HP: The Arcane Thief
chapter-233

When the main warriors of Atlantis were being defeated, everyone thought it was over.

It's not that there were none who had the power to prevent it. But, the Kraken had suddenly started to use an insane amount of power all at once. In this situation, it was difficult to even protect themselves and those around them, let alone rush over to help.

Estris and Willis still tried help Kyrin and Akiko, but they were inside Cravix's Space domain, something that couldn't be broken into instantaneously.

Martina wasn't even lucky enough to be noticed. Everyone thought she was already dead when the Giant foot landed, thus having no one to save her.

"Tilla!" Ender already noticed it too late. By the time he saw that Antilla gone over to fight the King herself, she was already in trouble.

Blasting away the Forced Relic Wielders and leaving behind the Relic Wielders, he quickly rushed over, but a wall off water surrounded the King and Antilla, going through which completely dispersed his lightning, thus slowing his down.

Every time Antilla thought she had reached rock bottom, things would happen that would make her past seem like heaven compared to her present.

And currently, she was at a point where just… falling. Not even able to see what's at the bottom.

For the past 6 months, she spent every minute thinking she had already reached absolute low by lose Axel to Aslot.

But now? Kingdom is falling, the General, who she calls uncle and has always been a rock for her is currently lying on the ground, stabbed by her own father.

And now, he is going to kill her too, his own daughter.

"Why?"

That's all she could ask as she struggled against the water bindings, feeling completely betrayed.

"Why, you ask?" The King seemed angered by her question. "Because of the pain! You won't understand how bad it really is until you experience it! Trust me, there is no one in the world who wouldn't give up everything, even their life, just to get rid of that pain!" He said, raising the Trident, ready to stab Antilla.

"Pain?" Antilla looked at her father scornfully. "Is that it? You're pathetic! Learn something from your grandson!" Antilla yelled, struggling against the bindings, but the King was still far stronger than her, using every last bit of his power.

Antilla wasn't at all moved by the King's explanation. Because of his cowardice, so many people had to die meaninglessly.

If it really was so bad that he was ready to kill himself, then he might as well have! And yet, why did he choose to sacrifice everything else other than himself?!

Antilla couldn't believe that the father she had spent so many years and serving and loving would actually be so pathetic.

And then there's Axel on the other hand, who didn't even have the Royal Relic to protect him from most of the damage, instead going through the full extent of the Soul Extinguisher, and still not giving up.

The difference is so stark that it makes her wonder if they were related at all.

"Him?" But hearing Antilla, the King stopped the Trident which was about to stab her heart. "Don't make me laugh! The one who needs to learn is not me, but him! That's why I am still alive, while he is dead without even leaving behind an intact corpse!" He exclaimed, stabbing the Trident down.

Antilla looked at her father, and realized that she didn't recognize him at all. And that's when she realized, she really had no one left now. With the current situation, the Kingdom was also pretty much gone too.

As Trident's blade, closed in on her, she closed her eyes, accepting her fate. She had regrets, a lot of them. If only she had found out earlier, if any she had seen the signs, if only she had remembered her sister's warning to look out for father, if only she was strong enough, and importantly, if only she had not gotten Axel involved…

But there was no way left for her to make things right anymore.

'I give up… there's no hope.'

*Shnnn*

She heard a sound of metal being pierced. But, it wasn't her armor like she was expecting.

Antilla opened her eyes, only to see a shining silver blade piercing through her father's head.

Three blades pierced three heads at once, their speed, sharpness, and accuracy so high they were only noticed when they had already passed cleanly through.

"Not too late to the party, I hope."

A familiar voice travelled through the Battlefield, somehow managing to reach everyone's ears.

Eyes wide in disbelief, Antilla slowly looked up, following the blades to land on the owner. There, high in the air stood a figure holding a silver Trident in his hand.

Under the glare of light, all they could see were eyes glowing eyes, one Amber, one blue. And blue markings shining on his body.

