Arthur's mind beca a canvas, and on it, he painted a vivid mont in ti. He saw Whisker, his loyal companion, frantically running through a dense forest, fear in his eyes, and a hand clutching his wounded arm. What Whisker was fleeing from remained unseen, but Arthur knew he had to act imdiately.
The chaotic aftermath of the explosion had thrown Xeloria into turmoil. Disrupted mana waves wreaked havoc on the city's magical arrays, adding to the chaos. Arthur's focus remained resolute as he attempted to write the teleportation rune using his mana, but the unstable space proved challenging to manipulate.
"I can't create a portal within this mana explosion," Arthur muttered with a furrowed brow, feeling his portal disintegrate without a stable anchor in the turbulent space. "I have to get out of the city first before teleporting."
With Whisker in dire need of help, Arthur wasted no ti. He propelled himself forward with incredible speed, a blur of motion that left destruction in his wake. The stats he had honed through countless battles now served him as he moved faster than the eye could see.
Boom!
A sonic boom echoed through the city as Arthur surpassed the speed of sound. Windows shattered in the wake of his incredible velocity, but most residents attributed it to the earlier explosion. Arthur continued to dash toward the city's outskirts, propelled by the residual mana waves from the earlier blast.
As soon as he left the zone of instability, Arthur halted and activated the teleportation rune. With Whisker still on the run, Arthur had to make a calculated guess about their destination. A distance that would have taken minutes to traverse was now bridged in an instant as Arthur jumped through the portal.
Upon arrival, Arthur sensed Whisker's presence and rushed toward his friend, his heart pounding with concern. He called out to Whisker, who turned toward him. However, instead of joy, Whisker's expression was marked by worry as he sprinted toward Arthur. Before Arthur could utter another word, Whisker tackled him to the ground, and the two rolled on the forest floor.
Confusion gripped Arthur as he watched the strange phenonon unfold. The ground he had been standing on exploded, creating a spherical shockwave that disturbed the surrounding space.
"What is happening?" Arthur asked, perplexed.
Without a word, Whisker helped Arthur to his feet and they began running again.
"I'm being chased by invisible arrows! If I stop, they'll rain down on us!" Whisker explained, his voice filled with urgency. "You should go in a different direction and run. I'll try to survive on..."
"Shut up," Arthur interrupted with determination. "You're already wounded, and I ca to save you. Who is chasing you?"
"A god," Whisker replied, his face etched with exhaustion as he scanned the forest ahead. "The mission you assigned was going smoothly until I encountered a pair of demonic twins who tried to kill ."
Arthur's confusion deepened, but he knew this wasn't the ti for details.
"She introduced herself as the Huntress Goddess, Artemis," Whisker continued, his frown deepening. "I have no idea how, but she keeps shooting her arrows at , even without being present. These arrows are invisible and cannot be sensed, so I can do nothing but run!"
Arthur lowered his pace, allowing Whisker to take the lead. He summoned lightning that crackled around his eyes, forming a mask. With this enhanced vision, he could finally see the mysterious symbol on Whisker's body.
"As I suspected, she marked you with a strange symbol. It might be the reason she keeps finding you with her arrows," Arthur explained urgently. "Turn right!"
He shouted a warning just in ti as several arrows approached from ahead. Both of them dodged the projectiles, which struck a tree, causing it to lt and sizzle from the impact.
"It seems she can infuse different attributes into her arrows," Whisker noted, his voice filled with weariness. "If I'm marked, there's no way for to escape. Please, save yourself."
"Celestial power doesn't frighten , dear Whisker," Arthur replied with a determined grin. Lightning crackled in his hand, building in intensity. With a quick motion, he grabbed a bolt of lightning and unleashed it toward his friend's back.
Whisker watched in fear as the bolt of lightning hurtled toward him. He had no ti to react, and the lightning struck his back with a thunderous crack, shattering the mark that had plagued him. The feline was sent sprawling across the forest floor, rolling for several ters before coming to a stop against a tree.
