Chapter 367: Riven’s Eldest Brother, The Traitorous Gawain

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Riven saw it all, a beautiful World of Espers, an endless Spiritual Plane formed from countless elements, worlds, and realms woven together. Rivers of light crossed distant skies, while floating islands drifted between enormous clouds of spiritual energy.

Then he saw the man who had tricked Quetzalcoatl, kidnapped him, and dragged him here. He was a tall, dazzlingly handsome young man with short blond hair and glistening emerald eyes. That flawless appearance could not hide the cold greed behind his gaze. Riven immediately recognized the bastard, and the sight of him made his blood boil.

"Gawain..."

He was Riven’s eldest brother and Arthur’s strongest son, a powerful L-Rank Awakened blessed with incredible strength, terrifying abilities, and swordsmanship that had reached the divine level.

Among Arthur’s children, few could even hope to challenge him. Riven had always known how dangerous his brother was, but seeing these memories revealed something far worse than just his mere strength.

Gawain was the one who had sold out Quetzalcoatl. After taking over and conquering his Realm, he handed it to his company and began extracting its resources without restraint. Forests rich in spiritual power were torn apart, sacred lands were stripped bare, and everything of value was transported through enormous Gates.

To Gawain, the Spirit Realm and its people were nothing more than assets waiting to be claimed.

It seemed Gawain had done the same to several others. Riven watched more Espers being dragged away, including Ifrit, the King of Flames; Glacia, the Queen of Ice; Fulgur, the Lord of Thunder; and many more whose names he did not know.

Some of them struggled until the very end, unleashing desperate, almost suicidal assaults in an attempt to create an opportunity for the rest to escape before the golden chains forced them down. Others could barely move, already exhausted from whatever battles had led to their capture, or completely unconscious, impaled by dozens of golden swords.

Some of these powerful Espers were taken together to special facilities, where Cid would continue his experiments on them. Others were placed inside the Spirit Reactors of certain Gates or Areas outside the city, their power was drained to sustain machines and strengthen the company’s growing territory and allow for the research of Spirit Energy-fueled technology and bioengineering.

Espers were never treated as living beings, but as resources for the ever-growing company funded by his cruel father.

"So many...!"

Riven and Ignias could hardly believe how many Espers had already been captured. Several of them were Ignias’ friends, members of the Spirit Council formed in the Dragon World of Draconia by her and other good dragons who wished to cooperate with beings from another world.

She recognized familiar faces among the prisoners, and each one made her remember another painful memory. These were Espers she had spoken with, fought beside, and promised to protect. Now they were scattered across enemy facilities, imprisoned and exploited. Slowly dying, hopelessly.

"Please... before it’s too late... my child... Coatliztli... Find him... he’s...!"

Riven’s eyes widened as the memories began to fade. In the final scene, Quetzalcoatl was surrounded by Gawain and his men. Shining golden divine chains coiled around his enormous body, binding his limbs and sealing his power no matter how fiercely he resisted. His roars shook the Realm, but his captors only tightened the restraints the more he resisted.

Nearby, his child, a much smaller feathered serpent, cried out and tried to reach him before several soldiers seized the young Esper and carried him away. Quetzalcoatl struggled harder at the sight, tearing at the chains until his blood stained his colorful feathers, yet he could do nothing to stop them.

"Papa!!!"

Riven could still hear the child’s desperate cry as Gawain’s men dragged him away. The small, feathered serpent twisted and struggled in their grasp, reaching toward his father until they forced him inside a spirit-sealing box. The artifact flashed, shrinking his body until he was no larger than an apple. Even then, his tiny claws scraped against the transparent walls as he called out again.

"Papaaaa! Papaaaaaa!!!"

"Coatliztli...! NO...! GAWAIN! ANYTHING BUT MY SON!!!"

"Haha, there’s nothing for you to worry about, great Quetzalcoatl! The boy will not be harmed..." Gawain promised with a cruel, forced smile.

An old man with long white hair stepped out from behind Gawain, staring at the box with a fascinated expression. His eyes moved over the trapped child as if he were examining a rare specimen rather than a terrified living being. "A young, living Esper! Who would’ve thought you had such a thing hidden away? He will prove to be an excellent test subject!"

"B-BASTARD...! DAMN YOU, HUMANS!!!"

Quetzalcoatl thrashed furiously as he watched them carry his son away. His enormous body strained against the divine chains, causing them to rattle and shine brighter with every one of his movement.

Colorful feathers scattered around him, and blood ran down his bound limbs, but he refused to stop. He snapped his jaws at the soldiers and desperately tried to pull himself toward Coatliztli. However, the chains only tightened, crushing him against the ground.

RUMBLE!

"GAAHAA...?!"

Quetzalcoatl groaned in agony, vomiting blood everywhere as his eyes widened, seeing who he once thought was his friend and ally, a bridge between Espers and Humans.

"Enough, Quetzalcoatl. It’s time to go to sleep."

Gawain raised his shining sword and swung it without hesitation. The blade passed through Quetzalcoatl’s flesh without leaving a wound, instead cutting directly into his soul.

"Divine Soul Blade Art - Soul Break."

SLAAASH!

"Ugh?! Gawain...! You... bastard...!"

A violent shock spread through his entire body, stunning him at once. His strength vanished, his head struck the ground, and the image of his son became the last thing he saw before his consciousness faded.

When he finally woke up again, he found himself floating inside a massive tube. Countless restraints pierced his spiritual body, leaving him unable to move or gather enough power to escape.

Strange machines surrounded the tube, slowly draining his energy, his memories, and everything that made him who he was. He could not tell how much time had passed. All he could do was endure it and pray that his son was still alive.

That torment continued until Riven finally arrived and freed him.

However, it was already too late. Quetzalcoatl’s spirit had been damaged beyond recovery, and only a small part of his former power remained.

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