'Honour' was a word known by villagers of every nation, especially those who valued their pride.

A man without it was less than a human being, and those with it were truly great and inspirational.

It was with this mindset that Arthur practiced his ultimate move again and again in order to engrave it into his soul. If he wanted to restore the honour of his family, he needed enough strength to do so.

[Sword Draw- Seven Wonders!]

He took an Iado-style-like stance before slashing forward seven consecutive times.

Each slash being of a different Attribute he was trying to master with diligent training.

At one moment it was burning like fire, in another moment as unpredictable as darkness, as fast as wind, and even temporarily bleeding crimson in the last slash drawn... His 'Wonder Style' Sword Skills weren't to be taken light of whatsoever.

It was really amazing! If learning complex magic formulas can give theoretical knowledge, then actual practice in an hands-on manner can help a person reach the level of gaining practical Skills.

Arthur was imagining multiple enemies around him.

He continued to do a sword dance with his backsword in one hand and the sheath paired in a 'set' for his Spirit Essence. He was preparing for the day he'd slaughter those Crazies ruthlessly...!

The scholarly freak, who was watching from afar, could imagine the brutality he was showing those imaginary enemies.

Each sword slash seemed to perfectly aim for vital areas rather than mindlessly cutting anything in its path.

Though their seemed to times an eighth Attribute would show itself when he his imaginary enemies would gang up on him.

[Light Draw- Twofold Slash!]

His sword would sheath every so often as he was training… before letting out two simultaneous slashes of light. Both sword cuts appearing at the exact same time rather than one after the other.

Alex watched his brawny friend hack, dice, cleave, cut, and gouge with savagery in his eyes as if he was a barbarian. There was no grace or formality in those strikes, seeming deeply personal to him...

Seeing the 'Magic Styles' of Gaia which opposed the 'Physical Styles' in his memory of Earth was a perplexing experience. He could almost feel a sense of unfairness in his heart… considering that Earthlings could barely copy Arthur's movements.

Unless martial artists had a deep reservoir of Qi in their dantian they wouldn't mind spending up in merely a day, all that even a Grandmaster martial artist would only able to execute… is one true 'Skill'.

Residents of Gaia could use it many times a day, but Earthlings would be drained after few uses.

This perhaps had to do with how Spell Slots were nearly identical to Qi Centres in a way. It was actually quite pathetic… The so-called 'Forbidden Arts' that sacrifice their cultivation for a boost in power could be seen as useless to Gaia Humans.

The brawny youth himself would probably be able to use a 'Forbidden Art' seven different times if he was taught how to use it...

What's more, he could tell that despite being a honest-to-god Human, it was actually strange... or perhaps reasonable enough, that he seemingly had bottomless stamina and physical might.

The God Physique his friend acquired was worthy for a 'Weirdo Anomaly'. It broke all the norms…

Though he felt no envy. After all, there was only admiration in his heart towards Arthur's strength.

"You're really training hard..." Was the first thing Alex spoke after interrupting the training session.

The brawny youth stopped, then gave a handsome smile after seeing him. He was really happy to have a friend that would help him out no matter what. It made fighting against that Cult so much easier!

"What brought you here?" These words were a clear indication that he didn't remember the currently Ret Gone'd spearman that kicked his rear not too long ago. When he woke up, did this guy think he took a nap rather than being beaten up?

"I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm great. Anyway, what's the plan in dealing with those Crazies?" Arthur's eyes sparkled at him.

"There isn't a plan." Alex replied rather ominously…

"So you're still thinking about what to do? Don't worry, I'm sure we can think of something!"

"No, I mean there's no plan I'm going to make for you. I've decided to leave them alone for now."

"...What?" A confused exclamation left his lips before he continued on with a heavy tone:

"You're going to back out?" This question sounded so sharp to Alex's ears that it could cut iron...

This sudden change in attitude was pretty drastic and beyond Alex's expectations. He couldn't understand why his friend was so obsessed with ending this Cult when they had struggled so much to get them off their tail once and for all.

"We promised not to fight those guys."

"YOU promised. I don't remember agreeing with those Crazies or that evil Crown Prince."

"They haven't done anything yet..."

"Are we still going to keep talking about this?"

"Arthur... Think about this a little more clearly." Alex spoke with an appeasing tone before he got angry.

"..." The brawny youth kept silent in order to hear him out. His irritation was rising by the minute.

Even as his heart sped up, he listened to Alex speak in order to get a grasp on what he meant:

"There would be too many casualties if they turned violent in the middle of the Capital. Innocent people will die if we fight them. On top of that, how are we going to differentiate old members from the new ones?" The scholarly freak made his case.

The Mirror Cult has been around for a lot longer than they have lived. It was an ancient and heretical organisation that has survived one way or another in this world filled with 'justice mongers'.

He wanted Arthur to understand just how perilous it would be not just for them, but also for the people around them.

Fighting against the Mirror Cult now would be going against the whole kingdom.

Even though he had his own methods of surviving should the kingdom go against him, the former fighter didn't want casualties to happen.

