Darkest Night (part 1)

Ch. XIII - Darkest Night (Rake)

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The gigantic explosion is at least two hundred meters in diameter, with the smoke that it caused hovering in the air over two kilometers tall.

The blast force wiped every single thing in sight, clearing everything on the two hundred meters radius to absolute nothingness. A large crater was formed with a depth of about fifty meters, but not a single person could even see the floor of the crater due to the smoke.

Unless… you're me.

With enchanted eyes, I can see the effects of the explosion. So many buildings and houses got completely eradicated, and nothing was left of it. The buildings around it that did not get caught by the blast, still get demolished by the wind force. As a result, an extra fifty meters of ground was flattened off buildings due to the wind force.

Thank god the building I'm standing on was three hundred meters away. Any fifty meters closer, I would've got caught by the force.

As for the death count… I am not sure.

That area wasn't really densely populated by houses, but it is where the knights headquarters is. And when I came there, there were at least five hundred knights stationed at the headquarters alone. As for the surrounding buildings, I don't know.

Definitely over thousands…

It does feel wrong, but… that is my holy mission.

The deaths of those innocent people… are necessary.

I turned my gaze to the skies, and the first thing I noticed is the looming mushroom cloud that has reached two kilometers to the clouds. It was so big that I'm sure people at Ardjestyn can see it.

The second thing I noticed is the crumbling barrier, which has been my goal since the very beginning.

The crystal sphere that exploded was the power source for the barrier that has been protecting Velborn's capital city for many centuries. The crystal, with a very dense amount of mana, has been supporting the city by continuously keeping a very powerful and large barrier for so long. It was so strong that one can't just recklessly attack the barrier.

But now… with the crystal sphere as its source removed…

The barrier is crumbling.

PRANGG!!!!

The sound of the skies cracking can be heard throughout the entire kingdom. The ethelens can only look up to the skies with horrified faces, staring at both the giant mushroom smoke and the crumbling barrier, wondering what their fates and futures might be.

With the barrier gone, Velborn is defensively weak. But, it's not like they can just get attacked easily.

Even if Gilbert has set up a five hundred year plan, it won't be easy for an entire kingdom to fall this quickly. They can just easily recreate the barrier again, as quick as they possibly can.

It might take them years, but it is still possible. The ethelens still haven't lost yet.

At least… that's what I thought.

BAARR!!!

The sound of lightning occurring right behind me so suddenly startled me. I was not expecting anyone to find me since I was hiding my presence, and yet a lightning strike managed to land right next to me on the roof of this building.

It was stupid to think that lightning strike wasn't caused by a person. Someone purposely did that.

I turned my gaze to the ground where the lightning struck, and I found a single person standing right where the ground was charred. Immediately I can tell that this person is the cause of the lightning strike, and that the lightning strike was actually him landing on the roof.

Also… this person was not unfamiliar.

A lion mask, with hairs all over the neck. His gray armor was thick and strong, I remembered that I couldn't pierce them easily when I faced him a long time ago. Sheathed on his back is a large sword as long as his height. His entire body is sparkling with red lightning sparks, showing that he had just used his lightning magic.

Rank 7, the Thunder Lion. A hero whose identity is still unknown to this date. He has never spoken a word to anyone, all we know was that he has a combat ability worthy of him being part of the Eleven Great Heroes of Ardjestyn. He has never shown his face to anyone, making him the most mysterious out of the eleven heroes.

And yet… here he is lifting both his hands to his mask. He lifted the mask very slowly, revealing a familiar face of someone that I just met for less than a week.

Gilbert Bladeforce. The commander of all things Ethelen. 

He is the Thunder Lion hero.

"I am… so proud of you, Rake."

His expression looked very glad. His eyes are teary, and he just can't stop staring happily at me.

Meanwhile, I am wearing the most shocking expression I've ever worn.

"G-Gilbert… Commander Gilbert?"

"Surprised? Why are you so surprised? Was it the fact that I'm the Thunder Lion? Or the fact that I'm here?"

… He's right. How is he here?

He was supposed to be at the knights barracks slightly outside Calibra's valley. 

It took me hours to get to Velborn by carriage.

How the hell is he here?

"There's something I didn't tell you, Rake. Something only told to a very few selected people."

Gilbert the Thunder Lion hero placed his mask between his left sleeves, and he turned his gaze towards the kingdom behind him.

"Your holy mission… was in fact my holy mission."

Huh?

"The mission to destroy the power source of Velborn's barrier… that was actually my holy mission from a long time ago. It was given to me the day I became a knight, when I faced the king.

I was merely twenty two, that day. I was very young, and I had just graduated and became a knight. I was a cocky young bastard with pride over his strength, that I absolutely can defeat anything in my way.

So… I bragged myself in front of the king. And twenty years ago, the king was also much younger than now. He is… much less funnier than he is today.

He gave me the holy mission… your holy mission, for me to accomplish myself. It was done in secret, because at the time only me and him, along with a few selected people were present. It was already an impossible mission, but I accepted it.

That's when… I lost everything. The friends that grew up with me, my own lover… they all died at the hands of the ethelens."

Gilbert's face looked very saddened as he told me the story, and I listened in very well.

"After the complete and utter failure, the king disbanded my holy mission and left me be. I have never met him for anything else ever since, except the time when I'm wearing this mask.

That day… I swore. Until my very last breath, until the last drop of my blood… I will make the ethelens fall."

He turned his mad grin at me, and I immediately knew where this was going.

"Gilbert… How… did you get here…?"

"Heheheh. How else? I used a teleportation portal."

Gilbert turned his gaze towards the north, outside Velborn's walls. I followed his gaze to the north, and I used my powerful magic sense to look further into that direction.

My senses immediately pick up a large amount of mana fluctuating in that area. But that is not all.

"You… did not come here alone…"

I said with an utter shock in my voice, and Gilbert chuckled.

"Obviously. Well, what can I say… to obtain the impossible, I can't do it alone. Unlike you, who completed such an evil mission all by yourself… you're a monster, you know that?"

I turned my horrified gaze to him, and found him simply grinning at me.

"Everything… has been prepared. I've only told you a tenth of the true plan, and everything has been moving very smoothly. Our missions are finishing this very moment, and you will take all the glory, dear Rake~!

So don't worry, everyone will absolutely look up to you. Including… your dear father."

I opened my eyes wide after hearing that. I was immediately reminded of my goals, of the reasons why I hold the blade.

That's right… this is all for the people…

For my father, to finally look at me.

The deaths… the things that are about to come…

It is all for him.