Raw strike

Once in a venture, centuries apart, the birth of a hero heralds hope and justice, while conversely, the birth of a demon symbolizes chaos and destruction. These two beings are destined to emerge in the world of Gufahya, wreaking havoc across the lands as they battle for supremacy.

The annals of history bear witness to the scars of these battles—ruined kingdoms, extinct races, and polluted lands are the grim aftermath of the conflict between the demonic ruler and the champion of justice and hope.

- - - - -

"Brother, wait..."

Edna rose from the ground and hurried toward her brother, who walked in the front of her. She tightly grasped one of his fingers with her trembling hand.

The road she walked was filled with terrifying figures, inhabitants of the disturbed city who cast greedy glances at anyone displaying signs of wealth. She and her brother, once the proud children of Duke Herry, now wore worn-out clothes, a stark contrast to their former station.

"Hey, little girl, where are you going?" A decrepit old man, his eyes clouded and his appearance repulsive, approached them with a sinister smile on his face.

Edna became frightened as she saw the man approaching, her grip on her brother's finger tightening.

Her brother, the young man, cast a slight glance at the old and weary man. His deep Dark eyes sent shivers down the spine of the old man with just one glance. The old man fell silent and stepped back from their path.

As the young man and the girl walked past him, the old man glanced back at them.

"Pe-thew! Hump!" he spat out. "Even if their pride as children of a duke has fallen, it still lingers in their minds."

Edna heard the old man's cursing voice and glanced at her brother, noticing that his expression remained unchanged.

After a long walk, they reached the end of the road, where it intersected with a towering castle surrounded by high walls and shielded equipment. Well-equipped guardian knights patrolled the area, always vigilant for any sign of danger. At this moment, their attention was drawn to Edna and her older brother.

"Hey, isn't that..."

"Huh, the last flicker of hope, I suppose. But unfortunately for them, our duke has already made a decision."

Two guards recognized the insignia on the young man's clothes and began to talk about him.

The young man walked toward the forefront of the castle gate along with his sister, where they encountered a knight.

"Hold on, this is the castle of Duke William. Nobody can enter without permission, especially not any lowlife," the knight declared sternly.

The knight's voice faltered as he noticed the insignia on the young man's chest, and then it grew even louder at the end.

"I'm the eldest son of Duke Herry, betrothed to your duke's daughter. Could you inform your duke that I am here to meet with him?"

The young man stared at the knight, who wore a scornful expression on his face. "Hump! Maybe you still haven't realized that your entire linage has been wiped out..."

The knight's steps faltered as he met the young man's fierce gaze, feeling as if his neck were being pierced by a sharpened sword. His breathing grew strained.

"I... I will inform our duke as soon as possible," the knight stammered before hastily retreating, his voice tinged with panic.

The young man waited for a few minutes, and then he saw the knight who had rushed into the castle running back toward him.

"The Duke approves your request to meet him," the knight said, then turned to the two subordinate knights standing closest to the giant gate.

"Hey, you two, we have a guest!"

Upon hearing him, the two knights briskly pulled the doors. With a creak, the giant doors swung open, revealing the beautifully adorned castle within.

The young man glanced back at the city engulfed in flames, with the impoverished inhabitants begging and crawling amidst the chaos. Then, he turned his gaze back toward the view of the castle.

"Ridiculous," he muttered under his breath as he walked inside the castle, holding his sister's hand firmly.

They passed through the castle door into a grand foyer, where a giant hallway stretched out before them, its large pillars supporting the castle's roof.

The pathway they walked along was adorned with glistening knight's armor and exotic paintings hanging on either side of the walls. A red carpet lay on the floor.

"Here," the knight said, leading the way to an open door for the young man.

The young man entered through the door to behold a regal figure seated upon a throne, one hand resting upon the armrest while the other supported his chin, his face devoid of emotion as he regarded the young man with a dismissive gaze.

The hall was filled with another group of people, mostly elderly, who stood close to the man on the throne.

"Henry, my closest friend's son, I believe I know why you're here," the man upon the throne said.

"Then let's make this quick," said the young man, showing neither respect nor bewilderment to the demanding man before him.

However, the elders who stood beside the man on the throne grew visibly alarmed as they witnessed the young man's behavior. They exclaimed loudly, demanding that he kneel.

"Silent!" commanded the man upon the throne, his voice cutting through the room.

He then lifted his head, ignoring the outburst from the elders.

"You know, I could call off the engagement between you and my precious daughter without giving you anything in return. And nobody would question me about it either, because we all know there's no more Duke of Herry," the man stated firmly, giving Henry a stern look. Despite this, Henry maintained his unchanged expression .

"But since your father and I have been friends before, I'll give you this," the man said, signaling to one of the attendants in the hall who hastily brought some papers to him.

"Here, consider these as compensation for breaking off the engagement and the last generosity I will show to you. From now on, you and I have no relation to each other," the man declared, tossing the letter onto the floor in front of the young man.

