Hero of Darkness

A gloomy silence ensued in the surroundings. Winds howled and the smoke from the charred battlefield made the entire region foggy.

Yet the way Venessa had spoken to Havi… it encompassed the place with sadness and pain.

Kahn and the group had no idea what was happening and why Venessa suddenly started wailing in pain but next, she started crying.

As far as he knew about their relationship from the times he and Venessa talked with each other…

Venessa and Havi were father and daughter only in name. The latter did not care if she lived or died but suddenly, their relationship took a u-turn out of nowhere.

In reality…

What Havi showed Venessa through that yellow orb were his memories.

For some unknown reason… Havi had decided to share his biggest secrets about how things happened back then.

How Freyja, his most loved wife and Venessa's mother actually died because of the conspiracy.

What part did the 2 strongest Fireborne clans play and how did the Church provide them with the untraceable poison that was used to kill her mother.

The memories show how those events broke Havi as a man.

To maintain the peace in the empire, avoid causing a war that'd have led to hundreds of millions of citizens dying in the crossfire and to protect Venessa enough though he loved her the most among his children… Havi made all those choices and he alone carried that burden.

Venessa was weeping and kept staring at her father. She was angry… yet full of grief at the same time.

Those memories also included how it was Church that killed the previous Emperor and Havi's older brother. And how they had been planning it for over a century.

The battle where Havi had to get out of the Flame Killer formation and the price he paid for it wasn't hidden in those memories either.

Venessa was knowledgeable enough about their bloodline to know the consequences of Havi's choice.

Her father… didn't have long to live.

Step!

Step!

Venessa walked forth and quickly hugged Havi tightly. Soon, the sobs turned into cries.

Because of Havi's decisions… Venessa had suffered for the past 22 years of her life. She wanted to become the Empress to prove herself. Yet one day, Havi told her that she was forcefully being married to Axel. That created a lot of deep hatred in her mind for her father.

But after seeing the truth behind it all… she came to understand why her father did what he did.

Still… Was it forgivable?

No, it wasn't. But Venessa wasn't a little girl who saved the world in only Black and White. She understood that the burden, pain, grief, anger, hatred and responsibility Havi had carried all these decades was far many times heavier than what she went through.

She tightened her arms around her father's slumped and regretful figure.

Although Havi tried his best to maintain his composure as the almighty Emperor… even he couldn't help it for long, resulting in both father and daughter crying their hearts out.

In a way, this moment…

Was the new beginning of their relationship as Father and Daughter.

15 Minutes Later.

Kahn and the rest of the crew had a very awkward and uncomfortable expression as the duo before them started crying out of nowhere.

[Master… while healing him with the life force, I also checked the Emperor's body.

His bloodline is destroying itself at a rapid pace. At this moment, his physical body and rank as an 8th stage saint is keeping him alive.

But the way his life force is diminishing… He will die within 2 decades at this rate.] informed Armin with a stern voice.

[Dammit!! Is that why they're crying? No… it must be some other reason. Otherwise, Venessa wouldn't be affected to this degree.] thought Kahn.

Just then, the sobbing stopped and the Emperor spoke to Kahn.

"You've fought for my daughter's sake even though you could've easily escaped.

Even those people who share blood and family ties or call themselves as best friends won't risk their lives in the type of world we live in. Yet you didn't abandon my precious daughter. So you can be at ease…

I won't kill you." said Havi as he let go of Venessa.

"Now that the church has betrayed us… there's no point in capturing you either.

And I have to reform my empire and groom Venessa into becoming the next Empress now.

So I don't have time to deal with the Heroes and Gods. Just protecting my empire would be a big challenge at this point." he iterated his intentions.

[Luck is on our side, boy.

In a way, the Church causing this coup d'état and you saving Venessa's life has saved your own. Otherwise, the emperor would never choose to spare your life.] said Rathnaar in a merry tone.

Although he could take over Kahn's body in the direst situation… the current Kahn was too weak to bear the burden and allow Rathnaar to make any significant impact in a battle against someone like Havi. But in the end… things turned out in their favor.

"With the Pope gone… no one can track Axel's divine key or use any methods to know about your whereabouts." revealed the emperor.

"What do you mean? Is the pope dead?" asked Kahn with a baffled expression.

"Yes. Kidnapping all of you here was just a bait to lure me into their trap and kill me.

You being brought here by Hero's Party was Axel's grudge.

But if not for you being the Hero of Darkness and having enough strength to repel them… things would've turned ugly and they would've managed to blackmail me using Venessa even after I killed their strongest fighters.

In a way… you have greatly helped me and the imperial clan by saving my daughter." said Havi with a tone filled with genuine gratitude.

Just then, Kahn asked a question of his own.

"Doesn't that mean you can now get rid of the Church of Hetrax for good?" asked Kahn with a gaze full of curiosity.

"No. It's not as easy as you think.

Something that's ingrained in the culture for centuries after centuries can't be overthrown just because of a coup or hostile takeover. I may be able to get rid of the church but then it will put the entire empire in a situation of a civil war.

People's faith can be… blinding.

It's better that nobody knows the truth about what happened here." revealed Havi.

"Why? They planned to kill the emperor, already killed an Imperial Prince, your son.

Isn't that a righteous reason for you to exterminate them?" asked Kahn hurriedly because he couldn't understand why Havi wouldn't just exterminate the church of this high treason.

[Boy… he's an Emperor. You've never been one so you wouldn't understand.

The ruling figurehead can't use the Eye for an Eye method for the troubles happening inside his own territory. It'll do more harm than good.] informed Rathnaar who too was the emperor of the Rakos Empire and understood Havi's reasoning very well.

"It's not that simple at all. Because once the house is breaking apart from the inside… the outsiders will smell the blood and band together to take everything from you." responded Havi with a serious voice.

"Huh? Can you elaborate please?" asked Kahn in a puzzled tone.

"What I mean is… although you killed Axel to save my daughter. You have also…" said Havi as he revealed the main reason why he was talking about keeping everything a secret…

"Doomed the entire Vulcan empire."