"Are you alright?"

Lucy support Arthur and worriedly asked. Although she was supposed to follow Arthur's clones, she just couldn't sit still and let him face all of them together so she ended up returning almost immediately. Her nine lotuses released a clear blue aura which enveloped him and conjured a powerful defensive barrier. The moment Zodiak succeeded in trapping Sol'khin's soul, Arthur felt incredibly weakened and oddly dizzy. His breathing was uneven and heavy and his hand was pressed against his heart.

"It's nothing… nothing." He bit his lower lips and raised his head, meeting an eye to eye with Seraph and several other contestants which circled around him, all eyeing him greedily. The Blessing Stone vanished by the Wish Star was still floating next to the parasite, strangely unwilling to leave his side.

"Hand over the Wish Star!"

Hach'ara spat some black blood and loudly spoke, his aura multiplying by several folds as he showcased his dominance. He wasn't the only one as the Saber Saint and Jade Emperor were also displaying hostility, only Sickle Bart remained at the back, not because he gave up but due to the fatal injuries he sustained from Arthur when he was using the Black Dragon's body.

"Hand it over? It doesn't seem to want to leave his side."

Lucy glanced at the blinding blob of light circling around Arthur and mockingly said to the cultivators surrounding her. There were seven to eight Exalted Gods and the number of Overgods was staggering, many of the contestants there were eliminated early didn't want to let go of this golden opportunity but they didn't behave as brazenly as Hach'ara and the rest as they were much weaker.

Even if they don't get the Wish Star, they can still help the powerhouses and earn their favor, which is also something very valuable to them.

The Sword God Ber Von Xin showed no interest in the Wish Star, he was staring at the half-kneeling Arthur while pondering about something.

"Your partner, Arthur MoonStar, isn't the winner of the competition. He already caused us enough trouble by allowing Zodiak to get the Blessing Stone! I advise you to take a step back and let us get the Wish Star."

A praying mantis and a golden beetles appeared in front of Hach'ara, they had huge builds and emitted an aura that wasn't the least bit inferior to their master.

The Saber Saint unsheathed his weapon and prepared to fight too.

"There's no need to talk to her. Let's just attack together."

The King of Jade shamelessly said that before taking his jade weapons and leaping at Arthur simultaneously with the Hach'ara and the Saber Saint. The remaining Exalted Gods were also greedy about the Wish Star but they didn't attack immediately.

The first ones that reached Lucy were the two insects of Hach'ara, the mantis slashed with its elongated poisoned claws, however, they didn't reach their target as nine lotuses clashed with the claws, causing a ringing metallic sound to echo throughout the area. The Golden Beetle turned illusory and passed through the mantis, heading directly at Arthur but it was also stopped by Lucy, who released golden flames which spread across all directions.

Unfortunately, Lucy couldn't rest for even a split second as she manipulated the flames and pushed away the golden beetle. She left afterimages in her path as her eyes emitted a blue light which froze time and locked the King of Jade mid-air. Her spectral form made its appearance next to Amtir, her devil arm materialized itself and violently struck the king's side, sending him flying dozens of miles away, leaving a fountain of blood in his way.

Lucy withhold nothing of her power and aimed to kill every person who dared to attack Arthur. She became an enraged beast as the Golden Crow flames exploded in her sky, illuminating the area and pushing away the Saber Saint and Hach'ara, who were only a couple of meters away from Arthur.

*******

"Sir, what are you trying to do?"

The bard, Aneirin, appeared a couple of meters away from The Joker, who trapped the greatly weakened Zodiak in a dark and unbreakable space.

Seeing the calm poet and the serious look on his face, Wolfram snorted and retorted:

"It's not a place for you to meddle."

"Oh but I don't want to meddle." Said Aneirin while innocently raising his hands: "I'm only here for my friend, which I humbly request you let go."

"Request? Who are you to request anything from me?"

"We may not know each other but I'm still a friend of Arthur and an acquaintance of Leiu. Doesn't that make us allies rather than enemies?"

The Joker's aura elevated and locked onto the bard, who was powerless to do anything but he didn't seem to be worried about his fate.

"Zodiak is no more. It's time for their two souls to be extinguished."

"Is it really something for you to decide? It's your brother's soul and it can be helpful in… many ways." He empathized the last part while softy smiling. It was quite obvious that the poet knew more than he showed but he didn't speak of any details.

The Joker frowned but didn't say anything, he seemed to be thinking about something as he glanced at the unconscious Zodiak and the crimson tear on his chest.

An indeterminate amount of time passed and after harrumphing one last time, the Magician turned around and left, leaving Zodiak, who was no longer imprisoned, and Aneirin.

The bard supported the old man and poured a vial containing golden liquid into the latter's mouth. The red tear shining on the chest started fading away and Zodiak's consciousness started slowly returning.

When he fully woke up, he found himself leaning against a withered black tree and facing Aneirin's young face.

"It's nice to see you again, friend."

In response, Zodiak actually chuckled as his expression eased up. Even though the red spear completely vanished, he knew better than anyone about his current condition, the Blessing Stone granted him something that allowed him to entrap Sol'khin but it wasn't permanent and that effective.

"I thought you hated danger." Said Zodiak while sitting up and drinking a cup which was handed to him by his friend. The cup had a unique alcohol which the bard specially brewed, it's something that Aneirin was willing to gift only to Zodiak as he was the one who encouraged him and helped him reach this point. In a way, their adventure began at the same time and the encounter could be considered as destiny.

"Heh! This is not dangerous though." He paused for a few breaths before adding: "It's a farewell."

"…" Zodiak remained silent and stared back at the handsome young man, who's expression remained the same and his smile was filled with unfathomable serenity.

"I plan to head back home and take a long break."

The bard played with his lute and shared his thoughts with Zodiak. He seemed to be distracted as he continued speaking:

"I've traveled to all corners of the multiverse and, honestly, I'm tired and bored. I guess it's time to go back to my roots too."

"Aneirin, you…" Zodiak didn't continue his words as he saw the bard's expression.

"You know, as much as I pity Arthur, I truly wanted you to be a bit selfish and hide. Cycles or whatnot, there still many things you could do… life is beautiful, with all its fortunes and tragedies."

Although the old man gave no reply, the bard continued talking: "Even without your help.. your soul, Arthur would have found a way. He has his wife, who's as exceptional as him, he has friends and brothers, I'm sure that one day he'll attain a level of power that would allow him to achieve his goals. I find your sacrifice unjustified and unnecessary."

The poet's tone became a bit emotional but he managed to control it with a light cough. He emptied another cup of alcohol and let out a long sigh.

"I want to die." Said Zodiak, surprising even Aneirin.

"Is that a good enough reason for you?"

The old man dropped his head and looked at the wrinkled and bone-like hand, a small black fog was emanating from his nails.

"Even if it was unintentional, Arthur created me. He was also the one who gave me Dark Magic, which helped me start a new life, which many would find miserable but when I acquired the power I sought, I was really, really happy. It's true that life has always been chaotic but I cannot say that I did not enjoy it, quite the contrary, I don't regret it. Some sought fame, power… and love but I wanted an answer for my existence, a purpose maybe but by finding naught, I found and understood everything."

Zodiak sighed and waved his hand unceremoniously at his friend: "Give it a rest, Aneirin. My time is up so don't be so foolish as to follow me."

After a momentary silence, Zodiak laughed and said: "Let��s change this grim topic. You recently told me that a woman caught your eye?"

As per Zodiak's request, the bard talked about various others things and the two spent a whole day chatting and laughing.