Silence fell…Heavy...Crushing….
The moment the Chief disappeared into the serpent's jaws something inside the room broke.
Kai stood frozen, his eyes wide, his lips trembling.
"…Grandpa…?"
No answer came. Only the sound of the serpent shifting its massive body across the floor. Jessy tightened her grip on her sword.
The villagers…,
Some cried…..
Some collapsed....
Some simply stared in disbelief…..
Hope had returned for a moment…
Only to be torn away again. At the center of the hall Aragorn stood still.
Too still…..
His eyes were locked on the serpent.
But he wasn't seeing it.
Not truly...
His mind was… blank…..
He died…
Right in front of me…His fists slowly clenched. I was right here…
And I couldn't save him…a faint tremor ran through his body.
Outside: The battle continued,Steel clashed…Monsters roared...
But inside Aragorn something far more dangerous was awakening. The shadows around the inn flickered.
The barrier the one Aragorn had created, started to weaken.
From the outside, the dark fog that covered the inn began to fade slowly.
Like smoke being pulled away by the wind.
Outside the Inn, General Rony cut down another beast.
His breathing steady…His blade dripping with blood.
"Push them back!" he shouted
The soldiers advanced. Step by step.
But then one of them pointed toward the inn.
"General!"
Rony turned jis eyes narrowed.
The dark fog around the building was fading.
"…What is happening?" he muttered
Another soldier spoke quickly,
"Sir… what if there are survivors inside?"
Rony's expression hardened,
"…Then we break through and save them."
He raised his sword again,
"Prepare to move toward the inn!"
But before they could advance something changed.
Inside the Inn, Aragorn's head slowly lowered. His breathing deepened.
Then,
Stopped….Silence….Absolute silence.
Even the air felt still Jessy looked at him.
"…Aragorn?"
No response…..then,
A pulse…..
Dark energy began to rise from his body.
Slow at first then faster. Shadows gathered at his feet.
Climbing....
Wrapping around him. The temperature in the room dropped. The air became heavy. The serpent paused.
Even it…..felt it…..
Aragorn's eyes lifted. They were no longer calm. They burned not with fear. Not with hesitation but with rage.
Pure...
Uncontrolled...
"…Enough…"
His voice was low. But it echoed.
As if something deeper was speaking with him. The shadows around him surged violently. Jessy stepped back slightly, shock in her eyes.
"…What is this power…?"
The serpent moved. Its massive body coiled.
Then it lunged again. Straight toward Kai and the survivors.
Kai froze...
He couldn't move. He couldn't think.
This time he knew. He was going to die.
But Aragorn moved first. His hand slowly rose. Dark energy gathered instantly.
Not like before…..
Not controlled...
Not refined...
This was something else….
Something raw...
Something destructive…..
A sphere of black energy formed in his palm,
Dense….Violent….Unstable…..
The shadows around the room were pulled into it. Like everything was being consumed. Jessy's eyes widened.
"…Aragorn…?"
But he didn't respond. His gaze was locked on the serpent. His voice came out cold, "…You should have stayed outside."
A pause…then…..
He whispered,"Shadow… Destruction!"
He released it.....
Outside the Inn, General Rony stepped forward, "Move—!"
But suddenly—BOOM...!!!
A massive surge of energy burst from inside the inn. From the broken window a straight beam of black energy shot out. Like a blade of darkness tearing through the world. It cut through the air through the battlefield, Exploding outward with terrifying force.
The ground cracked…..
Dust rose....
The shockwave spread in all directions.
Soldiers stopped.
Monsters froze...
Everyone turned.....
"What… was that…?" one soldier whispered.
Rony's eyes widened slightly
"…That power…"
The beam faded slowly. But the pressure it left behind still remained.
Heavy…..
Dominating...
Unnatural...
Inside the Inn, Silence returned. But nothing was the same. Where the serpent had stood there was nothing left.
No body…..
No blood...
Only destruction...
The wooden floor was shattered. The wall behind it was gone. A clean path of devastation stretched outward through the window into the battlefield beyond.
Aragorn stood at the center. His hand still extended. Shadows slowly fading around him.
His breathing heavy….
His eyes still burning...
Jessy stared at him...
The villagers stared at him. No one spoke. Because what they had just seen was not normal.
Was not human….
And Aragorn...
Was not done yet...
The dust had not yet settled. The air still trembled from the blast. And from the broken wall of the inn, he stepped out.
Aragorn….
Slow…..
Steady…..
Covered in a faint, shifting aura of shadow. The hole behind him still smoked, edges burnt and cracked from the force of his attack. The ground beneath his feet was fractured, blackened, as if the very earth had been scorched by darkness.
For a brief moment,
Everything paused…..
Even the monsters…..
Even the soldiers.....
General Rony narrowed his eyes
"…Who is that?"
The figure in black walked forward
No armor of Wolfden….
No insignia…..
No hesitation...
Only… presence…..
Heavy…..
Oppressive…..
And then a wolf beast lunged. Aragorn didn't even look. His hand moved slightly.
"Bind…."
Shadows erupted from the ground.
