout the universe, and unlike his siblings a century earlier, his soul was destroyed instantly.

There was no possibility of revival.

Arthur released Lostvayne before raising his hand and commanding,

|Divine Spark Extraction.|

Space distorted, and the cracked Divine Spark of the Messenger god appeared in his open palm. After taking a bite out of it as though it were candy, Arthur turned his eyes away from the world crumbling around him.

[As for the other gods, I don’t think there’s any need to eliminate them,] Lostvayne said. [None of them saw your face or heard Hermes call your name.]

Arthur nodded in agreement before taking another bite of the Divine Spark in his hand.

"Now then, let’s go to Tartarus," he said as cosmic energy wrapped around his body.

The moment he vanished, Hades’ Domain covering the galaxy was withdrawn, and silence returned once more.

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