Seeing Mahiru Yuna leave with her teacher, the smile on Rian's face slowly faded, replaced by a flat expression. His eyes now held a cold light.
"Alright. It's time to be serious," he said, turning to Emma, Merlin, Jarvis, and Octavia.
"My Lord, I wish to ask. Why do you care so much for that human?" Emma asked curiously. To her, her master's behavior just now was unusual. He had even praised and encouraged the girl several times. And most importantly, her Master had given her his handkerchief. That made her extremely jealous!
"Mahiru Yuna is the first human Avanheim has been able to have a conversation with, unlike those kidnappers. We must show a friendly demeanor. Besides, the level of civilization in this world is far more advanced than in the World of Monia. And most importantly, Avanheim is not a nation of barbarians who only know how to wage war and are ignorant of the art of diplomacy. I hope you all understand that." Rian looked at them sharply.
"If it is your command, we will carry it out," they all replied in unison, then knelt respectfully.
Actually, the reason is simple, Rian thought. Mahiru Yuna is a good girl. I could tell just by looking in her eyes. She's the same type of person I used to be: no friends, often bullied, and kind-hearted. That's why I want to help her. In the past, I didn't have the power to help people in the same situation as me. But now… I do. At the very least, help the person in distress right in front of you.
Rian looked at Merlin. He had just remembered he hadn't thanked him. "Thanks to your Miracle Magic, we can understand their language. This is a crucial step for the World Conquest Plan. So, I thank you," he explained with a smile.
"It is only natural for a creation to help its creator." Merlin took off his hat, placed it on his chest, and bowed respectfully.
Rian nodded. Good thing I brought Merlin here. If not, I would have had a hard time translating what Yuna said to the others. Honestly, he couldn't believe the Japanese he had learned from Kazumi Fuchi would be useful. Back then, he had only asked Kazumi to teach him on a whim. Since he had a Japanese friend, why not? Yes, even though his Japanese wasn't very good and he still stumbled over his words. Fortunately, there was Merlin. He had immediately told him to use his Miracle Magic so they could all understand what Mahiru Yuna was saying.
Now, I have two important pieces of information. First, it's still the same year the Avalon servers shut down. The difference is, it's only January, the beginning of 2025.
At the start of this year, the developers should have already announced the release of Avalon II. It was even headline news all over the world. But why didn't Mahiru Yuna know about it at all? Even when asked about Avalon, she answered as if there was no game with that name in this world?
A cold anxiety began to creep into his heart. Black particles started to envelop him, in an instant transforming into the dark black helmet he had worn earlier. He also brought out his pair of wings again, then extended his hand into the air. An inventory portal opened, and he pulled out an object.
"My Lord! Why so suddenly?!" Seeing the drastic change in their master, Emma, Merlin, Jarvis, and Octavia were instantly shocked. Especially since he had even brought out the Staff of Avanheim.
Emma also immediately took out the World Class Item she kept, going on high alert.
"I want to confirm something. Follow me," Rian answered briefly, his voice muffled behind his helmet. He bent his knees slightly, and then…
BOOM!
A sonic boom was created as he shot off at a speed exceeding that of sound. The asphalt beneath his feet instantly shattered, its fragments scattering in all directions. Fortunately, Emma had anticipated this would happen. She immediately put up a Barrier spell to protect Octavia and Jarvis from the rocks.
Merlin, who saw his Master flying off in an unknown direction, felt extremely anxious. "Emma! I'm going after Lord Arthur right now!" he shouted, then leaped and immediately flew after him.
"Follow me, you two! We must catch up to Lord Arthur immediately!" Emma commanded. She also shot off into the air, creating a second sonic boom.
Jarvis and Octavia looked at each other for a moment, then flew up to follow behind.
…
I have to confirm this. This is very important!
Rian continued to accelerate his flight, creating a sonic cloud behind him. Occasionally, as he passed over residential areas or highways, he could see the alarms of parked cars go off and window panes shatter. But he didn't care. He continued to streak eastward, toward the city of Tokyo.
