Blood and Shadows - Kai Stormborn's raging blades and the Knight's identity!

At 18 years old, Kai was a tall young man, with a lean figure and chiseled muscles.

His entire body was covered in scars, some more hideous than others. Because of the Stormborn bloodline, his hair grew several times faster than others, even in his original world. So, he had already learned to deal with them, cutting them short when the circumstances demanded.

Kai's hand flicked, taking out the Book. "Cersei," he called, transfiguring the Book into a bracelet, "go deal with this… thing."

The world stirred and Cersei walked out, wearing a tight black suit made of shadows from her toes to half her face. She looked at Kai and put on the bracelet.

The corridors in the ancient ruin weren't large enough for her to spread her bat-like wings. But they weren't needed, either.

Kai had already sensed that the Inferius Knight was as strong as a low-level 6th-floor Contestant in strength. The only thing that made this undead special was that it could use Magic, giving it much more advantage compared to Contestants.

If Darcie could use Magic, then she could make quick work of this Inferius easily, Kai knew. Even if she couldn't eliminate it, she could have easily escaped.

Yet, where Darcie lacked, Kai didn't.

There was an inherent and disastrous difference between Contestants and in-world wizards and witches of the Harry Potter World.

These characters could use the Mana in the world as their personal source anytime. Sure, using the magic non-stop could tire them, but few situations developed to that stage, to begin with.

Contestants had no such privilege. They carried their own bucket of Mana everywhere, which refilled itself at a certain rate.

Anywhere else, this was a heinous disadvantage when compared to the characters of the Harry Potter World.

Here, though, it was a boon. A boon, bordering on blasphemy!

Rawrrrr!

The silver-armored knight growled, seeing the incoming black blur. It hacked again and sent a red bolt of lightning flashing toward Cersei.

Shadow Cersei spun midair, leaped on the wall on her left, and dashed toward the knight like a black cat, her lean, curvy figure looking like the most enchanting sight ever.

The spell passed over her head, leaving no mark. Cersei pounced on the knight and kicked the bloodstained breastplate of the Inferius.

Boom!

The knight's feet left the ground, and it went flying in the distance.

Kai leisurely eyed the fight and nodded to himself. He had been teaching Cersei a fighting method tailored for her. She had the strength that rivaled a top-level 5th-floor Contestant, but her agility outpaced her raw power by far.

Dealing with the undead in such a tight space was no issue for her.

"Come out, you two," Kai said, eying his shadow. "Search for something. Anything."

Kai's shadow stirred as if it had come alive suddenly.

Shadow Space!

A sense of extreme despair and cold took over the corridor's darkness.

Vile, rattling breath escaped Kai's shadow, and then two figures levitated out of it, dressed in tattered, black cloaks that kept billowing noiselessly.

Lvl 1 Dementors!

After gaining Shadow Space Skill, Kai had been keeping his children in space within the Shadow Realm. It had left the Beast Balls empty for him. This was the reason Selene healed completely sooner than Kai had believed. Otherwise, without the powerful help of the Beast Balls, the Ghost Basilisk would have taken anywhere near 2-3 months to come out of her hibernating state.

The two Dementors flew away from Kai, separating in different corridors.

-Selene,- Kai commanded, -see if Daphne and Dobby had gotten internal injuries or not.-

Hisss!

A long, white serpent, with dragon-like scales, slithered out from Kai and entered Darcie's two unconscious friends.

-They are good,- Selene hissed, slithering up to Kai's shoulders, flicking out her tongue to kiss his chin. -Master, I am getting bored.-

-Oh!- Kai hissed back, amused. -Should I take care of it myself, then?-

-Hehe!- Selene hissed mischievously, slithering around Kai's neck. -If you are not marveling at Cersei's ass, then why not?-

Kai frowned. -Stop saying odd shit,- he hissed. -I didn't send you to Item-M to become a spoiled teen, Selene.-

Item-M was training with Elves in the Lord of the Rings Random World, preparing for war. Kai had used his epithets to send her the Beast Ball containing Selene to let the Ghost Basilisk have some fun and gain experience.

Alas! When Selene returned, she had gained a habit of blurting out just about anything without thinking.

Hisss! Selene spit out a hiss at Kai. -I am no teen, master!- she hissed haughtily. -I am a lady.-

The corners of Kai's mouth twitched.

Boom!

A magic shield flickered between the knight and Cersei, making her bullet-like punch land on it. The entire corridor quaked under the booming sound.

