In a dim but grandiose room, full of quiet luxury, sat three aged men. Their chairs were decorated like thrones, so opulent and magnificent that no ordinary king would dare spend such wealth so frivolously. And indeed these three men had reached a level worthy of sitting on such a throne.
In front of them stood the Guild Leader of one the strongest Guilds in the world, Razacon, and in his own right a powerful fighter not many in the world could match: Arthur Goodwill. Arthur was currently bowing, his back ramrod-straight so that his body bent to make an upside-down L.
The old man in the center smiled with fatherly pride as he studied the man in front of him, his wide and toothy grin stretching the rich white of his beard. “You may rise,” he said, his rumbling voice containing in it an immense power. From it alone one could discern that this man was not to be trifled with.
Arthur straightened himself out, but his bearing remained acutely respectful, not even daring to breathe too loud. Arthur considered himself a man who knew his place in the world. He knew who was his equal, who he could demand respect from, and who demanded the utmost respect from him. And before him sat three men who fell firmly into the last category.
Not many people would recognize these three - in fact, the public would pay more respect to him than to the three old men - but only because they did not know who these men were. But Arthur was well aware. In front of him sat his very own father, Maximus Goodwill, but he was better known as the ‘Divine Ax.’ A domineering name, but a deserved one. As a righteous man, he had garnered a reputation of being just, a man who stayed within the limits of his principles. A trait worthy of admiration, considering that, with an axe in his hand, the number of people in the world that could restrain him could be counted on one hand. He was the man who had built Razacon from the ground up, the creator and former Guild Master. However, Arthur had always been the public face of Razacon, even though the masses were aware that the true powerhouse behind it was the being known as the ‘Divine Ax.’
To Arthur's left sat the IG Chief of Europe, a member of the Five Continent Council. The International Government was a behemoth of an organization that traced its roots all the way back to the beginning of the Flux Century. Rising from the chaos that the world had been plunged into, it claimed to be the policing force of the world, enforcing law and order everywhere. The man who sat beside Arthur’s father was the man in charge of all of Europe, occupying the highest seat one could in the organization. And he wielded the power to match his title. As an Ice Elemental Mage, his ability to condense Flux into ice had reached a horrifying level. Even now, Arthur could feel the slight chill in the air from the Flux that leaked off of the man’s body.
And lastly, to his right sat the scariest of them all. Known far and wide, spoken of in hushed tones in even the most elite of circles, woven into the horror stories of children, the man was the notorious ‘Assassin King.’ As the head of the shadowy Guild, Sin, the man was known to be able to kill anyone he wished. No one would be safe should they incur his wrath, no matter how strong they were, or how tight they made their security. As a guild that accepted commissions, Sin had made a name for themselves for never having failed a mission, no matter who the target was. Arthur had once heard his father admit that if Sin and Razacon were to go to war, although mutual destruction would be guaranteed, he himself would be the one to die at the hands of the Assassin King. Not because he was stronger, but simply because he was better versed in the art of killing.
The fact that three of these world-shaking powerhouses were gathered in one room itself was a glaring sign that something was horribly wrong.
“You called for me, Father?” Arthur asked.
“Yes. I heard you were recently in conference with Von, no? Tell me about that.”
Surprise sparked in Arthur’s chest. Although the matter with Von was important, he had completely tossed it to the back of his mind after coming here. Never would he have guessed that it was important enough to be discussed in the present company.
“Yes, I just finished talking to him. His men have recently found an undiscovered cave in his territory. Residing within seems to be some sort of extremely powerful mage. Capable of dispatching an elite squadron from his guild in a matter of seconds,” Arthur quickly recapped his meeting, bringing up all the relevant information.
“And how powerful would you say the members of Von’s elite squad are?” his father asked.
Arthur thought for a second before answering. “An elite squadron in Saber’s Edge reports directly to the Guild Leader, meaning that they are usually just below him in terms of strength. And since Von is comparable to me, I would say that the men in the elite squadron are likely just a little weaker than I.”
Maximus nodded, his face pensive. Even he would be forced to admit that he would have trouble dispatching a squad of men at that level of strength within seconds. Of course, the squad would be completely unable to fight back against him, and even a joint attack with all of their power would likely not scratch him, but the fight would still be messy. To deal with them all in a matter of seconds? He was not so conceited as to think that he could pull that off, especially if they were fully on guard and alert.
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“Von believes that the disappearance of mages throughout North America is related to this mage as well, although he has no conclusive evidence for it,” Arthur added.
