Hero of Darkness

To Rathnaar, the former Peak Saint of Vantrea, Kahn divulged his intentions to suddenly reveal his identity as the Hero of Darkness to all the empires of the world.

[What?! Are you out of your goddamn mind?!

Do you have a deathwish or something, boy?!] exclaimed Rathnaar in shock.

"Trust me, as bizarre as it sounds, I have it on good authority that I must leave from the exit which will put me at the gate of the tower for the Hero of Darkness.

And that too in my true human form." replied Kahn.

[What nonsense are you spouting?!

All the Emperors and Empresses will be waiting outside, along with that group of people tasked to hunt you down.

There will also be other Heroes and their parties gathered together.

Even with Vildred on your side, you are not strong enough to fight or survive against any of them!] he berated Kahn.

[On top of it, how the hell are you planning to leave Hesperides?

The only exit for you is the gateway of the Beast Empire. But if you use that, then your identity as Atreus will be revealed.

Romulus will be branded as a traitor and probably killed as well.] informed the peak saint, out of his wits.

"I know that what I said sounds absurd but think of it as a Premoniton.

I must leave via the Tower of Darkness if we are to survive. Just follow my guts.] spoke Kahn.

He did not reveal why he was choosing to do so because of what the future Kahn told him.

The Martial Emperor told him that according to the original timeline, there was someone called the 'benefactor' who would be waiting outside for him.

In the original timeline, because the Hero of Light had found the original Kahn, the latter had to change his plans and hide from several heroes who hunted him in Babylon.

But he managed to escape their eyes, regroup with Maximus, and return from the tower made for Hero of Nature.

And after leaving, he finally saw the 'benefactor' who had come for him. But the problem was that it was already too late for him to reveal his identity.

Because at that stage, if he did so, then his identity as Atreus would be brought into questioning and Romulus' secret as the former member of the 8th Hero of Darkness' party would have been revealed.

Back then, the original Kahn requested the benefactor to not act and returned to the Beast Empire to keep their secrets.

Only after 2 years of planning, he managed to fake his death and leave with the said benefactor without leaving any trace behind that the Empress Kaali could track and reveal about him being alive.

So in this timeline, the Martial Emperor wanted current Kahn to reveal his identity as Hero of Darkness from the get-go and not delay any more than necessary so that he would be brought up to speed regarding the matters of Gods and the war against the Demon God.

He also instructed Kahn to not use any fake persona or hide his identity for some reason as if doing so would hinder the future somehow.

For that very reason, Kahn had decided to trust the Martial Emperor and reveal himself to all the Empires and their leaders as well as Heroes.

"But first, we need to return to the Hero's Party. There are few things I need to put into motion first before I reveal myself." spoke Kahn and walked into the Realm Tear.

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7 Days Later…

The time for the departure came after Maximus returned to Babylon from the God's Altar.

When he returned, he received a message from Kahn in his persona as Atreus.

[Conan is dead as we agreed. Borat has no idea so everything is going as we planned.

However… I have a request.] said Kahn as the blue Fenrirborne relayed his request to Maximus.

Meanwhile, in Hesperides, most Heroes exited from their respective towers.

Some had worn-out expressions while many had very few members of their parties than before.

Among all of them, only the Hero of Lightning, Hero of Space, Hero of Light, and the Hero of Life, the last one containing Kahn's subordinates had returned with their entire party alive.

As for the rest of the Heroes and Heroines, they only had a somber countenance veiled under their hoods.

Each of them met their respective Emperors and Empresses and handed them their share of the Apples of Eden.

Only Havi Hos Siegfreed of the Vulcan Empire and the empty spot for the Abyss Empire received nothing from this Conclave of Heroes.

[Father, do you think he's here?] asked one of the 2 veiled individuals under red cloaks behind the Fireborne Emperor.

[Venessa, you don't need to worry about Kahn. I have received reliable intel that he successfully entered Babylon and will most likely return safely.] spoke the one-eyed emperor with a crimson red spear in his hand.

The one behind him was his daughter and the princess of the Vulcan Empire as well as one of Kahn's very few friends in Vantrea aka Venessa Hos Siegfreed.

[My only regret is that we won't have an Apple of Eden of our own. I was planning to give it to you in the future after you became an 8th-stage saint.

Alas, we need to confirm Kahn's survival first before acting.] responded the Emperor.

After hearing his words of affirmation, Venessa could only nod and clenched her fist tightly…

[Kahn… you better be alive. I have a debt to repay.

If you are exposed… we will fight for you.] thought Venessa with a resolute mind.

BOOM!!!

But right when she was lost in thoughts…

A tremendous aura of darkness spread in Hesperides as a very powerful being arrived.

"Oho, looks like we have a surprise guest here." said the Celestial Guardian, the deity who was in charge of conducting the Conclave of Heroes.

Tremble!

Shiver!

All of the Heroes, their party members, and the envoys of the Empires felt an insurmountable and life-threatening aura that sent shivers down their spines.

Swoosh!

Shing!

All the Emperors and Empresses used their skills to create defensive barriers to safeguard their respective entourages as they felt a familiar pressure that suddenly turned their countenances grim with disbelief and fear.

"What's this… why is he here?!" spoke Kaali with a bewildered face.

Swoosh!

And right then, a terrifying existence covered in a dark green aura suddenly exited one of the gateways that allowed everyone from different empires to enter Hesperides.

However, the gateway this new entity arrived from sent shock to everyone as it was the only gateway where none of them expected anyone to arrive from in this Conclave of Heroes.

Flap!

With a gust of wind, a tall and broody silver-haired Vampire in black and green armor arrived at the gathering, his eyes filled with cold and murderous intent as he looked at the congregation of the Heroes and the top echelons of all Empires that served Gods. "What's the meaning of this… Revenant Sovereign?!" asked one of the Emperors.

The person who arrived and revealed his terrifying aura in Hesperides was none other than one of the 4 Sovereigns of Vantrea named…

Argos Belmont.

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The entire group of powerful saints from the 12 Empires was stunned along with the Mysterious Group assigned with hunting Kahn.

The air was filled with a dreary aura and everyone's heart were palpating with anticipation while clenching their weapons and readying their skills.

"It is forbidden for Sovereigns to appear in the Conclave of Heroes. Especially the one with no allegiance to any Gods." spoke Kaali with an incredulous tone.

"Quite the harsh welcome you're offering, my beloved." spoke Argos Belmont, the Vampire King playfully.

A small smirk appeared on his face as he stared intently at the Emperors, Empresses, and the Heroes.

"Quite the assembly we have here. With these types of powerhouses, you might even be able to kill a Beginner 9th-stage saint." spoke Argos with a mischievous grin.

"Who are you, child? I have no prior information about you." said the Celestial Guardian from the vast skies.

The sovereign on the other end, slightly bowed in respect as he spoke in a firm tone.

"My apologies for coming unannounced. It took me some time to come here from the border of the Demon Empire.

I had a hard time settling matters and establishing a temporary ceasefire between the armies of the 4 empires and the Demon Emperor.

Luckily enough, our aggressive enemy too agreed to halt the war for few months.

And thus, it took me some time before I could come here." spoke the Vampire Sovereign in a kingly tone.

"And what business does an Eldritch Vampire like you have here in Hesperides?" asked the Celestial Guardian in a curious voice.

To this query, the Vampire Sovereign let out a sinister smirk as his gaze turned around all the members of the empires.

"I come to the Conclave of Heroes to present and also declare myself as the newly elected and the official representative of…" he openly declared which sent everyone in another shock.

"God of Darkness."