There… I should be able to see a billboard for the game Avalon. I saw the news about it on the internet back then. The Avalon developers put up a billboard in Tokyo, Japan, for over a month to promote Avalon II.
If this world is still the same as my previous world, then I should definitely be able to see that billboard now in Tokyo. Because that billboard was placed in a very unique position, which is… on the Tokyo Tower!
I glanced behind me and saw Emma and Merlin had caught up. I smiled faintly. As expected of an Angel and an Ancient Dragon.
Less than a minute later, I arrived in Tokyo, right at the most iconic intersection in all of Japan: Shibuya Crossing.
BOOM!
The sonic boom generated as I stopped from supersonic speed made everyone below simultaneously look up at me.
"What was that loud noise?!"
"Look! What's that up there?! Is that someone flying?!"
"Huh? You're kidding, right?"
"It's true! It looks like a person wearing black armor!"
"Oh, God… did I come to Shibuya at the wrong time? Is the Shibuya Incident from that anime about to become real?!"
"Don't say stupid things, you idiot! It's probably just some kind of drone show."
"Are you stupid?! A drone couldn't possibly look like that!"
Rian didn't care about the chatter of the people below him. His focus was on one thing: The Avalon II billboard.
"It's not at Shibuya Crossing either. There should be one here too," he muttered softly.
"Look! Four more are coming! Have I had too much to drink that I'm seeing such a ridiculous sight?"
Hearing that exclamation, Rian couldn't help but look at the source of the voice. He saw a young man with blond hair, Japanese features, and piercings in both ears. "He looks like an idiot, like someone who only thinks with his crotch," Rian muttered.
However, Emma still heard him. "If Lord Arthur commands it, then I will kill that disgusting insect below right now." She looked at the crowd of humans below her with a disgusted expression.
Rian sighed. I'm worried if this keeps up, Emma will actually slaughter the people below.
Suddenly, he sensed something approaching. Rian focused his vision on the distance and saw a fighter jet heading toward them.
Damn, this is bad. The commotion I just caused was apparently noticed by the Japanese government! This is going to be dangerous. Avanheim has to stay hidden right now, we can't be discovered by the people of Earth. Well, even though the current situation is kind of contradicting what I want.
Rian looked at the crowd of people taking pictures of him. He could even see the occasional flash of a camera.
"Lord Arthur, this is…." Merlin looked at him anxiously.
"I know," Rian replied. "Ninth-Sequence Magic: Time Stop."
After he said that, in the blink of an eye, time around him completely stopped. Rian observed the black-and-white environment around him. He saw Merlin and Emma were still moving, but Octavia was not. As for Jarvis, since he was Level 100, this spell didn't affect him much.
It seems the range of this spell has expanded a few kilometers from the original, Rian thought, holding his chin. This Time Stop spell wasn't actually very useful in the game because it couldn't be used in an online game. So, this spell was really just for decoration. Coincidentally, this spell was one that could be used by a Fallen Angel. But I didn't expect a spell that was useless in the game to be this powerful in the real world.
"I think the entire city of Tokyo is covered by this spell's effect," he muttered. He looked at Emma, Merlin, and Jarvis. "Let's get out of here. You guys carry Octavia. This time, use your Miracle Magic." He looked at Merlin.
"Just leave it to me." Merlin waved his hand from top to bottom. As he did, a brown wooden door appeared in front of him.
Rian held the doorknob. "To a quiet little alley near the Tokyo Tower," he commanded. He pulled the doorknob slowly and saw a different scene inside.
Rian, Emma, and Merlin entered. Before the door closed, Rian snapped his fingers. Instantly, time flowed normally again.
"They're gone?!"
"How is that possible?! Gone in an instant! Not even a second, I think!"
"I told you it was a drone!"
"Look! That's our fighter jet! Why are they suddenly flying?"
"Could it be… that figure wasn't a drone?"
A discussion broke out among the crowd as they saw Japan's latest F-35A fighter jet streak across the sky.
