Hero of Darkness

As soon as this 5th stage saint revealed that the Emperor himself summoned Kahn, the latter was rooted on the spot, completely flabbergasted. This was something he hadn't seen coming from any possible angle. 

Then he looked at the members of the group. It included Venessa and Hector, the two imperial scions. And there were 8 members of the Hero's Party including the Hero of Fire himself. 

[What the… do they know?] he wondered after looking at the lineup including this person in the front who was a 5th stage saint. 

[Don't panic boy. You make a wrong move and they might get even more suspicious. First, try to inquire what this summon is about.] said Rathnaar in an observing tone. 

The old fireborne in front of Kahn was a 5th stage saint. A being who could kill him before he even moved a muscle. 

"May I ask what is it about?" queried Kahn in a submissive voice. 

"Shut up and come along! His Majesty summoning you is a great honor to you." spoke the fireborne as he slightly released his saint pressure. 

"Maybe lord father is impressed with your performance, human. 

Don't ask unnecessary questions." spoke Hector, hiding his hatred towards Kahn. 

Because the duel was forfeited, it greatly damaged his future plans. And the main cause of this was Kahn, a pesky and weak human. 

[When the time is right… I'll kill him with my own hands for making me suffer such a huge loss.] thought Hector inwardly. 

Venessa on the other hand simply nodded from behind the old fireborne, signaling Kahn to comply. 

But to an observant man like Kahn, he quickly noticed that Venessa was somehow reluctant to have him come with them. 

[Tag along. You have a divine ability that can help you escape whenever you get a chance.] said Rathnaar in Kahn's mind. 

"Apologize for my discourteousness, my lord." spoke Kahn and quickly summoned his usual black and gray longcoat which instantly turned his image from an unkempt and untidy blacksmith to an heir of some noble clan. 

The aura of class and regality oozed out of Kahn as soon he equipped the attire that Albestros made using the Invimarak Hide he had been wearing since he was in Verlassen. 

His sudden change in appearance also surprised many members of the hero's party. Because now, he looked no different than someone of equal standing as them. 

To their surprised gazes, Kahn casually replied… 

"What? I wanted to look presentable in front of his majesty." 

The next moment, the old fireborne took a square-shaped brown artifact and activated it. 

All of them were quickly enshrouded by a red barrier and the following moment, all of them disappeared from the spot. 

Swoosh!! 

A few dozen kilometers away, their figures reappeared inside a grand hall of a ginormous warship. 

"This… this is the Church's warship given to the Hero's Party." spoke Hector as soon as he saw the sigil and the crew operating the warship. 

[Why are we here instead of the warships owned by the imperial clan?] wondered Venessa in her mind. 

But since the man in red robes was a trusted figure of the emperor, she and Hector did not dare question unnecessarily because currently, this old man had a bigger prestige than both of them. 

----------------

Soon, an hour passed and the capital borders were already crossed a while ago. 

"Where are you taking us?" asked Hector as found something odd happening. 

Because this old fireborne said that they were summoned by the Emperor, none of them brought any of their saint rank guards or security with them. Even their departure with this old fireborne wasn't known to anybody. 

Kahn with his Eidetic Memory remembered where he had seen this old fireborne before. 

But instead of replying to Hector's question… this old fireborne gave a nod to Axel and his group. 

Ching! Ching! Ching! 

The very next moment, all the members of the Hero's Party quickly distanced themselves from Venessa, Hector and Kahn as they encircled the trio in seconds and now, the three of them were trapped inside a pentagram-shaped suppression barrier. 

"Arghhh…." groaned Kahn as he was instantly forced to kneel while Venessa and Hector fared no better because of this sudden move. 

"What the hell are you doing?!" shouted Venessa as she quickly released her aura, trying to break through the barrier. 

But the next second, she retracted it as soon as she thought of Kahn who would die because of her saint pressure. 

Hector and Venessa loudly asked questions to this 5th stage saint but their words weren't audible outside the suppression barrier. 

3 hours passed and they traveled over 5 thousand kilometers away from the capital Arkensan. 

Finally, they stopped in an unknown grassland, completely secluded from any civilization for more than 50 kilometers. 

Soon, the trio was teleported outside the warship. But this time, there was no suppression barrier. 

However, the Hero's Party quickly surrounded them and the 5th stage saint took an artifact he started recording this whole scene. 

"I believe you can handle it from here." he said to Axel. 

"You may leave. Tell the Pope that we will accomplish our mission after I receive the signal." replied Axel who was donning his usual Red and Black armor. 

Without replying, the old fireborne quickly took off with the warship and departed towards the capital. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you miscreants!" shouted Hector as his eyes revealed the rage filled in them. 

This time, the members of the Hero's Party that also included Azerog, who was a 4th stage saint, had prideful expressions. Their look towards Hector, Venessa and Kahn hinted that they didn't care whether they were offending the imperial prince and princess. 

"Apologies, lord Hector. Things have taken a troublesome route." said Axel as he snickered. 

BOOM!! 

BOOM!! 

One by one, all the members of the Hero's Party revealed their saint pressures as they revealed their hostile killing intent towards the Trio. 

"Don't you get it, you dimwitted moron? This place…" spoke Axel as he too redirected all of his murderous aura towards Hector. 

"Is your execution ground."