The crowd gathered in Final Valley, illuminated by the ominous moonlight. So stood alone, untouched, while others were restrained on the ground and struggling. Their chatter was unceasing until a man with long hair and a short beard stepped forward.
His face was far from unkempt; it seed his hair grew in length, not in number. Thus, his hair and beard looked trimd and elegant, enhancing his breathtaking aura as he walked toward the crowd.
"Everyone is here now for the end of our battle," said the man with golden eyes, smiling. "For those who do not know , I am Arthur Netherborne, King of the Lower Realms. Just earlier, I defeated the Moonlight Goddess Artemis."
"What do you want from us, Arthur Netherborne?" asked a man restrained to the ground, middle-aged with a furious expression. "You kidnapped although I had nothing to do with your battle."
"As I understood it, you ran away when the goddess arrived, realizing the danger," said Arthur with a smile. "A man who runs from danger has no right to speak for himself. Please do not interrupt again."
"You refuse to let speak or leave, so why not kill and be done with it? I am the proud Lord of Westcoast, and I shall not endure such humiliation from a brat."
"Cut his tongue," commanded Ilia Perli, and Whisker already had his hand on the man's face, ready to execute. "Wait a minute. Let us ask our lord first," said Ilia as he turned toward Arthur.
"Leave him, Whisker," said Arthur with a smile. "We are not a group of bandits, after all. My friends here wanted to demonstrate one thing, proud Lord of Westcoast. If we wanted to shut you up, then we can. How about you retain that ability to speak without being humiliated?"
"...fine," said the lord as sweat covered his face, glancing at the retreating Whisker. "I will hear what you have to say."
"My offer is simple," said Arthur with a nod. "Hand over your cities and position to Dorian Stormblade and beco his retainers and advisors. Each one of you has the proper experience to lead your city, so your existence will beco the backbone of the second floor."
"Dorian Stormblade?" muttered the Lord of Elvenheim with surprise. "I understand his capabilities as a warrior, but how can we trust him to lead all of our cities?"
"Dorian lacks the experiences or the knowledge necessary, but he will have you all as his advisors," said Arthur as he turned to the man walking toward them from a distance. "He is the most honest person in this tower."
Dorian reached the group, and they parted ways for him. He glanced at his father restrained on the ground, his face smashed. Luna walked beside him; her head lowered until they stood before Arthur.
"Glad to see you alive, Dorian," said Arthur with a nod. "We were just talking about you."
"Ramiel already told us about your plans," said Dorian with a shake of his head. "The people deserve a better person than . I cannot lead them nor ensure that no one would starve in my cities. Furthermore, if soone tries to make an uprising, they can kill and beco the lord of ten cities."
"That would not be an issue once I conquer this tower," said Arthur with absolute confidence. "I will open the Red Tower at that ti, and create a teleportation array for those who wish to return to their world. Those who have nowhere to return to can stay in this tower, under your rule."
The crowd was quiet, and Dorian was in deep thought. Marshal began coughing blood before he spat what seed to be teeth and blood. Then, he started laughing as if he heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Dorian becoming the lord of ten cities? Has the world gone insane? This brat could not even eat with eloquence, yet you want him to beco a lord? Laughable! Absolutely laughable! I will never agree to this foolishness!"
"This offer does not extend to you, I'm afraid," said Arthur without looking at him. "Those who beca the puppets of the goddess will et no rcy from or my followers. The offer is for those who showed remarkable courage and decency. You can still retain your position as acting-lords of your respective cities, but Dorian will divide the resources and manpower."
"And you want Dorian to kill ?!" shouted Marshal Stormblade with maniacal laughter as blood spurted on the ground from his nose and mouth. "This spineless man will never have what it takes!"
"Dorian has an unusual ailnt," explained Arthur to the rest of the crowd, once again ignoring Marshal. "His soul mirrors the suffering of those around him, mostly one he inflicts. Therefore, he cannot kill any of you without harming himself."
"Why would you reveal such a weakness?" asked the Lord of Crestview with confusion, before the smile disappeared from Arthur's face.
"Because those who refuse to hand over their position will be killed by , without a single shred of rcy. Their souls will be obliterated, and there will be no revival, reincarnation, or a hint of them left in this world. I promise you that."
His words made silence descend on the group, who knew for certain how capable he was of that promise. Marshal Stormblade was still coughing when he raised his head and found Arthur looking at him. As soon as he saw the golden eyes, he flinched with fear.
"I… I…" the arrogant man began to stutter as sweat rolled down his face, mixing with his blood. As the cold wind blew between them, Marshal stopped breathing because of his fear.
"There is no chance for you to survive, no matter how much you rack your brain for a thod," muttered Arthur as he narrowed his eyes. "You will die today, Marshal Stormblade, together with your fleeing brother."
As his sentence was announced, Marshal slumped on the ground with realization. Then, he raised his head toward Arthur with a blank face, seeming to have accepted his fate. "You are Alexie, are you not? I made you join my army and helped you obtain the artifacts."
"Jonathan was the one who thought of this war to end the ten cities," said Arthur with a smile. "My offer and the consequences of refusing it are before you, esteed ladies and gentlen. Make your decision now."
The mont Arthur finished his words, the Lord of Crestview walked toward Dorian and placed a hand on his shoulder. Then, a red light transferred from his body to Dorian as the old man smiled at him.
"You will be a fine lord, Dorian."
"How do you know ?" asked Dorian with confusion. "Skyline retreated because she t , and said that was your order. What was that?"
"After the Battle of Bandits between Xeloria and Crestview, I used my skill to investigate the capable fighters of the enemy. I saw what lay in your heart, and I realized how compassionate you are. Your arrogance was overwhelming, but you have grown a lot in just a short while."
[Lordship of Crestview has been transferred to Dorian Stormblade.]
A notification appeared before them, and Arthur nodded at the old man. The second one was lady Margery, who did the sa, and another notification appeared. This ti, Dorian bowed toward her.
"I apologize for deceiving you," said Dorian with a guilt-ridden expression. "I will spend the rest of my…"
Lady Margery placed a finger over his lips and shushed him with a smile. "Do not make any promises, Lord Dorian. You treated far better than any other man, and I understand that your motives were noble now. You want to create a better world for everyone, right? I will forgive you once you do!"
As Dorian stood rooted in shock, the giant woman walked away. Arthur laughed again, his relaxed voice echoing through the wasteland. Dorian turned toward him, and Arthur winked.
"You have a great taste in won."
"…there is nothing between us…"
"Ahem!" coughed the Lord of Elvenheim as he stepped forward and bowed toward Arthur. "I don't know this young man, but I trust your judgnt, Returning King! No one can deny that you have saved us from the moonlight goddess. Thank you, sir!"
After such a formal introduction, the elf transferred his Lordship to Dorian as well. A notification rang from the tower as Dorian now beca the lord of three cities. The one who stepped forward next was Ilia Perli, who did not say a thing and just transferred the Lordship to Dorian.
There were four lords remaining from the original eight. Those before him were the lord of Blood Keep, Xeloria, and Westcoast. As for Rosewood, she has already given her word to Dorian to step down once the world is over. Arthur began walking toward the three, but Dorian raised his hand for him to wait.
"I know that you two don't trust ," said Dorian toward the Lord of Blood Keep and Westcoast. "You have a million reasons to refuse, and just one to accept transferring the lordship to : you lost, and that is it."
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