"So, what do you expect me to do?"

Arthur was still unfazed by Robin's outburst, he stared back at her, his face deadpan and his tone emotionless.

Robin, still hyperventilating, spat on the ground and left after saying a few last words

"You truly disgust me… you can't even admit your mistakes."

She stormed out of the room, leaving a motionless and absent-minded Arthur. A while later, another person entered the room and threw a couple of glances at Arthur before sitting at the corner while saying

"You can't blame her for that, a lot of things happened and were it not for Anastassia, everyone would have died."

Taliya wasn't like Robin but she didn't really agree with Arthur's way of doing things.

"It's not that everything you've done is wrong but it's the way you did it."

"For me, it doesn't matter what happens as long as I can protect my family."-Arthur

"Really? Because the way I, no, we see it, you're putting your family in danger instead of protecting it."

Arthur shook his head while retorting

"You won't understand."

The demon crossed her arms and said back:

"I don't need to understand to know if it's right or wrong."

She paused for a second before adding:

"Last time, before you went to Green-Leaf with Lucy, Anastassia clearly warned you about the evil race invading the Eastern Continent but you haven't even tried to investigate the matter. In the end, not only did they burn half of the World Tree, more than 70% of the population of the Itas Continent died. In fact, Jackob and Sonia died."

Hearing this, Arthur was surprised, he raised his head and looked at the head maid.

"What? They died?"

"Yes. We don't know how but Anastassia managed to bring them back to life then disappeared."

As he listened to Taliya, Arthur redirected his questions to Claud, who also heard everything.

'Is it even possible to revive people?'

'Impossible, only one entity can do that but it's a bit far-fetched to think he helped Anastassia.'-Claud

'Then how did they come back to life?'

' I don't know.'

*****

"Reviving people?"

"Yes."

Arthur was facing the Lich King, waiting for the latter to give him the much-needed answers.

Aborak thought for a moment before explaining:

"Nothing or no one can revive a person, even Death itself. However, if their souls are kept within their bodies right after they died, then it is still possible to 'revive' them but that's a feat only Death could do."

The Lich King studied Arthur's expression then glanced at the sea of undead behind them before stating:

"This quantity of undead in such a small world definitely alerted Death so it won't be surprising if it had come here to get rid of all the undead as the presence of such an army is enough to kill everyone on Astria within a few days. From the looks of it, not only did it not get rid of the undead, it also contained their deathly aura."

Arthur nodded his head and asked another question:

"Any reason for such an ancient entity to help me?"

Aborak spent a long time thinking about everything Arthur told him then came out with a speculation:

"You said that a woman was responsible for summoning the undead daily, right?"

"Yes, I provided her with a pendant capable of bringing undead to this world."

"If that's the case then the continuous use of the pendant probably affected that woman, corrupting her Dantian and slowly turning her into a creature of death, much like that double-headed lizard which follows you around. Some time ago, I've heard rumors about Death seeking a successor but they were never confirmed. I'm not sure but perhaps that woman struck a deal with Death hence the revival of the people you spoke of and the restraint put on the army so it won't affect Astria as a whole."

"Struck a deal with Death? Is that even possible?"

"Yes, it's rather common for Death to strike deals with people, however, usually, the deal is unfair to the other party."

Aborak stopped talking for a moment, raised his hand, isolating the area around them before whispering with a bone-chilling voice.

"You've heard of the Nameless Knight, right? A very long time ago, he struck a deal with the previous Death but the latter didn't abide by the rules. The end was miserable for Death as, after a bitter struggle, he was killed by the knight."

"Killed? How can Death be killed? That doesn't seem right."-Arthur

"Anything and anyone can be killed, even Death itself. After all, Death is originally a person who was given the ability to kill anyone, basically, the control over the Death Laws."-Aborak

'Actually, I've heard of that too. It happened in the second Era, it was said that The Nameless Knight not only killed Death but obliterated his domain, causing countless trapped souls to escape and wreak havoc in the Omega Universe.'-Claud

*****

'So, aren't you going to tell me what happened?'

Claud kept insisting as he wanted to know what happened to Arthur after he was killed by the Matriarch. Unfortunately, Arthur refused to tell him anything about Riarravar or the twelve.

"Tell me about you, the ARK, and if I'm satisfied, I'll think about telling you what really happened."

