As the army cheered for the nine, they stood side-by-side despite their injuries. The air buzzed with excitent that seed to engulf the crowd after witnessing the earlier battle. Arthur did not seem proud of his accomplishnts, but he allowed them to cheer.
Dorian rushed from within the crowd, pushing past soldiers before he reached them. As he witnessed their injuries and tattered clothes, he could not help but get worried. However, his relief ca when Arthur looked at him and smiled.
"You look like a ss, Dorian," said Arthur with a smile as he walked forward. "Is it the first ti you've fought creatures of nothingness?"
"And I hope it's the last," said Dorian, pushing forward the question on everyone's mind. "Is that giant of nothingness dead?"
"Although I managed to injure him, I could not kill him," said Arthur with disappointnt. "Naless is an artifact of the gods. Before I managed to kill him, Devaheim intervened to save it. Hence, the armies that appeared."
"Are they going to attack us?" asked a nearby soldier, worried that the fight would still be ongoing. Arthur stared at the young ard man and smiled before shaking his head.
"As per their contract with the tower master, no god could enter without two conditions. The first is an anomaly appearing within the tower's laws, and this is to ensure fairness. As for the other, when the contract ends in the event that soone conquers the tower."
"You haven't conquered it?" asked Dorian with confusion. "How did you return if you have yet to conquer it?"
"The tower master is soone we can trust, despite the ill-asures he has taken to reach this point," said Arthur to reassure them, but the soldiers were still unsure. "If not for your efforts to help us stabilize space, we would have lost."
"Even if this is a cursed tower, it's still our current ho," said one of the soldiers who seed to be a veteran. "If a monster like that cos to destroy it, we have no other choice but to bleed for it!"
"You have my gratitude," said Arthur with a sincere expression, embarrassing the old man as he got flustered to answer. "There is no need to cheer for . I govern demons and those who wish to stand against the gods. My duty dictates that I fight for them, that doesn't make a hero."
"If we were alone, we would have died a million tis," said the veteran as he composed himself. "No one would have noticed anything if you fled with your soldiers, and we would have been left to suffer. However, we believed that a rciful king shall appear!"
As the old man finished his sentence, he fell to his knees. Before Arthur could ask him to stand, the soldiers behind him followed suit, row by row, like dominos falling in sequence. Before long, the entire army was kneeling on the ground before Arthur.
"If this is not being a king, then I wouldn't know what is," said Dorian as he tried to lean on the ground, but Arthur held his arm back, preventing him. "Please let show my gratitude."
"I refuse," said Arthur with a smile before he turned toward the thousands of soldiers kneeling for him. "I have no issue in being a king, but as free people, there is gold under your knees. Do not kneel easily, even if a god descends before you."
As the soldiers heard his words, their blood boiled as they began to rise. Arthur was unlike any other king they had witnessed; he was a man who respected them as his equal. In his wise golden eyes was a humanity they had never seen before. Then, they rembered his words.
"I am the universe experiencing itself."
Although the words were vague in aning, the soldiers assud that it expressed his compassion to all living beings. When he saw them rise, he smiled and nodded toward them before walking between the crowd, going into the city walls.
***
Atop the walls, Arthur and the rest tended to their wounds as they discussed the next plan. Dorian and the scholar guardian were also there, standing together with the eight warriors who tended to their wounds. The one who broke the silence was Seraphine.
"The gods are still waiting outside."
"As long as this tower hasn't been conquered, Naless would be their sole way of infiltrating it," said the scholar guardian as he offered his insight. "However, since they are monitoring this realm, it would be impossible for anyone to leave it."
"We are basically sieged within this tower," said Jonathan with a frown as he leaned over the wall. "Although our situation improved than before, we are still trapped here. We need to find a way to escape the divine barricade."
"This is our first battle against the gods. Although most don't realize Naless has been created by the gods themselves, we still secured a small win against Devaheim," said Arthur, drawing their attention. "We still have allies throughout the universe."
"Demigods cannot enter the interdinsional space like Devaheim did," Jizo said with a sigh. "Space is too erratic in-between realms. We were forced to retreat because of the sa issue. Devaheim has that clear advantage."
"Then, are we supposed to stay here until the end of tis?" asked Sarohan while throwing punches in the air. "We should fight them like before, let them know who's the boss!"
"That is also an option, but our chances of winning are not great," said Arthur while staring at the sky. "I have yet to master wrath like Ragnar did. Even if the gods could not handle in this realm, their strength is different in the upper realms."
"Our best chance is to retreat, but where do we hide from the gods?" asked Koby as his ethereal arm carried the tired Whisker. The feline was exhausted after running around in his beast form.
"There is one place that the gods cannot find," said Arthur with a smile as he reached out toward the stars and clenched his hand. "My sea of consciousness."
"…you want to keep an entire realm within your soul?" asked Lian with absolute shock. "I know better than anyone that such a thing is impossible. There is a distinct difference between ethereal matter and the physical world."
"Souls exist within the physical world, so what stops the opposite from happening?" asked Arthur as he lowered his hand and turned toward the tar. "I am confident that it's possible, but it is far from easy. I cannot teleport this place into my sea of consciousness in front of the gods. They would understand what happened and will give pursuit."
"They would not be able to find you easily if you teleport back to Earth, either, because they have locked space outside the tower. We are trapped, unless…" muttered the scholar guardian as he went quiet. The rest looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "Unless I go outside."
"What do you an?" asked Arthur with confusion as he looked at the guardian. "You want to go outside and do sothing about the spatial lock?"
"Not just the spatial lock," said Jizo with determination. "I will ensure that no god ever chases you or finds where you are. You can transport the tower into your sea of consciousness after you return to Earth."
"And what would your fate be?" asked Arthur with a frown, as if sensing the guardian's intention through this. "You plan on sacrificing yourself for our escape?"
"That is the most befitting end for soone who entrapped so many and caused so much suffering," said the Scholar Guardian with a smile. "I have achieved my purpose in awakening the Demon King. There is nothing more for to live for."
"How about serving that king?" asked Arthur, stressing the fact that Jizo shouldn't sacrifice himself. "You are the smartest spiritual architect in the universe. You are the sole man capable of creating spiritual artifacts with such ease!"
"I am nothing but the knowledge I have gathered," said the Scholar Guardian as his resolve strengthened. "There is no one more capable of stopping the gods other than . Before we do this, I will create the spiritual artifact that we agreed upon. Then, it will be ti for my retribution."
"Is this how you wish to die?"
"I wished for death for the longest ti, but only now I can rest in peace," said the Scholar Guardian as he raised his eyes toward Arthur. "I can die knowing that the world has found its most rciful king."
Arthur paused for a long ti as he seed to ponder the plan. Then, he turned toward Jizo, his eyes as bright as the sun. In them, Jizo saw respect for the decision he has made. "How long do you need to finish the spiritual artifact?"
"For an artifact of that complexity, I cannot make an accurate guess," Jizo said before smiling. "But I will make sure to send you back before December Thirty-First."
"You have my gratitude," said Arthur with a nod as he rose from the fence that he sat on. "In the anti, we should all rest before heading back. Please help the guardian to maintain the tower and fix any weaknesses it has."
"What about you, my king?" asked Ramiel with confusion as he saw Arthur heading sowhere, preparing to follow him.
Arthur raised a hand to stop the half-minotaur, his eyes fixated into the distance. He walked atop the walls and left the group confused. Then, he told them his plan, "I have to master the next form of wrath."
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