Thunder crackled in the air and a terrifying presence spread.In the midst of all that, Jayd stood, staring down at the gangAnger flashed in his eyes. “Who gave you the authority?” He moved again, and his hand gripped the neck of another gang member.The man's feet left the ground as his fingers dug into his throat."I asked you a question." Jayd said, tightening his grip.The gang member clawed desperately at Jayd's wrist, his face turning purple."Cough.. let me go! You bastard!”The others finally snapped out of their shock."Do you know what you've done?""You killed the boss!”The gang lashed out, drawing out steel swords, ready to fight. To them, Jayd was more of a cockroach and they believed the death of their boss was simply because of the element of surprise.One of the men, a broad-shouldered brute with a scar running across his face, pointed his blade at Jayd and laughed."You're making the biggest mistake of your life."Another spat on the ground."Even if you kill us al

Lightning streaked in the sky and thunder blazed with intensity, a man flew without stopping.Until the eastern mountains came into his sight, before he stopped in his advance.Jayd looked down, standing on the pointy top of a mountain.“That's the place.” His eyes narrowed, resting on a large castle.Blackstone Fortress stood tall, on a large cliff, with raised black walls around it. Countless banners bearing a strange insignia fluttered in the cold wind.Jayd studied the castle and his senses sharpened as the sounds of screams and the cracks of whips filled his ears.Along with all these, he could also see the auras of the occupants in the castle. Some were faint and some were non existent.“What are they doing with dead bodies?” Jayd's frown deepened.Aside the auras he had sensed, one of them stood apart, a raging black fire, reeking of blood and greed.“So that's him.” Jayd said, stepping forward, and at once, the earth exploded beneath his feet.A streak of golden light tore th

The prison fell into complete silence.Kraden's headless body remained on the floor, his blood spreading across the cracked stone floor. The women locked inside the cages stared in horror, while the other guards backed away.Some even started running. It was best to return back to their families than stay here.Naj didn't spare Kraden a second glance.He dusted his sleeve as though crushing his subordinate's skull had been nothing more than an inconvenience."I've always disliked incompetent followers," he said with a faint smile. "They become troublesome once you start putting them in charge of hard work."Jayd's grip tightened around his sword. “What makes you think I won't become incompetent and then you'd discard me just like that?” He said, instantly taking a fighting stance.Naj shrugged. "Pawns exist to be discarded once they've served their purpose. Kraden opened the Abyss for me, gathered suitable vessels, and helped in using this region wisely. He fulfilled his role admirab

The enormous arena slowly filled with people from every corner of the kingdom. Warriors carrying different weapons streamed through the gates, their faces nervous anticipating the inevitable. Above them, banners bearing the crest of the Golden Knights swayed gently reminding every applicant what was at stake. Jayd stood among the crowd with a calm expression, quietly observing the sea of unfamiliar faces before him.There were guards from distant kingdoms, wandering swordsmen hoping for recognition, young nobles seeking to restore the glory of the city, veteran soldiers and ordinary men who had come with nothing except determination.Each one hoped to become one of the Golden Knights.As he silently observed the crowd, he noticed something immediately.Divine energy flowed through almost everyone. For some it flowed in only faint traces while others radiated enough power to be noticed from several meters away.His gaze moved slowly across the contestants.A young man with golden ha

Prince Julian came at Jayd with force of a sunburst. Golden sunlight burst from his sword like a river of fire.“Solar Judgment!”The granite floor melted into glowing magma as a crescent of divine light raced toward Jayd.The attack carved through three stone pillars before reaching Jayd.He moved only one step easily and the golden arc skimmed across the front of his shirt before continuing into the wall behind him.The entire corridor collapsed as dust swallowed everything.Prince Julian frowned looking through the dust to see the man standing casually unharmed.“…Impossible.”He hadn’t missed yet the man had simply…not been where the attack landed.Jayd emerged from the dust without a scratch. Julian narrowed his eyes but Jayd remained calm“You swung too wide.”The prince’s expression darkened.His golden longsword whistled again through the dust-choked air, leaving a blazing trail of solar fire that melted the stone floor beneath his boots. "Stand and fight, commoner!" Julian r