JAPAN - MOUNT FUJI

Arthur’s portal opened above a sea of clouds, cold wind immediately rushed past them.

Then solid ground appeared beneath their feet, filled with snow, stone and silence.

Arthur stepped forward first as the portal collapsed behind them in ripples of darkness, leaving only the night sky above Mount Fuji stretching endlessly overhead, the moon illuminated the mountain beautifully. White snow covered the slopes while freezing winds swept across the summit. Far below, the distant lights of Japan glittered peacefully, completely unaware of the absurd conversation about to take place above them.

Renshiro stumbled slightly after being dragged through dimensions against his will.

"What the hell!"

He quickly regained his balance and looked around sharply.

Then he recognized the place.

"...Mount Fuji?!"

Raven folded her arms as her cloak fluttered violently in the cold air.

"Well. At least this place is calm."

Renshiro turned toward Arthur immediately.

"Why did you bring me here?!"

Arthur casually walked toward the edge of the mountain, "In case your little defense mechanism activates again."

He glanced back over his shoulder.

"Better here than inside your office and the city itself."

Renshiro narrowed his eyes immediately.

"Defense mechanism..."

His hand slowly moved toward the katana at his waist.

"...What are you really trying to do?!"

Arthur sighed softly.

There it was again.

The paranoia, the ego, the vessel truly matched the energy of the being inhabiting him.

Renshiro suddenly drew his katana, steel rang sharply through the cold air.

The blade reflected moonlight beautifully as he pointed it toward Arthur.

"What do you really want from me shadow man?!"

Raven stared at him blankly.

Arthur simply raised one hand lazily in mock surrender.

"Calm down." then his glowing violet eyes shifted toward the sword.

"And put that thing away before you accidentally hurt yourself."

Renshiro’s eye twitched.

"Hurt myself?"

"Yes."

"...That sounds arrogant."

Arthur looked genuinely confused by this man.

"It’s not arrogance if it’s objectively true."

Raven snorted.

Renshiro’s grip tightened on his blade.

"You drag me across the country, speak in riddles about gods, then stare into my soul until my office exploded!"

"I mean it was still you," Raven corrected.

"...and now you expect me to just calmly cooperate?!"

Arthur looked toward Raven.

"You explain it, I’m done with this idiot."

Raven blinked.

"Why me?"

"Because every time I explain something to someone it somehow becomes more confusing."

"...Fair."

Raven stepped forward slightly and looked directly at Renshiro.

"You’ve seen the Gotham incident, right?"

Renshiro frowned.

"Of course."

"The monsters. The gates. The giant wolf thing fighting Superman. The woman covered in plague magic. The shadow army. All of it."

Renshiro slowly lowered his sword slightly.

"...Yeah."

Raven nodded.

"Those things are called Monarchs."

The cold wind howled around them as she continued.

"They rule over the monsters, the same type of monsters you find in Gates, the beasts, demons, insects, giants. All of them."

Renshiro’s expression slowly became more serious.

"And the beings opposing them are called Rulers."

Arthur remained silent beside her while she explained.

"These ’benevolent’ Rulers decided humanity should survive the coming war, so they started preparing Earth in advance. Gates. Mana. Hunters. All of it."

Renshiro frowned harder.

"...Wait."

Raven pointed directly at him.

"And selected humans like you were chosen to carry fragments of the Rulers’ power."

Renshiro blinked once.

"...You’re saying I’m chosen by some cosmic god-warrior thing? And not The God?"

Arthur answered calmly.

"Yes."

Renshiro stared at him.

"...That actually still sounds kind of awesome."

Raven immediately facepalmed.

"Oh my god."

Arthur closed his eyes briefly.

Renshiro pointed at himself proudly.

"So I truly am special."

"You missed the important part again.."

"No I heard all of it."

"There are seven vessels." Raven continued.

Renshiro blinked.

"...Seven of me?"

Raven slowly turned toward him with the expression of someone reconsidering all life choices.

"Seven others, you halfwit."

Arthur actually laughed quietly at that.

Renshiro looked offended immediately. "Well excuse me for not being immediately fluent in cosmic nonsense."

Arthur stepped toward him.

"Do you understand now?"

Renshiro hesitated, then finally lowered his katana completely.

"Yeah...Sort of."

Raven muttered quietly, "These Rulers really chose this man of all people."

Arthur nodded slightly.

"That concerns me too."

"Hey!"

Then Arthur’s expression changed, subtly.

But Raven noticed instantly.

His violet eyes glowed brighter, Arthur suddenly grabbed Renshiro by the shoulder.

Renshiro immediately tensed.

"The hell are y.."

Then he froze, completely.

His body locked in place instantly, even his breathing stopped, his eyes widened in shock as golden light suddenly ignited inside them once again.

Brighter than before, far brighter, the air itself began vibrating.

Raven’s expression immediately sharpened, she could feel it now, Arthur’s shadow spread outward across the snow beneath his feet like an abyss, his glowing violet eyes met the burning golden light inside Renshiro’s.

Then Arthur spoke like a king issuing a command.

"Stop hiding yourself, Fragment of Brilliant Light."

The mountain trembled slightly.

"I merely wish to talk."

The golden light intensified violently, winds exploded outward across the summit.

Snow spiraled around them in massive waves, Arthur did not move an inch.

"I know you sensed me, I know you see me!"

