HBWnovel Chapter 79: The Creeping Terror (4)
Chapter 79: The Creeping Terror (4)
Chapter 79: The Creeping Terror (4)
Torin Vaelar.
Aged thirty-one. After graduating from the Knight's Academy with the highest honours, he made a name for himself as a promising young talent and was recruited straight into the Black Dragon Order. Like any other hot-blooded youth, Torin was eager to prove himself deserving of the prestigious position and breezed through his missions rapidly and efficiently.
Ever since graduating, he'd moved from squad to squad, obtaining enough experience to classify him as a veteran. By the time he was in his mid-twenties, Torin was well-considered to be one of the brightest talents in the Black Order, sometimes even surpassing young geniuses with the Solaris Bloodline.
There were many things that Torin could be proud of.
That was until... Torin met him.
Five years ago, Amon joined the Black Order as a squire. For the past three years until Amon's arrival, Torin had heard whispers of a super talent born from the Solaris Bloodline—a prodigy who exceeded all expectations that he was allowed to skip grades in the Knight's Academy. Amon's talent was so undeniable that he didn't need to take any examinations and was directly headhunted to the Black Dragon Order without any interviews or tests.
By sheer coincidence, Amon joined the Eighteenth Squad, where Torin was stationed. In the beginning, just like everyone else, Torin was curious about this super rookie. At only thirteen, he conquered the infamous Knight's Academy and was brought into the most brutal Knight Order of the Solaris House.
As a young prodigy too, Torin wanted to get to know the young boy and even befriend him.
However, on that one fine day when he first met Amon... His entire worldview changed.
Amon's arrogance... his indifference... was something beyond Torin's wildest imagination. Initially, Torin thought Amon had a youthful mindset that he was superior to everyone else. It was something that the former prodigy could relate to, as he had once felt the same way.
Torin believed that with more experience, Amon's indifference would one day be replaced with respect for his superiors. And during the induction sparring session, Torin willingly volunteered himself to be the one to humble his arrogance.
Unfortunately, he was hit with a brutal reality.
Even though Torin was universally recognised as a super talent, there was always a mountain higher.
The sparring session was a close one, and the only reason why Torin won was because Amon's sword snapped in two, and he could not withstand the pressure of his mana. It was absurd. Amon had easily matched Torin at thirteen years old, and it seemed he was holding back. From the outside, it looked like Torin had won the duel, but deep down, everyone knew what the outcome would have been if they continued for just a few seconds more.
Ever since then, Torin has felt an innate desire to beat Amon.
But ever since then, the gap between the two never narrowed.
Not even once.
Amon grew in strength, influence and overall fame. Meanwhile, Torin never once regained his once prodigal form. His exponential growth stagnated as he became a 5-Star Knight while his spectacular mission record began to show blemishes.
The disparity between the two prodigies was akin to the gap between a lake and an ocean.
The only feat that Torin could beat Amon was his loyalty and obedience to the Black Order. Amon's tendency to go AWOL and seek pleasure by eloping with his fiancée gave him a dirty scar that couldn't be wiped clean.
But it seemed that Amon's talents were so undeniable that no one cared about that imperfection.
The Grand Commander favoured him greatly, and everyone was touting him to inherit her position. Even their Captain, who had once tried to reign in Amon, now gave him full authority to do whatever he pleased.
Amon chose whatever mission he wanted. He disappeared whenever he wanted. And he broke the rules as easily as he breathed. That kind of knight would often be severely punished or even excommunicated.
Alas, Amon was the golden child—the prodigal son of the Black Dragon Solaris Order. Everyone gave way to him, and honestly... his talents warranted such treatment.
As years went by, Torin's jealousy turned into resentment. He hated Amon with a passion and sought to exceed him through any means possible. Torin trained doubly as hard, went on twice as many missions, and even followed the rules of the Order to the letter.
But no matter what Torin did, he just couldn't surpass Amon Solaris.
