Hero of Darkness

Chapter 1178: Subdued and Trapped

Despite all their collective efforts, Kahn and the company were caught by the ruler of this region, the Godbeast Baihu.

It had been barely a minute before their exchange began. Still, the beast, considered on par with Elder Dragons and Archangels, did not even waste time and directly killed Argos as well as Morrigan without even giving them a proper chance to plead for their lives.

And after he was done with Vildred, his gaze settled on Kahn, and he instantly recognized his identity as Hero of Darkness.

”You... You know me?” asked Kahn, stunned and his mind discombobulated.

”Know you? I have been waiting for you.

Not just me, but all the other godbeasts have been waiting for you.” replied the godbeast as it growled with rage.

”That bastard, the 8th Hero of Darkness... it was him who sealed all of us here in the first place!” iterated the godbeast while letting out his terrifying murderous intent.

”What? How is that even possible?

How could my predecessor, who was a peak 9th-stage saint, capture and seal all the 5 invincible godbeasts here?” asked Kahn, his eyes full of disbelief.

Godbeast Baihu, on the other end, grinned.

”Doesn’t matter. I wasn’t going to spare you anyway. But to think that the one we were waiting for all these centuries finally showed up here on his own accord.

The world must be looking favorably on me.” said the ginormous beast as it flapped its wings in joy.

He then looked at Vildred.

”It is a shame, dragon. You will die today, not because of a fault of your own, but because you were bound to a chosen hero of all people in the world.” it iterated in a grim voice.

”Wait!

Since you’re already going to kill us... can you at least tell us how you were forced to stay in the Abyss Empire?” asked Kahn with a helpless countenance.

Godbeast Baihu looked down on Kahn with scorn.

”Since you’re dying anyway... listen.

That bastard, he suddenly went on a killing spree, hunting down all the other heroes and acquiring their divine keys as well as their divine weapons, didn’t he?” asked the godbeast with contempt.

Kahn nodded. This much history was known to everyone related to the matter of gods and the war against the demon god.

”From what I can gather... after he was done killing them and failed to kill that brat you call the Demon God or whatever... he looked for us, the godbeasts.

First, he started with Behemoth, then moved on to Fenrir. Later, he subjugated Basilisk, then that bird Roc, and finally me.

He used the divine weapons of the fallen chosen heroes to weaken us and restrict our bodies using both of his divine abilities.

And do you know what he used to seal mighty existences like ours inside this accursed empire?” stated the titanic being and asked with pity towards Kahn.

”What?” questioned Kahn.

”The cores of his fellow chosen heroes.” revealed Godbeast Baihu.

Stunned!

Kahn was stunned by this revelation. Now, one of the long mysteries was solved in front of his eyes.

”After we kill you... The one who now is the rightful owner of the divine weapon used to seal us... the seal shall finally be undone.” said the Godbeast.

”Huh?! How am I linked to the seal?” asked Kahn.

But before he could get an answer...

POP!

POP!

Both Kahn and Vildred burst like bubbles, their bodies scattered over the ship.

******************

5 thousand kilometers away...

The real group was travelling with their hearts in their mouths, scared but also cautious.

The group killed by Godbeast Baihu, was a decoy all this time.

What Kahn did was get the blood of his allies and infused it with his replicas, who later took on their appearance and mimicked their auras before the Godbeast found them.

After Baihu killed the replica Kahn, the memories of the clone entered his mind.

[So that’s why it happened? Did he hunt down other heroes solely to subdue the Godbeasts and seal them here?

Was that the only purpose, and not something like absorbing their cores to become a Demi-God?

And what divine abilities did he have to even be able to seal these godly beings?

Did he do that after the Abyss Empire was destroyed by other empires, or was it always his plan?] he wondered as questions piled up in his mind.

Kahn was confused, having some of his previous doubts cleared in his mind about the events of what happened 300 years ago.

[Why? Why did he have to go as far as waging a war on the world?

Previously, I thought he sacrificed the entire Abyss Empire because of his goals. But not only did the empire survive, it is still thriving even if it’s hidden from the rest of the world.

But why did he have to kill the other heroes?] he questioned himself, unable to grasp the reasoning.

[The godbeast Baihu said he used those cores as a sacrifice to seal them. Was that necessary or just because he had them at that time?] he wondered again.

Kahn then looked at Argos flying beside him...

[How much does he know about the truth?

Even the Martial Emperor said that the 8th Hero of Darkness did what had to be done, and his actions were justified in the end.

