Chapter 511 - Gate Of Spirits Realm

"We received a message from Runera. It seems they want to retrieve the saint," Scholar Jermyn bit on his nails while standing beside the throne. "There is no reason that they would come for her after all this time. However, this is without a doubt a declaration of war!"

"Then, tell the citizens about it. Runera is now nothing but a group of rebels. We will take the necessary steps to eliminate them. Ask for the lords to assemble their forces," Solomon raised his hand.

"Your Majesty, the Yozia Empire seems to have amassed their armies near our borders. Therefore, the lords cannot leave their post because their cities will be invaded."

"Sigh," sighed the king. "This is what happens when everyone is only loyal to themselves. I understand, then we will use the knights. I will talk to the Ancient One about reinforcements."

"We are the loyal followers of Schelera, and The Scholar Guardian shall not abandon us!" bowed the Scholar before he left the throne room. The usually sunny hall was now dark, as all curtains had been closed.

"The Scholar Guardian, huh?" mused Solomon as he was left alone. "I am supposed to be his inheritor with the power to create artifacts. Yet, here I am, nothing but a vessel of a calamity."

The bitterness in his voice was unmistakable. Solomon rose from his throne and waved his hand. The golden throne changed shape under the effect of his powers to reveal a staircase the descended to an underground dungeon.

Solomon took slow steps into the darkness, which led to a hallway. Then, he took several turns before he reached a grand door. The engravings of monsters and dragons lined the metallic entrance, which Solomon pushed open.

There was not much inside, mainly a luxurious hall, looking like any other. The exception was the dried corpses and small table in the center of the hall, which two people sat on.

"You are here, Solomon," smiled Lorius as he turned. "I know that you are growing impatient. However, I still need to make some preparations."

"You are still in the same seat as yesterday," frowned the king as he looked at the person Lorius was chatting with, no other than the revived saint.

"I am making sure that nothing can go wrong. That can only be achieved by talking to someone who has revived themselves, right?"

Solomon was quiet, and he turned to look at the saint. She did not look afraid, even with this monster clinging to her. However, Solomon felt no pity because he had already fed this monster countless humans.

"Runera has declared war because they want the saint. The other lords cannot respond to my summons because Yozia is interfering and threatening their cities. So I need your monsters."

"I will summon them, but you will have to deactivate the barrier for a while," smiled Lorius, and Solomon nodded before turning around and leaving the dungeon.

***

"I apologize for the interruption," said the man with long hair in front of her. Ai could tell that he was the politest man she had ever met and also the most dangerous. "Let us resume our conversation."

"Conversation, huh?" smiled Ai. "Aren't you simply trying to see through me?"

"I lay my motives bare in front of you, Saint Ai. I know that you must have seen something that none of us could see when you died. I want you to share that knowledge. However, learning about your struggles is not a bad thing, too."

"I lived in the church for the past month, but you did not visit me once. So I wonder what reason brought you here now?"

"Scholar Jermyn told me about your condition, and I understood that you did not remember a lot," the man picked up his cup and drank from it. Ai knew that it was not tea but blood. "I cannot wait any longer, you see. Runera has rebelled."

"The Seika does not aim for power, so it does not make sense that he would do this," she frowned with confusion. "Furthermore, why do they want me?"

"The human heart is a complex matter. I would never be rude to you, but I hope you understand that I am in a hurry. There must be something that you saw in the void."

"What are you expecting from me, Ancient One? I do not hold the secrets to immortality, and I don't know what god looks like. I died and was brought back to life."

"Brought back by the Seika, it seems?" smiled Lorius, and Saint Ai squinted her eyes at him. "I will tell you the truth. I became a vessel of Kar before I served the previous king. However, I care very little about ruling this kingdom. I seek knowledge."

"That is admirable. You must be a devoted worshiper of Schelera," Ai did not answer him directly, and it seems the man was running out of patience. "I have dreams, sometimes. I see the celestial beings that I witnessed after death."

"And what do they look like?"

"I feel suffocated every time I think about them. I don't know what you aim for, Lorius. A piece of advice is to let this matter go. Do you want to know why none of those beings interfered?"

"I am interested in that," smiled Lorius.

"All of them were afraid of the man holding my soul, the Seika. Therefore, do not attempt to revive the dead because heaven will not be merciful."

"That means that such a process will... cause a reaction from the world," grinned Lorius. Saint Ai frowned because she did not understand what he was aiming for. "I received my answer, saint. However, I need you to stay here as bait. After all, I still need that princess to come here."

***

"The capital refused to listen to our demands. We should have attacked them directly," sighed Eleven as he waved the letter. "Little Hana created quite the army of monsters for the battle. We can destroy the capital by midday."

"We are not there to destroy anything," frowned Diana. "However, the letter was simply a decoy. The Devil Hunters have already infiltrated the capital to accomplish the first step of our plan."

"My love."

"I am not your love."

"I fear that the battle ahead will be a brutal one. If the need arises, please run and leave me to hold them back."

"I will."

"I understand your reluctance!"

"There isn't any..."

"However," Eleven held Dia's hand. "I will lay my life for even just a single day of your safety. Please, don't leave me alone in this world."

"Are you done?" asked Diana with a frown, and Eleven nodded. "Then, go and prepare the fleet. Your task is to receive the citizens of Runera after they evacuate."

"Ah, then I'm not on the front line," Eleven scratched her head before sighing. "I am not worried. When we meet again, let's all go out for some drinks! The Seika included!"

Eleven ran away afterward, leaving Diana with a troubled smile. The pirate always found a way to make the situation less severe. Then, she turned to look at their sleeping city and the countless soldiers leaving it.

Their goal was simple: retrieve the saint who Arthur revived. Then, they will use the saint to find Arthur's soul and revive him. But, unfortunately, Diana will have to give away the soul fragment that kept her powers stabilized and perish at that time.

The plan was simple, but executing it will be difficult. However, there was no doubt that she would lay down her life for Arthur. This was what she desired and not what the prophet prepared for. Diana loved Arthur more than anything in this world.

***

A portal appeared in front of Arthur, who was still created solely of runes. Nevertheless, he managed to achieve something using his spiritual energy: opening a gate into the Spirits Realm.

This was the solution that he thought of to return. Arthur wanted to find a way to recreate his body, and the Spirits Realm was his only choice now. The sovereign should have a clue about what to do since he knew the previous Arthur.

"There goes nothing," Arthur forced his soul through the portal, and he disappeared from the world. "Wait for me, Diana."

His runes scattered as his soul entered the Spirits Realm. As per the realm's rules, anyone will be assigned to the last layer they were at before they left. Arthur found himself standing atop a tree, none other than Yggdrasil.

"Yo," greeted a voice behind him. Arthur turned around to find the gourd-holding creature, which looked as unsettling as he last saw him. "I missed you, Arthur!"

The sovereign hurried over and hugged him, rubbing his face on Arthur's golden chest. The scene was almost comical for the strongest spirit to act like a child.

"I met my past self, Sovereign," said Arthur with a frown. "However, I lost my body because of the runes. I need a way to form it again."

"Hm, that should be the trial of creation," pondered the sovereign. "I am happy that you trusted me to help you!"