Godfrey leaped, a few inches off the floor, a purple light consumed him, and he reappeared on the mezzanine in another flash.

"It’s been a while." He stared at Percival.

Percival opened his arms wide as he drew closer. Godfrey took a step back.

"Don’t you want to hug your senior?" Percival asked.

"No." Godfrey spat.

"Come on."

"Did you hit your head?" Godfrey asked when Percival wrapped his arms around his back and patted him. Inwardly, he chuckled. As someone who had died once and returned, he could see that there was more beauty to living and enjoying moments with those you were close with.

"It’s truly been a while."

Lucy smiled, then turned to face Arden and Oliver, whose eyes were quite dim; it made her smile wither away.

But Arden suddenly rose to her feet when Percival left Godfrey. She went close and embraced him.

"Are you back?" She asked.

Godfrey caressed Arden’s back. "I’m sorry...but Isolde’s killer is in paradise."

That statement made Arden’s and Oliver’s eyes widen. Percival frowned deeply.

"What?!" Oliver came down from the railings. "Who’s the killer?"

"I can’t tell you for your own safety. That’s all I can say for now but I’ve grieved enough. My main objective right now is to stop this tournament."

Oliver’s eyes flickered in deep thought. Who could it be? 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"I’m not surprised but I’m not sure Captain Saul will accept you. He’s made several negative remarks about you. I think you hurt his pride and, back then, I could sense his intent. He wanted to kill you." Arden looked at Godfrey.

Godfrey slid his hands into his pockets. "Saul has what I want so we can’t be friends in the first place."

Everyone glanced at him with raised eyebrows.

"You all know my summon is a castle. There are things within a castle and in mine, there are knights but some of them are not there."

"The black knights!" Lucy gasped. "I had a feeling those knights were just too similar to yours."

Arden was more shocked that Godfrey could take another’s summon since his own was a castle and, as he said, castles usually had things inside and those things or people were denizens of that castle. In other terms, Godfrey could be the rightful owner of some people’s summons!

"So Abaddon and Apollyon belong to you. I don’t think the Captain would ever want to hand them over. You’d have to kill him first."

"Abaddon and Apollyon. So that’s their name. Tsk!" Godfrey clicked his tongue. It did suit their current nature but not their ideals as Golden Order Knights.

"I don’t think you can march straight to attack Saul. If you lose, you’ll be dead; if you win, you would become an enemy of the entire paradise. Because before their eyes, you came out of nowhere and, for no reason at all, attacked their Captain." Percival folded his arms.

Godfrey shook his head. "I wasn’t planning to do that. I plan to join Saul’s tournament and wreck it from within. I’ll override the system from inside."

He was doing this to win over his knights.

His bet was that at least it would build a foundation for them to acknowledge him as their king.

For a start, pathan knights respected strength. Human strength not monsters.

Arden tapped her chin. "There are two ways for you to join the cohort. One is by applying and the other is getting approval from the Elders. Saul has a lot of supporters and his words can even sway the Elders so I won’t bank on them. The only person that can help is the Watchman."

Lucy gasped inwardly.

Godfrey smiled... a bit.

"You and Percival are close to the Watchman so there’s a good chance both of you can convince him for an approval." Oliver supported Arden.

Godfrey responded with a soft nod. "That won’t be a problem."

He knew if there was one thing he and Cain agreed on, it was for him to get stronger. For now, Godfrey knew he had to set his emotions aside and do what was necessary.

Just then, the door slammed open and Nathan walked into the pit with Alora and Arnold. The moment Arnold saw Godfrey, his expression hardened.

"Who’s that?" Nathan asked when he saw Godfrey. Alora was also curious. They had never seen that face before.

"An unwelcome guest. Cease him!" Arnold declared, unleashing a massive diagram behind him. What came out was a humanoid being with massive black wings.

It looked like arms that grew out of the humanoid’s back with massive black feathers, forming a vast pair of wings attached to a fourteen-foot-tall shriveled body in a black garment.

The garment reached its bare foot and hid its head behind a tattered hood. This existence, called the Blood Omen, wore a thick, dark golden chest plate and large pauldrons with sprinkles of crimson.

The Blood Omen’s arms were shriveled with unnaturally long fingers that went around a trident that looked like a candelabra.

Nathan summoned a sixteen-foot-tall bipedal panda with massive claws, a large, broad chest, and powerful arms.

It unleashed a loud roar that made the structure tremble.

Alora’s summoning was rather quiet. What came out was a four-armed female insect humanoid with long silver hair that flowed down to the floor, a white mask that only had holes for the eyes, and four black horns like hardened antennas.

It was covered from head to toe in gray armour that stuck to the insect humanoid’s lithe physique.

With two of its right hands, it held a greatsword with a long handle. The entire sword was silver, just like the insect’s hair.

The space in the massive pit suddenly felt small as the aura of three Titled gods choked the atmosphere.

Nathan’s Zombie Panda brandished its claws, Alora’s Insect Knight assumed a proper stance, and Arnold lifted up his trident.

In the next moment, he slammed it against the floor and blood swirled at the top of the weapon like an ominous cloud.

Lucy gasped, struggling to breathe.

"What are you doing?!" Arden yelled with wide eyes.