For some time, words got stuck in Arthur's throat as he stared at the black-robed old man gazing back at him. The Dark Magic lingering in the area, which his body was strongly reacting to, was proof that this was not a mere hallucination.

"Z-Zodiak?"

The old man flashed a smile as he walked toward the dumbstruck parasite, his wrinkled face having an unusual serenity.

"We meet at last, Arthur."

"W-what… how are you…"

He couldn't even ask a proper question due to the shock. He never expected to see a dead person here, much less Zodiak himself, in the flesh.

"I'm sure you're confused but before we begin, can you give me back something?"

The old man stretched his hand then continued:

"Sol'khin's cane, which you found near my corpse back on Astria. Please give it back."

Arthur's mouth opened and closed a few times, not knowing what to do or say in this kind of ridiculous situation.

"This is a matter of utmost urgency, Arthur."

Surprisingly, the parasite took out the creepy-looking cane and handed it to Zodiak, who inspected it then covered it with his Dark Magic, changing its color and causing it to pulsate with an ominous black light.

After dealing with the cane, Zodiak sighed and spoke again:

"I'm well aware that you kept some of my memories. Don't you think this place is a bit familiar?"

He turned around and pointed at the cindered rubble and broken down shack. Just as Zodiak said, Arthur's mind drifted to the faraway past, vivid images flashed inside his head. The shack was put on fire by a young and frail-looking boy, who, after doing the deed, left without ever looking back.

"This is your home? So this means that the whole city is also part of the past?"

"Yes. I have to say that Wolfram is highly skillful. To be able to recreate everything perfectly… it certainly isn't easy."

Arthur kept a short silence before talking again:

"Wait… the person whom Lucy is met was you? You're with Forne with and the rest."

Zodiak didn't deny anything, he just nodded his head while explaining.

"Indeed, I've entered the tower to end thing once for all."

"End? As far as I know, Sol'khin is Leiu's problem."

"You see, Arthur, when your brother was invaded by Timos' child, I was there. When the previous Death was killed, it jumped from the victim to the perpetrator. It was all a plan orchestrated by the Nameless Knight and Death to contain the monster."

"Why does it have to be Leiu?"

"Because he's strong enough to contain Sol'khin. If it were any other person, they would have been completely controlled by him and the world would've been destroyed."

"And how are you related to any of this?"

"How do you think Sol'khin became this strong? It's not just because he's the Black Devil's child. When the Dark Magic consumed my world, Sol'khin happened to be present and managed to devour the remnants, gaining some of my and your powers, hence his ability to possess hosts. In other words, it's my fault and I do not intend to rest until he's put down… even if it means killing your brother."

Zodiak took another step, stopping exactly in front of Arthur. Despite his shorter height, the old man appeared rather calm even when getting glared at by the parasite.

"Don't give me that look, Arthur. It's either your brother or everyone else. By saving one, you're saving none."

"Do you honestly think I and Wolfram will stand and watch you kill our brother? It's fine if you want to get rid of Sol'khin but that doesn't mean we'll throw Leiu's life."

"I'm not saying we'll kill him. We'll be forced to only if the need arises, moreover, the probability of getting rid of the Nameless Knight is rather low so don't get so worked up. I know how much your treasure your brothers and family, however, when the time comes, whom will you choose… Lucy or Leiu?"

After saying that, Zodiak turned into a dark cloud and vanished from Arthur's sight.

"Damnit!"

Frustrated, Arthur punched the closest thing to him, which happened to be a still-standing yet fragile wall of the burned shack. His strike unleashed a lot of Dark Magic which consumed everything in its way and turned the whole area into an inky blackness, eerie and ominous.

*******

After his little chat with Zodiak, Arthur toured the large city and discovered that there was a large number of soldiers, especially atop the 20m-high walls. They were fully armored and readying themselves for the upcoming invasion. Unfortunately, it wasn't really the case for the participants, who will most likely try to get pass through the Sky Door instead of facing the enemies.

Sure, there may be some who'll stay to secure some points but to risk their lives for this city is unreasonable.

A while ago, some royal knights appeared before Arthur and invited him to the castle, by the king's order, of course, though they were refused by the parasite, who wasn't interested in meeting anyone. Contrary to him, many of the contestants accepted the proposal and were given luxuriously accommodated in the royal castle. Exactly 287 of the 501 people accepted the invitation, the rest either entered an inn or wandered around.

Arthur was one of the people who stayed at an inn. He wasn't able to use his storage and use the gold inside, nonetheless, it wasn't that hard to rob a few coins from some wealthy, unaware merchants.

Coincidentally, the parasite happened to meet Ber Von Xin, the famous Sword God. At first, he wasn't going to greet him, much less talk to him but the latter was the one to initiate a conversation.

The sword user left his crowded table and sat down opposite of Arthur, who was drinking some beverage, lost in thought.

"Greetings, Mr. Arthur."

Arthur snapped out of it when he heard an unfamiliar voice. He lifted his head and looked at the middle-aged man smiling at him. He had the demeanor and composure of a true expert, he was neither arrogant no aggressive.

"I suppose you're the Sword God."

"Yes, it is I. I wanted to thank you for your help on the 3rd floor. You've saved us a lot of time."

"It wasn't intentional but you're welcome."

Arthur didn't behave coldly or ignore Ber Von Xin. He seemed to be an easy-going dude and, truthfully, it wasn't a bad idea to befriend a powerful individual such as a Sword God. At the very least, by forming a friendship with him, he won't have to worry about any interference in the foreseeable future.

"I have to say, I am a bit fan."

Hearing this ridiculous statement, Arthur frowned.

"Fan?"

"Yes, I witnessed what you did the Celestial Tribulation and, honestly, it left me with awe. If the circumstances were not so unfavorable, I would have invited you for a friendly spar… if you wouldn't mind, of course."

"Ah, yes yes, unfortunately, we cannot do it here." Arthur awkwardly scratched his head while replying.

The Sword God chuckled and raising his ale bottle toward Arthur. The parasite reciprocated then the two chugged down the alcohol, immersing themselves in the lively atmosphere of the restaurant.

For a short period of time, Arthur forgot about his worries and had some fun while talking with Ber Von Xin, who turned to be a really good and talkative guy. Basically, despite their different races and origins, the two hit it off well, Arthur even managed to learn a few things about the participants and how the Red Tower works.