???

Antilla just stood there, her mouth gaping open as she looked up at the figure, unable to even process the series of events, let alone separate them from reality.

The figure slowly descended, and his image became clear in Antilla's eyes. And if not for the one glowing blue eye, she would have thought he was Tristan Hunt. He had grown even taller in the few months, making him look more mature, and he had Kraken markings on his body, shining through his torn and disheveled clothes.

"A-Axel…?"

For a moment, Antilla was extremely happy. Axel… was still alive? She had dreamed about it multiple times. She was having a hard time believing it! And then, she realized what the markings meant.

Antilla immediately thought of the worst. That Axel had also been taken under the control of the Entity, just like her father.

But at this moment, Axel turned his head in her direction, his eyes squinting in confusion upon being called by his real time. "Sorry? I think you've got the wrong person, Princess. I'm Chris Martin."

Axel didn't know how the Princess got his real name, and he didn't know how to explain the blue markings, or the bloodline… or the Trident. And he didn't have the time to explain either.

The blades wrapped around the bodies of the powerhouses and then retracted, bringing to their owner like mere fishes. "I can explain everything later, but for now, just know that I'm your side," he said, Trident's blades casually crushing the three bodies as if to prove it.

"And trust me, you really want me on your side," he said as he waved his wand and Kyrin and Akiko were instantly freed, an extremely unholy amount of Holy energy being drawn out the trees that were suppressing them.

'Zeta, do me one more solid, and heal the injured with that light magic. I'll repay you later.'

'You don't need to repay me for this.'

The energy that was extracted was spread over the Kingdom's forces, healing all of their injuries. This was the purest light elemental magic, straight from someone with the Aetherian Royal Bloodline.

Just a small amount was enough to heal anyone. And the amount of magic extracted in those trees was huge, considering they were built to capture individuals like Kyrin and Akiko.

The battlefield seemed to come to a lull as gazes start turning upwards one after another.

Cravix, Karlock, and King Atasis himself… all three are no ordinary individuals. And yet, all three were dangling in the air, bound by extremely sharp blades. Not only that, the person was also healing everyone from the Kingdom's side.

It took Antilla a few seconds to figure out that Axel had no idea his identity had long been exposed. He thinking that he was still the same stranger whom she had 'graciously' 'granted' citizen, instead of being the person who legitimately owns this place.

But to Antilla, he had long become family, ever since she first saw him use the Bloodline. No, even before that, when he was in a disguised, she knew that they had a special bond.

And from that point, till now, she has found out everything about his life and seen his pictures and videos countless times, fantasizing about how great it would have been if only he was still with her.

So, when he said 'I am on your side,' tears started to blur her vision, her chest feeling stuffy. That single line brought her back from absolute despair to overwhelming hope and excitement.

He really… is back? If this was a dream, Antilla never wanted to wake up.

Axel turned to look at Martina, who just laid there, tears streaming down her face.

"The fuck are YOU doing here? Didn't I tell you its dangerous?"

Someone like Martina in a war? Who even let her in here? Even when being from a Mafia household, Martina is just not suited for this kind of environment. She's just too kind.

Martina shook her head, wiping her tears. "Y-You're… You're a-alive!" she choked, as if she didn't care about anything else at all.

Intense Purple magic began to swirl around Martina, who moments ago, didn't even have enough to even try and defend herself.

Her [Child Of Magic] trait evolved during extreme moments, and this could definitely be considered one of the most extreme moments. One of extreme joy and giddiness.

Martina was extremely giddy excitement right now. The way he spoke just now… no one else can talk that way. It really is the real and alive Axel! Down to every last detail!

Axel titled his head. That bad, huh?

"Of course I'm alive. D'you think I can actually let anything kill me?"

He then turned to look at Akiko, who was just opening her eyes after being rid of the magic blocking her sight.

"And the fuck happened to your eyes?" He asked when he saw the patterns.