-You are right, I guess,- Kai hissed, crouching, taking a running pose. -She's taking too long… and I was indeed appreciating her curves. Hehe!-

Selene sensed something, and almost instantly burst into mist, entering Kai with fright.

In the distance, the hair on the back of Cersei's neck stood up. The feeling of fatal doom danced in her head, and she ran away like a scared cat, her fright greater than Selene's.

The rubble around Kai's feet stirred, rolled, and churned before lifting off the ground because of the sheer pressure he generated.

And then Kai kicked the ground, Murasame and Sounga appearing in his hands.

BOOM!

The swords landed on the magical shield and it didn't last for even a breath, shattering on the spot.

Behind the shield, the Inferius pointed its broken longsword at Kai, casting another dark spell.

Who would give it so much time, though?

Cersei appeared behind the knight, and kicked at the back of its knees, making its legs wobble.

Kai popped out of existence and appeared over the knight's head, spinning round and round.

Metal screeched against metal, and a rotten head fell, rolling away on the stone slabs.

Cersei stomped on the helmet, frowning at the nauseating smell.

Kai appeared on the other side, his gaze indifferent. The headless knight between him and Cersei was still standing, reeking of death.

The bloodstains shone bloody, and it sent a stunning spell at the living before it.

Kai smiled. He adjusted his footing to just inches toward his left, and the stunning spell passed by his head as if he had already seen it coming.

The bloodstains again shone, but Kai had already disappeared.

A blur appeared everywhere around the Inferius, going in and out of existence. The sound of metal screeching reverberated far, the armor gaining hideous dents.

Ultimately, with a resounding crunch, the armor gave in, magical energy splattering the walls of the ruins.

Kai looked at the several pieces of the Inferius stirring on the ground for a few moments. The head under Cersei's feet glowered but went silent after some time. The stirring of the skeletal body parts also died along with the growls.

Rumble!!!

The stone slabs shifted as if a chamber was opening up.

Under Kai's narrowed eyes, the opened little chambers devoured the Inferius. "What do you think, Petyr?" he asked.

Petyr Baelish walked out in his satin doublet, scratching his chin. "You didn't get any notification," he commented. "Still, this legacy only mentioned the Dark Scroll, not the elixir itself. If you let Darcie obtain all the ingredients, but then brew the elixir yourself, then…"

"… then it will become an Item," Kai cut in, finishing Petyr's words.

Kai's eyes were shining like a beast's at the smell of blood. Dark Scroll! This was a myth in the Harry Potter World, but in the Primordial Tower, it was as real as anything could be.

Item-M had already told him about it, once. But she had also said that below the 5th Set, nobody knew anything about it as if all the info on it was being suppressed by the combined efforts of the two Systems' Contestants.

Only one thing had slipped out of this suppression in the past.

An ingredient of the Dark Scroll.

"You don't seem happy, my lord," Cersei observed, walking up to him. "What is it that worries you?"

Petyr chuckled. "It must be the Lord of Azkaban, Ekrizdis, of course," he told Cersei, smiling slyly. "I am sure you wouldn't enjoy getting caught by another anomaly, right? The way you were crying like a doll in Shadow Lord's hands… Haha!"

"You!"

"Enough." Kai put the stop to their bickering. "Indeed, it's the Dark Lord, Ekrizdis," he nodded. "When the fuck did such wizards leave legacies behind? Heh!"

"You think it's a trap?" Cersei asked, shooting a disgusting glance at Petyr.

"Only one way to find out," Kai answered.

It was then the Dementors returned, bringing a chill with them.

One Dementor beckoned Kai, pointing at the corridor. Kai's eyes shone with a glint.

Scouring the ruins, Kai and the two Characters followed the two Dementors and arrived at a circular clearing. It was almost the same as the circular hall where Darcie and the other had arrived, Kai noticed.

In the middle of the hall, there was a grave, and a gravestone was standing at its head.

When Kai approached it, he found the gravestone covered in the same writing as the doors that had brought the girls and Dobby into the 1st Circle. The moment he translated it, his eyes widened with shock.

"What does it say, my lord?" Petyr asked, his voice brimming with a rare solemn tone.

Even Cersei, covered in shadows, couldn't help but become anxious at seeing Kai's expressions.

What could shock Kai, the Blood Demon, so? What had he not seen and experienced?

"It's an epitaph," Kai told them, his breathing quickening. "It says —"

— Here rests Sir Dagonet the fool of the Knights of the Round Table. In the name of Pendragon, may his soul know peace for eternity.