I guess I’ll have to find the truth on my own, especially if it helps defeat the Demon God.] thought Kahn to himself.

******************

1 Hour Later...

Kahn and the company had temporarily escaped from the Jaws of Death but the danger hadn’t subsided.

Fooling a godbeast wasn’t going to be easy. Sooner or later, the beings on par with Demi-Gods would realize that those were not their real bodies and then get even more furious.

After the clone Kahn died, the seal forcing it to stay trapped in the Abyss Empire should’ve been broken. And since the real Kahn was still alive... it won’t happen.

The Godbeast would understand that the one he killed wasn’t the real body. Hence, it would eventually look for the original bodies.

And now that it knew Kahn was the new Hero of Darkness... It would make sure to kill him, no matter what happened or how long it took.

Hell, it might even alert the other Godbeasts if it could, so that they all could be free in the end.

So Kahn was catching daggers from all sides at this point.

And as they flew quietly...

BOOM!!

Unfortunately, Kahn’s luck had run out way quicker than expected.

ROAARRR!!

The reality itself shattered this time as mountains crumbled and rivers evaporated.

”You runt! Do you think you can escape me?! Your petty tricks won’t work twice in front of me ever again.

You shall die today, at my claws. And then, I shall finally be free of these shackles.

300 years of imprisonment in this downtrodden land... You shall pay for my misery.” declared the godbeast in a vengeful tone.

”Oye, pussycat. It’s getting irritating, you know.” said Kahn in an annoyed tone.

”Whatever my predecessor did, however he did and whatever reason he did it for... That’s entirely his business.

I’m just as unrelated and innocent of those crimes as they come.

If you’ve got problems with him, find his corpse and kill it.” said Kahn, his eyes filled with contempt.

After listening to this response, even the Godbeast was perplexed.

The weakling he killed an hour ago just with his aura alone, suddenly grew a spine and openly started berating him.

”How dare to talk so disrespectfully to me?

Do you want to die?!” asked Baihu in an exasperated voice.

His expression had stiffened, and his eyes turned wrathful.

”Yes, I have a death wish, you damn house cat!

I’m pissed at everyone. Why the fuck do I need to take responsibility for something I didn’t even do?

Why the hell do I need to die for the actions not of my own?

Why must I have to bear all this burden on my shoulder because of something that son of a bitch did to you?

Don’t you think that’s unreasonable?” asked Kahn, giving the godbeast a staredown.

”What makes you think I care?” asked the Godbeast in return with a condescending tone.

”Your death is needed for me to be free. So atone for the actions of your predecessor with your life and fulfill your role.

Not only I, but other godbeasts will be thankful as well. You could end centuries of grudges with your measly and useless life.

Besides... this world follows the law of the strong anyway.

Even we were no exceptions to this rule before we took the mantle of Godbeasts after the ones before us died.

You think power, of any sort, comes without its responsibilities as well as consequences?

Whether it’s us Godbeasts, the Elder Dragons, and the Archangels... all of us are paying the price in our own way.

Compared to us... You have barely suffered the pain for a minute.” stated Baihu in a grim tone.

”Yet, I shall free you from this suffering and end all the old bonds.

Be thankful that your death won’t be as painful as I originally intended.” it declared in a domineering tone.

Godbeast Baihu flashed his eyes. Soon, a dark blue orb made of a completely unknown energy that Kahn had never seen or heard of appeared in front of the Godbeast’s mouth.

”There won’t be any mistakes again. Die and be the key that unlocks our shackles.”

BOOM!

Like a laser beam, the massive 1-kilometer-tall ray of energy made of the unknown element struck Kahn and the group, simply erasing their entire existence from the world.

No one could survive this mysterious power even if they hid in the true dimension.

”Finally, I shall be free.” said the Godbeast Baihu and raised its head towards the sky, waiting for something monumental to happen.

”Huh?! Why isn’t the seal broken?” asked the godbeast, puzzled.

The next moment, it widened its eyes in disbelief.

”This can’t be! I’m certain it was the real body!

How the hell is he still alive?!” shouted the godbeast, flabbergasted.

ROAAARRRR!!!

It roared with rage and proclaimed loudly...

”Hero of Darkness! I’ll never forgive you!”

Meanwhile, in a completely different direction, within the true dimension, Kahn alone flew at supersonic speed while activating the Caladrius Wings.

The one Godbeast Baihu killed was another cosmic replica he left as backup.

Soon, the memories of the second replica also reached his mind as he let out a grin, scoffing at the Godbeast who fell for his plan.

”What a pussy.”