Landing nearby, the smoke had already begun to settle. No movement came from the crash, but Yuki didn’t expey. He specifically desig that way. When the dust finally cleared, Demosthenes id prone and very still. “Would seem you beat me,” he replied, though g any sort of disappoi er. “I am curious what you did. I have a good idea, but these ons…”

  Yuki found the whole thing strange. Even during the fight and now after, there was no sign of the dark side to him. Either he was a little too good of an actor or Ayumi was mistaken. He just treated the whole thing so casually after it ended. It was hard not to follow along. “I made the bdes real from material in the pace when I turned my power ba. I made them super dense so that after my power released them they’d pin you to the ground. Eae is about a quarter of a metri.”

  “That’s very clever. I’m pleased with yrowth.”

  “I didn’t e here to get your approval.”

  “I know, but I’m still gd to see that you’ve grown up well. It might have been a harsher destiny, but we wanted you to have a normal life before disc all of the darkness in this world.”

  Yuki paused for a moment already in pnned reply when he had to re-evaluate things. ‘Grown up? What’s he talking about? The way he’s talking sounds like he pnned all of this a wate the whole time.’ He pressed his hand to his face trying to get his head on straight. ‘This is starting to sound more like a manga than real life…’ Too many ideas started flowing in his head on what his life actually could mean to this man.

  Running across the courtyard, Eudokia finally caught up to the two of them. “Yuki!” She stopped in front of Demosthenes, putting herself between them. “You don’t o kill him!”

  “Eh?” He realized that he was staring very intensely at the man, one who seemed to know more about him thahought. Ayumi already turned his world upside down two months ago with the reveal of super human powers and his unknown birth. But she never expined anymore about it. Whehought about it, there were a ton of unanswered questions or even unasked, in his case. He was too focused on wanting to live the life he knew. Now he stood at the ter of everything.

  Yuki pushed Ayumi aside to get in lih Demosthenes again. “I don’t pn to kill him anymore. I’ve resolved that part of myself, mostly anyway. No, I’m more curious what he has to say about who I am and how someohat is supposedly the heir to this try ends up in Japan. There’s a lot moing on from the way you talk that I want to know, old man.”

  Demosthenes nodded. “It was always my pn to tell you. It was one of the promises I made to your father, the te King.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Yuki really started to question a lot about the situation he found himself in suddenly. “It’s been bugging me since I got my head on straight. Ayumi has painted a specific picture of everything here, but I’m starting to wonder how truthful she’s being about this whole thing.” He tilted his head back towards her. “As I recall, if I’m to believe your past, you’re a skilled maniputor and -artist. That’s certainly an odd thing to be admitting…”

  Eudokia locked eyes with Yuki, staring deeply into them. “That’s enough questions. Let’s go.”

  “Yeah, we have somethio do,” he agreed quickly.

  Demostheried to get free of the weights on his shoulders only to make them bleed more. “Eudokia! What do you think you’re doing? This isn’t part of the pn!”

  She gred down at him coldly. “Your pn maybe, but it is mine. I’m fulfilling what was asked of me.” Eudokia started to escort Yuki away from the area.

  “Eudokia! This isn’t what he would want! Not like this!”

  Stopping suddenly, her head snapped back towards him furious. “What the HELL would you know what he wanted?! You abandoned him for your so-called loyalty to the throne! I’m the only ohat carry out his dying wish! Not YOU, not anyone! Only me!”

  Activating his Field once more, Demosthearted to remove the weighted bdes in his shoulder. “I’m also carrying out his will. You aren’t the only ohat suffered.”

  “Bullshit! You’re still the same heartless bastard from the day I met you. You just got better at lying underh that mask of yours.”

  “This isn’t the way to do it! If you tinue I will have to stop you.”

  Eudokia ughed briefly at his empty threat. “You really think you present any challeo me in your dition? Even at your peak, you could never best me. Just lie there and keep your defeat. It’ll be easier to keep pretending for the side you’re on.” She turned away a walking Yuki off. ‘’t stay around here any longer. He purposely sent all of the guards away, but the spectacle those two had no doubt will bring them running ba no time.’

  As she approached the main doors to the pace, they flew open with guards responding. In a fsh, she quickly dispatched them all. “e Yuki. Everything will be over soon.”

  “Yes, Ayumi,” he answered obediently.

  Chapter 271 – Someone Else’s Mind

  R into the pace ground, blowing a massive hole in the wall and throwing ks of debris to all ers, Yumi came to a sudden halt. She hovered a couple meters in the air, finding the courtyard overrun with enemies. All around they went for their ons, already prepared for a fight. Already pushed to the limits of reason, she had little time for insignifit minions. “Out of my way before I make you!”

  He gnced up from his seated positiohe pace guards surrounded him. “Damn, this is getting more plicated than needed,” Demosthenes ented, standing up.

  “Sir! You shouldn’t be moving!”

  “Stand down,” he ordered. “I’m not so wounded as to be uo hahis.”

  “But sir, she’s one of the intruders.”

  “Yes, I know and she’s defeated a Titan. So you think a I do anything about it?” The soldiers all around him backed off a little. They allowed him to start moving. Rippling grass across the courtyard, he floated up level with Yumi. “Judging from your expression, you seem to have learned some bit of the truth.”

