Rewind the clock a few minutes before the twins blew up the mountain…
Carn felt her arms burning. Every part of her body scread at her to stop, but her hands remained steady—fists clenched within her treasured gauntlets. The Knight Commander staggered, her breath ragged with blood trickling down the deep gash on her brow. Dirt and sweat were mixed with the blood gushing down her innurable lacerations, and just moving was enough to trigger pain impulses that would paralyse the ordinary man.
However, she persisted through the pain. Pain ant that she was alive… that she could still fight.
Her opponent wasn’t in a perfect state either.
Malachi had already made a na for himself while Carn was still taking her first steps. Yet now, the once-legendary swordsman showed clear signs of exhaustion. He tore the tattered robe from his chest, revealing his muscular fra. Though he bore injuries of his own, they were far less severe than Carn’s—mostly bruises and minor cuts that would heal in no ti.
However, if there were one thing that persisted, it would be the incessant burns that continued even after Malachi coated it with demonic energy.
"It has been a while since soone pushed into this state. You’ve done well, Commander."
Malachi showered his opponent with praise, and Carn nodded in appreciation.
"You haven’t lost your touch, too, Sir Malachi. Your strength matches that of our House’s old man."
Carn wasn’t lying. Although it was evident that the Demonic Human before her hadn’t gone all out yet, she could feel that his underlying strength matched that of Alrock Solaris, the Solaris House’s most incredible Knight.
Crossing swords with an opponent of Malachi’s calibre would have been an enormous honour for Carn, yet…
"Why? Why, with all of that power, did you choose to side with the Demon Cult?!"
The knight commander was baffled by the question. Malachi was known to be one of the most honourable knights of his generation. He would never commit cris, even petty ones, that would have been forgiven for a person of his status. He was a shining beacon of what chivalry and honour were supposed to be. Yet, this man betrayed humanity and sided with the Demons.
It was sothing that Carn couldn’t understand.
"Well, I had my circumstances."
Naturally, Malachi wasn’t going to divulge everything to Carn. His loyalty to the Demon Cult was for a personal reason, and there was no need to give vital information to his enemy, lest they ruin his future plans.
"I shall give you one last chance, Commander. Step aside, and I won’t pursue."
Though, a tinge of humanity remained within the Demonic Swordsman’s heart. He felt that it was a pity that soone of Carn’s level was to perish today instead of facing a Knight’s death on a battlefield. Hence, the Apostle aid to give one final act of rcy to Carn, the Knight Commander who amused him.
"Would you have done so if you were in my position, Sir Malachi?"
"..."
Malachi stared at Carn for a hard second, her golden eyes reflecting the sa determination he had. Eventually, he heaved a hard sigh and shook his head.
"As expected, the Solaris House will be the greatest threat to our cause compared to any other organisation. You guys are the only ones in the world with any speck of honour left."
The Apostle pointed his blade at Carn, ready to launch the finishing blow. He felt it was a pity that such a great warrior would be finished here, but he didn’t feel enough guilt to hold his punches. If Carn were to get in the way of the Prophet and the Demon Cult, Malachi had to be the sword that eradicated her.
But fortunately for Carn, fate had to intervene.
BOOOOMMM!!!
The mountain behind them blew its top like an erupting volcano, sending massive flying debris spewing throughout the forest ground. Huge chunks of rock destabilised the area, and the two mighty Knights were forced to postpone their battle to protect themselves from the devastation.
Naturally, the sudden change of events was a massive shock for the pair. Carn’s first instinct was to worry about the safety of the group who went to raid the Foolish Lich’s lair. As for Malachi, he recognised the ability just from the residue demonic energy in the air. He frowned as a chill ran up his spine.
’Bell of Vengeance? The twins were forced to use it?’
The Twin Brutes were the weakest of the Apostles, yet they were still Apostles—beings of imnse power that few could ever threaten. For them to unleash their most devastating ability, even at the cost of their well-being… was a move Malachi had never seen coming. But their self-destructive nature caused Malachi to worry.
They preached their own Gospel and were the cornerstone for the Demon Cult’s ascension to global dominance. If they were cut down before the Demon Cult was ready to show itself… it could set their plans back ten years.
Hence, he made the tough call.
"W-Where are you going?!"
