Chapter 122: Alfred

As if a monster's maw was forcibly being opened, the giant gash in the Calamity Spider's surface refused to close in. Runes worked and glowed to move the gears and metal plates into place, but Arthur's authority prevented them from doing so. The runes that had held them in place were broken apart as if a paint that was washed off. 

The mecha climbed the Spider's leg while making dents in them, sometimes using the jets to propel itself forward. When Arthur stepped into the gash, he saw that runes were glowing from far away, fire runes to be specific. 

Like a dragon coming from the pits of hell, the fire spread in the gash completely before blowing the mecha away, burned black. However, Arthur and the rest were already standing inside the calamity spider with a tired Zas on the side.

"Are you okay?" Ivy asked Zas who nodded as he was helped to stand by Li. 

Zas had teleported them into the Calamity Spider before the fire was able to reach them. Usually, not even the greatest teleportation abilities were able to teleport inside the artifact that was so filled with runes. Space was locked by specialized runes that prevented teleportation. However, Arthur's insignia allowed Zas to find a way inside.

They were standing in a corridor at the edge of the gash itself. From here on, there wouldn't be any offensive runes to endanger them. However, they needed to advance past the barriers and locked gates to reach the prince's location. 

"Let's go," Zas said and the group nodded. Arthur was responsible for decoding the gates from here on. As they advanced, the group felt as if they were being watched.

***

With the Yalen Kingdom being the strongest, it succeeded in being the governmental state of the Union with the Verian and Anerk Kingdoms being the federal states. That's how the two kingdoms became vessels to Yalen. 

Even though the president of the Union was chosen through elections and there was a council that decided the official matters, the kingdoms retained their original royal families to date. The president would be chosen from the royal family while the council would be chosen by the people.

Alfred Yalen was the youngest prince of the current royal family and his father's term would end soon. That's why the youngest prince sought to boost his image between the people by absorbing a rare essence, a draconic essence of illusions. 

This would have served to boost his powers and reliability between the public and give him a better chance of becoming the next king of Yalen, controlling the kingdom and its vessel states.

However, he failed. He didn't know how, but the person he ensured with the task, a rare magician of illusions, was killed. He couldn't raise the dragon himself, as inexplicable deeds would be needed for that, but he could hire a borrowed knife. 

The day when he found the dungeon with the dragon inside, he thanked every star in the galaxy for such luck. With this, he would have a chance at becoming the next king, proving himself against his older brother who didn't even bother to look at him. 

His stars betrayed him and his luck vanished. His dragon egg was stolen and he was humiliated even. Illusions were rare abilities, so he had no way of finding the culprit without spending a lot of time away from the capital. 

That's why he returned empty-handed and out of luck. A day after his return, he was sitting on the balcony of a servant's room when his father and mother were strolling and talking in the garden. 

He hid since he felt guilty for threatening the servant to sleep with him, afraid his father would see him here. There was also the fact that the servant was a male, too. His father would never give him the throne if he was found out. 

It was then that he heard the conversation that changed him. His father and mother were talking about this and that, and Alfred was brought up. They called him mentally ill. That he was delusional for believing that shadows could move and that sometimes they talked to him. 

He would never be given the throne this way. He would forever spend his life hiding in the shadows, badmouthed by everyone he knew, and forever alone and unloved. He would forever hide who he is without anything in return. 

That night, he heard the shadows speak to him again. They were stronger this time and he allowed them to seep into his body. He became one with the shadows, and he never felt more powerful. From then, things started to change. He was stronger and more powerful. He begged his father to be the envoy of Yalen in the Runes Apprentices Cup, just like the shadows have asked him. 

They gave him strength as long as he listened to them. He was given an artifact from a woman in a neighboring kingdom the day before his departure. He knew what he was doing, it was treason. However, he was to become a king if the thing goes well. 

He did not hesitate again; things were going well. Yet now, someone again was obstructing him. A black pillar descended from the sky as if it meant to split the world in half. It tore through his beloved weapon, the one thing that made him feel powerful, and insects managed to crawl inside. 

He could feel them inching slowly toward him, taking down walls of runes and codes that would take them hours in mere minutes. Who were these people? Why were they so fearsome? 

He would show them who he was. He was the next king of Yalen and he was also beloved by the shadows. All of his life, the shadows that only he could see were calling out for him. The only thing that desired him in this world. 

He couldn't divide his attention. As he couldn't do anything for the insects on the inside, he would teach them a lesson. But first, he had a mission to do. He stretched his arm that was covered in darkness and his fortress moved. 

Around his neck was a necklace that was the artifact operating the runic fortress. It stuck to his flesh, pulsing like a second heart, fusing with his body. Since he was only on the fourth layer when he used this artifact, there was so little he could do with the fortress. However, this ancient weapon was enough to obliterate the border and wreak havoc in his beloved kingdom. 

This time, no one would say he was seeing things. He shall let them kneel to his throne of shadows. His fortress moved and he launched the attacks again. Fire, ice, winds, boulders, and lightning rained down on Blacksilk castle. The wave was already flattened by the time it reached the walls, not causing any damage except for the wilderness. 

His attacks started to diverge from their path as a single figure appeared in the sky. It seemed the big boss has finally shown himself, flying in front of Blacksilk castle. The president of Union's Awakeners. An Astra-rank powerhouse that could fight against a legendary-tier monster. 

The president's hands flipped and a tornado appeared, eating away at the Calamity Spider. Giant winds gathered as he slashed downward, a wind of blade that made a fissure appear in the earth. 

The fortress stood strong even with all the damage it had taken. Alfred decided to reveal his trump card against this man. The Calamity Spider stopped moving as it gathered mana from the surrounding. An octagon appeared as giant runes summoned a meteor in the sky. 

It descended toward the president and the fortress alike. The president hastily constructed a wall of wind to protect Blacksilk castle, but it was torn apart by the meteor. 

With a deafening roar, the president summoned a giant ethereal eagle to his aid as the two tried to stop the meteor. 

'Die! Die! Die!' Alfred kept repeating in his heart when the door toward the fourth layer opened. The meteor exploded as a huge dust cloud covered the surrounding. He turned toward the door and saw that the insects have arrived. Furthermore, one of them was the person who had torn through his shoulder. 

The two sides looked at each other before Alfred grinned, delighted at the thought of another revenge fulfilled. He spread his arms grandiosely and laughed. 

"You did well to reach this place, but you will meet your deaths!" 

The group stood there gazing at him. They looked almost disgusted with his current appearance, that was neither that of a human or a monster. Giant black arms protruded from his backs as his face was ruined by cracks seeping with tar-substances. 

His handsome face was nowhere to be seen and what replaced it was a disgusting mix of black blood and hideous cracks-like scars. In the middle of his chest was a black necklace that pulsed with a life of its own. 

"The only one dying is you, filthy scum." One of the robed people spat with loath. His face dripped with disgust. As Alfred looked at him, he recognized those golden eyes filled with the power he hated so much and his shadows feared, the power of creation.