(3rd Person POV)
Arthur had truly unveiled his divine nature to Kaiser—power capable of crushing the mortal world at will, authority that could challenge the very foundations of the Realm of Wealth. All that overwhelming force had surged through his being like a tsunami, only to be perfectly restrained the moment he willed it. Now he appeared as nothing more than an ordinary mortal once again.
Kaiser's astonishment deepened as he witnessed this incredible display of control. "Unbelievable. You can actually suppress your entire divine essence so completely?" His eyes widened as he activated his divine sight, casting powerful detection spells to examine Arthur more thoroughly. Yet all he could sense was a faint aura of mystery and something indefinably strange—nothing that would identify Arthur as a deity. "If you had never revealed yourself to me directly, I would never have suspected your true nature. Your concealment is absolutely flawless."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Do you possess some legendary artifact or perhaps a unique skill that allows you to hide so perfectly?"
Arthur smiled enigmatically. 'The Entertainment System is what enables me to mask my divine power so completely. But he'll never learn about the system—that's my deepest secret,' he thought to himself.
"Arthur currently wears one of the Legendary Rings," Keanu interjected, his voice still carrying traces of anger. "The Ring of Greed. It can contain unlimited magical mana within its structure."
"The Ring of Greed?" Kaiser's eyes widened in shock as he focused on Arthur's hand. Only now did he notice the peculiar energy signature emanating from what appeared to be an ordinary piece of jewelry. "The legendary ring of myth and legend. It possesses the power to ignite wars among mortals and even tempt gods themselves to desire it. And it's been on your finger this entire time?"
Arthur shrugged casually. "I was fortunate enough to stumble across it."
"Is that ring the source of your divine ascension?" Kaiser asked with genuine curiosity.
Arthur chuckled, absently rotating the ring around his finger. "The power of this ring is certainly remarkable, but it wasn't what elevated me to godhood." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I became a deity simply through revolutionizing the entire entertainment industry. By entertaining people across the world so thoroughly that they began unconsciously worshipping me through their devotion to my creations. That's when I started receiving their faith and achieved divine status."
Kaiser remained unconvinced, his expression skeptical as he paced within his golden realm. "Can ascension to divinity really be that straightforward? I find it difficult to believe that's the complete explanation." He stopped and fixed Arthur with an penetrating stare. "But everyone harbors secrets. I won't pry too deeply into yours—I'm merely curious about the possibilities."
His tone shifted to something more serious. "Why did you risk exposing yourself just to arrange this meeting with me? There must be a specific purpose behind such a calculated gamble."
Keanu answered before Arthur could respond, though his eyes still burned with lingering resentment. "Arthur wants you to abandon the Three Known Gods—your current masters—and join our cause instead."
Kaiser wasn't particularly surprised by this revelation. "I suspected as much." He crossed his arms, his expression becoming more guarded. "But what makes you believe I would betray such powerful deities for your sake? Your combined strength, impressive though it may be, still falls short of what would be needed to challenge Solarus and the others. I believe you should both reconsider this dangerous path—"
"Do you recognize what this is?" Arthur interrupted, opening his palm to reveal a small orb of brilliant light floating above his hand.
The sphere appeared deceptively simple despite its radiant glow, but it pulsed with unmistakable Monetary Faith—pure, concentrated divine energy that should have been impossible for anyone but Kaiser himself to possess.
"That... that energy signature..." Kaiser staggered backward in complete shock, his emerald eyes fixed on the glowing orb. Without hesitation, he waved his hand and absorbed the sphere directly into his divine essence. The process took several seconds as he converted the stolen Monetary Faith back into his own power—even this small amount required careful integration.
"There's no mistaking it. This is pure Monetary Faith." Kaiser's expression hardened as he fixed Arthur with a deadly stare. Dangerous energy began radiating from his form. "So you're the thief who's been plaguing me this entire time?"
The golden realm trembled under the weight of his fury. "You made me search frantically across dimensions while you sat there laughing at my efforts. This transgression cannot go unanswered."
Keanu shifted into a combat stance, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Finally. I've been waiting for a real fight."
Arthur recognized that Kaiser's rage had passed the point of diplomatic resolution. Only an overwhelming display of power would restore order to this situation.
