Chapter 752: Emergence Of The Cult Leader

"U-urghhh..."

As soon as Aloe stirred, I took my gaze off the Martial Blade God.

What he said still bothered me, and his presence was just as unsettling. However, the Martial Blade God would never resort to sneak attacks or any other tricks of such kind. As a result, even as I was distracted by tending to my friend, I was sure he wouldn't harm me.

Aloe's eyes slowly opened, and she looked at me with such sadness and pain that it felt heartbreaking.

"I'm... I'm so sorry..." Her voice broke, and tears began to flow from her eyes.

She seemed so sad and so guilty. I couldn't understand why, considering she was the one who was severely injured. Wasn't I the one who was meant to be apologizing to her?

"A-Aloe... take it easy. I'm sorry for—"

"Jared... I'm sorry... I couldn't stop it..." Her voice trailed weakly, further plunging me into a state of confusion.

'Stop what? Did she face the Cult Leader? If so, how could she have hoped to win?'

"It's not your fault, Aloe. Just try to—"

"I-it's too late now..." Her eyes showed me a deep-seated regret, as well as undisputed despair.

Her trembling tone and hot tears showed me just how strongly she felt about whatever had happened, but I was more concerned with healing her than anything else at the moment.

'Once I get Aloe, Edward, Ciara, and Lemi will be the only ones left. The Martial Blade God also seems distracted. We can use this to our advantage...' My thoughts trailed as I looked at Aloe.

"Uh... Jared?" Karlia's voice called out to me.

"What is it?" I asked.

A part of me thought she would bring up the whole Aloe issue again. I didn't know why, but I felt like explaining myself to Karlia—that nothing was going on between me and Aloe.

However, one look at Karlia's worried face told me that there was no need for my consideration.

"It seems... that it's finally time." The Martial Blade God's calm voice echoed in my ears, and his gaze was fixed on something high above—far into the sky.

It seemed Karlia was turning in that direction too, though her expression wasn't as pleasant as the Martial Blade God's.

Before I was further plunged into confusion, I suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly powerful presence. Far more powerful than anything I had sensed since coming to this place!

The power was crippling, and I sensed it emerging from a single direction.

"T-there!" My eyes widened as I looked into the distance and saw a being draw closer to our location.

He resembled a boy not much older than me, and his flowing dark hair matched his pitch-black eyes. He had pale skin and was coated in darkness as he hovered in the sky.

"I-is that... the Cult Leader...?!"

The most shocking—or rather, scary—thing about this sight was not the presence of the Cult Leader, but rather the twenty-one objects that hovered around him.

Cards floated around him, all glowing and brimming with power. I didn't want to believe what I was seeing, but I recognized the signatures of some of the cards around him. I had studied their wavelengths, after all.

As I watched the twenty-one cards dance around the Cult Leader, I only had one thought... and it was scary!

"Arcanas?! But how...?!"

All twenty-one known Arcanas were with the Cult Leader!

'I... I don't understand!' Beads of sweat fell from my face as I watched him confidently halt in the air.

He was still a considerable distance from the rest of us, but not unreasonably so. However, his distance allowed me to feel the overwhelming powers of the Arcanas... including [Strength], which was still in my possession.

'How can he have them? Are they duplicates? Is there more than one copy? I don't understand!' Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury to dwell on these thoughts.

The Cult Leader seemed to be up to something and with the joint effort of these Arcanas, his power was more overwhelming than anything else!

"You sure are taking your time, Martial Blade God. Why are you yet to kill off that pest—and the traitor beside him?" The Cult Leader spoke, his tone exuding authority.

His gaze on me was cold, and I could sense a special animosity directed at me.

"They were more formidable than I thought."

"They should have proved no problem for you regardless." The man in the sky insisted.

"Indeed. However, I am saving my strength for what is to come. Per our agreement." The Martial Blade God's response seemed to put a lid on the argument.

"Very well, then. It doesn't matter now, anyway. You held them down for long enough. The Arcana set is complete."

'WHAT? BUT HOW?!' He didn't seem to be bluffing, but how was this possible?

According to Karlia, she still had possession of her Arcana. Even if we were to exclude the Arcanas that were with the Nether Cult Members, my Arcana was still with me, and so was Serah's. Aloe seemed to have lost hers, which was probably why she apologized.

Still, if we added the ones Neron possessed and the ones in the allied Nations, then there was no way this guy could have obtained a perfect set. Yet, not only did he claim that to be the case, but his Arcanas all seemed genuine.

I had never been this confused in any of my lives. This seemed like a paradox, and it betrayed all my existing knowledge of the Arcanas.

'Ah, wait... there is one more Arcana! [The World]! He doesn't have that yet!' My eyes widened, though my discovery didn't change much.

Having twenty-one law-bending tools at his disposal already made him invincible—more invincible than even the Martial Blade God.

"It's time to put an end to this charade..." The Cult Leader declared, staring at me specifically.

"This is your loss, Singularity."

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[A/N]

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