Way of the Knights

---

"...well, that's that for the location of the rest." Vendrick muttered as he sat down within a field of lightning. "They're a little bit far but I could make the journey."

He just got done with reading all the memories of the Hag he just killed. After pulling her soul out of her body, her soul tried fighting back and even tried to take over his body but as if he could let that happen. In fact, even if he didn't do anything against her soul, she would've failed miserably since everything about him is the mortal enemy of a Hag, it's no surprise what would happen if he went on the offensive right? 

The Hag's soul was filled with numerous useless knowledge, well...at least to him most of them were useless. The few memories or importance were the location of her Coven Sisters and the depth of her connection to the Forest Witch. 

As it turns out, the Hag Sisters are scattered all around the Southern Continent. It would take him months to travel from one to the other if he actively started hunting them. As for this Hag's connection with the Forest Witch, well she isn't the favorite simply put. There's this Hag they call the Eldest Sister, this was her favorite child. 

"...and she's troublesome." Vendrick muttered again as he lifted the lightning field that's erasing the remaining influence of the Hag around this part of the wilderness. 

Amalia's soul contained only a few defining points for her sisters. Most of them were recurring titles like 'Whore', 'Bitch', 'Fucking Slut', 'Annoying Rat Shit', 'Despicable Prostitute', 'Horny Bitch', 'Dumb Whore'... there's a lot of these and they're not really helpful to him.

She didn't really meddled with their thing, she's more focused on infesting and giving birth to her children while also expanding her territory every now and then. However, despite her seething disdain and sometimes, anger towards her sisters, she most wary about that Eldest Sister of theirs. 

The Eldest Sister stands at the hull of their Coven, she and only she could talk to the Forest Witch - she's her messenger, sort of an Envoy as well. She's the Eldest Sister not because she was the first Hag that the Forest Witch 'gave birth to', no. She's the eldest because she's been a Hag long time even before the Forest Witch had her daughters. 

As for the extent of her power, Amalia never had the chance to know. In fact, none of them knows with the exception of maybe the Forest Witch. But the fact that their Eldest Sister could strike fear to the hearts of the other Hags as well is just a small display of her power. 

Then again, Vendrick's not really the same as the Hags. He has experience and his vision as well as knowledge might very well surpass them, the Forest Witch heck even the so called God of this world included even. 

Witnessing the sight of the Eldest Sister, Vendrick knows that she's trouble. There's a good reason why she's feared by the other Hags as well.

"I have to tread carefully then..." Vendrick muttered, "I can't let her catch me or else I'll be done for." 

He felt a bit peeved. He felt that he had grown strong enough to at least deal with the remaining Hags at this stage but it seems that it's far from enough. He had to grow stronger even faster in order to catch up on top of making sure that he remain careful and thorough with his execution. 

If had to remember one thing from this point onwards: Once he killed a Hag, he had to erase every trace of him, not even leaving a single dust behind because if he does, that's enough for that Eldest Sister to kill him. 

---

"Oh, you're out." Arthur exclaimed after seeing Vendrick opening up the hideout. 

"Yeah. Why are you here?" Vendrick asked even though he already knew the answer to that. 

"Ah! We're guarding his place, just in case you know?" Arthur replied sheepishly. Vendrick smiled and patted his shoulder, inviting him inside.

Him and Rosa decided to guard the entrance to the hideout knowing that even if they didn't, nobody will be able to disturb him. They did this just in case, they wanted to be certain that Vendrick would be safe.

He lifted the restrictions from the inside since he saw that Arthur was the one currently guarding the location, Vendrick didn't want him to detect his return so he went back without alerting him. 

"How are you by the way? Did you make your breakthrough?" Arthur asked. 

"Of course! Why would I fail?" Vendrick replied, slightly confused. 

"Oh, that's good. Well, you did say that there's a chance of you failing so we're worried." He replied. 

