Way of the Knights

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"W-what the hell…" 

No one knows who said this words but this reaction pretty much sums up what they all felt about the scene they just witnessed. 

A mere snap of a finger, and that's it. 

The enemies that almost threatened to destroy the whole kingdom, were reduced to mere ashes, just like that. 

How ridiculous was that? 

Everyone who fought earlier, gave it their all. They threw everything they had at those Giant Golems but all it did was to tickle them, yet a mere snap of Raven's finger eradicated them. The golems didn't even get any chance to come close to him at all. 

The term 'strong' is a severe understatement to describe Raven at all. 

Right now, Raven's presence felt like that of a true god. He stood tall at the summit, looking down on everyone with disdain. Some people were gratified while some had mixed reactions. It was a pity that he was a bit late. Had he arrive earlier, then they could've prevented more casualties. 

One could only wonder what these people would feel had they known that Raven already returned even the war began. 

"Amazing." Old Lee sighed in admiration as he how Raven effortlessly dealt with the golems. "So he had come this far huh?"

"He had completely surpassed us." Morel added, "I'm afraid that he's even stronger than the King himself, even though both of them are at Hero Realm."

"This is due to his Laws." Leona stated, "He was baptized by Destruction Laws, in addition to that he's understanding about his Laws are deep. His Heroic Influence is too potent as well."

That's right. Raven had made another cultivation breakthrough. He's now officially standing at the peak of this plane with the support of Hero Realm cultivation. 

After aiding the plane to recovered by unsealing the blessings of the Old Masters, a good chunk of their blessing greatly affected Raven as well, so much so that it pushed him to make another breakthrough. This had been a great boon since he's looking for ways to accelerate his breakthrough anyway. 

If the threat of Vit'hum didn't exist, Raven would've not force himself through this breakthrough since that will cause a slight disturbance in his already solid foundation. But the case wasn't as such and he needed the boost so he didn't hesitate to make another breakthrough. 

Raven was already aware that his foundations will become somewhat unstable after this breakthrough and already made plans on fixing that after the war. To his surprise however, the blessings of the Old Masters were too potent that it allowed his foundations to not only remain stable but made it even more sturdy. This caused him to feel great elation and allowed him to finish the breakthrough without any worries. 

The '6th Transformation' focuses on Raven's Spirit. Aside from his body being broken down and reconstituted and his Chaos Force being refined to a purer state, the 6th Transformation elevates the Spiritual Constitution. 

A person's Spirit is usually their most fragile part. It wouldn't take much to destroy it and curing even the slightest damage will require an insane amount of resources. The transformation cycles on the Book of Chaos fixes this, similar to how Spirit Path Cultivators did. The only difference is that, through this transformation, a link between Raven's Chaos Force Core and his Spirit will appear, thus allowing him to nourish his soul using his Chaos Force. 

Which means that by now, slowly but surely, he could cure his damaged soul. 

As long as Raven continues to train his body, the seals on his Chaos Force Core will loosen, allowing his total Chaos Force reserve to gradually increase. And the more Chaos Force he could use, the faster his soul would recover, which in turn would aid him in battle and make him even more stronger. 

This is the wondrous benefits that the Book of Chaos gave him. And this is just the first chapter. 

After making his breakthrough, Raven wasn't in a hurry even though the Old Consciousness told him about the plans of Vit'hum. He just requested him to send a vision to all knights of the kingdom in order to warn them. After consolidating his cultivation base under a time enchantment, he asked the old consciousness to transport him back home and told him about his plans. 

Once he returned to the kingdom, his first stop was at the Sacred Leaf Tavern, just in time that the need for the Vivic Potion was raised. After helping Richard concoct it, he also provided the ingredients for the cure for his in-laws. After that, he paid a visit to his mom and sisters. Once he got an emotional reunion with his mom and received an earful of her nagging, he then observed the war at a distance. 

