"I would've come on time, but someone fucked us up," said Gregorio standing before Arthur. The crescents of moonlight disintegrated as they collided with Gregorio's skin. They didn't even leave a scar.
"You don't seriously think it was me, do you?"
"Who else would it be?" Gregorio retorted, growling. However, one could see he wasn't truly angry. He was simply trying to intimidate Arthur, who was too confident for his own good. It wasn't healthy.
Caroline's death was unprecedented. It couldn't have been expected, and they weren't even aware of the perpetrator. Although, Arthur highly suspected it was Gary, considering his suspicious behavior.
"Gary," replied Arthur.
"That child whom you said was a spy?" Gregorio, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head, thinking of Arthur's words as a joke. "Yes, I looked into that boy, and I don't think he is affiliated with–"
"The Millers," Arthur interrupted Gregorio's words, causing the latter's eyes to widen. The contents of the crimson-eyed man's words were shocking. If they were true, then the entire nature of the banquet plan had been altered.
The Ainsworths and the Jester Organization were powerful, overwhelmingly so. However, they couldn't hold a candle to an alliance between the other two world-level forces; Arcadia Academy and the Millers.
Arcadia Academy and the Millers, even individually, were equal to the Jester Organization in terms of sheer force. The Ainsworths were not large enough to fill the massive gap in power that came from the involvement of the Millers.
If Gary was involved with the Millers, and he had truly murdered Caroline, it meant Kevin leaked the plan and allied with Arcadia Academy.
'Fuck,' thought Gregorio, clicking his tongue. They had lost before the battle had even begun.
At that moment, several swords crafted solely out of mana shot towards Gregorio. The executive of the Ainsworth Family clenched his teeth before brandishing his sword. He lightly swung it.
At that moment, it was like time stopped.
A blade wave the size of a house formed in an instant, traveling at tremendous speeds towards the approaching swords of mana. Colliding with the attack, the blade wave only suffered minor damage.
It continued on its trajectory, aimed towards Ms. Gomez.
"Karen, I told you I would kill you if we ever fought again," Gregorio spoke in an authoritative voice, projecting his words using mana. The wind danced at his fingertips, and the Earth became his legs.
The flames were his anger, and the water was his balance.
"That was decades ago, Gregorio," responded Karen–Ms. Gomez. She approached the blade wave before slicing it in half using her mere fingers. The mana dispersed, leaving behind nothing but stale air.
"It's all the same to me," replied Gregorio as a gust of wind swept past Karen.
Before she could realize, Gregorio stood behind her, his hand placed on her shoulder. "Give up, Karen."
Shivers shot down Arthur's spine as he watched the spectacle. It was a tremendous display of speed, and his current body and senses couldn't even perceive how fast Gregorio had moved. His eyes couldn't follow his movement.
'I… am weak,' thought Arthur. He may have been the Lord of Sins in his former life, but he didn't retain any qualities of that being except memories and a skill. Currently, he was a weak human with knowledge.
That was it.
If he wished for his position back, Arthur had to fight endlessly. The world wouldn't wait for him; neither would it offer his powers back. No, in this timeline, the Lord of Sins didn't exist. His being had never existed.
So, did proclaiming himself as the Lord of Sins matter?
The person hadn't even existed.
While Arthur sorted his thoughts, Gregorio spoke gently to Karen. Yet, his words were as cold as they could be.
However, as Karen was about to reply, two crashing noises resounded across the hall. All eyes turned towards the origin of the sound, and the eyes of Arthur, Karen, and Gregorio widened simultaneously.
"Mason!" Gregorio shouted, but by that point, Karen had escaped his grip. The head of the Ainsworths had arrived. The flow of the battle would hopefully change… or so Gregorio initially thought.
From the second crash emerged Athanasia Arcadia.
"What's up?" Mason asked, raising an eyebrow. His demeanor seemed so casual that Gregorio doubted they were amidst a battle that could cost them their lives and the lives of their subordinates and family.
Mason Lucas Ainsworth, the current head of the Ainsworth Family, was a charismatic man in his forties. Yet, his appearance was similar to that of a person in his twenties due to the sheer charisma he exuded.
With cyan hair that parted in the middle and a chiseled jawline, he truly seemed like Alisha's father. His body was toned, and he wore a simple tuxedo, as if he were a student attending this year's banquet.
His skin was like jade, and his pupils were a deep shade of emerald.
'I understand where Alisha gets her looks from,' thought Arthur, observing the man whom he was allied with. The crimson-eyed man never considered himself a subordinate of the Ainsworths, and the latter didn't consider him a subordinate, either.
Simply allies. A business relationship.
"Would you mind telling me where the rest of the Ainsworth Family is?" Gregorio asked, rushing towards the escaping Karen. His feet exploded with mana, but his trajectory was obstructed by Athanasia at that moment.
However, Mason appeared beside the head of Arcadia Academy, kicking her in the abdomen. But Athanasia didn't budge.
"They're containing the damage outside," said Mason, engaging in combat with Athanasia, who tied her hair up to prevent it from obstructing her vision. Both heads seemed calm and composed.
It was as if a World War wasn't ongoing.
No, but the war hadn't even begun yet. Only when Arthur's part came would the actual battle begin. The struggle.
"Mason, the Millers are allied with Athanasia," said Gregorio in a rushed voice, continuing to chase after Karen. "We're outmatched."
"Oh, but we aren't."
"What do you mean?"
"That boy… the red-eyed one… he did something."
