After the terrifying explosion subsided, leaving a deafening silence and a sharp ozone scent in the air, Charles, Furina, and Arthur immediately rushed to the explosion's center.
They arrived at the edge of a wide gaping crater in the ground. Thin smoke still billowed from the ruins of the inn, now nothing more than charred wood fragments, and the smell of scorched earth mixed with a sweet, nauseating aroma from something that had evaporated into nothingness.
They stood there for a long time, silent, just staring at the impact of the tremendous explosion, unaware of each other's presence.
At that moment, Charles, who first recovered from his shock, turned to the side and froze.
There, just a few meters from him, stood a man.
It was Arthur!
He wore a grim expression.
Meanwhile, on the other side, a girl stared at the crater with eyes wide in horror.
It was Furina!
At that moment, the tense silence suddenly broke. Charles, Arthur, and Furina turned to each other at the same time.
Their jaws dropped simultaneously, and their eyes widened in disbelief.
Charles was the first to break the paralysis. His shocked expression quickly changed to his characteristic arrogant grin.
He put both hands in his dusty pants pockets and walked closer with a deliberately casual style.
Arthur, on the other hand, let a genuine and warm smile curve on his face; he also stepped forward.
Furina, on the other side, still froze in place, her body slightly backing away, her eyes darting back and forth staring at her two friends approaching as if they were ghosts.
When the three of them finally gathered at the edge of the smoking crater, Charles looked at his two friends alternately.
"It seems you two are fine," he said, his tone as usual, very arrogant.
Arthur nodded, silent for a few moments, his eyes staring at the destruction before him before finally shifting to his two friends. "I... managed to get a clue to go home."
Furina's eyes immediately widened, her breath caught. However, her surprise was nothing compared to Charles, whose grin vanished, replaced by a rare gaping expression.
"Me too! I also got a clue!" Furina exclaimed, her voice trembling with enthusiasm and hope that had just reignited.
Charles shifted his gaze from Arthur to Furina, then back again, a frown of confusion forming on his forehead. "Wait a minute. You both got clues... while I...."
Ugh, I feel left behind, he grumbled inwardly.
For some reason, that feeling embarrassed him. He turned his face away, staring into the distance, pretending to observe something nonexistent. After calming his suddenly racing heartbeat, he cleared his throat awkwardly and looked back at them.
"So, what kind of clues did you get?"
Arthur and Furina looked at each other, then nodded simultaneously. They turned back to Charles.
A sudden cold gust of wind blew, scattering dust and ash around them, before they said in unison, their voices sounding so clear amid the silence.
"Killing the king!"
***
Now, the three of them walked along the destroyed streets, the sound of their synchronous footsteps stepping on the fragile soil and rocks becoming the only accompanying music.
The sky above them remained the same, a pale gray canvas, purplish, illuminated by a moon that seemed eternal.
"So, how did you know the palace's location?" Charles asked Arthur, breaking the comfortable silence among them.
A cold gust of wind sounded again. Arthur stared at the unchanging sky, closing his eyes briefly as if remembering something painful, before finally looking into Charles's eyes.
"I experienced a past life."
Hearing this, Charles and Furina couldn't help but be surprised. However, they accepted the explanation without doubt. In a world where this system existed. It wasn't impossible if there was an item that could flood someone's brain with past memories.
Charles nodded as if understanding. "Are there any other clues?" he asked again. "For example... what caused that tremendous explosion."
Furina suddenly interrupted. "That... I saw two people there," she said.
Instantly, the two friends' gazes turned to her. Especially Charles, his eyes sharpening. "Those two people... were they a man and a woman?"
Furina nodded.
Charles put on a thinking pose, his hand touching his chin. "I see...," his voice soft. "They were people from another world."
"No wonder I didn't understand their language," Furina sighed, remembering the strange conversation she heard in the basement.
Arthur, hearing this, added, "I don't know them, but I think I know the cause of the explosion."
They turned back to Arthur, waiting for him to continue.
"In the past life memories I experienced, I remembered two items that have explosion effects. The first can unite the owner's soul with the item and then explode. The second... can attract all the undead around it, and will explode when the number reaches a hundred."
Charles, hearing that, suddenly stopped, his eyes widening as if an inspiration had just hit him.
"It seems like the second one," he said. "Before the explosion, I was surrounded by the undead. I didn't know if I could survive or not. But then, they suddenly behaved strangely and ran in one direction, as if drawn by something invisible."
"It seems that explains everything," Arthur said, nodding in agreement.
He paused for a few moments, his expression turning full of regret. "And for the sun anomaly and the undead becoming active again... it seems it's indeed my fault. Because I drew this sword."
He let out a long sigh and drew a long sword from his inventory.
Its blade was made of dull silver that strangely reflected no light, the hilt wrapped in pristine white leather, and the guard shaped like a pair of tightly folded angel wings. At the base of the hilt was a pale gem that appeared cloudy and lifeless.
"Someone, the previous owner of this sword, thrust this sword into the ground to solve the problem caused by the previous player."
Charles, hearing that, immediately found the connection. "Was it the previous player who caused the residents to become undead?"
Arthur nodded, his face full of guilt. "And this sword has the effect of suppressing their malicious intent, making them passive."
"No wonder when we first arrived they seemed uninterested in attacking us!" At that moment, Furina looked at Arthur annoyed, her hands on her hips. "If you hadn't drawn this sword, maybe the problem wouldn't be this troublesome!"
Arthur could only sigh. "Forgive me," he said softly, before storing the sword back in his inventory.
At that moment, a sudden stronger gust of wind made them stop moving.
Before them stood a large and dark fortress wall.
"It seems... we've arrived," Arthur said, recognizing the image of the gate to the palace city from the faint memories of his past life experiences.
***
The corridor inside the castle felt silent and cold.
The air inside felt heavy and suffocating, as if filled with sadness and despair from ages long past.
As they walked, Charles suddenly said, "Just to make sure." He paused for a moment. "Is that king... strong?"
Arthur didn't answer immediately. He waited for the howling wind in the corridor to subside. "Strong," he answered briefly. "Very strong."
Charles was clearly surprised, but then his lips twitched, forming a smile lacking confidence. "Do you think... the two of us can win against him?"
Furina, hearing the question, suddenly felt annoyed. "Hey! What do you mean by that? Am I not counted?"
Charles answered in a joking tone, "Can you even fight?"
Furina hesitated. "That...."
"See?" Charles said while chuckling.
This made Furina's face flush with embarrassment and anger. She then kicked Charles's leg hard.
Charles narrowed his eyes and grimaced in pain from the kick.
As they were joking, they suddenly stopped.
Before them was a spacious room, but without a door, as if it had been brutally destroyed.
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "That's the throne room."
Instantly, the air became heavier and the wind seemed to rage, blowing their cloaks roughly.
They shivered instantly. A terrifying aura emanated from inside the room.
Charles immediately drew his sword from the inventory. Arthur did the same.
"Just observe the developments," Charles said, his sharp gaze directed at the dark room. "Dodge if he targets you. If there's an opportunity, improvise."
Arthur ignored the statement. Clearly, it was intended for Furina.
The girl swallowed, her heart pounding hard.
The three of them then walked slowly, entering the throne room.
There, on a magnificent throne, a man was seen sitting calmly. He wore a simple crown entirely made of pale blue crystal, which strangely absorbed the light around it.
At that moment, the man opened his eyes. He looked down at them with a cold and emotionless gaze.
"It's time to fight the final boss," Charles said with a provocative smile, pointing his sword at the man on the throne.
***
A/N: Next is the final determination and their fates will be determined afterward!
Btw, I'm still expecting comments!
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