He could've announced his presence and helped but he waited until the situation was really dire before stepping in. Raven did this because he felt like the Kingdom needs to experience this kind of setback. He wanted people to know that their walls won't guarantee absolute safety. Through this experience, he was hoping for them to wake up and realize that only by gaining strength would they be able to ensure the safety of their home. 

Raven wanted them to be able to stand up on their own, since he himself knew that he's not going to remain by their side forever. He had places to go.

***

Everyone was puzzled as to why Raven wasn't returning yet even after dealing with the Giant Golems. 

There were no enemies on sight. He already killed the one's remaining. This should've meant their victory right? So why is he still standing over there? 

"You're watching right? Come out. It's time to finish this."

Everyone heard Raven's voice, and due to his solemn tone, all of them felt apprehensive. Only those who had been aware of the true meaning behind the visions, knew what was about to happen. 

While the majority of crowd are still confused as to what's going on, they then heard a voice that sent shivers to their spine.

"Impudent brat!"

*Boom!*

The ground quaked, its tremors were felt all the way to the kingdom's walls. As the cloud of smoke dispersed, it revealed a disturbing sight of what looks like human hybrid. 

The hybrid's face was distorted, almost as if he was in constant pain. His vertical pupils glared hatefully at Raven. His skin was wrinkled, his fingernails are black and sharp, his lower body resembled that of a lizards, he had a tail and a huge lump on his back. 

Those who are weaker can't feel it, but for the veterans it was the opposite. The hybrid's stifling aura couldn't be anymore clearer than sunrays. The malevolent air that Alastair emanated earlier wouldn't even come close to what this hybrid has. 

"By the gods!" Morel exclaimed, feeling all the hair on his body stood on ends. "What a foul creature!"

"So this is the one huh." Leona trembled, "It's very strong."

"Vit'hum the Scaleless." Old Lee frowned, "The one who's behind all of this."

Raven who's bearing the full burnt of this malevolent aura, didn't even budge on his spot. His back remained straight while both of his hand were clasped behind him. On contrary to what Vit'hum was releasing, Raven was akin to an immovable mountain or a placid ocean. 

Vit'hum had been trying to crush Raven with the weight of his aura to no avail. Even under his hateful glare, all Raven did was smile and said:

"What's wrong? Why do you look so constipated?" Raven asked in an innocent tone, yet traces of mockery was also visible in his words. 

"Arrogant child!" Vit'hum exclaimed, causing the ground to shatter beneath his feet. Vit'hum grounded his teeth in anger, he never felt so much hatred against a human before. 

"You think that your pitiful Hero Realm strength is enough to defeat me! You, a mere pest, who doesn't even know the immensity of the world. I will make you regret crossing me!" Vit'hum uttered with pure hatred. 

"Oh no! Whatever shall I do?" Raven feigned a fearful expression, even going as far embracing himself. "A half-lizard is going kill me! Help! I'm so afraid."

The crowd was speechless. Even the veterans who could feel the threat that Vit'hum possess', had their lips twitching. Even Raven's team who's watching him can't help but to smile wryly. 

"God damn you!" Vit'hum screamed, stomping his foot in anger and swiftly crossing the distance between him and Raven. 

*Boom!*

A loud explosion occurred. The crowd saw a silhouette darting back from the cloud of smoke. And to their surprise, it wasn't Raven. 

Vit'hum crashed on the ground, feeling his body numb. His eyes showed a shocked expression. 

"What!?" 

As the cloud of smoke parted, the silhouette of Raven was revealed, completely unharmed and unbothered. No one, not even Vit'hum himself understood what just happened. 

And before Vit'hum could even stand up and prepared to attack once again. Another surprising development occurred. 

Four sets of chains emerged from the ground with metals cuffs attached at each end. Vit'hum didn't even have the time to escape or evade as the shackles latched onto his limbs and completely bound him. 

And to Vit'hum's surprise, he could feel his strength being sapped away at a constant speed. 

His vertical pupils trembled, he then looked incredulously at Raven. He then heard him say:

"Surprised? Don't be.. This is just the beginning."