The city of chains stood behind them. The air still buzzed with the aftershock of Arthur's rejection—the chains broken, the throne shattered, Greed unseated. But no one said a word.
Until—
"Wait."
The voice stopped them cold.
Arthur turned, eyebrow raised.
Lucius.
No longer seated on his golden throne. No longer flanked by agents. Just a man, standing in the rain, hair slicked back, suit soaked through—but that same unreadable glint in his eyes.
"I'm coming with you," Lucius said simply.
Liam's jaw tensed. "You what?"
Amelia perked up, her eyes glinting with interest. "Oh? This just got fun."
Camila narrowed her gaze. "You're joking."
Athena blinked. "…Wait. Really?"
Arthur grinned, crossing his arms. "Lucius, buddy, pal. That's a hell of a change of pace for someone who tried to own the concept of ownership."
Lucius didn't smile. "Because I have nothing left worth owning here."
He turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at the broken city behind him.
"And because the Dark Clans took something from me."
The moment he said it, the air shifted. Heavy. Real.
Arthur's smirk faded. His tone dropped.
"What did they take?"
Lucius hesitated.
For the first time, he didn't have a perfect answer. Just silence. And then—
"A long time ago," he said slowly, "before all of this—I had a son."
The silence hit like a slap.
Arthur's heart skipped.
Camila's expression froze.
Liam's golden aura dimmed.
Athena's lips parted, eyes wide.
Amelia said nothing.
Lucius didn't look at them.
"They took him," he said. "The Dark Clans took him from me. And in return—I took everything I could from the world."
His fingers twitched.
"I built this empire. I made myself untouchable. I devoured everything. But I never found him."
A beat.
Then he looked up. That same fire, cold and determined, back in his gaze.
"Now? Now I'm going to take him back."
Arthur's grin returned, this time… sharper.
"A father's vengeance, huh?" he said softly.
Lucius smirked. "The most dangerous kind."
Arthur turned to the others.
Camila sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Great. Just what we needed. A vengeful demigod joining the squad."
Liam muttered, "Better on our side than against us."
Amelia giggled. "Ooh. Can I help break his chains of trauma later?"
Athena looked at Lucius, something unreadable flashing behind her eyes. She said nothing.
Arthur nodded. "Alright then. Let's go."
And just like that—Lucius stepped forward.
And the world shifted again.
The gate between worlds cracked.
A blinding pillar of light swallowed them whole—Arthur, Camila, Liam, Amelia, Athena, and now… Lucius.
The air twisted.
Time distorted.
Arthur's stomach flipped like he was falling through memories and dreams all at once.
And then—
They fell.
Arthur opened his eyes to a sky that didn't feel real.
Stars burned too close. Too bright. Islands floated lazily in the air. Waterfalls spilled into nowhere.
Beneath them—a city of war.
Steel towers. Marching soldiers. Screaming mages. Draconic beasts circling the skyline.
Arthur grinned like a kid in a candy store. "Oh my god. We're in a fantasy world."
Then—
BOOM.
An explosion lit up the sky beneath them.
They were falling. Fast. Right into the middle of an all-out war.
Arthur snapped his fingers mid-air. Landed on the head of a war beast with perfect balance. "Time to make an entrance."
Camila floated down with poise, landing on glowing runes like she belonged to the sky.
Liam dropped like a thunderbolt, golden blade slicing through incoming magic with zero effort.
Amelia? She appeared behind a knight, whispered something unspeakable—and he crumpled.
Athena slowed her fall with graceful energy, her feet barely touching the ground.
Lucius? Walked through the air like gravity owed him money.
The battlefield froze.
Every mage. Every knight. Every soldier.
They felt it.
Something unnatural had entered their world.
Then—
"WHO DARES INTERRUPT THIS SACRED WAR?!"
The man who stepped forward wore divine armor.
A crimson cape. A glowing blade. A presence that screamed legend.
Liam narrowed his eyes. "That's a High Knight. No doubt."
Arthur tilted his head. "High Knight? Like, high class? High power? High kill count?"
"High problem," Liam muttered.
Across the battlefield—
A woman hovered forward, wrapped in swirling darkness. A presence that felt ancient and wrong.
"The Abyss sends its regards," she hissed.
And just like that—
The war resumed.
A blast of abyssal fire shot at Arthur.
He twisted reality, and it unraveled into sparks.
"Really? Already?"
Liam darted in, a golden slash ending half a squadron.
"Try harder," he said.
The Abyssal Witch hissed something in a cursed language.
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Was that an insult or a pickup line?"
Then, the High Knight charged her.
A divine sword. A wall of darkness.
The battlefield exploded.
