CHAPTER 52: THE RISE OF DARKNESS AND THE CALL OF THE FORBIDDEN
HORTEX – HOLY LANDS – RIYO – CHAMBER OF THE FIVE ELDERS
The command of the Five Elders shattered the heavy silence in the room.
Mars struck his staff on the floor, putting the final point: "Convey our orders to Gunn Lee. Have him release the Forbidden One, the Demon. And have him come here immediately. What power is, what the World Government is, the Ice Kingdom will see very soon."
Argus bowed, barely suppressing the trembling in his knees. "A-As you command, My King."
He backed out of the room. The moment the door closed, he exhaled all the air in his lungs. "HUUHHH!" Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he muttered to himself: "What the hell was that tension? I literally shit myself in there. I think things are heating up now."
As he hurried down the corridor, the thoughts racing through his mind stopped him. "The Forbidden One... The Demon... Are they really thinking of releasing that monster? The Demon alone has the power to easily destroy a country, along with everyone in it. Is it really that serious?"
"Hey! What are you muttering to yourself?"
Argus flinched. He turned towards the voice. Standing before him was a tall figure in a black cloak: Mr. X.
Argus quickly composed himself. "Mr. X Sir! The situation is serious. The Five Elders are preparing to release the Forbidden One, the Demon. The situation is very serious!"
Mr. X's eyebrows rose slightly. A moment of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by deep thought. "What? Is the situation really that serious?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Wait," said Mr. X, raising his hand. "Let me talk to them."
Mr. X walked with heavy steps towards the chamber of the Five Elders. The door closed silently behind him.
Five minutes later, the door opened again. When Mr. X stepped out, there was slight exhaustion on his face, but more so, an amused expression.
Argus immediately rushed forward: "S-Sir! What happened inside?"
Mr. X shrugged as he answered. "Well... I guess I couldn't convince them. And they yelled at me a bit. HAHAHAHAHHA!" His laughter echoed through the corridor. "What was I even thinking anyway? Once they make a decision, they never change it. I'm sorry, Argus."
Argus bowed his head. "I guess you're right, Sir. But I have to go now. I must carry out the orders given to me by the Five Elders. Goodbye, Sir."
"Sure, sure," said Mr. X, waving his hand. "You take care of your business. See you later."
Argus quickly disappeared down the corridor. Mr. X watched him go, a thoughtful smile appearing on his lips.
"The Forbidden One, huh?" he murmured to himself. "Hmm... The situation looks quite serious. I wonder if I should step in as well?" He paused for a moment, then laughed to himself. "Besides, I haven't fought in a while. I wonder if I've gotten rusty. HAHAHAHAHHA! Of course, such a thing couldn't happen. After all, I am..."
For a brief moment, a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes.
"...the strongest Holy Knight. "
NEXAN – URUG – BATTLEFIELD
The smell of dust, blood, and death had settled like a thick fog before the walls of Urug. The battle raged on at full speed, taking and giving dozens of lives every second. But the real focus was on the clearing in front of the palace.
King Swain, from a high point, looked down at the figure staggering towards him. Morde, leaning on Flem's shoulder, was barely standing. But the red glow in his eyes had not faded.
Swain's voice cut through the battle noise, clearly audible: "Morde... So you've come. This means Po lost..." He paused for a moment, surveying Morde's condition. "I see. So you are as strong as him. But judging by your state, you don't look like you're in any condition to fight. This means this war is already over."
Morde struggled to stand upright, freeing himself from Flem's shoulder. On his lips was that arrogant smile that remained standing despite everything. "You're right, Swain. This war is over. But for you." He raised his voice, as if wanting the entire square to hear: "For us, it's just beginning. Soon, I will show you a massacre you've never seen in your life."
At that moment, a figure stepped forward. Kai.
"Morde..." There was a remnant of friendship in his voice, but more so, deep disappointment. "When did you become such a low person? You were always a warrior. But you were never cruel. It's still not too late. Come over to our side."
Morde slowly turned his head towards Kai. There was surprise mixed with fatigue in his eyes. Then he let out a bitter laugh.
"Ahh, Kai. My old friend. You still haven't realized the situation, have you?" He pointed with his hand to the destruction, the dead, the blood behind him. "I killed their closest friends and commanders. I killed Vlad. I killed Po. Do you think King Swain would approve of that? Do you think these people would forgive me?"
Kai involuntarily looked at King Swain. On Swain's face was a seriousness deeper than ever before. The answer was silence itself.
Kai took a deep breath. The remnant of friendship in his eyes gave way to a steely determination. "If that's the case... then we have no choice but to fight, brother."