And to top it all off... Amon's indifference to him hadn't changed.
Whenever Torin partnered with or interacted with Amon in any way, the young Knight's eyes were wholly indifferent to him. It was as if... Amon was looking through the lens of another dimension, and mortal matters like Torin didn't mean much to him.
That... was too much for Torin to tolerate.
"Commander's orders. We're to suspend any search missions. Apparently, we're supposed to wait until Amon returns from his mission to hunt the Demon responsible for the bloodless corpses."
Lucia relayed the news to Torin, who rested after a hard day of rescuing survivors. His eyes twitched a little when he heard Amon's name, and he couldn't hide the venom seething from his heart.
"What are you talking about?"
"A Demon is responsible for the bloodless corpses we saw earlier today."
"And what has Amon have to do with it?"
"In the end, they are just lifeless puppets. No threat in the slightest."
Not willing to expend too much mana on the weaklings, Torin withdrew his Aura and dealt with the remaining corpses the old-fashioned way... with a heavy hammer to the head.
Torin showed his Knight heritage by mixing brute force with masterful technique. The bloodless corpses that had no mana or skill stood no chance. It was as if the Knight were facing test dummies as they all crumbled in one swing. Often, the air pressure from Torin's swing was enough to disable the bloodless corpses.
"I feel bad for destroying your bodies like this, but well, it's not like you can have grievances anymore." Torin snorted at his defeated foes. "The least I can do is avenge your deaths."
As he was about to leave the scene to investigate further, the man noticed a peculiar object.
An entirely crimson blade was in the hands of a bloodless corpse that was about one and a half times the size of the others. It was evident that the man who held the sword was either a former Knight or a fighter for Mistwood Hamlet. With his curiosity piqued, Torin walked towards the sword and casually glanced at it.
"Hoh, it's a pretty good sword. It would be a pity to leave it in the middle of nowhere. I'll return it to the hamlet and see if they can identify your body from the sword, fallen warrior."
Torin reached for the hilt of the precious-looking sword and casually picked it up.
Alas, that was his last mistake.
"ARGHHH!!!"
Spikes emerged from the sword's hilt and stuck into Torin's palm. Blood flowed from his arm down into the blade, enriching it at an astonishing rate. A throbbing headache incapacitated the hammer-wielding Knight, and his face paled within seconds. And it was then...
[Ahhh, finally a good body...]
"Y-You?! Who are you?!"
A voice beckoned to Torin in his mind. It felt like the voice engulfed his entire world and devoured his entire being.
[Don't you remember? I called you here. And you wanted to come.]
"W-What?!"
[Yes... Your resentment and desire burns bright... How insatiable...]
"What are you talking about?! Get out of my head! Get the fuck away!!!"
Torin cursed rapidly and tried his best to pry the sword away. Unfortunately, it was impaled into his flesh. The only way to get rid of the sword was to sever his arm entirely.
[Are you sure about that? I can give you what you desire! Power, fame, influence! Everything that you want can be obtained through me!
"... What?"
For a moment, Torin paused. The headache subsided, and the world around him disappeared. All that was in his head was the voice's kind offer.
[Accept me! And your dreams will become reality!]
"You... can grant me power?"
[More than you can imagine!]
"Is that really... possible?"
Torin was now seriously considering the offer. He could never close the gap between Amon and himself all these years. No, it was growing at a considerable rate. In no time, the young boy would become as unreachable as the stars above, and Torin would be left in the mud.
If he'd just let his resistance go...
"No, I..."
[Thank you...]
"W-What?"
As he spoke those words, Torin felt all of his blood drain from his body. His mana was depleted instantly, and his consciousness waned. Suddenly, the Knight couldn't control his mind and soul as they faded into the abyss, never returning.
But as his soul dissipated away, Torin could hear the voice speak one last thing.
[Your hesitation was all I needed... Thank you for your body... I will use it well...]