Carn yelled out in frustration as Malachi leapt towards the decimated mountain, ignoring the weakened Knight Commander. Her gauntlets glistened with a pink Aura as the Seven Sun Solaris Knight attempted to halt the Apostle’s advance. Alas, she was far too weakened to do anything to stop the man.
Without so much as a glance back, Malachi swung his sword in a tempestuous arc, and the sheer force of the air burst, sending Carn hurtling through the air. She crashed and tumbled across the forest floor, finally skidding to a stop near the edge of a valley, cracks spiderwebbing from the impact. Yet Malachi paid her no mind. Without hesitation, he rushed toward the collapsed cave, focusing solely on finding his fellow Apostles.
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For soone to push the Twin Brutes into using their ultimate move, they had to be a threat even he couldn’t ignore. Malachi activated the power of his Gospel, concealing his presence as he advanced toward the heart of the devastation. It was a wise decision.
As anticipated, the twins were defeated. Even after using their ultimate move, their opponent proved too powerful for them to handle. A youth who looked no older than twenty stood over their unmoving bodies, his black blade gleaming with killing intent. His body had morphed into a half-draconic state, greatly surprising the forr great Knight.
Never in his life, even with his multiple dealings with the Solaris House, did he see soone transform into a half-dragon. In his delirium, Malachi was late to realise that he didn’t have the luxury of daydreaming.
There was no question—the young warrior was on the verge of eliminating two of the Demon Cult’s most valuable assets. It was a fate Malachi refused to allow.
Dashing right into the centre of the chamber, Malachi swung his blade and prevented the young man from turning into an executioner. The young man paused in shock, not understanding how Malachi had gotten so close to him. But little did he know that Malachi was in a similar state of shock.
The Apostle’s arm began to feel sore after blocking the young man’s swing. This triggered mories of him crossing swords with his past rivals, giving him a severe sense of deja vu.
’This boy… he must be the Hero.’
Malachi ford a theory on how soone so young could wield such power, and though he was mistaken, one thing was clear—the boy would one day beco a formidable threat to the Demon Cult.
Hence, he had to be eradicated.
"I apologise for interrupting a warrior’s battle, but I can’t let you kill them."
Swinging his trusted blade, Malachi stared Amon down with a look of pure determination. He had been sent to assassinate the Hero anyway, so he would simply be doing his job.
"Let be your partner instead."
❖❖❖
Carn moaned in agony as she rolled on the hard, rocky ground. Taking a full-forced swing from Malachi’s blade was bad enough, but she’d also sustained significant injuries from the previous encounter she had with him. While writhing in pain, she reflected on the previous battle sequence and her heart wrenched.
’So he was holding back that much…’
It was painfully evident that there was a difference in skill level, but Carn believed she could bridge that gap through sheer persistence and raw power. But that was far from true. She was levels beneath the Apostle, and that fact wounded her pride.
’The old man should be at the sa level as him… The gap between the pinnacle and myself is still far…’
Carn thought about Alrock, who stood atop the Solaris Throne. Many claim that Carn would be the next in line to succeed the old man and that it was only a matter of ti before Alrock stepped down. But Carn was well aware that she wasn’t good enough.
How had Alrock maintained his position all these years, surviving countless conspiracies, overcoming relentless setbacks, and defying opposition who stood in his way?
The result was straightforward.
Alrock was just that strong.
Carn had condensed Seven Suns, a feat few in the Solaris House achieved. In addition, she was a super-inheritor and possessed supernatural physical capabilities that surpassed any Solaris Knight. Yet, she was still far weaker than Alrock, an Eight Sun Pinnacle Knight.
And the opponent she was facing, Malachi… was equal to that monster.
’I can’t just stay here! The kids are in danger!’
Yet, even with the apparent disparity in strength laid out before her, Carn would never forsake her duty. Broken and battered, she forced herself to her feet as she gathered what little willpower she had left to force herself to walk. And perhaps that was why… in her mont of hyper-lucidity, she felt a presence.
It was faint and likely vastly distant, but it was an energy she could never mistake.
Sensing that power, Carn finally let herself go and fell to her back. She rested not because she had given up on saving the kids but because she knew soone better than her was rushing to the scene as she spoke. Tending to her grave wounds, the Black Dragon Order Grand Commander bowed her head in reverence as she chortled:
"What took you so long, old man?"
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