"A King?" Michael was unpleasantly surprised by the news. Nowhere in his calculations did he expect for a cultivator of such a level to enter the board.

"There was this merchant Lord that managed to escape. Kenny was his name. Maybe by pure chance he met Victoria and told her that there was a Monarch alien here. It wouldn't be a surprise if she were to call her grandfather then." His mind went into overdrive.

'It seems that the King has decided to get rid of the swarm. We have a few minutes to decide our next course of action.' Devil's Tongue reported.

Glancing around the area, Michael made up his mind. 'It seems I will have to improvise… Whatever the case, retreat at once. The spiritual energy in my body is about to run out. I can't keep you floating for long.'

Devil's Tongue didn't argue, shooting back towards his owner. A few seconds later Michael caught a glimpse of the evolved soul weapon, taking it into his grasp.

The sword had gotten significantly heavier, to the point that Michael was certain it weighed more than Ava's hammer by a mile. Meanwhile, the blade had become much sharper, to the point he felt uneasy as he glanced at the edge.

It wasn't hard to imagine how much easier killing the aliens was bound to become with his improved weapon.

"Legendary rank indeed." Michael mused out loud.

'What are you doing?! Get out of here before the King finds us!' Devil's Tongue remarked.

'It won't work.' Michael shook his head in dejection. 'A King's senses are unmatched. The moment he entered the atmosphere, he knew I was here and that the aliens were already dead. Running away would be an admission of guilt.'

Before the soul weapon could respond, Michael stored it in his soul, reducing the variables that could go wrong.

Wordlessly, he inspected the corpses of the powerhouses that had been turned to ash by the Sacred flames.

"...Who could have thought that this would play out in my favor?" He scoffed darkly, a plan quickly forming in his mind.

A moment later, his body stirred, feeling a gaze of unparalleled power settling on his back.

Step Step Step

Michael didn't display any reaction as the King quickly approached.

"...What happened here?" The King's voice was calm and laced with undeniable authority.

'Here goes nothing.' Michael thought as he turned, meeting the gaze of the King.

For a moment he was relieved to see that it was indeed King Arthur, the leader of the Golden Vanguard. Had it been someone else, things would have turned ugly.

"I don't know who you are. However, judging by the aura you are emitting, you must be my superior. As such, I shall report what I have witnessed."

Michael said, acting as though he were unaware he was speaking to a King. After all, most soldiers didn't even know a realm beyond a Lord existed.

"When the battle started, I saw our Lords rush to the heart of the swarm. I admit, I was blinded by greed, thinking I could use the chaos to steal a piece of their spoils and grow stronger. I followed them."

Since King Arthur remained silent as he listened to Michael's words, it seemed that at the very least his plan had a chance of working.

"Sadly, I overestimated myself. I barely survived the journey through the vicious swarm. When I arrived, everybody was already dead and their bodies burned, not even leaving any spiritual energy to absorb."

"..."

The King silently observed the man before him. He, of course, knew this was Michael, as he had specifically sent one of his Lords to keep an eye on him some time ago.

Without any trace of emotion on his face, the King blinked out of existence, appearing before the Cursed Mirror that now had a long crack running down its black surface.

Testament to being used.

'First, the Lords seized the Legendary treasure, then they joined forces against the Monarch. By pure chance, they managed to win. The one who escaped the mirror's domain eventually succumbed to their wounds, leaving no witnesses…'

It was a plausible theory. Yet the King's senses tingled. For whatever reason, he felt like he was masterfully being misled.

Redirecting his gaze to Michael, the King took slow and deliberate steps, nearing him until they were less than an arm's distance away.

Since both men were of the same height, they emotionlessly stared into each other's eyes, their thoughts unknown.

"You are awfully calm for a soldier that had just survived hell." Arthur pointed out. "Not to mention… You look me right in the eye and remain unfazed."

Michael didn't avert his gaze. "It must be a trauma. After the recent battle, where I witnessed so much death, my sense of danger feels fractured. I'm having a hard time adjusting."

'You say that, yet even most Lords look away when our eyes meet.' Arthur sighed.

With each passing second, the King felt like the man that his granddaughter had taken interest in was becoming more intriguing.

"Grandfather!"

Just then Victoria appeared out of the entrance. She panted heavily, evidence of how she had sprinted after her grandfather the moment he arrived.

"Victoria… You have a great sense of timing." Shifting his gaze to her, the King pointed to the cracked Cursed Mirror on the ground.

"Now that we're finally face-to-face after all this time, tell me… How did you learn about the treasure, and to whom did you give it?"

"...?!"

Victoria's eyes widened in shock as she realized that, aside from the King, Michael was also there. Even more alarming, the treasure she had given him lay shattered on the ground, and there was no sign of the Lords or the aliens they should have been fighting.

"I—I…"

Her throat dried up as she found herself being stared down by her grandfather.

'I have to tell the truth!' She told herself. 'Lying to a King is enough to get a person executed regardless of their power and status!'

For a moment she made eye contact with Michael, whose gaze remained indifferent.

It was bizarre to think that he was responsible for the demise of the Lords, so she wouldn't be hurting him if she told her grandfather the truth…

Right?

Taking a deep breath, her lips trembled before opening.

"W—When I was on a mission, a Lord contacted me about the treasure and asked me to bring it to them. According to their words, it could turn the tide of the war in our favor, so I agreed and sent you the message, making sure you wouldn't suspect anything… As for the Lord, they hid themselves so masterfully, I can't even describe what they looked like."

"..."

The King watched his granddaughter in silence. Her face, her posture, even her heavy breathing. All of it was the perfect image of an obedient soldier delivering a report.

Yet, with the King's heightened senses, he was able to peek much further into a person than their outer appearance. He felt the rhythm of her heart, the way it quickened with each word she spoke.

That was precisely why Arthur knew…

He had just been lied to.

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