Treatise Of A Failed Knight-Chapter 176: Knight Of Shadows

Chapter 176: Knight Of Shadows
"Haaa...."
Shaky breaths leave my lips as I stand amidst a pile of frozen corpses.
Most of them are already shattered into pieces, but there are several that remain in their complete forms. Regardless of aesthetics, they’re all dead.
’So exhausting...’ I sigh, feeling how sore my body is already becoming. ’But I can’t stop now.’
Thankfully, the cooldown for Frontflow is complete.
I can use Obsidian Steed to make great progress down this path. If I encounter any other obstacles, I’ll have to remove them before proceeding.
The contemplation only lasts a moment, and I make up my mind without hesitation.
Thus, after consuming some Potions, I resume my advance.
**************
"E-eek...!"
Terrified screeches echo loudly within a great expanse in the cavern.
Many students, almost a thousand, shiver in fear, while the leftover half dozen teachers and barely ten guards try their best to maintain their spirits.
Right now, this crowd of barely a thousand is stuck in this place, with no exit in sight.
The cavernous expanse feels like a vast stalactite cave, with jagged ceilings and colorful formations hanging from above. In the past, they would have admired such a structure, but now it only seems to pulsate with eerie, ominous light.
The floors are uneven and rough, and the walls also have endless spikes within them.
It almost feels like this place was carved by imperfection.
Built by hurried hands.
However, beyond the structure itself, the most saddening thing about their situation is the several creatures that lurk in every corner.
—Magivores!
These wolf-like creatures are tall as buildings, their growls, barks, and snarls constantly rupturing in the air to form a symphony of death.
Chaos swirls in everyone’s hearts.
No matter how hard they look, there doesn’t seem to be an escape in sight.
The only path that leads out is the place they ventured in from, and it is riddled with the same kind of Magivores—all of them in Cadre 4. Beyond them, there are likely even more Magivores down the path, making it an inviable choice.
In fact, the only reason they are still alive is the Spell cast by the remaining guards.
Who would have thought there were Shamans in their midst?
These people mysteriously worked in tandem with each other, combining rather expensive Special Resources to achieve the mystical effects.
After all of them were backed against the cave walls, this bright golden light suddenly appeared to shield all of them from their attack. It created a perfect canopy, akin to a dome, that blocks them from the attacks of their enemies.
Using the flags of the Royal Academy as anchors, these guards strengthened the longevity and increased the range of the Spell.
This has been the only silver lining they have experienced since the chaos ensued.
But so what?
The Spell won’t last forever, and there doesn’t seem to be a path to escape.
Even the guards recognize how hopeless the situation is.
Some of them had tried to create an opening, but anyone who ventured out of the golden barrier only met a violent death at the hands of the several Cadre 4 Magivores—some of which remain hidden in this vast space.
It’s impossible.
Escape is not an option, and their time is slowly running out.
Of all the people present, one of them trembles more violently than even the students.
It is Seth Clayford.
’T-this... this is the place!’ Seth’s eyes bulge in utter fear. ’This is the place in my first dream. The place where everyone dies. But... why? Why is this happening? I thought we fixed it. I thought no one would die any longer!’
The truth is, quite a few people have already died.
Many students could not keep up during the escape, and the Magivores devoured them. The guards did their best to protect everyone, but they were no match for the Cadre 4 Magivores.
Even... Earl Balric Wolfshade.
He had died.
More than two hundred students have perished, and nearly three hundred in total have lost their lives. Although they remain nearly a thousand, it’s only a matter of time before everyone present also meets the same horrid fate.
’Javier, please don’t come. You’ll only meet death here...’ Seth shivers, recalling the call he received from Javier not too long ago.
Back then, they had just ventured into the cavern, hoping to find a path out in the other end.
Who would have thought they would be driven into a corner?
Now...
’If not for these guards, we would have already died. But... who are these people? I don’t recall the Academy having such skilled guards.’ Despite thinking like this, Seth doesn’t dare ask them any questions or query the situation.
Not only is he grateful for their shocking prowess, but he also holds no authority at the moment.
With Earl Balric Wolfshade and other Senior staff in the Academy dead, the person with the highest level of authority is currently Seraphina Lindester.
However, even she is in no state to be asking any questions after experiencing the deaths of several students and her childhood friend, Justin. Although she is trying her best to comfort the children, the strain on her face is clear to see.
Any moment now, and she could faint from utter despair.
It’s hopeless!
Seth Clayford knows it.
Still, he can’t help but clasp his hands and pray to the Gods for any kind of intervention.
He knows it is useless
After all, what’s the use of praying to these Gods who have remained indifferent even till this point? They didn’t intervene when hundreds of innocent children died, or when Balric Wolfshade sacrificed himself, or when the brave guards gave away their lives to buy just a little more time.
So why would they intervene now?
Seth knows.
His Gods are impotent.
Just how many people suffer in the Randalorion Kingdom every day?
Every Hour, someone dies.
Every Minute, tragedy strikes someone else.
Every second, evil is being committed.
