My SSS-Rank Class Is Blood Monarch!

The silence made Arthur look to the side, trying to take a glimpse at the situation around him. He was now surrounded by the same blind, weird humans like these men. Not five or even a dozen… Arthur was certain there were hundreds of them around him. 'They're all looking at me.' Arthur mused. His heart was racing, but his head was considerably clear. He could think properly even when he was right in the heart of the danger. The men continued walking through the room. Arthur tried to measure the distance, and he realized that this place was quite large, at least several dozen meters long and several dozen meters wide. Eventually, they stopped and then threw Arthur on the ground with no hesitation. The boy rolled a few times before he stopped. He squirmed left and right as he struggled against the rope and the mouth cloth. 'These bastards treated me like a sack of potatoes!!' He groaned. Then, before he could do anything else, another man approached him and pinned him down. "MMMMMF! MMMMMF!!" The boy tried to resist the man, but he was unable to muster enough strength to do that. So, he stopped and looked to the side instead. His senses had picked up a very intriguing thing. Amidst the hundreds of people around him, one particular aura caught his eyes. It was so powerful, so rich, and so mysterious that Arthur was completely stunned when he felt it. He looked up and there… he saww him. He was sitting in the middle of the room on a very old wooden chair. He had a cane in his left hand resting on the ground. He was old… extremely old. He had long white hair and a large beard with loose skin, making his face look extremely wrinkled and tired. His body wasn't particularly strong. In fact, it looked like it was on the verge of death. Arthur would see such a man in the hospital, lying in a bed with countless wires hooked into his body like a net, and he wouldn't think twice that he was a terminally ill patient. However, all of those details didn't matter when he saw a glimpse of the man's aura. Arthur had met countless people in this world; some were very strong, some were very weak, and some were incomprehensible. Yet, nothing came close to the sensation he had when he felt that aura. It was as vast as the universe, as deep as the deepest ocean, and as mysterious as the darkness he had been in for so long. It was just a small glimpse, and yet Arthur suddenly felt like he was swimming in a world of endless mana. A world of nothing but energy and cosmic boundlessness. He didn't even realize that he was staring at the man for so long. The only thing that snapped him out of it was when that old man finally looked at him. The boy felt as if all of that was blown away, and he was now back in reality. The man eyed the boy for a few seconds before he shifted his gaze to the men who had brought him there. He didn't speak, and yet they seemed to understand him as one of them started explaining in an urgent and terrified tone. Arthur didn't know what the man was saying, but he was certain that he was being talked about. After a minute or so, the man went silent, and the old monster nodded his head faintly. Then, he stood up slowly, using the cane to support himself. Arthur frowned as he instinctively tried to take a step back, only to realize that he was still tied and unable to move. The man took slow steps toward him under the silent gaze of everyone present. Eventually, he stopped in front of Arthur, and the boy quickly realized that the old man was shockingly tall, easily towering over him like a wall. It even made the boy wonder how such a weak and skinny body could stand that tall without breaking. "... Mhm, I didn't think you guys liked to set up welcoming parties to new people." After a few seconds, Arthur spoke with a nervous smile. But, the old man didn't reply and instead stared at Arthur silently, making the boy even more afraid for his life. At this point, he was ready to die in the worst way possible. The man looked like he killed as much as he breathed, if not more. 'What am I even saying? He doesn't understand me in the first place. I'm just going to be killed or used as a sacrifice for some twisted religious ceremony.' He mused as he closed his eyes. "A human from the surface…" At that moment, Arthur heard a very deep voice speaking to him. Immediately, he opened his eyes in shock, only to realize that the old man had spoken to him… in a language he could understand. "... Y-You… You can understand me?" Arthur asked with a dumbfounded look. 'The twist! What the hell is going on?!' The man looked at Arthur and nodded. "It has been a very long time since I have spoken the world's language… What an odd feeling. I thought I would never use it again." "..." The boy didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that moment. "Tell me, child. How did you end up here?" The old man asked with the same deep, profound voice. 'This man would be hired as a voice actor outside this world.' Arthur mused. "I… Well, I got stuck in the river and ended up falling here." "Hm?" The old man hummed before he bent forward a little and stared at Arthur from up close, making the boy flinch. "So they didn't throw you here?" "They? Who's they?" Arthur asked. "... They didn't." The old man muttered as if he realized something before he turned around and started walking back to his seat. "Hey, wait. Am I going to get killed or sacrificed?" "Killed? Oh, my apologies… My men thought you were an enemy and acted." He said before he turned to the men and spoke to them in their language. They immediately nodded their heads and went down to Arthur, untied his ropes, and released him. When Arthur felt the mana-sucking ropes fall from his body, all the energy he lost returned back to him, and he felt as if he was reborn. Standing up, he massaged his wrists before he looked at the old man. "What even is this place, old man? Why are you all here?" This was by far the question that bothered Arthur the most. This place shouldn't exist, and these people shouldn't be here. They were clearly born outside this place and ended up here one way or another. "Don't rush, child. You have plenty of time to know where you are." The old man said as he tapped his cane on the ground. "This the 'Void'. A realm where the Great Akora River ends and where the abyss starts. You are now in a realm where the Great Tower loses its power. The Great Shard cannot follow us nor see us. We are detached from the Divine Realm." "... What?" Arthur blinked. "That's impossible. Isn't this place inside the tower? How can the shard not see us?" Arthur had known about the shard from all the exposure he had had to it. That thing was a godly being with consciousness, and he had no doubt about it. The old man eyed Arthur for a few seconds before he sighed. "When you fell down from up there… I'm sure you felt it." "Felt it? What do you me-" At that moment, and before he could even finish what he was saying, Arthur froze as he was instantly reminded of that white light and that odd feeling he had with it. The old man didn't specify anything, but the boy understood it perfectly well. "No way…" He muttered as he looked down with unfocused eyes. 'That was the moment I was detached from the Divine Realm and entered this place?' "It seems you have understood what I meant, child. Now, more importantly than that. My men have told me that you possess something that might interest me. Perhaps can I have a glimpse at it?" The old man asked with a profound and calm voice. His tone sounded like he was asking, but his presence made it an order of the highest authority. Arthur stared up at the man. He could see the intrigue and curiosity in his eyes. The old man wanted to see the broken shard. "..." The boy gulped down a mouthful of saliva. 'Being presented with this choice… Tsk, this is really annoying. I don't trust this old man yet. He's too mysterious and dangerous. But, if I want to leave this place, then I must not antagonize him, or I'm done for.' A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let's keep it up!