The shadows around him deepened.

"I will not leave until you answer me." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Raven’s eyes widened slightly.

Even she felt uneasy now.

Arthur’s presence right now, was terrifying, then he said something that even made Raven turn toward him sharply.

"I will kill your vessel if I have to."

Arthur’s voice remained emotionless.

"It would take time for you to find another suitable host."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Time you do not have."

Raven stared at him.

"...Arthur."

For a moment, she genuinely wondered if he meant it.

And the terrifying thing was, he probably did.

Arthur said nothing further.

The mountain remained silent.

Then slowly, the violent golden light inside Renshiro’s eyes dimmed.

The arrogance vanished from Renshiro’s face, so did the confusion.

His posture straightened unnaturally, calmly and gracefully, like an entirely different being now stood before them.

When he finally spoke, his voice no longer sounded human.

It echoed softly, almost layered, like several voices speaking as one beneath a calm celestial tone.

"You still shine brighter than most care to admit ..."

The glowing golden eyes met Arthur’s violet gaze directly.

"...Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light."

Even Raven felt chills from hearing it, the respect in that voice was unmistakable.

There was no fear.

Arthur finally released Renshiro’s shoulder slowly and the winds around Mount Fuji calmed.

And for the first time since arriving,

Arthur smiled faintly.

"There you are."

Renshiro’s body suddenly knelt in the snow between them, head slightly lowered, not in submission but in containment.

Light gathered inside Renshiro’s eyes, but the glow did not consume him this time. It extended beyond him. "Ashborn’s successor," it said,"We have observed your path."

Arthur’s expression remained calm, but his gaze sharpened slightly as if confirming something he already suspected.

"I assumed as much," he said simply.

"We have always watched," the Fragment of Brilliant Light replied. "As we observe all others of this cycle."

Raven’s eyes narrowed slightly, her head tilting just a fraction. She wasn’t afraid, but she was deeply aware that she was standing in something far beyond a normal conversation. Even for her standards.

Arthur’s voice remained even. "Then you already know I’ve killed four of the Monarchs."

"We know," the Fragment answered without hesitation. "The Beast Monarch has fallen. The Plague Monarch has fallen. The Monarch of Transfiguration has fallen too. All in this world."

Arthur’s eyes dimmed slightly.

"The greatest threat remains," the Fragment said. "Antares’s successor has yet to fully make a move. And this inaction is dangerous to us."

Raven exhaled quietly through her nose, her gaze flicking briefly toward Arthur before returning to the vessel. There was something unsettling about how calmly it acknowledged global-scale destruction, as if discussing weather patterns.

"Tell me something," Arthur said. "Why this world?"

The Fragment’s response was immediate, as if the question had been anticipated long before it was asked.

"It was simply meant to be."

Raven’s eyes tightened at that phrase, but she said nothing.

Arthur’s gaze hardened slightly. "That is not an answer."

The Fragment continued voice still composed, still almost reverent.

"With your presence, the Monarchs became aware of movement beyond expectation. With their movements, we became aware in turn. And with the successor of Antares... balance began to tilt in a direction that could no longer be ignored."

Arthur’s expression did not change,

"So you’re saying this is a convergence," he said. "You brought it here because I exist here."

"We did not bring destruction, we brought a chance of salvation for the humans," the Fragment replied. "Fate is not placement, It is inevitability."

A faint tension spread through the air at the word.

Raven’s gaze shifted slightly toward Arthur again. She had expected arrogance from something like this. She had expected divine superiority. What she hadn’t expected was this calm being.

Arthur took a slow step forward.

"Do not talk to me about Fate..." Arthur said.

The Fragment’s tone did not change, but something subtle passed through it, acknowledging a truth that could not be softened.

"This is not up to us," it said. "Or them."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed further.

"You chose this because my presence here gives you access!" he said. "Enough influence, enough energy and enough anchoring to manifest here fully when the final stage begins."

Raven’s attention sharpened immediately, she understood what he was implying before it was fully spoken.

Arthur continued. "You intend to descend when it’s convenient. When the Monarchs are dealt with."

His voice dropped further.

"And you think I won’t see that as betrayal?"

For the first time, the Fragment’s response didn’t come immediately.

"We have already been betrayed once," it said. "By the very one who created us. We are not your enemy."

Arthur let out a quiet breath through his nose.

"You betrayed him.."he said.

The Fragment’s presence flickered faintly,

"We would not raise a blade against you without necessity," it said. "You are Ashborn’s successor. You should understand the weight of what we endure and why we did what we did."

Arthur’s gaze hardened.

"I understand exactly why I don’t trust you."

Raven’s eyes shifted slightly at that, she hadn’t expected him to say it so directly.

Arthur continued.

"If you had never touched this world, it would have been better for me. I would have fought my war without dragging humanity into a conflict it never asked for."

His eyes lifted slightly toward the horizon.

"But it’s too late for that now."

The Fragment did not interrupt.

Arthur’s voice stayed controlled, but colder now.

"The Gates. The Hunters, and your prisoners sealed inside the dungeons and released onto Earth like stored weapons."

His gaze sharpened.

"Your influence is already embedded everywhere."

The Fragment’s tone softened again, almost pleading in its own distant way.

"Do not reject what is necessary, Great One. Stand with us as you did before. Together, we may end the cycle before it consumes all of us."

/-\

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