"Oh..." Vendrick was stunned for a moment before remembering the fact that he did say something ominous before he went in seclusion. Well, he did that as an act, he was far from any danger at all. 

"Well, you succeeded anyhow so congratulations." Arthur smiled and asked, "Exactly how strong are you now by the way?" 

Vendrick didn't answer. Instead, he smiled and all of a sudden, a loud sound drowned Arthur. 

*Dug!* *Dug!* *Dug!*

The sound was horrible. It echoed throughout Arthur's entire body, rocking him around and causing him to be dizzy. His vision was spinning and he can't think properly. His instincts were screaming at him. Telling him to run away without looking back. It was as if he disturbed something and now its out to kill him. 

Moments later, the loud sound stopped. Arthur felt his senses returning to him. He still felt rather dizzy. Without his knowledge, his back was dripping in cold sweat and he's pale as a sheet of paper. He struggled to open his eyes, when he did he saw Vendrick crouching in front of him with a smile. 

"W-what the hell? What the heck did you just do? I didn't see it!"

"What do you mean? I didn't do anything though? I simply stood here and you suddenly collapsed." Vendrick was obviously feigning innocence. 

"Bullcrap!" Arthur spat as he fiercely looked at Vendrick. "It's your doing! Who else could it be? We're the only one's here." 

Vendrick chuckled and asked: "Well then, let's hear it. What do you think I did?" 

"I don't know!? The hell? That's why I'm asking you." Arthur raged but that just made Vendrick laugh. 

"What did you experience?" 

"Well...there's this loud sound at first. Then everything went black and white. My ears starting ringing and such. Hell my legs are still trembling." Arthur replied, 

"What did it sound like?" Vendrick asked with a smirk on his face.

"Like a...uh...a, hmmm....oh! It sounded like a..." Arthur just suddenly realized something which made his expression change abruptly and stare at Vendrick with an incredulous look on his face. 

"No way!!" Arthur exclaimed. 

"Yes way!" 

"That's absurd!! How can that be?" Arthur couldn't believe it. "That was your heartbeat?"

Vendrick nodded. 

Indeed, that sound was the sound of his heartbeat. He was somewhat telling the truth. He truly didn't do anything. After all, a person's heart will continue to pump blood even with him doing anything right? So he truly didn't do anything aside from allowing Arthur to hear his heartbeat, that's all. 

It does sound absurd, just like Arthur said. In fact, there should be no way that a heartbeat could be like that. It was extremely loud, louder that any sound Arthur heard so far. The moment he heard it, it drowned him. The sensation was horrifying. 

Well, Vendrick would've have agreed that no normal heart could've done something like this except for a few, but in the end of the day, it's not like that heartbeat came from his actual heart anyway. 

That's the sound of his Dragon Heart beating. A testament on just how much vitality and longevity it held. 

What Arthur experienced was just the sound coming from a germinated Dragon's Heart. It's not fully condensed yet and far from being at its peak. If Vendrick let someone of Arthur's caliber to hear the sound of a fully grown Dragon's Heartbeat, their body would've been shredded into pieces. They wouldn't even know how they died. 

"What the hell dude?" Arthur was still gobsmacked, he didn't want to believe it either but this is Vendrick, so he had a natural inclination to believe whatever he said. 

Arthur's logic told him no but Vendrick didn't look like he's lying. 

"You'll get at this stage somewhere so don't be shocked." Vendrick encouraged him but to Arthur it sounded like he was boasting. 

"Yeah, Berserker's Heart, I know." Arthur them grumbled, "Damn, you cultivate so fast. I don't get it." 

Vendrick wasn't lying, there would come a time when Arthur and Rosa would be able to condense their own Berserker's Heart and do something like this too. But of course, that's still far from where they are right now. 

"Oh yeah, you go ahead and call Rosa. I've got something to show you two." Vendrick said all of a sudden. 

"What is it?" Arthur couldn't help but feel curious. 

"Deities and Gods."