The Living Void

Glenbarrow was one of the fourteen cities under Mistvel, a city known as the breadbasket of the county for its farmlands. It was a major source of food for the whole county and played a vital role in its finances.

Because of this, the Lord of Glenbarrow had invited them to dinner and to discuss something with Arthur. It had been a while before they actually went somewhere, so Arthur was more than happy to bring his family along.

They travelled on a hovering car that ran on Essence Crystals with three hovering cars filled with soldiers following them from the front and behind. Being a noble had its risks, after all.

Sitting on the window seat, Damien looked outside as they left the fortress city of Mistvel. It was the closest to the Tier 7 Rift, so the security was maximum.

As the rolling hills came into his view, Damien smiled. It was a beautiful scenery, as a white mist rolled down those hills and filled the surrounding area. At night, the mist usually filled even the city, making it the reason for the city's name.

As they passed through a towering hill, Damien felt a shiver running down his spine as he sensed a malicious energy from the hill. But before it could do anything, a warm hand landed on his head, dissipating the effects.

As she patted the twins' heads, Jasmine explained, "That is where the Tier 7 Rift is located and since Art cleared it yesterday, the residual energy is still there."

"The boss is really a pain to deal with," Arthur said, sitting on the passenger seat. "It has an Illusion Domain and this mist is its weapon, in a way. I can't even bring my team to deal with it as they would just become a burden."

"Dad is the strongest," Elise giggled and said. "I will also become like you one day and clear those rifts all by myself."

"She sure is ambitious," the driver, a young man with deep black hair and a scar on his angular, handsome face, said. "Young Lady, you will surely become stronger than your father."

"Really?"

"Of course, this Diluc has never lied."

Damien stayed silent throughout the conversation, wondering if the Obsidian Council would attack now. It was unlikely, but they were a bunch of madmen who even attacked the Gods, so who knew what they would do.

'Still, two Ruler Stage and one Heaven Stage, this lineup should be enough to at least scare them a little.'

Soon, their entourage left the city's perimeter and approached the distant Glenbarrow rapidly. It was around 400 km away and with the fast speed of the hovering car, it took them only a few hours to reach there—granted the occasional attacks by the magical beasts slowed them down.

All of a sudden, their car came to a halt, making Damien wonder if some powerful magical beast had attacked them. However, when he looked out of the window and noticed the weather changing and winds picking up, he had a guess.

Arthur sighed and said, "It really has to form now."

"It is a Tier 5 Rift. Do you want me to clear it quickly?" Diluc asked. "We can't ignore it as it is very close to the City."

"That will waste too much time," Arthur shook his head, as his eyes turned cold. "I will take care of it."

"Dad is fighting?" Elise asked with her eyes shining.

"This isn't enough to make him draw his weapon, dear," Jasmine chuckled as she opened the car's door. "Let's see the strength on man you are aiming to surpass."

Damien also slipped outside using the chance. Game was a game in the end and he wanted to see what a Ruler Stage Diver could do. They were the strongest in the kingdom after the King, after all.

Unfortunately, the moment he stepped out, a powerful gust of wind hit him straight in the face. Jasmine quickly grabbed him and picked him up in her embrace as she said, "Do you see the destruction?"

As his eyes adjusted to the powerful natural forces, Damien finally saw the Tier 5 Rift and the destruction it brought just by existing. It was a giant tear in the fabric of space, almost thirty-five meters tall, throwing thick purple bolts of lightning. Its ever-changing edges, a thick color of violet, destroyed the surrounding area to oblivion.

His gaze shifted lower from the Rift, landing on the unfortunate souls who were caught in the sudden appearance of this Rift. There were a few groups trying to escape its destruction, except for a woman who was screaming and thrashing around, her hand reaching forward towards the Rift as if wanting something.

"My child…she's there... someone... Please…"

Her voice was barely audible under the howling winds, but Damien understood it all. This was the world he was living in—a world where he could be laughing with his friends one moment and in the next moment, mourning for them.

He clenched his tiny fists, remembering a canon event in Play Second that had destroyed many cities. The scene was somewhat similar to that.

"Your eyes see the right thing," Jasmine smiled and said. "Watch and engrave this in your memory, child. Remember it well."

Damien nodded unconsciously, as he then looked at the imposing man walking towards the Rift. His tall, broad frame seemed to shoulder all the responsibilities and anyone would feel safe under its protection.

Under his watchful eyes, Arthur began levitating in the air as he got closer to the Rift. Stopping before he reached the horizon, Arthur stretched his hand and muttered, "Domain… Infinite Void!"

In the next second, the winds stopped howling, and the lightning bolts dispersed in the air as a thick, dark membrane rose from the ground and covered Arthur and the Rift in a hemispherical dome with Arthur as its centre.

There was a long pause, a silence that seemed to fill everything. Just a few seconds later, the dome came undone as Arthur slowly descended back to the ground. To everyone's shock, there wasn't a single sign of the Rift left—only the destruction it had caused.

Damien's eyes widened in shock and astonishment, as he thought, 'Damn! To actually close a Rift with just his domain—just how powerful is he?'

He had only read records on Arthur Wayne, The Living Void, but never seen him in action. He had always wondered why the Obsidian Council waited until both Jasmine and Arthur were out of home to target the twins, but now it became much clearer.

'He's a monster. No way, he just closed a Tier 5 just like that.'

Damien was finding it hard to believe, but this was who Arthur truly was—a man who had risen from common status to become the Captain of Blades of Dawn, the Living Void.

"Wow! Dad is so amazing!" Elise clapped her hands, looking at Arthur with shining eyes. "He's the best. Mom, I will one day become a powerful diver like him."

"You will, sweetie. Just remember your poor, weak mom, okay? She will need your help."

"Don't worry, Mom. I will protect you and this stinky brother of mine."

Damien tried not to cringe hearing Jasmine, as he knew who she was. Even after seeing Arthur's powers, he would still rather fight him than Jasmine. She was smiling, but that was because they weren't her enemies.

As for Elise's boasting, he didn't say anything. He actually wanted her to grow stronger and continue to smile. In the game, he had not seen her smile even once, so he wanted to protect her smile at all costs.

'You want to be like Dad, then I will be like Mom.'