His heart was filled with justice as he showed an unbending demeanour in front of his friend, who looked into his eyes and felt the conviction carved down into his very soul. It was a rare sight for the scholarly freak to be so sure of himself...

'He has changed a bit...' Arthur thought.

He remembered his scholarly friend being more of a pragmatic guy; valuing the ends more than the means.

It made him disappointed…

And so, he casually spoke without a hint of compassion in his voice: "So what?"

"...Huh?" Alex thought he heard wrong.

"I said: 'So what'?" Arthur deactivated his Spirit Essence and put his hand on the freak's shoulder.

"You're being too kind to the wrong people, aren't you? Who cares if someone gets hurt?" He didn't notice the look in his scholarly friend's eyes changing. He continued to speak his case:

"It's always been us against the world. We've never been picky in our methods when we were against those Crazies last time. Don't become a coward now. It's not our Role to take care of others."

"Do you truly believe that...?" Alex lowered his head. His friend's large shadow covered his body.

It was a large an encompassing shade that somehow held all the darkness he had in his heart.

"You've gone soft on those crazy Cultists. They are evil people. There's no need to feel sympathy."

"I haven't 'gone soft'."

"Haven't you? I've trained everyday for the sake of fighting them, and now you're saying to just leave them be? I don't give a damn about whether other people die or not as long as the Crazies are erased...!" Arthur started to bare his canine teeth.

"Shut up..." Alex muttered, but it went unnoticed.

His body started to tremble, but the young man's brawny friend didn't notice his popping veins.

He was truly angered…

"Aren't we a team? We should slaughter those guys together. Breaking their Evil Slots is too tiring. We should properly kill them instead of following that useless 'no killing' rule. Just help me out."

"Shut up...!"

"We will be celebrated as upholders of justice even if there are 'casualties'. We will honour the sacrifices to purifying the world through our actions, not words." Arthur's tongue suddenly seemed to become more smoother.

He looked down on Alex, expectant of a positive reply.

This was probably a speech he prepared for a long time.

Even if Alex disagrees now, he will eventually help him just like he always did. That's what Arthur was thinking. He patted his friend's shoulder, unaware of how cold-blooded he looked to the freak's eyes.

Arthur also didn't notice his scholarly friend was trembling the more he spoke about killing people.

How could his buddy talk like that?

It was the kind of people who gave no thought when taking lives that caused his friends to die.

And yet, here the meathead was… talking about death as if there was nothing easier than killing.

Compared to the lovable dolt he was as a child, Alex couldn't see how his brawny friend grew up into such a savage... He had lost his patience after listening to his rambles before roaring in anger:

"SHUT UP...!!!"

[Black Art- Dragon Impact!]

His face contorted into an ugly mess before he sent out a fist that was carved into his mind.

This was the most practiced physical 'Art' that he had repeated thousands of times in his past life.

His fist, which was intrinsically enforced by his Strong Physique, cut through the air similar to a straight in boxing, and landed on his friend body at point-blank range.

He could hear the sound of his knuckle whiplashing backwards after hitting Arthur's iron-like body.

The force of the impact was so strong that it took the brawny youth digging his feet into the ground in order to not be sent flying.

The scholarly freak flinched. He saw his friend holding his chest after being 'pushed' back by several metres. Although he had more memories now, that didn't change his relationship with his childhood buddy. At least, that's what he thought.

He'd realised he made a mistake…

What he did just now was immature. It was just a release of pent-up frustration from earlier.

Nothing was going according to plan today…

Unconsciously, the callousness he had in his past life revealed himself. Like a true 'Black Dragon'.

Although Alex had been expecting him to answer this way subconsciously, he was unable to accept it after becoming more of an idealist once he had regained his memories. He also felt a weird mix of emotions when he heard Arthur's selfish words.

It just rubbed him the wrong way…

He felt responsible for the chaos that happened in the years after he reincarnated into this world.

Alex had noticed the signs of Ascenders causing commotions from all over Gaia before, but he was too ignorant of his own origins back then to link those incidents with himself... Now, he felt like he should at least take some personal responsibility.

His actions had lead to the death of many aspiring Holy Knights and innocents. He knew the cause was most definitely the high-ranked criminals of Forbidden Clans. Those ascended to this world.

They went into hiding, but who knew what they were up to? How would he be able to live peacefully when knowing that it was HIS fault if people died? How could he take responsibility for the Ascenders from fifteen years ago?

Going back to the present: The scholarly freak winced. He realised his knuckle was bruised after hitting his buddy, and felt a chill down his spine. It was a scene that was hard for him to accept…

Arthur didn't seem to be hurt much from his strike.

And there was also someone else who saw this...

'Hah... Why go so far?' Lily sighed inwardly.

She couldn't hear what they were saying at the other side of the window on the second floor, but when she saw the mature young man suddenly throw a terrifying punch at his brawny friend…

…she knew something was up.

"Sorry... I went too far."

"Bro, you're the one who's bruised." Arthur didn't seem to mind. He realised he spoke too much.

