On the other side just as Arthur and Steve were about to conclude their spar, a man in black plate armor appeared above Avalon. He swept his awareness around the island but he did not find his target.

And the moment the unknown armored man arrived near Avalon, the guardian had already detected him and had already pointed the orbital cannons towards him. And it also sent all the information to Arthur. 

…

The duel had dragged on long enough that the sky had turned a bit darker. The light of dusk spilled across the battered island where Arthur and Steve had been clashing for hours, the last glare of sunlight reflecting off shattered ridges and floating debris suspended midair from residual spatial distortions. 

Both of them had slowed down, as they were approaching the end of their spar, both recognizing the need to stop as the day was coming to an end.

After concluding their spar, together they were walking towards Selene and Eveline, when he suddenly felt a ping on his communication device.

He stopped mid-step as they were just outside of the protective dome. The notification pinged again, this time more urgent.

Steve, who was walking beside him, stopped too and asked. “What is it?”

Arthur didn’t answer at first. He flicked his wrist band, allowing the holographic screen to appear before his eyes. The guardian’s alert unfolded in a rapid stream of data. He checked it quickly and saw that Avalon was being approached by an unknown person in black armor.

Arthur’s expression hardened.

Selene and Eveline, who were waiting at the edge of the island beneath a protective dome, saw Arthur’s change of expression immediately. Selene crossed the distance with a blink, appearing beside him with worry already forming. “What happened?”

Arthur dismissed the hologram and took a deep breath. “Someone powerful just approached Avalon. He is strong enough for the island’s defence to be activated.”

Steve’s brows rose lightly. “Oh? Someone dared to attack Avalon.”

Arthur glanced at him. “Well, we will soon know who it is.” He turned toward Selene. “I think we should leave now.”

Selene nodded without hesitation, and Eveline joined them as Steve stepped closer.

“Let’s go see what kind of idiot thinks attacking your island is a good idea,” Steve said dryly though he had some idea who it could be.

Arthur didn’t waste time. In the next moment, all four vanished from the training island.

…

When they reappeared, the island of Avalon stretched beneath them in all directions. The night lights of the cities had already been turned on, and the five massive orbital cannons, hidden in plain sight, began aligning their barrels toward a single point in the sky.

Far above Avalon, a man in jet-black plate armor was flying around it, his presence suffocating but to the four it was nothing as all of them were much more powerful than the unknown man. His expression was hidden behind a visor, but his intent was unmistakable as he scanned the island with his awareness while emitting killing intent.

He muttered under his breath, “Where are you, boy?”

He extended his awareness throughout Avalon in search of Arthur, a sweep of his senses spreading in all directions, brushing across the sprawling landmass below. Yet every search came back empty, as if the man he hunted was not present at the moment.

Seeing that he still can’t find Arthur, the armored man was becoming frustrated and decided to destroy one of the cities to lure him out. 

He stopped high in the sky and pointed one hand towards one of the five cities, and dark energy started to gather in front of his hand.

From below, Arthur observed quietly from a distance alongside Selene, Steve, and Eveline. They hovered above the treeline, out of sight and shielded by Steve’s spatial veil.

Selene’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to confront him?”

Arthur shook his head. “Let’s just observe first.”

Steve gave him a sidelong glance. “Do you trust your new toys that much?”

Arthur nodded and said with a calm expression. “Let’s just say I didn’t install those cannons for decoration.”

Eveline frowned. “What cannons?”

“You’ll see,” Arthur replied cryptically.

Up in the sky, the armored figure began gathering dark energy in the palm of his hand. Air twisted around the dark sphere, the pressure warping the air. If released, the attack would have wiped out a large portion of the city.

Selene’s eyes widened. “He’s actually going to…” And was going to intervene but Arthur placed a hand on her wrist and said. “Don’t worry, let him do that.”

Selene gave him a look that screamed, ‘Are you insane?’ Steve and Eveline looked equally bewildered.

But then they felt a shift in the air. A subtle but overwhelming pressure building at the center of the island. It was the doing of the orbital cannons Arthur had integrated into the island defence.

The guardian had already locked onto the threat.

The armored man was going to release the attack towards the city, when he felt an ominous feeling and looked at his right, but before he could react, a blinding beam of concentrated energy shot upward from the center of Avalon with such speed that even a Transcendent rank expert would struggle to dodge.

It hit the armored figure before he even realized he was in danger.

The beam engulfed him in an instant, swallowing his silhouette completely. It roared for two full seconds, before finally thinning and dissipating into fading sparks of residual energy.

When the light cleared, nothing remained of the armored man. Not even a speck of dust, what remained was just the trail of the beam carved into the clouds.

Down below, countless citizens of Avalon had seen the flash of light from their windows, markets, and streets. And people started to gossip about what it was.