Arthur sighed.
"Well. Guess we're picking sides."
"Neither," Liam said.
"Both," Amelia grinned.
"I don't think we should be involved at all—" Athena started.
Arthur clapped his hands.
"Too late."
A bell rang.
The sky cracked open.
Arthur's voice boomed: "New rule!"
Everyone froze.
"War's under new management."
And then—
The battlefield twisted.
Knights and mages found themselves allies.
Enemies vanished. Banners shifted. Memories stayed.
And confusion?
Spread like fire.
Arthur grinned.
Camila sighed.
"This is why we don't let you talk first."
Liam facepalmed.
Amelia laughed so hard she fell over.
Athena groaned.
Lucius? He just… watched.
And for once?
Even Greed had no idea what the hell was going to happen next
Arthur stood at the edge of the battlefield, arms casually crossed, watching the chaos unfold like a spectator at a play he already knew the ending to.
The Abyssal Witch stared at him, horror written across her face. Her hands trembled. Her voice cracked. "What... what have you done to me?!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Huh. You used to sound scarier." He took a slow step forward, the air warping gently around him. Not from power, but from the sheer absurdity of his presence.
"You were this terrifying void-summoning nightmare five minutes ago," he said, voice light. "Now you're wearing holy armor and glowing like a divine lamp post."
The witch tried to speak. Failed. She looked down at her hands again. "I was darkness." Arthur nodded. "Yeah, you were. Now? Not so much."
Across the field, the High Knight let out another guttural scream. He was swinging at illusions—no, at his own people—desperate to find something real in the unreality Arthur had dropped them into.
Camila stepped up beside Arthur, arms folded, her expression unreadable. "Do you have a plan? Or is this just another 'let's screw with the locals' moment?"
Arthur grinned. "A little of column A, a little of column B."
Liam appeared on Arthur's other side, golden aura pulsing lightly. "You can't keep flipping reality like a coin every time you're bored."
Arthur leaned back slightly. "Sure I can. Watch." He snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the sky turned green. Then pink. Then it rained rubber ducks.
Athena groaned, covering her face. "Please make it stop."
Amelia clapped softly, genuinely impressed. "You've outdone yourself."
Lucius, arms crossed, finally sighed. "Are you trying to start another war or just emotionally destroy everyone in this one?"
Arthur shrugged. "Can't it be both?"
The Abyssal Witch fell to her knees. "Make it stop," she whispered. "Please... just tell me what you want."
Arthur's eyes softened. Just a little.
He stepped closer. Sat cross-legged on thin air in front of her. "You were proud. Powerful. Dangerous. But you were fighting a war that wasn't even yours."
She looked up, her new divine glow flickering. "I didn't choose this."
"Exactly," Arthur said. "None of you did. So now I've given you a choice. No gods. No emperors. Just you."
The battlefield had gone completely still. Every warrior, every mage, every priest and knight—stood frozen, listening.
Arthur's voice echoed, clear and casual. "You can keep fighting. Keep dying. Keep serving causes you don't even believe in. Or..." He paused. "You can walk away."
The High Knight finally stopped swinging. He looked around. At his people. At the Witch. At Arthur.
"This isn't right," he muttered.
"Nope," Arthur agreed.
"You've broken the natural order."
"I do that."
"You're a threat to balance."
Arthur smiled. "Definitely."
The Knight's hands clenched. "Then I must stop you."
Arthur tilted his head. "You could try."
And that was the last straw.
The Knight roared— Charged—
And stopped mid-step.
A blade hovered against his throat. Held by someone he hadn't even seen move.
Liam. His golden aura glowed. His face blank. His voice low.
"You'll have to go through me."
The Knight froze. Because even through all his divine training, through all the holy wars he'd survived— He could feel it.
He wasn't stronger.
Not even close.
The Abyssal Witch slowly stood. Her eyes locked with Arthur's.
"You terrify me," she whispered.
Arthur shrugged. "That's fair."
She turned. And walked away.
One by one, the others followed. Knights. Mages. Soldiers. All of them.
Until only the High Knight remained.
Arthur sighed. "Your move, Tin Man."
The Knight looked at Liam. At Arthur. At the people he could no longer command.
And then—he dropped his sword.
Just like that.
No blood. No final clash. No grand speeches.
Just choice.
Arthur stretched, yawning. "Man, that was exhausting."
Camila smiled faintly. "You broke an entire war with nonsense."
Arthur winked. "Fun nonsense."
Amelia twirled her fingers. "What now?"
Arthur looked up.
The stars above were shifting. The world itself seemed to hold its breath.
Something else was coming.
He smiled.
"Now?" A pause.
"Now we see what breaks next."