Chapter 646

Arthur’s shocking statement left Laura and Rex visibly stunned.

Rex moved closer to where Arthur and Ramon stood, his voice filled with confusion. “Arthur, what are you talking about?”

As he tried to approach, Laura stepped in front of him, blocking his path. She was on high alert, sensing something unusual emanating from Arthur.

Meanwhile, Ramon, whose shoulder was gripped tightly by Arthur, looked him in the eye with a tense expression. “Arthur, I…”

“Did someone promise to make you the head of the Siemens family if you got rid of me here?” Arthur’s words made Ramon’s eyes flicker with uncertainty.

Rex pushed past Laura, who was still trying to hold him back, and shouted, “Arthur! Get a grip! Ramon would never do something like that!”

Though Arthur and Ramon often clashed, Rex couldn’t believe that Ramon would engage in such a cowardly deal against a friend.

Arthur responded with a twisted smile. “Rex seems to think so. What about you, Ramon?”

Arthur’s grip on Ramon’s shoulder tightened, and a sickening crack echoed as Ramon’s shoulder dislocated, causing him to wince in pain.

Seeing this, Rex tried to intervene again, but Laura stopped him once more. “Rex, wait,” she whispered, pulling out a small vial from her pocket. “It could be temporary madness from a demon’s poison.”

Rex, calmed by Laura’s words, stepped back, considering the possibility.

Ramon remained silent, facing Arthur with a steely resolve. Then, Laura approached Arthur. “Hey, Arthur Draker.”

Arthur turned his head, still holding Ramon’s shoulder, as Laura called out to him.

With a swift motion, Laura sprayed a detoxifying mist towards Arthur. A purple haze enveloped him, and as his grip loosened, Ramon managed to wrench himself free, collapsing to the ground, gasping for breath.

The mist lingered around Arthur, but then, in a flash, he lunged through it, grabbing Laura’s wrist with a vice-like grip. “Ugh!” Laura gasped, shocked by Arthur’s overwhelming strength.

Arthur looked down at her, his eyes meeting hers. In that moment, Laura felt as if her breath had been stolen away. His eyes, like jewels, seemed to draw her soul in with an otherworldly force, leaving her feeling exposed and chilled to the bone.

Suddenly, a golden aura flared around her, and Arthur released her wrist, stepping back. The change in Arthur’s demeanor and presence was so stark that both Laura and Rex couldn’t help but be on edge.

Arthur surveyed his companions, then burst into laughter. “Hahaha!”

With exaggerated gestures and a theatrical voice, he declared, “I guess I went a bit too far with my joke.”

He approached the fallen Ramon, extending a hand. “I’m just so thrilled to be back and see you all again that I got carried away. My apologies.”

Ramon slapped Arthur’s hand away, standing up on his own. “Get lost.”

Arthur chuckled at Ramon’s irritation, then turned to address them all with a charming smile. “I’d love to celebrate my return with you, but I have urgent matters to attend to. I spent too much time in the dungeon.”

He glanced at Ramon. “Ramon, let’s have a deeper conversation in Atlas later.”

With that, Arthur left the cave, and only then did the three of them breathe a sigh of relief.

Rex turned to Ramon, who was still pale. “Ramon, was Arthur really joking just now?”

Ramon didn’t answer, instead sitting on a rock, lost in thought. Rex’s mind raced with questions.

‘What if Ramon hadn’t thrown the scroll at the demon back then?’

Even though Arthur was ready to strike the demon with his sword, Ramon had ignored his signal and exposed their position by throwing the scroll. When Arthur was attacked, Ramon used a teleportation scroll to escape, leaving Arthur behind.

Doubts began to grow, and suspicion followed.

Finally, Ramon spoke, his voice weary. “Do you suspect me too?”

Rex hesitated, unable to immediately deny it. Just then, Laura slapped Ramon’s back hard, making him wince.

“Stop sitting there like you’re carrying the weight of the world! If you have something to say, say it clearly!” Laura’s sharp words broke the tense atmosphere.

Ramon, rubbing his sore back, coughed a few times before speaking. “Ugh. Laura, do you know how strong your hand is?”

“Enough. Just talk already. It’s annoying.”

Ramon, looking exasperated, finally admitted, “There was an offer.”

Rex’s eyes widened. “Ramon, you didn’t…”

Ramon stood up, shouting, “Damn it! No matter how tempting the offer, I wouldn’t betray a friend!”

He continued, his voice filled with frustration. “I got close to them to find out what they were planning against Arthur. I needed to know if they were going to try anything so I could stop it.”

He had been playing a double agent, trying to protect Arthur.

