C43: The Blood Mage

"Don't move... Or I will kill you right away..."

The voice dumfounded each and everyone who was lying down on the roof.

"Raise your hands and slowly... Turn around." The voice was so familiar that it made Winry shudder.

"Is that you... sister?"

"Wha — Winry!? What the —" all four of them turned around, only to see their whole team standing behind them with their weapons pointed at them.

"Rick!? What are you doing here!? Why here!!?" Elijah questioned Rick.

Rick blinked upon hearing this.

"The question is... Why are you fools here? We came here to take down the Blood Alchemists!" Rick muttered, raising his eyebrow at her.

Owl was dumbfounded upon hearing this.

"But... This is the place we tracked down the Midnight. Are they related!?" Owl asked Rick, astonished.

"Shh! We need to see where that Moon King is going! He just entered the church!" Alan shushed the whole team, getting all of their attention.

He was right... The Moon King, the one who lead the whole team of Legends, was walking into the church as the doors opened wide.

Folding his umbrella, he slowly stepped into the church and the doors were about to close.

"Dammit! We have to get a closer look..." Alan said, standing up as the doors started to close.

"Let's go!" Rick uttered as he instantly leaped over the rooftops to the dome of the church.

All of them followed him, finally managing to reach the spire of the church. There was a skylight that led all the sunlight to the place where the prayers should've been.

All of them crouched around the edge of the skylight, gazing at the view below. However, they could hardly hear anything because of the rain and the constant thundering.

But it was not a matter, because, by Lucy's ability, she could hear anything anyone says, if she focuses her mana on it, also giving her the ability to make the sound appear from the place she wants.

Alan narrowed his eyes and stared at the Moon King who he had never even seen with his own eyes before. However, he couldn't tell that it was surely him... But there was a large possibility that it would be him because the folks say that he wore a mask with a crescent moon.

However, Owl had a question about the Moon King...

'Umm... Didn't I fix it upon a girl? How did it change? I guess the bug flew to the Moon King's body...' he thought.

He didn't bother telling the others this, because things were getting interesting down in the church.

A fair lady wearing a red dress with a very short skirt came to the front of the church. She had long bright red hair and her skin was flawless. A beauty that could equal one of the most beautiful princesses Alan ever had.

There were two fathers following her from behind, and the Moon King was sitting on the chair at the corner in the upfront.

'Sound wave regeneration...' Lucy thought. She focused her mana onto them before they began their conversation.

[Sound Wave Regeneration Activated!]

The Moon King or Lord Ray sat in his chair with his fingers crossed. He lowered his head as the red-haired lady came to him.

Ray lifted his head and gazed at the beauty in front of him. However, her expression was not even half as beautiful as she was.

Smirking and devilishly licking her lips, she spoke.

"Hi, Lord Rayven. Long time no see. What were you doing all those days?"

The words instantly reached the rooftop, allowing all of the Foxes to hear the conversation, including Alan.

Lucy summoned a small light orb on the top of her palm and while she focused her mana on the scene below, they could hear everything the woman and the Moon King says through the orb.

"Indeed... I must say, last time I saw you... It was in the Spring, wasn't it? The place where you rampaged and murdered all your friends just to show me the power of blood alchemy?"

Upon hearing Rayven's answer, the woman's expression turned bitter.

"Oh yes, that... It was quite a bloody show. But that's in the past, my friend. Now, let's get to why I asked you to be here today..."

"And... What happened to the Bloodstone, may I ask? Did you acquire its full power, Blood Mage?" Ray questioned her once more, ceasing her before she would change the topic.

Narrowing her eyes at the Moon King, she answered, "It is a work in progress. However, I am not able to acquire its full power... Only a destined man can touch it, may we say... A man with a twisted fate, like a king."

Upon hearing this, Ray instantly pondered about what it meant by destined... Because destiny would only change into 4 types.

One... [Survivor: A man who is blessed to live and seek power, rather known as one with no particular specialty.]

Two... [Naryx: A man who is destined to destroy the world, one who is possessed by demonic desires that are filled with hatred, rather known as destined for villainy.]

Three... [King: One who is destined to cross the path of the king. Each human who's accepted by the king's destiny has a chance to gain power, order, and the vow of the people.]

And at last... [Bizarre: The people who are destined to see things that the others could not see, feel things in a way that others could not feel, and do things what others could not do... Commonly known as 'Weirdos.']

'So... It must be a goddamn Weirdo, a king class, or a fucking Naryx! How could this be? And who among us... Is to wield this Blood Stone?' Ray wondered.

"Lord... Ray. Might you know anyone who is destined for greatness, such as to wield the Bloodstone? Or —"

"No. I do not know anyone who's a Naryx, King, or a Bizarre. If you want to see... Here, take a look." Ray raised his hand and pulled down his sleeve, showing her his arm.

"System... Show me my destiny."

[Destined to be a Survivor]

In cursive words written on the skin of his arm, it appeared.

The woman, rather, the Blood Mage smirked upon seeing this. "Oh ho... So, you know that you cannot use the Bloodstone to your benefit. As expected."

The Moon Knight raised his head and gazed at her eyes.

"Hmm... Now, may I know what you needed from me?" Ray asked her.

"Well... Don't worry. We just want to make our Queen, the monarch of Argoth. Because our Queen had been destined to achieve the throne. You might as well say, the Battle of the Monarchs had begun." The lady licked her lips again, in a way, more vulgar than usual.

"So, would it please you if you could serve our Queen? Isn't that the obvious choice? Because the Monarch of Monorith is the one who runs —"

"Hold your tongue!" Ray instantly silenced her, just by using a high note. "Why would I betray my king, and lose my place among the throne?"