Above…
"Report! Unidentified object has vanished! Unidentified object has vanished!"
"How could it suddenly vanish?! Are you sure you're not mistaken, soldier?!"
Hearing that, the pilot flying the plane frowned. "No mistake. The object suddenly disappeared before we reached the skies over Shibuya."
"Understood. Return to base immediately."
Hearing the order, he immediately turned his plane back toward Iruma Air Base. What was that object, really? Able to move at speeds up to Mach 3? If it weren't for its ridiculously insane speed for an object that small, we probably wouldn't have found it, the pilot thought.
…
"My Lord, why were you so reckless? We were almost exposed to the natives of this world," Merlin complained.
"Merlin, watch your words! Lord Arthur is never reckless! Lord Arthur was only showing himself to these lowly creatures to let them know that their era is about to end!" Emma retorted firmly.
Seeing that, Merlin chose to remain silent.
Rian ignored their conversation. He walked out of the alley. He wanted to be sure, was the game Avalon really not in this world?
When he stepped out of the narrow alley, Rian directed his gaze upward. There, stood a very iconic red tower.
It was the Tokyo Tower.
And there… he didn't see the Avalon II billboard. All there was was a red iron frame, with nothing on it.
Even though I suspected this, but… it's still hard to accept.
The night city wind of Tokyo blew past him. For a moment, his hearing went silent, even though a few people were passing by around him.
Can I… really not see my family again?
Rian saw a young man holding a phone looking at him with an admiring gaze.
"Hey, you," Rian called out.
"W-what is it?" The young man's face instantly turned to panic.
"Can I borrow your phone for a second?" he asked.
The young man seemed to consider it, then he asked carefully, "Sure. But I have one condition."
"What?" Rian waited patiently.
"Can I touch that armor?" the young man replied, his expression a mix of shyness and admiration.
Hearing the request, Rian felt his heart warm slightly. "Of course," he replied in a gentle tone.
"Hooray! Here's the phone!" The young man immediately handed over his phone.
I immediately opened Google, changed the keyboard to the Latin alphabet, and typed "Game Avalon." I scrolled through the search results but didn't find the Avalon game I knew. There were games with the name Avalon, but it wasn't the one I was looking for. I decided to search for the name of the company that developed it… the result was nil. The company never existed. Not even the creator's name existed.
Now I can be sure. The game Avalon on this Earth… never existed.
I quickly closed Google and tried to call a number I knew.
"The number you have dialed is not in service."
My hand trembled as I held the phone. No. There's still hope. It's possible the number Dad uses is different in this world.
I hope so….
Rian directed his gaze to the young man who was still touching his armor. "How long are you going to keep touching it?"
Hearing that, the young man looked startled. He immediately bowed and apologized. "I'm sorry! I was just so amazed by the armor you're wearing. It looks like real armor! Can I ask who you're cosplaying as?"
Actually, I'm not cosplaying. And this is real armor, billions of times stronger than the armor you're thinking of.
Rian returned the phone, then answered, "Thanks for letting me borrow it." He didn't answer the young man's question and immediately walked over to Emma and the others, waving his hand behind him.
Rian looked at Emma, Merlin, Octavia, and Jarvis. "I'm sorry for troubling you all with my actions just now, almost messing up the plan you made." Rian bowed his head slightly.
Emma, Octavia, Merlin, and even Jarvis, who had been silent until now, showed surprised expressions. Emma and Merlin quickly took hold of their master's shoulders.
"My Lord, what are you doing?! Stop!" Emma said in a panicked and sharp tone.
Merlin added more calmly on Rian's other shoulder, "Emma is right, My Lord. You are the symbol of Avanheim itself. So, do not bow to us," he answered in a sad tone.
"I see. Alright. Thank you, Emma and Merlin, for the reminder." Damn. I almost forgot my position now.
Meanwhile, the young man from earlier looked at the people in front of him with a strange expression. "Are they practicing for a play?" he muttered.