Morde's smile widened. "Finally you understand."
And suddenly, both sides moved.
Kai and Captain Terex charged simultaneously. Opposite them, Flem and Flower advanced with the same speed.
Four figures met right in the middle of the square.
CLANG!
The sound of the first clash echoed across the entire battlefield. The real battle had begun.
King Task, watching from the sidelines, turned to Morde beside him. "Morde, how long will your recovery take?"
Morde answered without taking his eyes off the fight: "Don't worry, King Task. If I rest a little more, I'll summon my own shadow soldiers and absorb their energy. I'll continue fighting at full power. You don't need to worry."
But at that very moment, a shadow fell upon them.
King Swain's voice rang out, not as a command, but as a statement of fact: "Amper. Your turn has come."
Commander Amper nodded in acknowledgment. He stepped forward. His eyes locked onto Morde. Then, with all his might, he roared:
"TITAN BODY!"
Amper's body began to transform instantly. His muscles swelled, his skin took on a brown, metallic color. His height grew another two meters. He had transformed into a nearly indestructible, giant iron warrior.
And he immediately attacked. He advanced towards Morde with giant steps.
But a shadow stepped in his way.
King Task had finally descended onto the field. He drew a massive, glacial mace from his back. Each sharp tip of the mace gleamed as if torn from a glacier itself.
Amper didn't hesitate. He pulled back his giant fist and roared with all his might:
"TITAN FIST!"
King Task raised his mace to the sky. "GLACIAL DOMINION!"
A blue beam of light descended rapidly from the sky and struck the mace. The mace instantly shone with new power. Task, putting all his body weight and the incoming celestial energy behind it, swung the mace towards Amper's fist.
The two attacks met right in the middle.
BOOOOOOOOOMMMM!
The explosion split the battlefield in two. The resulting energy wave was so massive that everyone, including Kai, had to stop fighting momentarily and cover their eyes.
When the energy dissipated, the sight that emerged froze everyone.
Amper lay on the ground. He was unconscious. His giant titan body had reverted to its original form from the force of the blow.
A Nexan soldier shouted in a terrified voice: "H-He took out Commander Amper in one hit! That... that's impossible!"
Before his words ended, an Ice Kingdom soldier appeared behind him and plunged his sword into his back. The soldier silently collapsed.
Panic immediately spread through the Nexan army.
"How did this happen?"
"How was Commander Amper defeated in a single blow?"
"Have we already lost?"
"Maybe we never had a chance from the beginning..."
Just as hope was about to fade, a voice thundered.
"ALL NEXAN SOLDIERS, LISTEN TO ME!"
King Swain stood atop the walls, arms spread wide, in all his glory. His voice carried the power to give life to thousands of soldiers.
"YOU ARE THE SOLDIERS OF THE STRONGEST KINGDOM IN THIS WORLD! DO NOT FORGET THAT! AND NATURALLY, YOU ARE THE STRONGEST! DO NOT FEAR! ATTACK! "
Swain's words spread like fire through the soldiers' veins. Panic gave way to a renewed battle fury, reignited.
The Nexan army, with a single battle cry from thousands of throats, charged once more.
And in the middle of the square, the eyes of King Task and King Swain locked onto each other. Thousands of warriors stood between them, but it felt as if only the two of them remained.
HORTEX – HOLY LANDS – INTERNATIONAL HUNTER COMMITTEE
Argus entered the castle of the International Hunter Committee with slow, calm steps. All the hunters who saw him understood from the expression on his face that something was wrong. But none dared to ask.
He passed through corridors, climbed stone stairs, and finally reached the door of the main chamber. Five hunters stood guard before the door. The moment they saw Argus, they grasped the seriousness of the situation. One of them immediately darted inside.
Fifteen seconds later, the hunter came out and turned to Argus. "Hey, Argus. Gunn Lee is waiting for you."
Argus nodded and stepped through the door.
The room was simpler than he had expected. A large table, maps, and two figures. The man sitting behind the table was the chairman of the International Hunter Committee, Gunn Lee. With his short white hair, short white beard, the deep scars on his face, and his piercing blue uniform, he radiated authority. When the eyes beneath his white eyebrows turned to Argus, the air in the room grew heavy.
Beside him, his right-hand man Woli stood at attention.
Gunn Lee's voice was unexpectedly calm: "Argus. Tell me. What wind blows you here?"
Argus swallowed and began to speak. "Sir, as you know, Nexan and the Ice Kingdom are currently fighting in Urug."
Gunn Lee's eyes immediately locked onto him. His brows furrowed slightly.