No matter how resourceful Claud was, he couldn't look through Arthur's memories, which were brought from the past. They seemed to be locked and only accessible by the owner, Arthur.

Whatever happened, not only did it change Arthur's mentality, it greatly strengthened him and made him look more mysterious to the Prophecy Holder.

Just as Claud was about to talk again, Arthur suddenly stood up and looked at a ball of bright light which appeared at the center of the room. Without having to ask, Arthur immediately knew who it was.

Contrary to last time, the ball of light was smaller and weaker due to the fire that burned half of its body.

"I expected you to contact me as soon as I came."

Arthur gazed at the ball of light while speaking. Truthfully, he felt a bit guilty about what happened in the Itas Continent but he was unaware of the previous war so he couldn't rush back here and fix things.

"You seemed busier than usual so I waited for the perfect time."

The ball of light circled around Arthur before speaking again

"You have not forgotten about our oath, right?"

"Of course not."

"Then I expect you to be here when the Angels strike. I will not blame you for the damage caused by the Cthulhu but the angels are another matter. For me, it doesn't matter if your family is in danger or you're dying, when the time comes, you must be here to protect me."

"I know, a deal is a deal and-"

Before he could continue, the World Tree interrupted him by stating

"No, it's not a deal but an oath and let me tell you, the consequences of breaking an oath are not something you can handle. You were given power in exchange for protecting me and just like that ominous oath with your blade, ours is equally important."

******

A tall woman appeared at the entrance of the White Specter Clan, she inspected the thick white gates then violently banged her fist on them, causing the whole place to shake.

Two panicking guards soon appeared and pointed their weapons at the woman, who crossed her arms and glared at them.

"Call your Matriarch."

A suffocating and overwhelming aura emanated from the woman, who didn't seem to be afraid of the incoming guards or the punishment she'll receive for acting so arrogantly at the entrance of such a strong clan.

As they felt her aura and were unable to even move their weapons, the guards slowly backed out and planned to call for reinforcements only for a middle-aged man to appeared a distance away from the woman.

It hasn't been long since he broke through and became an Overgod but he still felt pressured by the woman. Unlike the inexperienced guards, this man immediately recognized the domineering woman.

He signaled for the guards to put their weapons then bowed his head toward the woman while saying:

"Miss Losha, what brings you to our humble clan?"

He was Lucy's uncle and Katrina's brother, Benson Album Larva. Very few people didn't know about Losha in the Divine Planet, however, not many knew her appearance as she rarely appears in public. Nevertheless, her past accomplishment and her heaven-defying talent made her rising star, furthermore, she was an unbeatable person, never losing, even again Overgods.

"Oh? At least a decent person showed up. I'm here for Lucy, bring me to her."

She was going to call for Katrina as she was the master of the clan but since a higher-up like Benson appeared, calling for the Matriarch was no longer necessary.

Benson forced a smile and gave a polite reply

"I wonder what relationship does Miss Losha has with my dear niece?"

"She's my direct disciple so stop dawdling and lead the way."

Her snappy attitude and short-temper made her rather infamous but this red-haired woman had the strength to back her arrogance. Coupled with unquestionable strength, her blacksmithing skills are top-notch so many powerful factions seek her help which is why almost no one dares to provoke her or get on her bad side.

Benson hesitated for a moment but still led her inside the clan while trying to think of a way to get rid of her. Lucy was currently inside Katrina's residence which is a forbidden place so even if he wants to, he can't lead Losha to meet her disciple.

Fortunately, after walking a few steps, a graceful figure landed next to Benson and faced the reincarnator.

The person who just appeared didn't hold back their aura and unleashed toward Losha, who fought back, causing cracks to appear on the ground and the winds to whistle loudly.

Katrina sensed Losha's arrival but didn't pay her much attention, only when she saw her attitude and heard her reason for coming here did she personally show herself.

Surprisingly, even though she's an Exalted God, Katrina felt threatened by Losha, who's a God Monarch. This reminded her of Arthur but this red-haired woman was much more dangerous. Moreover, she had one of the Divine Swords, further elevating her threat-level.

"Please excuse our shallow welcome, Miss Losha."

Katrina softly smiled at Losha while retracting her aura.

"Hmpf! Enough chitchat! Take me to my disciple."

The Matriarch didn't mind her arrogant attitude, she signaled for Benson to leave before she floated in the air while Losha followed right behind her.