Chapter 764: Tarnishing

"Is that the ruler of this land?" asked Ai as she stared at the giant screen that appeared above the Copper District. The two were standing in the street on their way toward one of Layla's acquaintances.

"He is," said Layla with a frown while cloaking her face. "It seems my brother's promotion was scheduled for today, but he is executing Gray?"

"Isn't he the man that Advisor Kain mentioned?" asked Ai, but Layla stared at the screen quietly. The emperor has just announced that Lyle would need to execute Gray for his promotion. Would he go as far as killing his friend?

The screen changed to reveal Lyle, who was wearing his armor. His face was cold as he took the blade of light from the emperor, allowing his body to radiate. He stared at the sword before raising it, letting the light sear the torches around them.

After the torches lit up on the path to the execution platform, Lyle started walking toward it. His footsteps were confident and elegant, seeming like a judge tasked with serving justice.

Before long, the two men stood opposite each other. Gray stared at Lyle with rage, and the latter returned it with indifference. Then, the knight raised his blade.

"Wait!" shouted the forger, and Lyle paused. The suspense made the viewers stand on their toes, eager to find out what he had to say. "I have something to share!"

"You have no such right, forger," rejected Lyle before he brought down his blade, aiming at the man's neck.

"This concerns the arrays!" shouted the forger, and the blade stopped before it reached his neck. Lyle glared at the forger with a frown before he turned toward the Light Emperor, whose smile disappeared.

"Your Majesty?" hesitantly asked Lyle, and the emperor nodded. This signaled the knight to retract his blade and allow the forger to speak. "You have one chance."

"I will give the secrets my father left me in return for a single request," the forger addressed the emperor. "The empire needs this, doesn't it?"

"Your life will not be spared," said Lyle with a frown. "After betraying the grace of our emperor, this is your punishment!"

"Hold your hand," said the emperor, making Lyle stop and retreat. The emperor walked from the pedestal toward the execution platform with confusion. "We sought these secrets for decades, so what makes you give them now?"

"Since I will be dead, there is no point keeping this to myself," replied Gray with a smug smile. "My request is simple. Before I die, let me say a few last words about my father."

"What difference would that make?"

"I have tarnished his legacy by ruining the system he created, so I want to add a few final touches to his legacy," said Gray with a grin. The emperor was silent before nodding and gesturing toward the broadcast to show Gray.

"Go ahead."

"I appreciate it, bro. Ahem, is this working?" asked Gray as he stared at the cameras broadcasting his image. His face was covered with his messy and thick beard. Then, he gave a wide grin as he saw the red light coming from the cameras. "I never envisioned becoming famous."

"Is he an idiot?" said Ai with surprise, and Layla shared her sentiment. However, his idiocy would give them time. She grabbed the healer and pulled her back toward the inn.

"Where are we going?"

"I will send you to the inn before going to save him," said Layla as she pulled her through the crowds of viewers. Then, however, Ai tugged on her hand, making her stop.

"There is no need for us to go," said Ai with a smile. "He is there," she pointed toward the Light Palace in the distance. "There is no need for us to do anything."

"Are you talking about that person?" asked Layla with surprise, and Ai nodded. "Then, that's more reason to go there. He cannot stop this execution on his own."

"Wouldn't we stand in the way?" asked Ai hesitantly, but Layla pulled her in the opposite direction. "Are we going?"

"We are," said Layla. "He is a human too and needs our help."

As the two made their way toward the Silver Bridges, the forger cleared his throat and began talking to the public. "My father was a strict man, as known by many. He worshiped the law and always talked about how sacred it was. As known to many, Yahya Ravin was a great runemaster, but what no one knows is that he was a terrible father."

The forger then went on to talk about trivial matters, which included the Grandmaster hanging him upside down, locking him in a cell, and beating him before throwing him out. In all cases, it was obvious that Gray was the one at fault.

"Even after all of that, I loved him still, until the day his law-worshipping ass made us miserable. Once, the empress visited our land since she was friends with my mother. An incident happened, and my father had to choose between saving the two women. He chose the empress. When I asked him for a reason, he recited the third law of the sun code."

Layla froze on the spot as she turned toward the screen, showing Gray with eyes full of tears. He looked bitter. The third law stated that in the case of an emergency, the imperial family must be saved first.

"My father was a strict, law-abiding, and foolish son of a bitch," grinned Gray with tears streaming down his face. "However, his foolish belief in this empire was broken when the emperor wanted to steal the lives of his people. After that, he died of regret."

The words arrived like thunder, booming in the ears of those listening. No one expected it, and not even the emperor reacted to the words. Then, his face crumbled before raising his hand, gathering light on it.

"Kill him!" shouted the emperor with rage, and Lyle raised the blade of light before the forger could say another word.

"You want the secret, Emperor of Light?!" shouted Gray as he glared at the blade descending toward him. "Well then, go on all four and kiss my ass!"

"KILL HIM!" roared the Light Emperor in rage, and Lyle slashed through the forger's neck and chest. The blade of light cut his flesh easily, making blood gush everywhere. It was at that second that someone descended from above to strike Lyle.

His black robes fluttered in the wind as he came from above, wielding a long silver sword aimed at the knight. Unfortunately, Lyle still had his arm downward after executing the forger, making him unable to defend himself.

"Arthur Silvera!" roared someone from the crowd before light exploded as something rushed toward the executing platform. As the light scattered, a man materialized between the two. His long hair was tied backward, with a small scar on his cheek.

The man parried the sword aimed at Lyle using a blade of light, which exploded to blind everyone. The screens turned white, making the crowd unable to tell what had happened.

"He appeared," muttered Layla, her eyes still fixed on the screen. However, she couldn't bring herself to be happy. Lyle struck Gray before Arthur struck Lyle. It was the worst result she could imagine.

The screens were still white as a result of the exploding light. It took half a minute before the light died down, and the scene appeared before them. Arthur Silvera was still standing on the platform, the sword in his hand broken, which he threw away.

"I was too late," Arthur said before crouching beside the dead body of the forger. His hand rested on the large wound on the man's chest before he turned toward Lyle and the man protecting him. "And who are you?"

"My name is Ishmael," said the man while holding his sword, which returned to normal. "Here to protect our Knights Commander!"

"You gained another loyal subject, Emperor of Light," said Arthur Silvera as he turned toward the emperor. "It came at the dearly cost of the one man who protected the citizens."

"Arthur Silvera!" roared a knight from the crowd before he jumped. The broadcast was still ongoing as he landed on the execution platform, looking like asura from hell. It was Duke Delano, raising his great spear above his shoulder. "We meet again!"

"…who are you?" asked Arthur Silvera with confusion, which made the duke's face crumble and turn red with rage. "Are you one of my fans?"

"Insolent buffoon!" shouted the duke before thrusting his spear, but Arthur Silvera disappeared from the platform alongside the corpse. The blade struck the metal plates and tore them in half, causing the structure to crumble.

"Light Emperor," said Arthur Silvera from behind the emperor, who was watching the scene from below. "Is this your throne?" he asked while placing the forger's corpse on it. "This man was more befitting of it."

"Outsider!" roared the emperor with rage before waving his hand. "Cut the broadcast, now!"

"That won't happen," said Arthur with a smile as he stood beside the throne. He then raised his hand, making runes appear on it. "I hijacked it again to ensure the people know the truth!"

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