Rex, relieved, sank to the ground with a laugh. “Ha, I knew it. What was I even thinking…”

He felt ashamed for doubting his friend, even for a moment.

Laura, looking at Ramon, said, “So, the Draker family is targeting Arthur, right? You made it sound like a guess earlier.”

Rex’s expression turned to shock. “Oh no, if Arthur goes down there, won’t he be in danger? We need to…”

As Rex tried to move, his injuries flared up, causing him to wince in pain. Laura shook her head. “Don’t push yourself. You need to rest for a few more days.”

She turned to Ramon. “Ramon, if Arthur’s in danger, why didn’t you stop him from leaving?”

Ramon looked up, his voice uncertain. “Something was different.”

Laura’s eyes narrowed. “Different? About Arthur?”

She had sensed something off about Arthur too, so she couldn’t dismiss Ramon’s words.

Ramon continued, “The Arthur I faced… it didn’t feel like him.”

Laura’s eyes narrowed further. “Not Arthur? Are you saying he’s a doppelgänger or something?”

Ramon shook his head. “No, it’s not that. I can’t explain it, but… something’s changed. It feels like there’s something else inside him.”

Recalling the look in Arthur’s eyes, Ramon felt a chill run down his spine. Those eyes, so clear yet empty, seemed to know everything, and they filled him with an instinctive fear.

Laura, watching Ramon, said, “Even if Arthur’s changed, that doesn’t mean he’s safe from the Draker family.”

“True, but… I don’t know. I’m so confused.”

Inside Rex, Zeke had been observing everything. ‘So they noticed Arthur Draker’s change to some extent.’

Zeke had witnessed Arthur Draker’s transformation into a solar entity, absorbing dark matter. Not only that, but the changed Arthur had become more expressive and articulate.

And the Arthur Draker Zeke knew was more like this changed version.

‘Has he been living in this changed state since that incident?’

Zeke knew what would happen next. Despite the odds, Arthur Draker would win the competition to become the head of the Draker family.

The most likely candidate, the eldest son, would die in a mysterious accident, shifting the balance. Amidst the ensuing power struggle, Arthur Draker would gather support through his sheer ability, becoming the strongest candidate for head of the family.

Every rival who had crossed swords with him met a brutal end without exception.

In the end, Arthur Draker was the only candidate left for the head of the family, and the Draker knights had no choice but to pledge their loyalty to him.

Even the council, finding no way to restrain Arthur Draker, shifted their stance to support him instead.

Unanimously, Arthur Draker ascended to the position of family head.

It marked the rise of the most powerful ruler in the history of the Draker family.

A man wielding unmatched strength and authority.

Arthur Draker was the ideal human king envisioned by the sun god Apollyon.

“Could it be that the sun god chose Arthur Draker to make him the new avatar, Adam?”

Given the circumstances, it was hard to think otherwise.

While Zeke was lost in thoughts about Arthur Draker, Laura approached Rex.

“Let me see your wounds.”

She began healing Rex’s festering injuries with her magic.

But then, something unexpected happened.

—Rex, Ramon is hiding something from us.

Laura used magic to convey her voice only to Rex.

Rex’s expression hardened at her words.

“Even if it hurts, bear with it. You’re as big as a mountain, yet your face stiffens from a little healing.”

Laura preemptively covered her tracks before the perceptive Ramon could sense anything amiss.

—Listen to me first. Ramon might be hiding something, but that doesn’t mean he’s betrayed Arthur. There’s something else going on.

Unlike Rex, who only vaguely sensed Arthur’s changes, Laura seemed to have noticed that Ramon was concealing something as well.

And then it happened.

A resonant hum filled the air!

As a golden aura emanated from Laura’s hand, Zeke’s consciousness was pulled away from Rex.

The surroundings shimmered, and the scene began to change.

A resonant hum filled the air!

Before Zeke’s eyes, an entirely different landscape unfolded.

In a garden blooming with beautiful flowers, Laura sat at a tea table in a modest dress, while Rex, dressed in the traditional attire of the Turn family, stood looking down at her.

At that moment, Carmilla, dressed as a maid, approached the table with tea.

Without a word, Carmilla quietly placed the fragrant tea on the table.

Rex looked at Laura and spoke.

“Laura, are you sure you have no regrets about that choice?”

More than a decade seemed to have passed since their time in the cave, and Rex’s voice was much deeper and more resonant.

Laura, too, exuded a calmer aura than before.

She gazed at the flowers blooming in the garden and replied.

“Yes, Rex. I have no regrets about my choice.”

Rex’s expression hardened at her response.

Laura spoke again.

“To protect the savior of destiny, I must marry Arthur Draker. Or rather, the monster pretending to be Arthur Draker.”