Requiem Of A Failed Hero



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Raith stood with his arms folded, awaiting the long-anticipated moment when the angel would finally descend before him. He remained silent, paying no attention to his brother, who was still a hundred meters away.

"Well, I must admit, I'm beginning to doubt your words. Angels, you said?" Raith remarked.

[I am certain]

"Sure, whatever... After the stunt you pulled with me today, I'm not sure why I'm even talking to you. We still have some issues to resolve," he added.

Raith took a final survey of the surroundings and gestured for Noir to descend. Gracefully, he dismounted the wyvern and approached a massive boulder, acting as though he had no particular plan in mind.

Suddenly, he appeared on the other side, startling the person hidden behind the boulder.

Rudgen shouted in shock, visibly disoriented and taken aback. His fear was palpable, as if he had encountered a dreadful monster.

This made Raith question whether there was something frightening about himself.

"My king, you are exceptionally handsome and flawless. This human recognizes the power of a true monarch. He is quite a fascinating individual," Antares spoke from the shadows beneath Raith.

'I didn't ask you though...'

"I apologize, my king. I shall keep my mouth shut," Antares replied humbly.

Raith turned his gaze back to Rudgen. "I won't harm you, so there's no need to be scared," he reassured him.

Rudgen's face contorted further, his widened eyes trembling with fear. Raith was puzzled by his extreme reaction.

'What's going on?'

He had suppressed his dark aura and any other indications of his immense strength. Yet, Rudgen seemed to be terrified, his gaze fixed on something beyond Raith.

Whaaam!!!

Rudgen's trembling hand tried to point forward, but before Raith could react, a heavy force struck him from behind, propelling him away. He tumbled uncontrollably, slamming his head against stones and rolling helplessly.

The force of the blow was too overwhelming to defend against, and he was caught off guard.

As he slowly rose from the ground, Raith spat blood, feeling his broken ribs poking into his intestines, causing excruciating pain. He gritted his teeth and suppressed the agony.

'Ohhoo... you're in for it now,' Black said, chuckling manically.

Raith's eyes narrowed further as he tried to discern the identity of the mysterious assailant. He couldn't understand why he hadn't sensed this person, despite his exceptionally high perception stat and even his [ultra instincts]. The surprise attack had caught him completely off guard.

'Who the hell is that person?' Raith wondered.

"I had my doubts about you when I first heard about it. A human killing Egard-Hearl seemed improbable. His death came unexpectedly; he sent me a coded message at the last moment, warning me about the human. The message carried a faint trace of your aura, one I couldn't shake off... so, I decided I was going to you and make you suffer for daring to touch my comrade."

As the guttural voice came to an end, the figure emerged from the settling dust. He stood tall, around 7 feet, with golden skin and elf-like pointed ears. Contrasting his light appearance, his hair was yellow, while his eyes were pitch black.

Raith tilted his head, immediately realizing that the man before him was not human.

"Is he an angel?"

He hadn't formed a clear picture of what an angel should look like, and he certainly hadn't come across any pictorial representations of them.

'No hell way that is an angel.' Black refuted.

[No]

Black and the abyss responded, but Raith shut out one of them.

"I don't understand, did I ask you a question?" He said, diverting his attention back to the man approaching him.

"Hello, sir. I don't kn–

Whamm!!

Once again, Raith was caught off guard. He crashed through the rigid stone behind him, breaking it into smaller pieces and being flung even further before landing on the ground.

Writhing in pain, he rolled on the floor before finally gathering himself and standing up.

'Should I just die already? Fuck, it hurts.'

As tempting as the thought was, he couldn't afford to entertain it. Something puzzled him more than the excruciating pain tearing through him.

'How? How are his attacks reaching me without my perception? I can't even see them coming. Is he really attacking?'

A thousand thoughts raced back and forth in Raith's mind. He scanned every angle of the approaching golden man, but there was nothing; it was as though he had lost the ability to use his skill [Multiple Cognitive Resonance]. He couldn't perceive anything at all.

"Who are you?" Raith managed to gasp out.

"Don't talk to me with your filthy hole."

Plunge

Blood gushed out of Raith's mouth, eyes, and nose as the golden man's hand pierced his chest, gripping his heart and squeezing it with a cruel grin.

"I really can't fathom how you managed to defeat Egard-Hearl. You are weak, weaker than the many humans I have fought and killed. You don't deserve my attention."

"Arrggggghh!!!"

Swwwissshhhh

Wham!!

Curtis was sent hurtling back into the air as the golden man swung his ankle, effortlessly nullifying his sword attack with overwhelming force.

Raith chuckled weakly, looking at his brother, who had flown back from the impact.

'Why? Why bother now, you idiot? You're fighting for me. I just might get emotional'

The gold man looked at Raith intensely before talking again.

"Although I want to believe this to be utterly impossible, do you perhaps have anything to do with the death of Thard-Harl?"

"Uh?... I don't... even...know him" Raith spoke with the little strength he had left while wondering why this death was exceptionally long. Usually he would have given up the ghost and be preparing to come back now.

This man's hand was inside his chest and had crushed his heart, he could feel himself dying. But he was not dead all this while.

Raith was made to conclude that this was not a normal phenomenon. There was no way this would be a normal phenomenon–

He raised his head up slightly, looking at the man's face. But he wasn't looking at the man's face.

He was looking at this:

[Analysis Complete]