Hero of Darkness

As the torture of Speki continued for the next hour, the pain and trauma inflicted upon him reached a crescendo.

The torment endured had pushed him to the brink of his physical and mental limits. Unable to withstand the intensity any longer, Speki's body and mind succumbed to the overwhelming shock.

The depths of his agony and the relentless torment inflicted upon him had taken a toll that his body and mind could no longer bear. With his consciousness fading, Speki's brain, overwhelmed by the trauma, triggered a temporary shutdown, plunging him into a state of comatose.

The battlefield, once consumed by the grisly scene of torture, now fell into an eerie silence. The air was heavy with the weight of what had transpired, the aftermath of violence and suffering. The atmosphere seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the next turn of events.

As Speki lay in his temporary comatose state, the gravity of the situation became apparent. The extent of the physical and mental trauma inflicted upon him was starkly reflected in his lifeless form.

The battle, once filled with ferocity and animosity, now seemed suspended in time.

Atreus, having played a pivotal role in this macabre ordeal, stood amidst the aftermath, his actions having left an indelible mark upon the battlefield and the hearts of those present. The haunting stillness provided a momentary respite, as the consequences of their actions weighed heavily upon the minds of those who had borne witness.

"Tch! Such poor resilience. This is barely 20% of what I underwent during my training and this guy already fainted. Some saint he is." scoffed off Kahn.

As Atreus continued to devour the barbecued flesh of his defeated enemy, there was a noticeable absence of guilt or remorse on his face.

The grotesque act of consuming the cooked meat of his foe did not faze him in the slightest.

It was as if he had become desensitized to the horrors of violence and suffering, a result of the grueling trials and tribulations he had endured under the guidance of Romulus and Vildred.

Throughout his journey of mastering various techniques and elemental skills, Atreus had faced countless deaths, each one serving as a stepping stone in his quest for power.

The inhumane tortures and unimaginable pain inflicted upon him had shaped him into a being seemingly impervious to the horrors that would drive others to madness.

The unsettling calmness with which he consumed the flesh of his enemy hinted at the depths of his detachment from the realm of empathy and compassion for his enemies...

What he had displayed thus far was merely the tip of the iceberg, the entry-level manifestations of his torturing skills and he had much more left in the bag.

As Atreus deactivated the magic barrier, his piercing gaze fell upon Conan Doykle, a 4th-stage saint swordsman and a formidable adversary.

Standing at an imposing height of 3 meters, Conan was a white tigerkin warrior with whom Atreus had crossed paths even before joining the Hero's Party.

Conan Doykle had recently earned the prestigious title of Sword of Retribution from the Nadur Empire. This recognition was bestowed upon him for his valiant act of slaying Hodag, a mythical rank creature that had wreaked havoc, causing the deaths of millions of citizens. The creature's rampage had been fueled by centuries of slumber, awakening with a destructive fury that had threatened the lives and safety of countless innocents.

Yet no one here apart from Atreus knew that he was the very cause of that massacre.

Shiver!

The hair on Conan's body perked up. Even his whiskers became as straight as needles when he saw Atreus glaring at him.

[Borat, help me!] he contacted the green-maned lionkin.

Because after seeing everything happen so far, he was certain that he would meet the same fate as the others; or even worse.

[What can I even do? He took down everyone when he was suppressed by 3 domains. Now, even my domain can't make a difference if we fight.

We are at his mercy now.] responded Borat.

Swoosh!

Atreus quickly appeared in front of Conan and spoke with a casual smile…

"How have you been Conan? Not gonna greet your elder brother?"

Flabbergasted!

Conan stood flabbergasted in the sky after Atreus approached him.

[Who the fuck is your brother, you sadist psycho bastard?!] thought Conan and gulped with a palpitating heart.

10 minutes after being beaten to death…

"Go gather their bodies in one place." said Atreus as he clenched his bloodied fists.

"Yes, elder brother." bowed Conan with a swollen face and a broken arm and leg.

He quickly absconded to fetch the others with an expression showcasing how much he was terrified for his life.

Kahn had single-handedly destroyed the Hero's Party. And now only one member remained to hunt down.

Next, he appeared a few meters away from Borat, the strongest among all the members of the Hero's Party apart from Maximus.

Step!

"Atreus, stop! I concede!"

Borat, caught in the midst of the charged atmosphere between Atreus and Conan, felt his survival instincts kick in.

A primal urge to retreat and escape the looming danger surged within him. His subconscious mind screamed for him to take a step back, to distance himself from the impending clash if he wanted to preserve his own life.

However, an invisible force seemed to grip Borat, preventing him from fully commanding his body as he desired. The intense killing intent emanating from Kahn, the aura of power and dominance he exuded, had an insidious effect on Borat's psyche.

It undermined his ability to act in accordance with his own survival instincts, leaving him in a state of inner turmoil and vulnerability.

Kahn casually walked towards Borat who was of the same height.

Wipe…

Kahn wiped off his bloodied claws on Borat's shoulders with menacing eyes.

"What did you call me now?" he asked the lionkin in a hushed but threatening voice.

"Atreus." replied Borat, shivering despite being a rank higher than Atreus.

"Uh?" he asked again and leaned forward towards Borat's left ear.

"Atreus." spoke Borat hesitantly, his countenance displaying the terror in his heart.

"SIR!" shouted Kahn.

"Call me 'Sir'." he declared in a tyrannical voice.

"Yes sir? Okay, sir." his domineering voice echoed in the surroundings.

"YES SIR!!" he solidified his tyranny.

"Yes, sir." spoke Borat, still shivering but barely gathering strength to speak.

The reason Kahn let Borat go was that although the lionkin was the haughtiest and the most prideful among them due to him being the nephew of Heavenly King of Light, Haldor and a former candidate to become the Official Disciple… He was the only member of the Hero's Party without any innocent blood on his hands.

Usually, one beats the strongest warrior from the enemy side and then deals with the weak ones later.

However, Kahn chose the opposite as he beat everyone else to death and then tortured them till they fainted from pain and trauma.

By doing so, he instilled the fear of death in Borat, the strongest warrior of the opposition without even touching him.

And now, even he bowed his head against Atreus, admitting that the Fenrirborne was the strongest among them.

One might as well call this approach unorthodox or a waste of time. But Kahn had completed all the objectives he had in mind. And now, among the Hero's Party and its members…

Kahn established his position at the top of the hierarchy.