My SSS-Rank Class Is Blood Monarch!

Some time later, the entire group was able to get into position, and the rest was to simply put them in order of which groups go first. The method Arthur chose to make that order was simple: the weakest soldiers will go first, and the strongest will follow.

If there was an emergency, then having his best pawns would increase the chances of being able to come out victorious or at least with the least possible losses. This was a very crucial moment where they were at their weakest and most vulnerable, and Arthur only wanted to minimize the risks to the best of his abilities.

"Sir, we finished treating everyone, and although some aren't able to fully move, we can still begin climbing." At that moment, Germa approached the boy to report everything that happened.

"Good, then we will start immediately. Line those up, and we will take the same protective formation around the chain. Let's make this very quick and easy; no need for problems."

"Yes, sir!"

"Go ahead. I'm going to keep an eye on our surroundings. I rely on you to make it very swift, Germa."

After that, the boy walked away from the group and expanded his senses as much as he could, piercing through the layers and layers of darkness. After his continuous evolution, especially after entering the Void, Arthur's senses experienced a drastic improvement.

Exo-Burst was the main reason why his senses became sharper as the immense burst of speed made his body naturally shift and change to accommodate it. Now, he could feel way farther than before and at a far higher precision. He still couldn't truly capture the speed of the Human Chimeras, but he was able to handle their speed way better and be able to deflect more attacks.

"Hmm, it's very… quiet," Arthur muttered as he looked left and right, listening to any noises. Around him, the place was covered in the corpses of the monsters. The disgusting smell of the bleeding corpses made Arthur frown.

After waiting for several minutes, the boy was certain there were no monsters left in the area, and even if there were, they weren't that many, so he didn't have to worry about a sudden attack for the time being.

"We can make it. The process isn't complicated. If we can have enough time, we can make it." He whispered before he turned around and walked to the group.

There, he found them already beginning to climb the chain as quickly as possible. The ones who were injured went first since they were the slowest, while the rest followed after to make sure they didn't fall.

One by one, the groups started the climb under Arthur's supervision. Nobody seemed like they wanted to stay there for even a second longer, so the urgency was clear in their behavior. They had had enough of this desert and the monsters lurking in its darkness; they wanted to finally reach the island and find their way out.

Their escape was but within arm's reach; the trip was reaching its crucial moments, and all that was left was to execute everything perfectly.

Around ten minutes later, all the weakest groups ascended, leaving the strongest ones

"Get ready yourself, Germa. We're about to go." Arthur said. "The rest, don't look back and continue climbing no matter what happens. What could happen beyond this point is very tough and deadly. I want you all to remain focused and smart; don't let anything hinder you from our goal and our priorities. Understood?"

Arthur took that moment to talk to his strongest soldiers, knowing how important they would be in the future. If there were any people Arthur was going to rely on, it was these people as they were the strongest and most capable. It was not an exaggeration to say that they were the ones to make or break this entire mission.

The response he received was quite positive as they all nodded their heads eagerly. After that, they all turned around and started climbing. Since their numbers were considerably lower than the rest, the process took a few minutes, and eventually, Arthur and Germa's turns came.

"You can go first, Germa. I need to make sure we aren't being followed first."

"... Understood, sir. Be careful." Germa looked hesitant for a moment. Knowing how dangerous it was to let their leader stay behind while they climb. But, he knew if there was anyone capable of doing that, it was Arthur.

"See you at the top, sir."

"Mmm…" Arthur nodded as he watched Germa grab onto the first step of the ladder. "Hey, Germa."

"Mm?"

"Thank you… for saving my life."

"... It's nothing, sir. I'm simply doing my job."

"Hahaha, so rigid." Arthur laughed. "Off you go."

With that, the man turned around and started climbing, quickly vanishing into the darkness above.

"And… I'm all alone now." Arthur muttered as he looked up. "Let's see, I can give Germa two minutes before following them."

Standing alone in the blinding darkness, Arthur inhaled a long breath before resting his back against the wall, he waited silently. He was feeling nervous alone in this environment, but he kept his calm and waited for the time to pass.

He simply couldn't allow for any monsters to follow them up the ladders. That would be a catastrophe of the highest scale.

'I'm sure that won't happen, right? I've already had my fair share of usual bad luck, there is no more of that, RIGHT?!' Arthur mused. 'In any case, the chain is at least big enough to move considerably freely. As long as we don't get stuck, we can manage in many cases.'

As Arthur imagined what could happen next, he could only frown. It was simply a huge headache to think about what could happen. There were so many variables and unknown factors playing into his plan, and he couldn't control any of them. The best he can do was to anticipate some of them to the best of his ability.

The two minutes finally passed with no indication of any monster chasing or approaching him. So, he finally decided to start climbing himself.

Taking one last look at the place, he frowned. "May I never see this hell ever again. Goodbye, forever."

After that, he started climbing the ancient ladder, slowly elevating from the hellhole he had arrived at what felt like an eternity ago. He was leaving that darkness for another darkness, perhaps the last layer before finding light again, the light of day.

With each step he took, he felt that disgusting atmosphere leave his body, giving him more hope and more desire. All that suffocation was leaving his chest and giving him more room to breathe and think.

Eagerly, the boy climbed faster and faster, not daring to look back or think about the darkness beneath him. He was still surrounded by it, but the ladder felt as if it was leading him toward freedom; it gave him that hope.

Not even a minute passed, and Arthur was already far away from where he had started climbing. He didn't know exactly the height he reached, but he was certain it was at least the height of a skyscraper or a little less.

"I can feel myself getting close. The peak should be anywhere ne-" Before he could even finish that trail of thought, Arthur's eyes saw the end of the pillar within arm's reach. Immediately, a wide smile formed on his face. One of immense relief.

Taking the last few steps, Arthur's hand grabbed the ledge, and he finally pushed himself over the last step, ending up on top of the chain pillar.

"Fuuuh… I made it. That was quick." He muttered as he peeked behind him. All he could see was naturally a pit of endless darkness left behind. Just a small glimpse at it made Arthur frown before he shook his head. "I was really down there for so long. I might end up turning into a monster myself."

The darkness beneath had been the bane of Arthur's existence for the entire time he spent in the Void. It was easily his worst enemy, continuously trying to trap him in there by some unknown force. That was why when he finally left that hell, he felt as if a large weight had been thrown off his shoulders and chest.

He was considerably free now.

"Germa, how is everyone's condition? Are you all ok?" As he stared down, Arthur called for his right hand man. But, he received no response.

"Hmm?" That made the boy raise an eyebrow. "Germa?" He stood up and turned to look behind him. However, what he saw there made him freeze. All he could see behind him was… nothing.

He was standing alone in the nothingness with no trace of any human around him. The only noise he could hear was the wind whistling against his ear.

"Where… Where is everybody?"