This?!

Both Petyr and Cersei looked at each other, stunned.

Creak! Rumble!!!

The moment Kai read those words aloud, the gravestone split apart from the middle, revealing a circular opening. A black marble was embedded there, glowing with a sinister color.

It was also then Kai felt the portkey becoming hot.

The name of the knight was still ringing in his head as he took out the Portkey and looked at it. The sigil of the scroll was still there, but on the other side, a row of words had appeared.

Chinese Fireball's Claws.

It was an ingredient! The first of many. And the same ingredient known to the Contestants, making this legacy true, at least when it came to the ingredients.

"Master!" Cersei squeaked. "Look, the same door is appearing there."

Sure enough, a door covered in markings and runes had appeared on the circular wall behind the gravestone. It, too, had a stone slab over it with writings.

"So that's how it is," Kai mumbled, translating the writing. "There are 13 circles and 13 guardians in this ruin. Clearing every circle will reveal an ingredient of the Dark Scroll alchemical elixir. But only after the 13th circle will the legacy reveal the entire process of brewing the elixir. One can use the marble obtained from the gravestone of the fallen guardian to leave the ruins, and then use the Portkey as the key to enter the ruins from the main entrance."

"13 circles… 13 guardians… the Knights of the Round Table…" Petyr mumbled, ruminating over the clues. "Who do you think we will face in the 13th circle, my lord?"

Kai licked his lips. "Impossible," he shook his head but didn't believe his own words. "How can this be? Isn't he buried at Avalon?"

Petyr's sly smile returned. "Is he?"

Cersei didn't join the conversation, but remaining with Kai for this long was as good as becoming half a scholar. She knew who was this "he" they were talking about, and this understanding brought her no joy.

King Arthur Pendragon!

"I have been avoiding confronting Madam Villanelle with the king's topic," Kai muttered, taking a deep breath. "Not anymore, I guess. It's time for Darcie to converse with Merlin, and to know the truth of it. I will nudge her curiosity the next time she meets her."

"Are you continuing with this, then?" Cersei blurted. "What if it's a trap?"

Petyr chuckled. "It's Dark Scroll, my lady," he said, sneering. "If I am not wrong, our master must have already calculated at least a hundred scenarios related to it. Isn't that so?"

Kai didn't deign to reply. After a few moments of contemplation, he continued where he had left off and said, "It's also time to dwell in Occlumency and Legilimency, finally. I hope Sir Arthur won't disappoint me."

Kai stood up and looked at Petyr. "Even if it's a trap," he said, lifting the corner of his lips, "it wouldn't come to bite me in the ass before the 13th circle, right? I will make Darcie come here, for only she can enter. Next time she will be prepared, and then there's me. Even if the knight's strength increases upon advancing further, I must have those ingredients, no matter the cost."

"There's a slight problem, my lord," Petyr said, looking around. "The walls here are shifting continuously. Without magic, even Darcie can't…"

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Petyr's head. "The Compass!" he blurted. "Of course."

"No hurry," Kai chuckled. "I will not let this dark business ruin Darcie's studies. She will return only after making significant advances in both alchemy and magic. It should give us a year's worth of time, at the least. Not to mention, the 3rd Stage of the Tournament of Worth will begin next Sunday. Before it, I have no plans of rushing anything."

"Reasonable," Petyr nodded.

"Let's go," Kai said, giving a last look at the grave and the marble embedded at the top of the gravestone. "It's time the girls returned home."

The Dementors melted into Kai's shadow and the group returned to the fallen heroes.

Kai threw a look at the Lethifold. He reached into his shadow and pulled out a creature.

Mehhh… Mehhhh!

The baby goat kicked agitatedly but got thrown toward the dark creature, anyway.

Lilith preferred magical creatures, but with survival, anything went. The Lethifold pounced on the kid, thin, needle-like tendrils flailing out of it. In no time, it consumed the lamb alive, leaving a bloody mess behind.

"I have a task for you," Kai told the Lethifold, clearing the blood and bones. "If it all goes right, Darcie will benefit a lot through it."

Lilith swayed and rippled in return, hovering above Daphne and Dobby, protecting them as per Darcie's last command.

Kai took that as a yes. He put the Book back and lay down where he had woken up. Kai drew a deep breath, his eyes shutting, his mind plunging into a sea of yellow mist.

And when those eyes opened again, he was Kai no more.