The young man picked up the letter and read its contents, while the gaze of the elders and the man upon the throne remained fixed on him until he finished.

After reading, the young man turned his gaze towards Duke William.

"As you wish, then, Duke William," he said, bowing towards the man on the throne. He then turned around and left the room, leaving the others to continue staring after him in silence.

Clank!

As Henry and Edna walked out through the castle gate,

"Farewell, then," the knight said, looking at Henry.

Though Edna looked back with a pleasant smile, Henry did not reciprocate as he walked away from the castle gate, leaving the past behind him.

After watching them go, the knight commanded the others to close the doors.

"Wait!"

But halfway through, he suddenly ordered them to stop as a carriage arrived toward their castle, and the knight knew to whom the carriage belonged.

Henry pulled Edna to the side of the road as the carriage passed them, but it gradually slowed down, coming to a stop close to them.

"Hey, Luna, isn't this your engaged husband?" The carriage door window opened, and a young lady gazed toward them. Half of her face was covered by a veil, revealing only her eyes.

The lady she addressed stood on the other side of the carriage, where the windows remained closed. No response came from within.

"May I know where Sir Henry is going? Since your household has burned down, I suppose you should stay at an orphanage," the young lady asked Henry, but he ignored them and walked away.

"Hump, so rude. Maybe he still thinks he's the son of a duke," the lady's words echoed as the carriage began to move again and passed through the castle doors.

Edna glanced at her brother, noticing the lack of expression on his face but sensing the deep-seated hatred and anger dwelling within his dark eyes.

The two walked past the devastated city, continuing their journey until they reached the mountain side they had seen in the distance. Once at a bend in the road that wound tightly between the mountains, Henry stepped away from the road and walked past some giant bushes that grew on the roadside. To see what lay on the other side of the bushes, one would indeed need to wade through them.

Walking past the giant bush, Henry emerged on the other side, followed closely by his sister, who struggled a bit with the dense foliage due to her petite size.

Once on the other side, they found themselves facing a sheer cliff, with a large boulder positioned extremely close to the bushes. There was barely enough space for Henry to take two steps forward from where he stood.

Henry's focus was solely on the stone at that moment. He examined it closely, and after a few silent searching minutes, his facial expression turned into a scoff as he touched the stone at a place where there was a hand-like sign and pushed it forward.

Gruuk!

The giant rock suddenly began to shake after Henry pushed it, and a staircase leading into the darkness below the rock appeared as it began to separate.

Holding her sister's finger, Henry descended down through the dark staircase. After the two reached the bottom, the giant rock sealed again, and the separated place joined once more, leaving no clue about the secret passage.

As they walked down through the labyrinth, they saw a sight of a bustling marketplace below.

It was filled with numerous kinds of people, with sellers and buyers shouting over each other to exchange money. The noise echoed through the air in the market, reaching the ears of Edna, who was still a bit far from it.

Getting closer to the marketplace, Henry entered it and walked through one of the streets. Sellers screamed loudly, trying to entice Henry to buy their products, but his rough, emotionless face showed no interest in them.

Once he reached the center of the bustling market, Henry suddenly stopped.

"Hekra, I'm here for the deal," he declared loudly, his voice echoing through the entire market.

The entire marketplace suddenly fell silent as they all looked towards Henry with confusion on their faces.

"Young man, what the hell was that? Are you seeking attention or something?" asked one of the thug-looking men who was with another group of people.

Each and every person in the crowd wore a deeply scared expression, and as they spoke, their rotten teeth were revealed, eliciting a feeling of disgust in anyone's heart.

Edna got extremely closer to her brother and clutched his hand tightly as she observed the unsettling scene.

"I'm not an impatient man, Hekra, but you, as a wise man, should know when to pull a prank and when not to," Henry shouted.

Kha-ha-ha-kha!

An eerie, laughing sound echoed through the entire market.

Puff!

In the next moment, the entire market scene dispersed like a soap bubble exploding, revealing an old shop-like place within.

"Henry, good to see you my boy. I hope your arrival has some value to it," a voice called from within the shop. As a figure emerged, Edna saw that it was a leprechaun.

"Oh, I didn't see you there," said the leprechaun, noticing little Edna and offering her a smile.

However, Edna couldn't shake off the feeling of horror as she looked at the leprechaun's less-than-pleasant face.

"Here, this should be enough for the payment," Henry said, taking out the letter given to him by Duke William and tossing it to the leprechaun.

"Hmm," the leprechaun murmured as it read the letter, its gaze sharp.

"Three golden mine and four gemini gem mines," the leprechaun said, directing its eyes towards Henry.

"Very well, this should be enough. Now, to seal the deal on my side, would you please come inside?" it invited, opening the heavy-looking curtain of its shop and gesturing for the two of them to enter.

Taking a step forward, Henry walked into the shop with his sister. With them gone, the leprechaun followed suit, its eerie smile widening before it entered.