  Yumi ched her fists. “Out of the way! I’m only here for Ayumi!”

  Narrowing his gaze a little, he could see how much trouble it was going to be to talk with the girl. “So you know what she’s up to. While I don’t approve of her methods, I’m uo stop her. Though, I doubt you’d be able to stop her either. If I couldn’t.”

  “I don’t care about what you think!” Yumi sshed her hand through the air, geing an arc of green energy aimed at Demosthenes. “You ’t stop me!”

  Demosthenes sighed and lifted his hand up to catch her attabsp; His hand squeezed down on the ard crushed it. Blood soaked through the bandages on his shoulder. “This is getting tiring.”

  “Tch…” Yumi moved her hand back allowing it to gather up energy. “So you’re pnning on standing in my way.”

  “Actually, no.”

  “Huh?” She lowered her hand a little. fusion ran through her face as she tried to figure out what his pn was. “If you’re not going to stop me, then why are you in my way?”

  “Because I want to reduce the amount of further damage you deal to the Pace by going on a blind rampage in search of the two of them. And it’s very likely that you’ll be too te to do anything if you waste time aimlessly searg.”

  Squinting her eyes at Demosthenes, she had some trouble believing him. He had an ho look on his fabsp; “We’re already wasting time talking when Ayumi and Yuki are getting closer to the Throne.”

  “You’re right, which is why I’m going to tell you how to get there.”

  “Why should I believe you?”

  “You don’t have much choice since yainst the clobsp; But despite what I said about you not being able to beat Eudokia, I want to believe there is a bsp; I failed her, I hope there’s someohat succeed where I’ve failed.”

  Yumi moved closer to get into better range. She had her doubts, but he was right. “I’m not ied in saving her, only Yuki.”

  Demosthenes smiled. “That should be enough.”

  Deep ihe underground of the Pace, massive stone doors opened inte domed interior. Already lit when opehe interior erfect hemisphere. More than two hundred meters in diameter, the chamber made ahat stepped inside feel small. However, the grand nature of it added to the weight of its importance.

  I the ter was the all-important Throne of Atntis. Numerous lines carved through the stone floor. At the edge, the liurned up to run along the dome ceiling. These faint lines covered the entire space almost like a design itself.

  While Eudokia closed and locked the doors, Yuki stepped a little further inside. He hung his head back staring at the detail found everywhere. When he approached the wall, he could see even further inid details carved throughout the stone. Nearly no point of the entire surface remai. “Amazing, how much time went into all of this…I wonder.”

  Eudokia hurried about in her preparations. “Acc to history, it was just a single person. The sed King of Atntis that did all of this.”

  “Really…so that means this was all created through the power.” He ran his hand over the surface feeling every er and edge. Despite the age it had to be, it had somehow seemed to hold against time’s hand. “Is all of this necessary?”

  “No one really knows. It’s just assumed to be needed.”

  “Needed for what?”

  “That’s enough questions, Yuki. It’s time.” She escorted Yuki through the chamber towards the ter. Everything would finally be over soon. The pn had finally e to fruition.

  Flying through the halls, Yumi barged through pletely ign ahat she might have run across. Her goal was the only thing on her mind. ‘I’m ing, Yuki. I’ll put a stop to Ayumi’s pns.’ She pushed herself to move faster. She didn’t know how much longer she had. Too much time was wasted ohenes. ‘Just a little bit further…’

  Eudokia guided Yuki to the ter of the chamber. While nothing more than a rge block, even it had a signifit amount of detail carved into it. It appeared to be a separate piece added on top of the floor. But the size made it impossible for either of them to move even with help.

  He looked down at the strange looking stone blobsp; Out of everything, it certainly felt a little subdued from the grandiose nature of everything else. “What did you wao do?”

  “You just o sit.” She pointed out on the block a design that seemed to indicate a specific location for him. “It will respond to the power inside you. If you’re powerful enough it will accept you.”

  “Oh. How powerful do you have to be?” Yuki moved over to the block looking ready to sit.

  “We don’t really measure things, but my King was the most powerful i history. All of the previous ones i line were weak and feeble. Evehenes was more powerful than them. He just cks the volume, like myself.”

  He stared down at the block a bit in wonder. “Sounds like there’s not a lot of strict requirements.”

  “Anyone be King if they have enough power to spare. It was desighat way.”

  “I see.”

  “Now sit. You’re wasting time with this talking.”

  “Yes.”

  The moment Yuki made tact with the block, a red light suddenly came from the block through each of the carved out lines. It ran through every surfapletely filling the stone. A moment ter, groaning came from the stone. Perfectly cut gaps appeared all along the surface of the blobsp; Pieces raised and separated suddenly building on top or around each other.

  Each piece fit in perfectly with Yuki’s body as though it was ade for only him. It slowly built out inthly carved chair of solid stone. No gaps or fancy designs, just a simple shape. A tall back gave it the only touch of grahat the rest of the form cked.

  Eudokia gri her success. “Now just activate your power, Yuki. The moment you do the Throne will link with you.”

  “…right, I uand, Ayumi…”