It was a place between two very high mountains. The name "Valley" was well deserved. After climbing the first mountain, there was a huge gateway leading to the Lord's Grove.
Its size was almost the same as the gateway connecting Etrean and Eastern Luminant.
There was one thing left to do: find the Four Horsemen.
Although he had no idea where they were exactly, all he could do was thoroughly search the area.
As he wandered around, he heard the beautiful sound of a violin. This sound was coming from the violin of Saint Judeau.
The sound of the violin gave him incredible peace. Approaching the sound of the violin, Argus soon reached the Four Horsemen.
They looked quite powerful, but their expression was not very pleasant.
-Yo. If I'm not mistaken, you must be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Argus said.
Thundercall Master Tymek among them replied,
-So what?
-I heard that you used to serve in the Etrean Army. Do you have any information about the current situation of Etris?
-It's been a long time since we parted ways with Etrea. We no longer have any connection there.
-Are your families still living in Etrea? If so, then you should listen to me. After the absence of the Etrean King, Zi'eer, the fourth prophet of the Ministry, took over the rule of Etris. In the revolutionary movements that occurred when he took the throne, hundreds of elite Etrean soldiers were killed. The remaining soldiers could not find a solution other than biting their tongues against his words. Your former commander Maestro asked us to form a guild. You must join this guild for the salvation of Etrean.
-As we told you. It's been a long time since we parted ways with Etrea. After all that has happened, we have no plans to return. Also, we absolutely refuse to be under the command of someone unfamiliar and weaker than us.
-Oh, is that so? How about a duel with the strongest among you? If I win, all of you will join the guild.
Thundercall Master Tymek began to laugh mockingly.
-Alright, what happens if we win?
-Do you see this? This is a Skullpiercer. If I lose, it's yours.
After a long time, Dreadstar's voice was heard again.
-Skullpiercer is bound to your soul,hateful one. It will only leave you when your soul is shattered.
Argus ignored Dreadstar's words. The Four Horsemen seemed to like this offer quite a bit and accepted the duel challenge.
-Hahahahaha. This looks quite interesting. I accept the duel challenge.
After the countdown by Saint Judeau, the duel began.
Tymek's katana crackled with thunder as he prepared his next move, but Argus was ready. His armor, infused with defensive enchantments against elemental attacks, rendered Tymek's strategy ineffective.
Argus sprang forward with a calculated lunge, aiming for Tymek's exposed shoulder. Yet, the Thundercall adept was quick, evading Argus's strike with a graceful sidestep.
With a swift incantation, Tymek summoned the essence of thunder into a fearsome weapon—a Javelin of lightning.
This potent technique condensed raw electrical energy into a spear, hurtling it toward Argus at the speed of light.
Despite his best efforts, Argus couldn't dodge the attack entirely. The Javelin struck him, but thanks to his resilient armor, the damage was minimal.
The impact was jarring, but Argus remained unfazed. Determined to press his advantage, he launched himself at Tymek once more.
This time, his rapier was inches from piercing Tymek's shoulder when suddenly, the scene was interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the group.
-I HOPE YOU DIDN'T THINK THAT YOU COULD HARM HIM!?
Tymek spoke after being rescued by his friends.
-I must admit, being able to tank my Javelin was quite impressive. Also, I didn't even notice your last move. I admit that I lost the duel. We are accepting to be under your leadership.
-Under my leadership? But I'm not the leader.
The Four Horsemen spoke in unison,
-WHAT?!
-I was sent by the leader only to gather powerful individuals in Lumen.
-Can we know the name of your leader?!
-Blake, Rapier Master Blake.
-Now I understand... There were rumors circulating about that man slaughtering a Royal Member.
-And from what I've heard, he caused a massacre in Merit with a rapier he forged for himself.
-I can confirm all you've said. But we don't have time to lose. I need to go to Greathive Aratel and deliver the letter my leader gave me to Three Disasters. They will also be a part of our guild.
-Three Disasters? I thought they were a group of warriors who didn't bow to anyone.
-If you're strong enough, there's no one to refuse to bow to you. I'll answer any questions you have about the guild and the others on the way. For now, gather your belongings and come with me to Greathive Aratel.