Chapter 286
Starting from Zero
|Whaaaaaaaaaat????|
Arthur grabbed his head. "Damn it, why did you shout? My head nearly exploded! Remember, this body is weak!"
|You idiot! Why do you want to give up your power? Have you lost your mind or what?|
Arthur sighed, realizing that trying to reason with Cain and calm him down was impossible. He therefore spoke.
"I want to start from zero, and this time, I mean literally from zero. I mean, just look at me. Even with this human body, I could kill thousands of people if I wanted to.
That's thanks to my mind and all the battles I've experienced throughout my life.
And don't forget my killing aura, which has already merged with every level of power I've reached. If I unleashed it at full strength now, I could bring the heavens crashing down upon the earth."
Arthur paused for a few seconds before continuing in the same calm voice.
"Ever since my first transfer to the world of One Piece, I've been powerful, Cain. But now… now I want to start from absolute zero.
I don't want a killing aura. No legendary skills. No mind that has experienced all those battles."
|I really can't understand you. I mean, if you unleashed your full power, you could create and destroy universes with a single thought, just as easily.
Damn it, you've reached a level of power where you can create a world inside your body. And not just one world, either. Worlds, galaxies, universes…
Why would you want to abandon all of that?
Why would you give up something that others have searched for, fought for, and even died trying to obtain?|
Arthur smiled, feeling somewhat pleased by Cain's words.
What Cain had said was true. Arthur had reached a level of power where, if he gathered all his strength within his body—all of it, every enhancement, every increase in power, every evolution—he could accomplish everything Cain had just described.
Yet Arthur wanted to give it all up.
"Cain, I've forgotten who I am… I'm a warrior, not an assassin. I've been one from the very beginning. From my first kill, from my very first training session.
I chose the wrong path, and I want to correct myself, Cain."
Arthur looked at the system window in front of him, smiled calmly, and continued.
"The path of assassination is the path that old man taught me. I'll never forget what I owe him. Thanks to him, I'm truly alive today.
But this isn't my path. I'm a son of the Narin family, a descendant of warriors, and the last of their bloodline.
I mean, just look at me. I fight, battle, and defend others, yet I keep telling myself that I'm an assassin.
Haven't I stained the Narin name enough, Cain?
Haven't I tarnished the Narins' reputation? Isn't it time I stopped doing that?"
Arthur's voice was strong and resolute by the end.
Cain could truly understand his feelings. The decision seemed foolish to him, but he could understand what Arthur was feeling.
That flame burning in Arthur's heart would never be extinguished.
Cain knew that no matter what he said, no matter how much he argued, he would never be able to change Arthur's decision.
|Damn you. One of these days, you're really going to get us killed!|
"You're most welcome, my dear friend." Arthur smiled happily.
|Damn you, you absolute idiot… So, what are you going to do? I mean, your power isn't limited to your physical strength, spiritual strength, mind, or heart. You also have Astaroth, Kareng, and Kyou.|
"Ooooh, I've already thought about that. Ahem."
|You damn bastard, no. No, no, no! Did I say no, or did I not? Then let me say it again. NOOOOO!|
"Come on, man. You can do it. I know you can."
Arthur clasped his hands together as though he were begging Cain.
|Of course I can, but no. You want to send them to different worlds, you bastard!|
"Well, that's better than having them stay with me. I mean, think about it. In this world, I can't summon them, and perhaps I won't be able to summon them in the next world either. Maybe not even in the ten worlds after that.
Besides, are they my soldiers or my companions?"
Arthur looked at Cain's window, which remained blank for a while.
Arthur knew that Cain valued his companions and cherished them.
Through his words, Arthur had placed Cain in a difficult position. If Cain said they were his companions and friends, then refusing to carry out Arthur's request would show that he didn't truly care about them.
But if he called them soldiers, he would be lying to himself and revealing himself to be a hypocrite.
|You know what? After my battles with my father, Azathoth, and Abhoth, you're the worst of them all.|
Arthur smiled, placed one hand over his chest, and bowed slightly forward while keeping his other hand behind his back.
"That's truly an honor, my dear friend."
|Sigh… I'm really going to regret this… Fine.
But where do you want me to send them? And are you even going to tell them what you're planning to do?|
Arthur sighed calmly.
"Well, I can't summon them here. This world still can't withstand their power.
So, ahem… you tell them, my dear friend."
|Damn you to the day you die, you miserable bastard!|
"Ahemmm. Anyway, as I was saying, you tell them, and then transfer them to different worlds.
Send Kyou to a world of cultivation and refinement.
Send Kareng to a world where demons are accepted rather than persecuted.
And send Astaroth to a world inhabited by spiritual beasts."
|Hmm… Fine, I can do that. But remember something important, Arthur. If I do this, you might never get the chance to see them again.|
Arthur smiled faintly.
"I know… They're my companions, and I want them to live their lives, Cain. I don't want… I don't want…"
Arthur's voice trembled with pain as he continued.
"I don't want what happened to Rath to happen to them… If they stay with me, you know better than anyone what kind of life I lead.
I want them to be happy."
At that moment, Cain finally understood.
Arthur's decision to send his companions to different worlds wasn't motivated solely by his desire to start from zero.
Part of it was because of what had happened to Rath.
What had happened to him had quite literally destroyed Arthur, and even now, Arthur continued to blame himself for it.
|Fine. I'll do it.|
Arthur smiled calmly and sat back down on the ground. Then, he opened the inventory and looked at three locations within it.
The places where Kyou, Astaroth, and Kareng were kept.
Arthur gazed at them quietly, feeling relieved that he hadn't spoken to them himself. If he had, the situation might have escalated into abandonment and rejection rather than a simple farewell.
Kyou was unbelievably loyal to Arthur.
Astaroth loved Arthur as though he were a son who adored his father.
Kareng was deeply devoted to Arthur, with the unwavering loyalty of a warrior.
If Arthur had told them about his plan, an argument might have broken out. They might have shouted and refused to leave, and perhaps Arthur would have ended up shouting at them and ordering them to go.
That would have hurt them far more than simply saying goodbye.
For that reason, Arthur was glad Cain would be the one to speak with them.
They regarded Cain as something like an elder uncle because Arthur always called him his brother. That was how they had come to see him.
Cain also spoke with them all the time, whether they were inside the inventory or outside it.
After his latest evolution, Cain had gained the ability to speak with them privately and comfortably.
Now, Arthur looked at the places where his companions were kept, and in a fraction of a second, all three disappeared simultaneously.
"Goodbye, my dear companions. Who knows? Perhaps I'll travel to your worlds someday."
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