"It seems you've left me with no alternative," Arthur said with perfect calm.
"Show me what you've got, you arrogant thief," Kaiser snarled through clenched teeth. "You think your stolen power gives you the right to challenge me in my own domain?"
Suddenly, the entire realm began convulsing as if caught in a supernatural hurricane. Both Kaiser and Keanu stared at Arthur with widening eyes as he became the epicenter of the catastrophic energy storm.
Overwhelming power—enough to send chills through even divine beings—began flowing into Arthur's form like a raging torrent.
What followed left both observers speechless. Arthur's body began expanding and transforming before their eyes. His lean frame erupted with dense muscle mass, mysterious tattoos spreading across his skin like living art. Within thirty seconds, six magnificent wings had unfurled from his back, each feather crackling with divine energy.
His horns grew more majestic and imposing, while his eyes blazed with true scarlet fire—the color of ancient power and royal blood.
The overwhelming force radiating from Arthur's transformed state made both Kaiser and Keanu's hearts race with involuntary fear.
'This power... this is impossible...' Kaiser's thoughts fragmented as terror crept into his consciousness. He had believed himself capable of matching Arthur, but this raw display of might suggested he could only hope to escape. 'Even in my own realm, I might barely manage to flee if I can create enough distance to—'
His strategic planning was cut short as Arthur materialized directly behind him, moving faster than divine perception could track.
The punch connected with devastating force.
Kaiser—who should have possessed the collective power of his entire realm—felt as helpless as a mortal as he was launched across the landscape, crashing into a golden hill with earth-shaking impact.
Before he could even process the pain, Arthur was already beside him, iron fingers wrapped around his throat.
"Thanks to being in your isolated realm, I can use this transformation without concern for collateral damage," Arthur grinned, revealing rows of unnaturally perfect teeth that belonged to his altered state. "I feel truly invincible when channeling «Primal Morningstar: Phase Six»."
The revelation hit both Kaiser and Keanu like divine lightning.
«Primal Morningstar»—the legendary inherited transformation ability exclusive to the Morningstar Royal bloodline.
Despite being clearly outmatched, Kaiser showed no fear. He possessed too many contingencies in his own realm to die here. A knowing smirk spread across his features as he spoke. "You're not even King Luke's biological son, yet you wield the pure inherited ability of the Morningstar bloodline?"
Arthur's eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip slightly around Kaiser's throat. "What exactly are you implying? That I'm not my father's son?" His voice carried a dangerous edge. "Do you know something about my origins that I don't?"
The neck he was grasping suddenly dissolved into cascading dollar bills, and Kaiser vanished completely. The God of Wealth reappeared several feet away, sitting cross-legged with newfound composure.
"You heard correctly. You are neither Luke's son nor the Queen's biological child. To put it simply, you're more accurately their nephew."
"Nephew?" Arthur murmured, the word feeling foreign on his tongue. This was the first time anyone had ever suggested such a thing.
"Precisely." Kaiser's smile held no malice, only the satisfaction of someone revealing a long-held secret. "Since I know you'll investigate this revelation thoroughly later, I might as well tell you everything. Your mother was actually Luke's deceased sister."
Arthur stood motionless, his transformed state radiating power while his mind processed this earth-shattering information.
"As for your father?" Kaiser chuckled softly. "That remains a mystery. Your birth mother claimed, while she was still alive, that you had no father. She simply became pregnant without explanation." His expression grew more serious. "Now, seeing you manifest godlike power, I'm inclined to believe her story. Some powerful deity likely planted his seed within her."
Arthur felt a complex mix of emotions churning within him—confusion, anger, and a strange sense of relief that certain inconsistencies in his past now made sense.
"Now that I've shared this crucial information with you," Kaiser said, leaning forward with renewed interest, "perhaps you could explain how you acquired my Monetary Faith? If you provide that explanation, I'll be willing to join you and Enyalius in whatever cause you're pursuing."
Arthur released a heavy sigh, his massive wings folding slightly as he settled beside Kaiser without reverting from his transformed state. He began explaining how establishing Hellfire Bank had inadvertently connected him to the flow of Monetary Faith, eventually leading to his ascension as a deity with dominion over wealth and commerce.