Chương 285: When the Black blade Arrived

Clear liquid streamed into a glass at the top of the colosseum. Then another was filled, and another after that, until five crystal glasses stood arranged across the heavy oak table, each reflecting the golden lanternlight that hung beneath the open evening sky. The boss finally lowered the bottle onto the table with a soft clink, the transparent liquor deceptively innocent enough to resemble water.

Leaning back into his chair, he folded one leg over the other and surveyed the group before him with an amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"No questions?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"That's unusual. I expected far more panic after what happened down there." Vale sat slouched in his chair, exhaustion still weighing on his body after the battle in the arena. Blood had long dried along the edge of his armor, and the bandages around his shoulder tightened painfully whenever he moved. Yet despite everything, there was unmistakable relief in his expression now. Relief. Disbelief. Joy. All tangled together into something he found difficult to describe.

"Well… not right now," he admitted slowly, reaching for his glass.

"Though I do want to know how long Illu's been here." Without hesitation, he took a large sip. His reaction came immediately. Vale's eyes widened violently. His entire body stiffened before he nearly choked, jerking forward and spraying the drink straight back out across the table. Lucias barely managed to raise his arm in time, blocking most of the liquid from hitting his face.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," the older gladiator groaned, staring down at his alcohol-soaked sleeve with deep irritation. Vale coughed harshly, pounding against his own chest while trying to force air back into his lungs.

"What the hell is this stuff?!" he demanded hoarsely, glaring toward the boss as tears formed in the corners of his eyes. The boss burst into low laughter, covering his mouth briefly before answering.

"That," he said proudly, "is vodka. The strongest concentration I could get my hands on."

"Why would you give me that?!"

"Oh, come now." The man waved dismissively, still chuckling.

"After finally seeing your actual face, I felt entitled to at least one prank." Vale stared at him in disbelief before groaning and dropping his forehead directly into his palm. Meanwhile, beside him, Korin casually emptied his own glass without the slightest reaction. He lowered it onto the table with calm precision, then glanced toward the bottle with visible interest.

"Can I pour another?" Vale slowly turned toward him with utter horror.

"You can drink this stuff?" Korin blinked once.

"Yes?"

"It tastes like liquid fire."

"One of the few advantages of my abilities," Korin answered calmly, already reaching for the bottle again. Vale looked genuinely betrayed by reality itself. The boss chuckled quietly before his expression softened. His gaze settled on Vale with far more intent now, the playful mood gradually fading into something more thoughtful.

"To answer your earlier question," he began, "the Black Blade has been here for nearly four months." The atmosphere shifted as he began to speak. Vale slowly raised his head. The boss continued, "It arrived on its own. Walked directly into the colosseum one night as if it already knew where it was going." He leaned back again, fingers drumming lightly against the armrest.

"I'll admit, I expected a mindless beast. Instead, it spoke to me." A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Korin's brows furrowed. Lucias narrowed his eyes slightly. The boss smiled faintly at their reactions.

"It was surprisingly intelligent. More intelligent than many people, frankly. It proposed a deal: it would fight in the arena under my supervision, entertain the crowds, and in exchange…" his eyes shifted briefly toward Vale, "I would allow it to stay until it found its parent." Silence settled over the table after the boss finished speaking. Then Vale buried his face in both hands and let out a long, exhausted groan.

"Seriously…" he muttered through his fingers.

"Illu is such an idiot." Lucias barked out a short laugh at that, shaking his head as he leaned back against the couch. Korin, however, remained thoughtful, his attention fixed on the details that still didn't add up.

"There's still something I don't understand," the sentinel said carefully.

"If the creature was cooperating willingly… then why did it take your arm?" The amusement faded from Lucias' face almost immediately.

"It didn't mean to," he answered quietly. The others looked toward him as the older gladiator leaned deeper into the cushions, his expression turning distant while old memories resurfaced.

"During our match, it evolved again," he explained.

