Amelia the Level Zero Hero - Chapter 201

It was a bold statement to make. Noele knew that. Anyone else who heard what she said would immediately rebuke her for even daring to make the assertion. But Arthur wouldn’t. Even if he was a former [Priest]. Simply because he had no Class, which freed him from the World System’s manipulation.

He stared at her, processing her words. He blinked a few times as he stood there in silence. He didn’t wear a shocked look on his face, but he didn’t seem skeptical either. He simply mulled over her words, evidently trying to let it sink in.

“I…” Arthur opened his mouth, before taking in a deep breath. “And what made you come to this conclusion?”

He kept his cool, asking the question as he met the blonde girl’s gaze. She shook her head as he brought a hand to her chest.

“It came to me last night. I don’t know how or why, but I remembered— I recalled all the times my memory has been manipulated by the World System. All the times I have questioned it, only to find myself forgetting what I was even thinking about. I was conditioned to believe in it, because it controlled my thoughts.”

Noele spoke as she raised her head. She looked into Arthur’s eyes, speaking softly.

“Think about it— think about all the times you have dared to question the authority of the World System. Think about all the times you have doubted its power. Can you remember them? No— did you remember them back when they happened? Or are you only remembering them now?”

Arthur shuffled his feet as he lowered his head in thought. He closed his eyes, before replying, “I… I can remember them. But it is as you said, I can only think of these memories now.”

“And that’s because you’re not under the control of the World System anymore,” Noele said simply.

He raised his head as he bit his lower lip. “Because I no longer have a Class.”

“Correct,” the blonde girl answered. She gestured between the both of them as they stood alone in the forest, bathed by the moonlight. “No one else in Vacuos has ever been freed from the World System’s power. No one has ever lost their Class. Only we have. Which is why only we can see through its deception.”

Arthur nodded slowly. It looked like he was still trying to process what she was saying. But it was a good sign that he wasn’t sitting on the ground, rubbing his head in disbelief. It meant that this conversation could be productive.

“I see. So the World System has been manipulating us…” Arthur muttered under his breath. “That is evident enough. But I don’t believe that’s enough proof to say that the World System is malignant, nor that it has any ill intentions.”

“You’re right.” Noele nodded. “We can’t prove that— we can’t prove anything. But we know what the Voidgod has said.”

“What the Fal-Deus said?” Arthur raised a brow.

“That the World System invaded Vacuos,” the blonde girl whispered. “That it instilled its power over us to control us.”

Even saying it felt wrong to Noele. However, she was simply recalling what Amelia had told her. Whether it was true or not… was yet to be seen. But—

“I don’t know whether the Voidgod was lying, but I know that the World System limits us. Just look at Amelia. Just look at me.” Noele looked down at herself.

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The fact of the matter was, Noele’s greatest skills weren’t even Class Skills. Her variant Noble Slashes were something she learned and acquired thanks to Amelia’s training. And Amelia’s training essentially amounted to Noele having to learn to fight for herself.

So she was actually being held back by the World System. Just as Amelia told her.

Arthur heard her words. He stood there in silence as his gaze bore into the blonde girl. Finally, he closed his eyes. “I… I think I understand what you’re saying.”

He opened his eyes as Noele stared back at him. He looked up and nodded slowly.

“Perhaps the World System is evil. We don’t know for sure, of course. But maybe it is.”

Noele blinked, then deflated. She wasn’t sure what she expected when she approached Arthur. But she was hoping he’d be able to shed new light on anything for her. Instead, he just accepted her words.

“But—” Arthur opened his mouth.

And the blonde girl paused. She tilted her head as he met her gaze. He spoke resolutely, his eyes faintly reflecting the moonlight.

“Just because the World System is evil, doesn’t mean that the Fal-Deus is any better. In fact, if the World System is evil, then it must be a necessary evil. Because the Fal-Deus is the incarnation of all that is evil.”

“…what?” Noele’s eyes went wide when she heard the former Lich King say that. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him. She just didn’t understand where he was coming from. “How do you know that?”

Arthur shook his head bitterly as he whispered. “When I was possessed by the Voidgod— by the Fal-Deus— I had peered into the depths of the Void. And even if it was not for long, I can confidently say that it is worse than anything the World System could be.”

Noele narrowed her eyes. A shiver ran down her spine as she eyed the man standing before her curiously. She had never seen such a harrowed look on his face before— even though he was once a Lich King that had witnessed and committed many unimaginable atrocities, he looked truly afraid.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked hesitantly. “What did you see?”

Arthur took in a deep breath. “When I was possessed by the Fal-Deus, we became one. Even if I had no control over anything. My mind could still see into the cracks of its heart. There, I saw its deepest desires. There, I saw an endless evil. There, I saw what it truly wanted.”

Noele pursed her lips as she leant closer. “And what did you see, Arthur?”

She asked in a soft voice. Arthur opened his mouth, and she reeled at what he had to say.

—–

Kallistus Kal closed his eyes as he sat beneath his throne room. He was alone, shrouded by darkness. For a brief moment, this dark chamber had been illuminated by the surface. When Guardian Angel Z357 had attacked, it had shed light to his schemes.

But the [Hero King] simply appointed the power of his personal followers to repair the damage because his hideout could be discovered by his people. And now, this was where he lay in hiding. Or at the very least, this was where his real body waited.

Up above, on the surface, his clone went about his kingdom, ruling in his stead. And here, in the darkness, he remained in silence. Perhaps he could have prepared an army of voidlings to overtake Vacuos. Maybe he could have even further researched into creating rifts, to find a way back home.

But he did not do any of that. All he did was listen.

Because he could hear an echoing voice. Because he could hear the Void. And because it was growing… stronger.

“I shall grant you all that you desire…”

His mind flashed with memories of his previous life. The voice grew louder, invading his mind. But he didn’t move. He stayed still.

“…and in return, all you need to accomplish is one simple task.”

Kallistus Kal took in a deep breath, and the voice of the Void spoke to him, showing him a world of oblivion.

“Destroy the Enemy. Destroy all of its creation. Burn it all— bring all of Vacuos to ruin. And from its ashes, we shall build a new world.”

And the [Hero King]’s eyes snapped open.