Rise of The Strongest Monarch-Chapter 88: Statue?

Zeno and Airi know about this statue, or at least what it could mean. But I don’t understand a single thing about it... So it would help if they gave us some information.

Wriggle. Wriggle. Wriggle.

Movement in my arm immediately brings me away from my thoughts as my vision starts to blur.

The eyes on the statue look like they are beginning to glow as I look a bit more closely.

"Goodbye."

Everything disappears within a flash as I open my eyes to the sight of light hanging above the giant hole. The sun? It was the last thing I experienced through Aether’s eyes.

"Hey you made it back to the memories somehow," Aether speaks with a bit of excitement.

Why did the statue bring me here though? I didn’t come here on my own Aether.

"Statue? What are you talking about?" Aether asks with a curious tone.

I saw a statue with strange glowing eyes before I suddenly woke up here again. I don’t really understand a single thing about it or why it brought me here.

"A statue of lady Iris. It being in your world makes no sense to me either, but a light bearer could’ve brought it. That would be the most logical conclusion I can think of," Aether says with a serious tone.

Footsteps start to get closer, drawing my attention away from the conversation with Aether. So without thinking I turn around to see Airi standing across the room.

A somewhat disappointing look on her face.

"Did you really plan to hide out here after what you did?" Airi asks with a serious look now in her eyes.

I’m even more confused now since it was a good thing when I came down here the last time. Now it is like I’m hiding from something that I didn’t even do.

"Hiding? You all think I am a traitor. I can’t fight an army of light bearers who are blind to the truth," I respond with a calm tone.

This time around I don’t seem to have control over the way I speak, how strange. It feels really weird to go through this without any real control.

Was it like this the last time or am I misremembering things?

"I have a hard time believing it myself but the evidence all adds up..." Airi says softly while drawing her sword.

"It was always going to be this way. I don’t blame you," I reply with disappointment in my voice.

Clang!!!!

Within an instant I feel out swords clashing again one another. The same murderous glare in her eyes that I’ve seen before... It is aimed at me.

I push back a bit before instinctively kicking her away from me.

"Fighting Airi isn’t something I’m proud of," Aether speaks up with some sadness in his voice.

What happened that I’m even going through this fight with her right now? I can’t even control anything I’m doing.

"I was wrongly accused of helping the zierel. The real traitor pinned it on me and convinced the others that it was always me," Aether responds.

Clang!!!

Our swords continue to clash, no injuries really seem to occur with each time the blades connect. The impact only gets stronger, but she is slowly getting faster.

Dodge!

I move out of the way when she slashes forward and use my left hand to palm strike her.

POW!!!!

It sends her flying into a wall across the room, just barely cracking a portion of it.

"If you’re going to fight back... Make sure you kill me!!" Airi shouts with anger in her voice.

I don’t feel any reason to respond so I just rush her without thinking. I start to swing my sword towards her, but this time it feels a bit more calculated.

She swings left, I dodge, then I swing my blade across hers. Each time it seems to chip away at her sword... That tells me exactly what he was doing.

CLANG!!!! CLANG!!!!!!

Our swords clash a few more times before I finally slam my sword into her with more force than I intended to use.

SLASH!!!!!!

SHATTER!!!

Her sword breaks, but mine cuts right across... Going right through her chest without any sort of resistance. I watch for a moment as she stumbles back a few meters.

"Shit. Shit. I didn’t mean to do that!" I shout with panic in my voice.

She falls back against the wall as blood starts to drip onto the floor.

Thud.

I rush over to her, dropping my sword on the ground. Nothing else goes through my mind as I try to stop the bleeding since this wasn’t supposed to happen.

"Don’t worry I’ll take care of this!" I shout while light begins to emit from my hands.

Slowly her wound starts to close as she stares back at me.

"Why would you even do this? I’m trying to kill you Aether..." Airi responds softly.

"Because I’m not the enemy here," I say while trying to focus.

"They wouldn’t just lie," Airi replies with a bit of pain in her voice.

"The real traitor is clever. It isn’t surprising that he’d be able to convince you all that it was me since I’m—" I suddenly find myself cut off as pain jolts into my chest.

DRIP. DRIP. DRIP.

The sound of something dripping onto the floor is all I can hear, but then I realize it is coming from me. I look down to see a sword through my chest, blood streaming down it with a bit of light glowing from the blade.

"I’m sorry I took so long Airi, but I’m here now. This traitor won’t hurt you any longer," A familiar voice says with a serious tone.

GRIP!!!

I find myself gripping onto the blade with my right hand as I start to stand up. The pain starts to go away as the feeling of rage starts to engulf me entirely.

Before I can even understand what’s going on I see my right hand go across a man’s face that I’ve never seen before.

WHAM!!!!

It sends him flying across the room into the wall, slowly causing it to break around where he impacted.

I push the blade out of my chest and quickly pick up my own sword.

"That man is one of the traitors who helped convince Airi that I’m the enemy," Aether says with anger in his voice.

Who even is he?

"Jun. He is working with the other traitor," Aether answers without any hesitation.

FWOOSH!!!

I push off the ground towards the man with my sword about ready to drive into his chest.

BANG!!!! BANG!!!!!!

Two quick gunshots go off before I can reach Jun; both of the shots hit me without fail.

One shot hits me in the leg while the other goes straight through my shoulder. Even then I can’t find a reason to stop pushing towards Jun.

My eyes dart towards the other man for a moment to realize he is holding two pistols made of white light.

Are you telling me that Zeno is the true traitor who framed you?!?! He doesn’t seem like the type of guy to betray you in the slightest so I don’t understand.

He was even helping me out in my world before everything happened here.

"He is going to kill you. He knows you have my sword," Aether says with a serious tone.

I can’t beat a light bearer like him when I have struggled against hybrids... How am I supposed to deal with that?

"The statue brought you back here for a reason. Study everything as it is happening," Aether instructs.

I start to realize that I’m watching how aether fights against other light bearers.

BANG!!! BANG!!!!!!

This time I deflect the bullets with my sword before rushing towards Zeno, the rage still surging throughout my body.

As I reach him I swing my sword up towards him, it just barely cuts across him as he dashes back. The look of pure fear in his eyes is something I also notice.

"You really are a monster Aether," Zeno says while catching his breath briefly.

The cut wasn’t anything major but it was enough to show that he can be hit.

Clang!!!!

Without thinking I block an attack that comes from behind, but I didn’t think it was something I could even do in the first place.

"This is why you are seriously a problem," Jun speaks with a bit of irritation in his voice.

"He just won’t die for us," Zeno chimes in again.

"Two traitors who don’t know how to shut up, how suiting for you both. I’ll shut you up, don’t worry," I assure them while light begins to glow all around us.

CLASH!!!!!

In a couple of moments I find myself standing behind Zeno after the clash ends with Jun.

PIERCE!!!!

My sword goes straight through his stomach as he lets out an audible grunt of pain. Blood starts to spill onto the floor but then I hear it.

BANG!!!!!!