Argus continued: "And the Five Elders want to intervene in this situation."
Gunn Lee leaned back in his chair. He folded his fingers on the table. "So that's the situation, is it? I understand why you've come." He paused for a moment. "Alright then. Fine. I'll put the hunters you want under your command, just this once. Provided you guarantee their lives."
Argus unexpectedly shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, Sir. But I didn't come here to ask for hunters to be placed under my command."
Gunn Lee's eyes narrowed. The air in the room instantly turned icy. "Do not overstep your bounds, Argus. I showed you courtesy. But you want even more."
Argus did not step back. With a trembling but determined voice, he spoke: "Sir, I did not come here to express my own wishes. This is the direct and absolute order of the Five Elders."
Gunn Lee froze for a moment. Then he slowly straightened up. "Fine then. Tell me the command of the Five Elders."
Argus took a deep breath. "What the Five Elders want..."
NEXAN – URUG – BATTLEFIELD
Kai and Flem stood face to face in the middle of the square.
Kai spoke without taking his eyes off Flem: "You will lose here today."
A mocking smile appeared on Flem's lips. "You couldn't even protect your friend when he was dying. And you think you can defeat us?"
The words struck Kai's face like a whip. His eyes flashed with anger for a moment. He gathered all his strength.
"SOUL FIST! "
His fist, glowing with white energy, shot towards Flem. But Flem had already moved.
"BLUE SPEED! "
He vanished instantly. He appeared behind Kai, his dagger descending towards Kai's neck.
But the dagger never reached its target.
Flem's eyes widened like saucers. He looked down at his legs. Three soul soldiers had grabbed him tightly by the legs. He couldn't move.
Kai turned around. On his face was not anger, but cold determination. "Your legs are gone. Which means your speed is gone too. What will you do now?"
Flem tried to break free, but it was useless. The soul soldiers were like iron shackles.
Kai pulled back his right fist. Pure white energy concentrated on it.
"SOUL SHOCK! "
The last thing Flem saw was a blinding white light coming towards him.
BOOM!
The fist exploded on Flem's chest. Flem flew through the air like a ragdoll, crashing to the ground a full thirty meters away. When the dust cloud cleared, he lay motionless. Not dead, but unable to fight any longer.
Breathless, Kai looked at Flem's motionless body on the ground. A thought crossed his mind: "Po... I did this for you."
On the other side of the square, Terex and Flower were locked in fierce combat.
Seeing Flem fall, Flower went berserk. "FLEEMMM! YOU DAMNED BASTARD KAAAAIIIII! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIIII-"
Her words caught in her throat. Suddenly, a massive fist struck her chest and sent her flying backwards.
Terex, his fist still in striking position, spoke calmly: "Hey, you bitch. Focus on your own fight."
Flower sprang up in anger. She dusted herself off. There was a wild light in her eyes.
"Let's end this! GLACIAL STEP! "
Ice sheets formed beneath her feet, propelling her towards Terex at incredible speed.
Terex revealed his true power for the first time. He raised his hands to the sky, closing his eyes.
"POISONOUS VINES! "
Thick, thorny, green vines shot up from the ground instantly. Just as Flower was about to reach Terex, the vines wrapped around her from all sides. They coiled around her wrists, her waist, up to her neck.
Flower struggled to break free, but with every movement, the vines tightened. She also noticed that her power was slowly being drained. "Damn it! Where did this come from? I can't move with these vines. This is really bad."
Terex approached her with heavy steps. There was a merciless expression on his face. "What were you saying? Let's end this, right?" He clenched his fist. "Then let's end it."
"NATURE FIST! "
His fist was suddenly covered with a thick layer of wood, becoming like a massive club. Terex swung it with all his might towards Flower's face.
HORTEX – HOLY LANDS – INTERNATIONAL HUNTER COMMITTEE
Argus's voice echoed in the room:
"What the Five Elders want is... the Forbidden One... the Demon... "
The word instantly froze the air in the room.
Gunn Lee's face turned to stone in an instant. Woli's hand went to the hilt of his sword.
Gunn Lee slowly rose to his feet. His eyes were sharp enough to pierce through Argus. "What did you say?"
Argus swallowed. "They are ordering the release of the Forbidden One, Sir. The Demon."
Gunn Lee turned to the window for a moment. Outside lay the peaceful scenery of the Holy Lands. But he seemed to see a much darker landscape.
"Demon..." he murmured. "If they release that monster..."
He didn't finish his sentence. He didn't need to.
The room was plunged into a heavy silence.
Far away, the war continued in Urug. But the clouds of a much greater storm had already begun to gather.