The IG Officer nodded. “I’ve spoken to Aman about it. He has confirmed that every single case of disappearance has only one common denominator. There is an office worker, a low-level mage from Vancouver, who has been seen in conference with the mage within a week before their disappearance. He has determined, based on that and other information, that these cases must all be linked.”
Arthur searched his memories and quickly found mention of Aman. He was the IG Chief of North America.
“More worryingly,” the officer continued, “is that the members of any guild that is targeted seem to be unconcerned about the fate of their guild leader, even in guilds with high levels of loyalty.”
“This matter has reached a level of importance beyond your capabilities, Arthur," Maximus cut in then. "You may leave now, and don’t worry about handling this.”
Arthur bowed deeply once again, before turning around and starting to walk out, his face relieved. After all, facing pressure like that was nerve-wracking for him, despite all his social training as a Guild Leader.
However, before he could make his way out, his father's voice stopped him. “Also, get us in contact with Von. I think this cave warrants a visit, at this point,” Maximus said.
Shock colored Arthur’s face. “You’re going to go personally?” he asked, turning around. After all, each of them likely had plenty of powerful men under them who could scout in their place.
His father’s face darkened. “Yes. Evidence that I cannot share with you suggests that this matter must be dealt with personally.” He paused and smiled, his face losing its ominous heaviness. “And besides, it’d do these old bones some good to stretch a little.”
Arthur nodded, his gaze troubled. Quietly, he turned around and walked out of the room, picking up that there were words that still needed to be spoken among the three without his presence.
A beat of silence followed Arthur’s departure, before the King of Assassins finally spoke, his quiet nature evident in the roughness of his voice. “The boy has such potential. It is such a waste that he was born to you.”
Maximus scoffed. “To be at the level he has reached at his age? I don’t believe any of us can claim that feat for ourselves.”
The King nodded. “Exactly. He reached all that raised in your care. Imagine then what I could have made of him.”
“A mindless killing machine is what you would have made him. Just like all the rest of your so-called ‘weapons’”.
The King grinned, lips dripping with malice. “A killing machine who would have struck fear into the hearts of mages across the globe,” he said, a fanatical light slowly entering his eyes as he spoke. “A machine that would have reached heights no one could imagine.”
Maximus shook his head in disgust, but he knew exactly how to knock the man down a peg, the best way to get under his skin. “And what of that one boy? The one whose potential you flaunted to the world? Who you were convinced would make you untouchable?” He still remembered that boy, whose eyes were so starkly lifeless, a vicious abyss so deep even he feared what lay at the bottom. He didn’t think he would ever be able to forget, in fact, not after having looked that boy in the eye once.
Immediately the fire of passion in the King’s eyes was doused, replaced by a burning anger. “That useless toy refused to live up to his potential,” he hissed. “He ran the second I gave him the slightest bit of freedom, despite all I had done for him. Despite all the effort I had put into raising his strength to the level that it had reached. The ungrateful wretch!”
Maximus laughed in the face of the King’s anger. “Be honest, Alois. You just couldn’t break him. His will outlasted even your torture.” Maximus was relieved to hear that the boy had at least escaped the clutches of Sin, a feat that in and of itself proved his ability. Although he would likely never live a normal life now, Maximus hoped he managed to find some sort of peace.
“You know nothing!” the King snarled, suddenly whipping a hand out in Maximus’ direction, aimed perfectly for his neck. The chop carried immense power behind it, enough to rend diamond.
Instead of trying to defend himself, Maximus reacted with his own fist, flying towards the King’s face. His punch carried almost twice the force behind it compared to the King’s, though it was spread over a larger area; the broad attack of a lion against the deadly strike of a viper.
Despite both men moving within the same fraction of a second, before the two hyperfast attacks could meet both arms were shackled with chains of blue, crystalline ice. Seemingly sprouting out of the ground, the frail looking chains were needle-thin, but they emanated a coldness straight from the frigid Arctic. Despite their feeble appearance, the chains managed to completely halt the attacks of the pair, without giving the slightest hint of cracking.
“Alright, you two. The two of you are oathbound to behave yourselves here, and besides, there are bigger problems for us to face.” The IG Officer, Louis, said sternly. As he spoke, the ice quickly melted away, pooling into a small, frigid puddle on the ground.
The two glared at each other for another few seconds, each not wanting to be the first to give in, until they both suddenly calmed down. Maximus straightened out the blazer he was wearing, poised once again. “You are correct. We must put our differences aside for the calamity the world will soon face.”
Alois also sobered up quickly, his face becoming stoic once more. “Indeed. I will limit my responses to this buffoon’s taunting,” he said, unable to make peace without slipping in one last insult.
Louis shook his head before speaking again. “Now then, onto the details of this mission…”