He was able to arrive in a place with a gloomy aura. Face covered with a shadow, eyes reflecting a line of houses in disarray, the roof of the houses busted. The doors, broken, scratched by weapons, blood spots in the bottom. A man with a tunic lies near a barrel with his eyes rolled back, his tongue sticking out.
As he nears the door, his left placed on it, he was able to see the disaster in front of him. The drop of water from above spooked him. No, it wasn't raining. He felt a drop of water grazes his helmet. Up the ceiling was a young kid, barely eight, castrated, eyes puckered out, tongue pulled down.
"How cruel," Tania said. "Is it done by your kind or us? I am not fond of these kinds of methods."
"A monster from the barrel lands saying all of this." He whispered, eyes staring at the dead kid.
The villagers were cut up by something intangible. The floors were covered in blood. The stench of gore and tragedy reeked the air. He was called here to satisfy the nobles who wanted him out doing their jobs. If it wasn't for Ciara then he would find no reason to come into this place. But the scene alone was enough to convince Nolan that there was something wrong going on.
Magic circles and altars hastily made into the shape of dragons. Bones were carved out of the villagers and they were placed in a diagram that made Nolan feel cold on his spine. The tactile symbols that were everywhere in the village were spooking him. There was something about them that deep inside his heart was fearing. No, it was like he was rejecting the thought of him.
"What happened here? A ritual?"
"Must be."
"You know something," said Tania. "I can tell that you are hiding something from me. It is rare for you to be shaken up this violence when you can freely walk in a field of corpses without caring. Or are you a person who could not stand the sight of these villagers?"
"I have no proof. But I think that however did this has been given permission. When we enter this village there were no single guardsmen. Even if there was they would have no run far if they have been slain by someone this strong."
"What do you mean? A good swordsman or a demon could easily kill a single village. You are thinking too much about this."
He said, "I am not. They'll have been killed by a blade to the heart and was followed by a cut to the neck. This kind of killing followed by chopping their body parts and making it look like a scene of massacre while hiding the symbols of a ritual is not something natural. None of these people were able to fight back." He pointed at the table. "They also died without knowing that they were stabbed in the heart. They died knowing that they were attacked."
She snorted, "And your point?"
"That there's someone trying to make use of this village as a sacrificial altar. The symbols are devilish in nature but there is something wrong with them. They are not natural and they are something eerie." He then added. "Have you heard of the four dragons of this world? The insatiable beings that guard this world and prevent the races from being too strong despite their apparent weakened state?"
"I have heard of them. I heard that they do not meddle with the affairs of the races. I don't think they are relevant in this situation."
He nodded, "They aren't. But you should know that they should have long died. No matter how long-lived they are they cannot simply escape death itself. No to mention that they have been riddled with injuries that prevent them from keeping their life. They were once immortal but that vanished somewhere along the line. You should know that they have done something to keep their lives."
"Blood Sacrifice...the way of keeping the flesh youthful."
He nodded, "That's right. The dragons have once ruled the land and brought down hell upon these lands. Their appearance was something the races could not ignore. One flight and continuous breath and the dragons could burn down a nation and leave this world free of the races. The overlord can fight the dragons to a standstill but the damage would be something that the overlord would have no way of preventing."
"So, are they connected with this massacre? Why the village?"
"Yes," he answered. "This village has been chosen as a blood sacrifice for the demons. I know these symbols and they are the language that allows whoever did this to send the blood offering to the dragons. I thought it was just a bandit raid but to think that the villager's death and the inability for the Knight's to investigate were weird. Those damn nobles have sent me to my death!"
His face scowled badly. He readied his pockets and looked around with haste. His hands grew sweaty and his body tensed up so hard that Tania could not understand him.
He blew cold air, "I knew they were scum but to think they would put all the blame on them! Those bastards are really crafty! Damn it! This is why I don't like dealing with those pricks! They are scum and they are trash! They do not deserve to live!"
"What are you saying?"
"What I am saying is that we encountered something that we should not have encountered. This is something that even I could not handle! No! Not even the six heroes and Ciara would be able to handle this mess!"
"That is impossible," she replied with disbelief. "They are no pushovers and even that woman could face the overlord without fear. Why do you fear? This is unlike you, human."
"You do not understand. You do not understand who are we facing. I said that the dragons need nourishment and I just know who they will send to get their blood offering! I know the being that has not been defeated ever since he took the sword! The being that was worthy of being called the Sword of Four Dragons! The wielder of the intangible blade! He is—"
Then it happened, he was lost in oblivion. It was silent and eerie. A sword completely cut off his left arm and it landed with a soft thud. The blade that did it was so fast that he did not anticipate it despite all of his senses screaming at him. It told him to dodge that nefarious attack but he could not do so. It was simply too fast for him.