?!?!?

Akiko blinked, then rubbed her eyes, looking up at Axel again.

For the last 6 months, Akiko hadn't thought of much at all. Except killing.

She hadn't spoken a word, nor had she taken any rest. She just didn't deserve it. Because, she was too weak to protect him.

Nothing had changed within the past decade. All the training she had done was useless when it actually came down to it.

Instead, after meeting him, she started taking it easy. Unknowingly, her goal of revenge had become less important, instead she had started to think about having fun and playing around with him.

Whenever she was with him, it just felt like she can actually relax, and let him handle everything. It never occurred to her that he might actually also need her to be there in return.

That's why, she was too weak and unprepared, when he actually needed her help for the first time.

She could still see his hand extending back when he was trapped by the space whales, as if to ask for help. But there was no one to grasp it.

That hand still haunts her to this day, every time she closes her eyes.

It reminds her that had she been alert or strong enough, she could have protected him. And it reminds her, that she doesn't deserve rest and peace in her life until every last member of Kraken is dead.

But then, after all this, imagine opening your eyes and seeing him in front of you, alive and well. It her a few moment to confirm that this wasn't a hallucination.

When she saw the figure holding the Trident, the tension began to drain from her body for the first time in 6 months, as the fog of violence clouding her mind started to clear up.

It really was him. There was no doubt. Through her eyes, she can see an aura that signifies a person's life force and their will to live, called the life aura. Those with low life aura are easy to kill, and vice-versa.

And Axel's aura was… she had never seen anything remotely similar.

It was… unstoppable… unshakable… inextinguishable. It seemed to extend all over the battlefield, even influencing others' life auras.

It was so strong that the even energy of Lady Death inside her seemed to be suppressed in front of it, showing an aversion and dislike.

And this was just… so like him.

This aura cannot be replicated. It cannot be passed down. And it cannot be taken away. It's unique to every person, showing exactly who they are. And that's why, seeing it, she knew it really was him.

Because other than HIM, no one else can have that kind of aura, And with that kind of aura, it's not difficult to believe he actually managed to survive even the explosion.

"You're back…" she whispered, the first words she uttered in 6 six months as a tear fell from her eye. She hadn't cried when she saw him die, just like she hadn't cried when she heard the news of her parents' death. But right now, she couldn't stop it.

The battlefield started to come to a lul as gazes of disbelief started to focus on Axel one after another, whether they were from the Kraken or the Kingdom.

After his death, the clip of Axel's fight against Aslot inevitably circulated throughout the Kingdom. Despite Antilla's request for secrecy, each and every leader strongly felt that it was a crime not to share such an epic fight.

So, just a few months ago, the fight was leaked, and since then Axel has become a legend in the eyes of every warrior of Atlantis, and a sign of relief in the eyes of the Kraken members, for not having to face him.

Axel looked at Akiko, and then at Martina, both of whom seemed hundred percent sure he was dead and in complete disbelief that he was actually alive, and began to think something was not right.

"...Of course I'm back. I didn't go through any trouble at all. It just took a bit of time after I got teleported far away," he said, lying smoothly.

Imagine just how embarrassing it would be if they found out he was beaten until an inch to death and had screamed like a 5 year old due to the pain he was put through. Imagine almost dying due to pain… how pathetic.

Nah, it's better if no one knows about it. Aslot didn't live to tell the tale anyway.

But noticing the abnormality, he looked around, and found that the fighting had stopped, everyone looking up at him.

The General, who had partially healed, got up with difficulty, raising his sword in the air.

"Warriors of the Kingdom! Behold the Miraculous Return!!! To Arms… FOR KING AXEL REGIUS ARHUNT!!!!

Weapons began rising in the air, along with cheers of excitement, the morale soaring unprecedented high.

"FOR THE KING!!"

'''FOR THE KING'''

'''''FOR THE KING'''''

''''''''''''FOR THE KING'''''''''''

Axel: ???