The youth was surprised by the amount of strength his scholarly buddy exerted, and didn't even care about getting hit once. They have been friends for so long that one hit wasn't enough to move him.

After all, they had sparred multiple times in the past when Brandon Volts was training them...

"Can you... please just move on? Is there a reason why you can't just leave those… 'Crazies' alone?"

The brawny youth's carefree smile slowly vanished after hearing Alex's words. He covered his face...

Move on?

Leave those Crazies alone?

He wasn't capable of doing that.

Not after what happened...

He closed his eyes to reminisce before his body started trembling. Not in fear, but in absolute fury.

His handsome looks started to contort until he slowly seemed more like a demon than human.

Suddenly, he too threw out a punch.

And Alex subconsciously chose to take it…

This was only fair. If he was angry, then it was better that he got all that hatred out right here.

That way, Arthur would finally be able to think.

You couldn't think rationally when moved by emotions. That's why he accepted this hatred…

However…

…a crackling sound could be heard. His face turned blue momentarily from losing too much air at once.

Alex almost died in that collision!

[Runic Skill- Quad Stacked Scarlet Regeneration!]

[Runic Skill- Pain Killer!]

His would healed instantly using the extra 'stack' his strengthened body could now apply to it.

But that didn't change the look in his eyes…

Goosebumps erupted around his entire body. The fear towards the next strike heightened his senses.

It was like the next punch started to break down who 'Arthur Rainglow' was. His true, genuine face.

What he had been holding back this entire time…

This wasn't something the scholarly freak was capable of handling. It packed too much power!

Killing intentions became visible to the eye…

Alex could remember similarly strong punches from Death Eater in his previous life, but this…

…WAS DIFFERENT!!!

If there were two things humanity was incapable of living without, one would be innate hunger.

The living's desire to consume another.

On the other hand, this fist contained something that was more primal than mere anger or rage.

It contained the deepest malice he'd ever seen…!

A deeper colour than any killing intentions based off fury. It reached deep into the Warrior's core.

And when it finally started to release, just like intense hunger, the youth couldn't handle it.

His own near primal desire was too deep for him…!

Unconsciously, Alex shifted his stance to become more at ease. His feet anchored into place…

The 'White Dragon' within him had awoken…

[White Bone Dragon Style- Counter Elbow!}

A spike-like elbow was placed in front of the oncoming Freight Train. Muscles cracked heavily as Arthur's punch went straight for his best friend's skull. It hit, a life would have been taken today.

However, the elbow reached his chest first…

…and with a loud 'BOOM!', he was thrown back.

[Runic Skill- Quin Stacked Armoured Skin!]

Alex's whole body turned rigid as a mountain for a single moment. It was actually a big risk for him.

If Arthur was in his right mind, he could have used this chance to hit him where it'd hurt immediately.

The Warrior excelled in dogfights.

Instead, he collided straight into the metallic elbow and was thrown back like a car hitting a large wall.

The rebound would've been deadly to others…

…but it only slightly bruised the skin on his chest.

By meeting momentum with stillness, Alex hoped to open up conversation rather than attack him.

He wasn't even sure if he could beat him now…

The scholarly freak compared the current Arthur's attacks to the cannibal called Death Eater in his past life, only to find that Arthur's punch was many times more scarier. It was a qualitative difference…

One contained only strength, while the one he was almost hit by had the emotions of a primordial evil.

It was enough strength to kill him instantly!

"Stop it…" Alex tried talking to him, but Arthur only continued to charge towards him recklessly.

He hadn't learnt a thing…

The Warrior's scholarly friend didn't know what he was thinking, so Arthur spoke what he was feeling:

"I don't know about justice, but... they need to die after they did to my family!" Those words seem to come straight from his soul. Alex felt pressured by the sheer amount of magical energy from him.

The rage that the brawny youth had been bottling up all this time seeped into his Mana as his bottomless fury far surpassed anyone of this whole world named Gaia. Those who were residing inside Alex's mansion looked out the windows in horror.

The brawny youth's presence became all the more volatile and dangerous with each passing moment!

'What the heck is happening?' (Vhalen)

'Hmmm... They are both similar.' (Fear)

The two guests who had yet to be introduced to Arthur and Lily thought after seeing his change.

"So it's finally happening..." A helmeted spearman muttered from on the roof of Alex's mansion.

He was curious as to what the 'Ouroboros Dragon' would do as the blinding white colour of Arthur's Mana changes.

The Mana released slowly dyed a deep fiery colour reminiscent of the illusionary flames Alex had conjured with his Aura Gate while fighting Golden Snake in his past life. Except these particular 'flames' were more real than his own.

They weren't flames of killing intent, but flames of a true 'Demon'. Arthur had had started to become a sinner cursed by Wrath as his Mana became flames so volatile that it seemed to burn his own flesh... He then roared in his buddy's direction.

Arthur's were blinded in anger as he charged towards Alex to vent out his unsurpassable rage...!

The traumas of his past arose in his heart...