“What was that!?”

“Are we under attack!?”

“Did the sky split!?”

But no one had answers, and no one realized how close they had come to death.

…

Arthur nodded his head in appreciation and was completely unbothered. “Perfect, it worked without any issue.”

Steve rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Was that an energy cannon?”

Arthur nodded. “Yes, and there are actually five of them throughout the island to protect it from instances like this.”

Eveline still looked a little stunned. “That weapon… it didn’t feel like a magic attack.”

“It’s not,” Selene explained softly. “It’s from Arthur’s world, and what you saw just now doesn’t utilize mana.”

Eveline stared at her granddaughter, then at Arthur. “…I am not sure whether to be impressed or terrified.”

Just as they were about to fly toward the city to check on the civilians, Arthur sensed a familiar aura approaching. A few moments later, a figure appeared in front of them, it was Kai.

He looked slightly disheveled, like he’d rushed over the moment he saw the beam split the sky.

“Master,” Arthur greeted him.

Kai nodded stiffly before glancing at the others. “What happened just now? And… they are?”

Arthur gestured casually. “The island was attacked by someone unknown. The beam you saw was the island’s automated defense system. Oh, and these two are Selene’s grandparents.”

Steve gave a polite nod, Eveline waved gracefully. And Kai bowed respectfully in return.

The group descended toward the city together to survey any disturbances among the people and ensure no additional threats lingered. Thankfully, the guardian had handled everything flawlessly.

…

Several days passed.

The world outside Avalon continued its descent into chaos. Demons clashed with human armies and Church forces in a war fueled more by political tension than true necessity. Arthur didn’t bother involving himself, but he couldn’t ignore the civilians trapped near the frontlines. 

He dispatched hundreds of rescue teams, consisting of synthezoids, guard bots, and handpicked personnel, to evacuate border villages, pulling tens of thousands of innocents to safety.

Meanwhile, he threw himself into a different kind of work, that is to expand Avalon.

Population growth had accelerated far faster than expected. The original five cities were approaching their maximum capacity to hold civilians, and Arthur refused to flatten forests or destroy ecosystems to make space for more cities.

So he created new land instead. Massive circular city platforms, nearly twenty kilometers in diameter each, ringed the main island like planets orbiting a star. He shaped them through Matter Manipulation and engineered their foundations using high-density alloys. The bridges connecting them to the central island were architectural wonders, sleek, reinforced, and capable of handling thousands of travelers a day.

And as people arrived, rescued from warzones or migrating from other kingdoms, they were guided to these new circular zones, where housing, jobs, and services awaited them.

The people of Avalon were amazed at the prowess of their lord, and rumors started to spread across nearby kingdoms and beyond about his exploits.

…

Present day.

A large ship carrying a knight of the Church of Brightwater acting as its envoy approached Avalon from the east. The sea breeze was calm, and the waves were not strong today, so the sailors were chatting casually, until the island came into view.

Gasps erupted immediately.

“My god… what is that…!?”

“Those towers, how tall are they!?”

“Look at those rings around the island! Are those… cities?”

The knight, annoyed with the sudden commotion, pushed through the sailors. “What is going on out h…” He choked on his words mid-sentence.

From the deck, he could see Avalon unfold like a scene out of a myth. Tall skyscrapers pierced the heavens, their surfaces glinting as sunlight reflected from the glass panels. Circular landmasses surrounded the main island, each connected by gigantic bridges that looked like divine constructs. And even from this distance, the knight could see massive construction machines which he had never heard of assembling buildings piece by piece.

His hands trembled despite his attempt to keep a composed expression.

“This… this entire place… who could possibly build such…” He didn’t finish the sentence because even the thought was overwhelming.

As the ship docked at one of the ring cities, a uniformed guard approached politely.

“Welcome to Avalon. Are you from the Church? Please follow me.”

They were ushered into a luxurious bus. The interior was pristine, and cool air started to blow on the commuter’s body in this hot weather, as the air conditioner was turned on.

The soldiers looked at everything with wide eyes, but the knight was not as much surprised seeing the bus, though he had never seen something like this before, he had heard about these carriages before, as Avalon sold them to multiple kingdoms in the last few decades.

As the bus drove toward the main island, the soldiers stared out the windows in shock. Cities under construction grew rapidly under the hands of colossal machines. Citizens moved through the streets while wearing weird looking clothes.

The knight swallowed hard. He had been ordered to demand that Avalon hand over a fugitive named Arthur Sully.

But now…? Now he wasn’t sure demanding anything was wise after seeing the Island with his own eyes.

“Perhaps,” he murmured weakly to himself, “it may be better to… request politely.”

The bus crossed one of the massive bridges and entered the coastal city of Avalon. And the envoy braced himself. He was about to meet the island’s mysterious lord.

***

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