Arthur didn't rush to his friend's aid imdiately but scanned their surroundings first. After a brief mont of relief when no more arrows ca their way, he finally approached Whisker, who was checking his back to assess any potential injuries.
"Trust a little, brother. I wouldn't harm my friend," Arthur reassured Whisker with a warm smile as he approached. "I destroyed the mark on your back, and the arrows have stopped. We should get out of here before she returns."
"I think she'll be too preoccupied for that," Whisker replied with a sigh of relief. "The n I was following began worshiping her, even offering their lives for her service after she saved them from the demonic twins."
"You'll need to tell more about these demonic twins," Arthur urged with a furrowed brow. "It's unsettling that they might be the sa twins I encountered in the demonic dungeon."
Whisker nodded and began recounting his story as they hurried back toward Xeloria. He had followed the group of n into a cave, where they faced off against a pair of demonic twins. The n had fared poorly, losing every exchange, and one of them had been killed by the twins. That's when another figure had arrived—claiming to be the Huntress Goddess, Artemis.
Goddess Artemis had used her arrows to vanquish the demons, driving them away. But she had spotted Whisker, who was spying on them, and marked him before he could escape. The rest of the chase had been a desperate attempt to evade her relentless pursuit.
Arthur wasn't surprised to hear that the Chief had appeared in the Dark Forest. He had suspected the Chief's involvent in monitoring them, and now it was confird. However, with a goddess on their side, the situation had taken an unexpected turn.
Once they reached Xeloria, Arthur found the city on lockdown. He managed to gain entry due to his Golden Division status, explaining that Whisker was an injured rcenary he had found. As they walked through the city, soldiers were still bustling about due to the explosion.
"What happened?" Whisker asked, his hand pressed against his wounds to prevent further bleeding.
"Sarohan and I orchestrated an explosion so I could use my detection ability to find you," Arthur explained in a concise manner. "Let's take advantage of the chaos and et back at the inn's room so I can treat your injuries."
Whisker nodded, and the two parted ways, avoiding being seen together by anyone who might recognize them. After all, Lord Marshal was aware of Whisker and the others.
Arthur entered the room through the window, only to find Seraphine erging from the shower, completely naked. The two locked eyes for a few seconds, and Arthur maintained his composure, not looking away or showing any discomfort.
"A god has appeared," Arthur declared as he walked over to a table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "We need to decide what to do. Either we fight them or we lay low until we can leave this floor."
"Are we the type to hide, Seika?" Seraphine inquired, settling into the chair across from him. She didn't make any effort to cover herself, as if Arthur were rely a piece of furniture.
For so reason, Arthur found himself unable to ask her to get dressed, as if such a request would be a sign of weakness. He chose to ignore it instead.
"Under normal circumstances, I'd choose to fight, but a battle could expose our plans," Arthur explained, rubbing his temples. "We need a better approach. Set aside your ego for a mont and follow the plan."
"It offends that you think I can't do that," Seraphine retorted, her eyes turning scarlet, mirroring her horns. "I've long suppressed my desire for vengeance."
"What changed?" Arthur asked, genuinely curious.
"I took the first step on the path to bringing down every god," Seraphine replied with a sly grin. "I found you."
"You knew about the Demon King prophecy," Arthur noted with a furrowed brow. "Did you follow because of it, Seraphine?"
"Even if you were just an ordinary person, I would have been interested. But yes, I always believed you were the one who could free us from the gods," Seraphine admitted. "I chose to see your journey until I'm convinced that you are."
"At least you did not try to proclaim as such," said Arthur with a sigh. "I always have a special hate for higher beings, but that does not an I want to lead countless worlds against them."
"Tilines are countless, but worlds are a few," said Seraphine as she leaned back. "Any world that showed signs of disobedience was obliterated by the gods. So of the tower residents no longer have a world to return to."
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