Chapter 23 - Shadows and Light!

Still in the Central House of the kingdom of Cyrus.

Arthur fixed his gaze on the other elders and aristocrats. – You know what happened in the United Kingdom. Don't lie to me. It annoys me and it is disrespectful! – he declared, his voice cutting through the tension in the room.

The duke, face bent to the ground and sweat running down his cheeks, trembled under the pressure of the king's stare. – My king, we are your servants and loyal to the family of the king. We would never betray our king. We fled the UK because of King Aca, so we came here and joined the people of Aldair. We have always been faithful to the Treadway house...

Prince Persival, observing the duke, smiled to himself. "This man is scared to death. All that's left is for him to faint..." he thought, setting his eyes on the king. "But he's right, the pressure he emits with his eyes is scary." he mused. – Stay calm, Duke William Hawthorne. You are a good man....

Saint Chamberlain sighed with relief. – At least things ended without bloodshed...

Jarvis, adjusting his glasses, glanced at Lancelot. – It is unlike you to hope for evil, Saint Lancelot...

Lancelot Chamberlain looked at Jarvis with a nervous smile. – Don't tease me, Jarvis. It's unlike you..." he replied, smiling. "What is this man talking about?! He knows well that the king kills first and asks questions later..." he thought with a smile still on his face.

…

Selena, dressed in a brown gown with braids in her hair, adorned with gold earrings and a necklace, in her tent, at Arthur's escort camp outside the town of Aldair, she fed her twins.

– You make me look old...– she said, smiling down at the twins in her arms.

A servant girl in a simple white dress entered the tent carelessly and, upon seeing Selena, bowed her head. – Excuse me, ma'am. I wanted to see the kids. I didn't know you were... – justifying herself, Selena interrupted her.

Selena, laughed softly. – Be calm, there's no need to be afraid... – she said, offering a reassuring smile. – Do what you came to do, I'm not the king. – Selena joked, turning her gaze to the babies.

The servant crouched. – Yes, ma'am! Thank you, ma'am. – she said, looking at Selena.

Putting a spoon in Aldir's mouth, Selena turned to the servant. – Oh, you came to stay with the children? Alright, here, free me from this burden. – she joked, handing both babies to the girl.

The servant picked up the babies with a smile. – Madam, if I may ask, you were widowed almost a year ago. Why were you not rescued when the law orders that widows be rescued by those close to the deceased...? – she asked with the babies touching her face.

Selena stretched and sighed. – Do you want to ask the king for me? – she teased, looking at the servant.

The servant's face turned red. – No, ma'am! The king could kill me. I'd rather not even be in his presence... – she said, trembling.

Selena, laughed. – I'm kidding, girl. But I understand. He looks intimidating, but up close, he's too handsome, not only in appearance but in his way of being... – she said, blushing as she looked at the wall.

Rocking the babies in her arms, she looked at Selena and saw her reaction. – Are you in love with the king? – the servant asked.

Selena snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the servant. – It's hard not to love that man. – she admitted, seeing the servant's red face.

Laughing, she stood up and fixed her hair. – Rest assured, the king won't kill you.

…

Hours later, inside the city of Aldair, at the Central House.

The king placed his hands on the arms of the chair and stood up. – I have to continue my journey! I'm leaving ten thousand men in this city. I want you to start intensive resource extraction... he commanded as he left the room. – And tell the people they can go back home now.

Duke Hawthorne, the duke of Aldair, alongside the other aristocrats, watching the king leave. – He's not even an adult yet, but he does not need to release your aura to oppress people fifty years older... – he murmured.

One of the elders behind the duke tried to sense Arthur's cultivation level but failed. – He looks like a normal person. It must be a kind of technique that hides his level... Or is he so strong that even Seventh Dimension Masters can't feel his Qi level...? – he wondered, a drop of sweat trickling down his forehead.

One of the aristocrats, taking a deep breath as he watched the king, whispered. – He's truly Pendragon's son...

…

Days later, in a forest near the territory of the kingdom of Anain, the territory of the white elves, Arthur moved away from his camp to cultivate and train.

Arthur, sitting in a meditative position, he controlled his breathing, feeling the flow of his inner Qi through his body.

"I've been trying to evolve for a long time, but I can't..." he thought, with his eyes closed, looking at his titanic core. "Is this the core of an Absolute Titan...?" he wondered, feeling the black, hollow sphere in the center of his chest.

"It's not the core of an Absolute Titan. You're not one yet. You're just a normal Titan with the Essence of Light!" the Spirit of Justice laughed in Arthur's mind.

Arthur frowned. "I thought I was the Titan of Light, the King of the Titans?!" he took a deep breath, letting the air out slowly.

The Spirit of Justice's laughter echoed within Arthur. "Do you really think that a weakling like you, who suffers at the hands of the servants of the servants of the Dark Titan, who still hasn't realized that the core is powered by Heavenly Qi and not the lower Qi used by other species, who goes around wasting time meditating on movement, would be the Titan of the Titans? The King of the Titans? The strongest Titan? You are a sadness! It's amazing how your people consider you a genius."

In a meditative position, veins appeared on Arthur's face, his ego wounded by the truth. "I get it! I'm weak, you don't need to rub it in... So those with pale-skinned ones are servants of the servants of the Dark Titan? What about Heavenly Qi? What exactly is it? Tell me how I can absorb Heavenly Qi." Arthur grumbled in his thoughts.

"Don't be angry, little me!" the Spirit of Justice began. "I'm saying this so that you understand the need to grow stronger. Those pale-skinned beings are monsters, and their king you will meet in time. I won't waste time talking about dirty beings like them!" he grunted.

"The Titans are a different species, superior and separate from the others, the species closest to the Creator. Within this species, there are three races: normal Titans, Mega Titans and the Absolute Titan." the Spirit explained.

The Spirit of Justice continued "I don't need to explain which is the strongest and the weakest, right? Normal Titans are like that because they have nothing special, they have no essence; Mega Titans have essences, essences are as if they were responsibilities, Essence of Light, space, water, sun, and so on; and finally, the Absolute Titan, the King of the Titans! The one who is above all others." 

…

On the same day, in the middle of the Ocean of Death, on the island of Tartarus. The King of the Monsters was in the meeting room of his dark palace.

The upper and lower leviathans, the chiefs of the Asuras, and the chiefs of the vampires were kneeling before the king, their faces bowed to the ground. All with pale skin and numbers in their pupils.

Hades, or Dracula Olympus, the King of the Monsters, dressed in a black and red kimono with a purple tunic, his long black hair tied in a ponytail, sat at his office desk with a cup of tea in hand. His reptilian red eyes emanated a pressure that pinned even the strongest to the ground.

"The Treadway managed to hide the King's Force well inside him, but we know he has it. He's no longer an enemy to be underestimated, but I still want to see what he's capable of, how much he's evolved..." Hades' voice echoed through the boardroom as he took a sip of his tea.

All the monsters present took a sip of their tea, following their king's example.