"Someone actually wound you!?" shouted Tania inside his head.
Nolan kept his calm. His eyes grew cold as he stares at the figure standing in the shadows. The figure was covered in a red aura that reeked of death and despair. The sword he had on hand was like a saw. His eyes were like a fox. His armor resembling that of a dragon's scale. He looked human if one would disregard his dragon-like features.
"Kaiser, The Half-Dragon!" barked Nolan.
"You are afraid?" said Tania. Her tone was that of a disbelief. In her time with Nolan, she knew of him as a man without fear. A person who disregard fear and thought nothing of death. Yet she could feel his heart trembling in fear. The mental will that he had was shaken hard enough for her to wonder, that who was this being that made him tremble?
"A human knows my name?" said the half-dragon. He snorted, "Hmm, I thought that they have already forgotten us? You are one of those heirs of the old revenant, aren't you? You are not dead after I strike. I see that you did not let that old Revenant down."
He vanished into the wind. Nolan felt the release of death approached him. His body moved according to what it was trained on. Yet it could not simply match the person who was able to achieve the perfection in combat. It was the end to Nolan but suddenly an obsidian arm came out of his left. It grew into a shield strong enough to knock Nolan to the wall instead of killing him.
"Huh?" muttered Nolan.
"Come and stand!" shouted Tania. "I don't mind you dying but I shall kill you myself."
"So, you can do this?" asked Nolan. He stood up and gazed slightly at his 'arm'.
"Yes! Your will broke and I was able to slip past some of my influence! You should not have closed your will so hastily! I would have killed you swiftly!"
Nolan clenched his left arm. He stared at Kaiser who was cold as steel.
"Hmm, you have a demon of obsidian blood. You know how to seal and make use of them?" His eyes turned mightily colder. He pointed his dreadful blade at Nolan. "If you know this then you are dangerous. I thought that this will be a simple offering of blood, but to think I would meet a dangerous heir of the old revenant. I should kill you."
It was not time to think at all. Nolan acted by instinct and threw a smoke bomb and a flash bomb out of his pockets. He dived out of the window and started distancing himself from the house.
"An awful trick you have there. It is not enough, however."
A quick step was all it took to reach Nolan. Nolan dived and rolled out of the way. The houses that were around got marked with sword scars. The walls started to make a sound as they crumble. The intangible sword that he had was far too dangerous. Nolan knew it well knowing that many of the Light's army fell. He knew that the six heroes and the War Maiden would have failed in saving the world if the half-devil and half-dragon did not agree to stop his attacks. The sword of the ancient dragons living in this world was not an enemy that they could win. So, they compromised by making him kneel and forcing him and the dragons to concede unless they want the full wrath of the humans who would do anything to kill the dragons. It was laughable to Kaiser but he knew how tenacious humans are and that they always find a way.
So how could Nolan, a veteran who did not have the powers of the Six Heroes possibly win against this infallible being? How could he raise his sword and dare to fight back at this monster who had to be talked down into being neutral because he was too strong? He knew that he has the skills to kill demons. He knew that he could face anything that he knew how to kill. But he also knew that he could not possibly beat the strongest beings that live in this land.
What was the use of experience and skills against absolute power?
Thus, he could only prolong the enviable end.
Making use of all he had Nolan tried to run away. He made use of all his experiences to deter his death. He threw his armor and used everything that he could to reach somewhere that would allow him to prolong his life. But he knew that it was not possible to live after that being declared his death. There was no way for him to live that long against this being.
"Ah...what a dream." He muttered. He eyed the endless sky as he stood in front of a cliff. He knew that there was no way to die and knowing Kaiser he would surely not fail in killing him. That was it. There was no way to escape from the infallible being known as Kaiser.
"You have done well to survive this long for a human. Though I must say that you are quite skilled at anticipating my attacks. You are dangerous since you know too well of me. This is the end for you."
"What are you doing!" shouted Tania. "Do something!"
"I am sorry, Tania," said Nolan. "I have not expected to meet the strongest swordsman to ever exist. It seems like you'll be free from me. It was nice and I am sorry."
Then, the sword of the being known as Kaiser took out Nolan's heart. Nolan gasped at his own heart being destroyed. He did not feel pain. He only felt his knees go weak and the thought that he should have expected for things to not go so smoothly. It was foolish of him to believe that this world would be so nice after things went well.
"Farewell, Heir of the Old Revenant," said Kaiser. He drew his sword once again and took Nolan's head.