"And for a few minutes, it completely lost control of itself." His remaining hand clenched unconsciously against the armrest.

"It wasn't attacking out of malice. It was terrified. Panicking while its body changed." He exhaled slowly through his nose.

"My arm just happened to be in the wrong place when it lashed out." Korin's eyes narrowed sharply as he processed the implications.

"In only a few months…" he murmured, almost to himself, "it evolved from a Category Zero into a Category Four." Even saying the words aloud sounded absurd.

"That level of growth shouldn't even be possible according to the archives." The boss rolled his eyes faintly.

"The archives also claim humanity understands monsters." He rose from his chair and wandered toward the edge of the colosseum roof, bronze hair shifting gently in the ocean wind.

"Personally, I think reality enjoys humiliating scholars whenever possible." Vale watched him carefully. Something about the man's tone had changed. Beneath the humor, there was anticipation now, as though he were waiting for something.

"It should happen soon," the boss murmured quietly. Vale frowned.

"What should?" The man waved a dismissive hand without turning around.

"Nothing important." Nobody at the table believed him for even a second. Without elaborating further, the boss changed the subject entirely.

"Regardless," he said, "your bird has officially been classified as a Category Four threat. By law, it can no longer leave Irea." Vale's expression darkened as the boss continued.

"They're going to imprison it here permanently." The boss glanced back over his shoulder, a faintly smug smile tugging at his lips.

"So tell me, Lionheart… are you really willing to let your child spend the rest of its life trapped inside a cage?" Vale's eyes narrowed at once.

"What exactly are you implying?" The man spread his hands innocently.

"I'm proposing a prison break." The entire table froze. Korin nearly choked on his drink before setting the glass down with a sharp clack.

"Do you understand how dangerous that would be?" he snapped.

"If Illu panics during transport, hundreds could die before anyone manages to contain it." The boss only laughed softly.

"Please. That creature is Category Four now." His eyes gleamed beneath the lanternlight.

"A handful of royal guards wouldn't last long enough to slow it down." Korin bit the inside of his cheek in frustration because, infuriatingly, the man was correct.

"As things currently stand," the sentinel admitted reluctantly, "the only individuals capable of defeating it alone are the Vice Commander, Me…" He hesitated briefly.

"…and Lord Ares himself." Vale sighed heavily and rubbed at his temples.

"Can't I just explain the situation to Ares?" he asked.

"He seems reasonable enough." For the first time all evening, the boss' smile weakened slightly.

"Ares cares too much about you to allow it." Vale looked up with a confused expression.

"What does that mean?" The boss didn't answer. Instead, he turned fully toward the night sky stretching above the ocean beyond the city walls. For a few quiet moments, only the sound of wind and distant waves filled the rooftop. Then the heavens cracked. The sound rang across the city like enormous glass splintering apart. Everyone froze. Another fracture followed. Then another. Vale rose from his chair almost instinctively and stepped beside the boss at the edge of the colosseum.

His eyes widened as glowing fissures spread across the sky overhead, branching outward like cracks through a colossal mirror. Brilliant streams of silver-blue light poured through the openings and reflected across the ocean below, illuminating the waves with shifting celestial colors. For a terrifying moment, it looked as though reality itself was coming apart. The wind intensified sharply around them. Above the city, the fractures widened further.

Beside Vale, the boss laughed softly beneath his breath, utterly captivated by the sight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked quietly. The cracks continued spreading across the heavens while something vast shifted beyond them, enormous shadows moving behind the fractured light.

"This happens once every hundred years," the boss continued, his voice carrying almost childlike excitement now.

"A true celestial convergence. The boundary between realities weakens, the laws governing reality destabilize, and for a few brief moments…" his smile widened slowly, "…the sky opens." Another violent crack split across the heavens. And something moved behind it. Something impossibly large.

"…and whenever the sky breaks," the boss finished softly, eyes fixed upward, "something powerful always falls."