Tragedy continues to befall the world. Although he has been among the more privileged ones due to meeting Father Gerome, he has never once let that blind him from the true state of the world and the reality that everyone else faces.
What Gods?!
If the Gods could not save all of those people who suffered injustices in the world, why would they save them? No... Seth already decided long ago—
Gods aren’t real.
If they are real, then they must be either impotent or indifferent to our affairs!
Many point at his prophetic dreams as proof of God’s existence, and they use all kinds of miraculous events in history to justify their steadfast faith, but it has never made any lick of sense to him.
If God were truly in control of these gifts, why not give them to someone more pious?
Like Father Gerome.
Like all the other Priests in the Temples.
Why him, an agnostic who remains unconvinced of their supreme power?
And if they indeed granted him this gift, why can’t they grant others the same power, so even more people in the world can be saved? If they were truly benevolent, would they not wish for less chaos and more salvation?
In fact, this would even draw more people towards the faith.
So why?
After thinking so hard during his short life, Seth arrived at the only true answer.
His power does not come from them.
It was pure chance at best.
There does not seem to be any intelligence that runs the world, and even if there is... these beings would hardly be gods worthy of worship. Given the levels of depravity in the world, they would have to be capricious and utterly malevolent.
Yet...
"P-please... save us!"
... Seth finds himself on his knees, praying to these malignant entities, having no other choice.
Shame and desperation cloud his child-like demeanor.
He is frightened.
Terrified of what will happen once the golden veil is removed and death rains down on them.
He does not wish for what he saw in that dream to manifest in reality.
The tears of the young.
Blood of innocents.
Corpses of over a thousand.
He cannot bear it—he truly dreads the manifestation of such a horrific sight.
Yet it marches.
Closer... closer... and closer...
Until—
BOOOOM!!!
All of a sudden, a man riding an obsidian horse charges into the expanse, a frosty white blade tightly clutched in his hand. His body is drowned in shadows, and he possesses a mask of terror, one that screams of chaos.
Yet, there is a certain grace in his entry.
Nobility in his presence.
His pitch-black steed warbles with all kinds of colors, releasing mist from its mechanical maw. Its wings unfurl, creating a grand sight that would cause any man to shiver.
’W-who is this? How did he get past—?!’
Seth turns his attention to the only exit/entrance of this expanse and finds that all the Cadre 4 Magivores standing guard are dead, reduced to nothing but cold ice statues. Some crumble to pieces, causing shatters to echo all around.
An impossible sight!
Seth’s eyes continue to widen in sheer disbelief at this miracle.
He isn’t the only one.
All of the students, the conscious ones anyway, all have their eyes focused on this mysterious stranger. As his pitch-black cloak flutters in the air, he turns into a shadowy entity—a creature of the deep, silent night.
His horse appears unnatural as well, possessing an uncanny sight that reeks of death.
Is this man an enemy or an ally?
This question is quickly answered once the Magivores begin to pounce, attacking him with great ferocity. Yet, strangely enough, the man manages to handle them with confidence, his elegant gait and powerful strides creating an unforgettable impression in the eyes of the spectators.
Despite the overwhelming odds, he doesn’t seem to struggle.
No, he dances in the chaos instead.
He thrives in it.
His blade claims the lives of the beasts, yet it only hungers for more.
Blood... thick blood is shed in immense quantity, overflowing like rivers of living water that stain every facet of this cavern until the atmosphere is forever drowned in the horrible stench of the frozen purple ichor.
’But this person... how is he moving like this?’
Seth is mesmerized.
One moment, the man is standing somewhere, and the next, he is in another position entirely. This should not be physically possible. Even Potions and Armaments have their limits, yet this man seems to disregard all of them.
Like a glitch in reality, a god that looks down on conventional understanding.
He spits in the face of logic.
He sneers at the comprehension of all who see him.
His glorious dance of death only further cements his image in their minds as one who cannot be fathomed, a dark hero whose depths will forever remain unknown.
Until, finally... the carnage ends.
The only one standing in the midst of all the corpses is the herald of darkness, and the knight of shadows—a being whose name is not yet known to the helpless onlookers.
Javier Aditi!
*************
On my way here, I already saw the corpses.
I noticed Earl Balric Wolfshade’s body, as well as all the other students and guards who died as they made their escape. Seraphina and Seth are still alive, but it looks like many staff didn’t make it—too many.
And now, as I look at the survivors, my gaze focuses on the remaining guards.
They’re... different.
Using my Aego Sight—or Existential Resonance, as she called it—I quickly notice the reason.
’These Armaments that they possess are of B Grade. They must be the ones Balric referenced in the notes I found on his corpse.’ I sigh, recollecting how, despite my initial reservations, I followed my instincts and took a bit of time to search him for clues.
There, I found the truth.
’There were Royal Knights among us from the very beginning. They blended with the other guards of the Royal Academy, and their purpose wasn’t merely to serve as our guardians. They had their own separate mission, and this Excursion was supposed to be their perfect cover.’
It appears Ciel was right after all.
The Royal Family was truly seeking out the Vey’lithar Sanctuary.