Black tendrils shot upward, wrapping around the creature mid air and crushed it.
CRACK!
Bones shattered…..
The body collapsed lifelessly.
Silence...
A soldier whispered,
"…What… was that?"
But there was no time to think.
Because Aragorn had already moved again.
Another beast charged,
A buffalo…..
Massive...
Roaring...
Aragorn stepped forward
No fear…..
No pause...
A dark ripple flashed around his hand—
And two swords appeared.
One a black blade,
Cold…..
Absolute…..
The other, a refined mithril sword, gleaming faintly.
Twin weapons…..
S-rank...
Even from a distance the soldiers could feel it.
"…Both of those…" one knight muttered, "…they're not ordinary weapons…"
Aragorn dashed forward
Slash!
The black blade cut clean through the buffalo's torso. Turn , the mithril sword followed.
Slice!
Its head separated instantly the body fell. Another beast came.
Then another…..
Then five…..
Then ten….
It didn't matter...Aragorn moved like a storm. Each step…
A kill...
Each strike….
Final…..
No wasted motion….
No hesitation…..
Shadows moved with him. At his command,
They rose…..
Wrapped...
Crushed....
A group of serpent monsters lunged together Aragorn lifted his hand.
"Bind "
The ground split. Dozens of shadow tendrils burst upward ,Capturing every single one of them.
They struggled….
Hissed…..
Twisted…..
But it was useless Aragorn clenched his fist.
"Break…."
CRUSH!
All of them collapsed at once.
Dead…..
Instantly...
Jessy stood at the edge of the battlefield.
Frozen…..
Her sword, still in her hand.But she wasn't moving.
"…This…"
Her voice was barely a whisper
"…What is this…?"
She had fought before. She had seen strength. But this….was different.
This was not a fight….
This was annihilation...
Kai slowly stepped beside her his face pale, his eyes wide.
"…He…"
"…He's not human…"
Jessy didn't reply….
Because for the first time , she wasn't sure either.
On the battlefield chaos turned into silence. Because wherever Aragorn moved , Nothing survived.
Wolf beasts….
Serpent monsters…..
Buffalo creatures...
All fell….
One after another…..
Like they were nothing...
General Rony watched everything….
Every movement…..
Every strike…..
Every death....
His grip on his sword tightened.
"…A single man…"
"…doing all this…?"
A soldier beside him whispered,
"General… should we assist him?"
Rony didn't answer immediately.
His eyes remained locked on Aragorn.
"…No."
A pause. ..
"…Secure the survivors."
His voice turned firm again
"Move!"
His gaze shifted. Toward Jessy and Kai.
"Hey! You there!"
Kai flinched slightly, then stepped forward.
"Yes—Yes, General!"
"Are there survivors inside?"
"Yes! Around thirty… they're inside the inn!"
Rony nodded immediately,"Good."
He turned to his men,
"Squad three! Move in and evacuate them!"
"Careful! Stay alert!"
"Yes, General!"
Soldiers rushed toward the inn.
Kai stepped closer his voice lower now.
"…I am the grandson of the Chief."
Rony looked at him
"…Where is the Chief?"
A pause…..
Kai's expression fell….
"…He's… no more."
Silence...
Rony's eyes hardened slightly.
"…I see."
No time for grief….
Not now…..
He turned again…..
"Then listen carefully."
"We evacuate everyone."
"As fast as possible."
"No delays."
Kai nodded…..
"Yes!"
And ran. Rony's gaze shifted once more toward Jessy. His eyes narrowed slightly.
An elf…?
Then back to Aragorn and that man…
Shadow magic… at this level…?
Questions filled his mind. But he pushed them aside.
Not now…..
The evacuation began. Villagers were guided out.
Weak...
Injured…..
Terrified...
Soldiers protected them. Forming a defensive line. And at the center of it all Aragorn kept fighting.
Relentless…...
Unstoppable...
But slowly something changed. His movements, slightly slower.
His breathing…
Heavier…..
The shadows around him flickered. His grip tightened on his swords.
"…Not enough…"
Another beast fell
"…I need to kill more…"
Another strike
"…I have to protect them…"
His vision blurred slightly.
Mana…..
Draining….
Fast…..
Too fast…..
But he didn't stop. He couldn't stop.
Then everything went still. For just a moment.
A presence…..
Heavy….
Ancient…..
Watching….
Aragorn froze. His head slowly lifted.
His eyes moved toward the forest.
Far beyond the battlefield. And there he saw it.
A figure…..
Massive…..
Towering above the rest. At least fourteen feet tall.
Muscular...
Red skinned…..
One horn intact….
The other…
Broken...Scarred…..
In one hand a massive axe in the other a sword. Its eyes glowed. Locked onto him.
Intelligent…..
Aware...
Not like the others….
The Buffalo King…!!
For the first time Aragorn and the King locked eyes.
No words….
No movement…..
Just…Recognition…..
A true enemy, Aragorn's grip tightened.
His breath slowed. Despite his exhaustion a faint smile appeared.
"…So you're the one…"
And in the distance the King stepped forward...….