It found them easily; they were waiting in the next city.
It was reported that dark knights on the eastern port city of Nhoils – had land locked the continent from there. This was the port city Revel Arc. The place had been held captive for about a decade.
They had come from out of nowhere – directly destroying the harbour and sinking any and all ships that came. This was a city of which seventy five percent of all of it is submerged underwater – making it one of the biggest aqua-terrestrial cities. It had most of its inhabitants as sea folk and beast sea folk.
The darkness had been held at bay by a few knight Bachelors and their brigades – a select few from Banneret Sharli's legion – one of the biggest legions.
These guys had been classified as highly dangerous, but the Knight had to change this to extremely dangerous. Someone had rallied a lot of dark knight groups – and a set of very strong leaders. Banneret Sharli and the rest of her legion weren't here. And since the knights who were left here, were facing the darkness – dealing with the dark knight had been put up as a quest for the adventures, they were helping out the soldiers.
As soon as the Knight arrived – it was greeted by a knight who had been sent to fetch supplies from the city – he possessed a soul inventory.
"I see you must be the hero – our Banneret and the rest of the army are off south – but I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you were to help us fight."
These had never met the Knight – not even having a [Belief of A Hero] skill amongst all of them. Only Bannerets and Bachelors ever go to the city of Arulli for the knight tournament. Sometimes armies come if they were passing by, like Solace, Vice, and the Holi's legion army.
"I am a Knight Errant – and even though I would be happy to help – I am on a mission which will help the city as well."
"The dark knights, right? You must be the famed dark hunter. I knew that the hero and the dark hunter were one, but I wasn't sure it was the famed hero – I didn't think someone would attempt something so crazy."
He then thought about their continuous battle against the destroyers – he had almost forgotten how absurd that is – topping this claim even. He then pointed.
"They are on the eastern side of the city wall – a set of adventures have been dealing with them but so many have fallen that no-one new has joined them, so it's a losing battle. We would spare the knights needed for the assault, but an earlier commission from the Banneret, said we should ignore them – should the darkness cross us, the city will fall. I will be back in a year or so for more supplies – if you change your mind."
The Knight watched him walk away. It teleported before Forg and Cathina.
There was a huge problem on their hands. They could not prevent escape. Cathina is good at using her power – but using it underwater would kill in-numerous amounts of people. Forg could not cocoon the houses to keep them safe from any large-scale fighting, due to the amphibious nature of their architecture.
The houses on the tiny patch of land, were all similar to those at the City of Arulli. Stone like ancient designs. Patters that had been incorporated into the look and feel of the place. The paths were made of lose stone, green growing between – cultivated by the builders to survive. The Buildings were separated by sections, one section existed of nothing but single floor buildings.
The other sections had been changed. There were multiple large buildings for school infrastructure – even if only few attend. The were high rise buildings, but each build so wide and large that they usually only reached ten floors. There was a long and accommodating winding stair way on the wall from the depts to high up in the clouds.
On the aquatic side of it, under the sparkle of the clear blue ocean, deep into the waters. One came across coral like buildings. Not spiky, but reshaped. Some houses were similar to those on the surface, others were wholly different, coming as floating spheres kept a specific point in the air, not all of them lived on the sea floor, actually most crustations and those living inside the sand did.
Most wanted to not be too far from the surface in case of an emergency. The houses had been regulated for safety and possessed similar patterns, but the medium was different. Some sticking to sea-stones, coral, or even walls made of oversized shells. But just as modern and safe as the houses of those on the surface.
The waste system was mandatory for all houses. It cleaned all waste and immediately recycled it to fresh nutrients into the sea, air, and soil. One was fined after a long time without reporting a broken waste system. This place also had police alike. It also had aquatic schools, large supply structures too – so that all worked in unison.
On the surface of the waters were houses made for those known as beast sea folk. The uniqueness of the contrasting colours of the underwater houses, surface of water, and those on land made for an intoxicating spectacle. Colours and design, mixed with interesting modern designs, those practiced, and some experimental, but worked.
The Knight and them would need to change their strategy for this one and others going forward. Dealing with their unique take on housing was going to be a hassle.
The Knight had always known that it would have to concoct another plan sooner or later – these cowards were dangerous in their own right – there was no way the same play would cover all of them – even if the plan had been made to have a broader reach.
Cities were the size of entire kingdoms – compared to the past cities – in fact the word city had lost its original meaning. This change meant that they came in a variety of ways and structures – and this one was looking out to be troubling.
"You're a funny one boss, you know that. Everyone not only thinks this mission is damn near impossible due to their capabilities, specialties, and numbers. But you not only plan to wipe them out, but within a time constraint – here we are faced with a more pressing alliance, and what you are most concerned with is not how you are going to defeat them – your goal is making sure that none escape?"
The Knight focused elsewhere as it heard the mocking laughter of Mugaw.
"I can do it…" said Mugaw after laughing its soul off.
This however made the Knight extremely intrigued.
'Explain.'
"I can solve your problem… if you make me a vessel..."
'No.'
"I figured… but you don't understand… I mean that I accept your earlier terms… me helping with this current situation is just a bonus."
'No.'
"why is that?"
'You're strong – extremely so. I asked Red Scorch about how he knew you. Let's just say I got a pretty clear answer. But worry not – my offer still stands, and I will craft your body – but I want to make a fitting body – trust me – It will be magnificent – so not yet.'
Mugaw just accepted the answer and asked. "So, tell me, how do you plan on stopping them."
'Interestingly enough, I'm surprised you don't see it.' – said Forg.
'Then I guess this makes me the number one follower.' – she continued.
Mugaw thought about the situation, considering the Knight. It then resumed its laughing. It laughed hard – excessively so.
"You really are a menace – I'm surprised I still don't know how anyone has it in them to call you hero." ***
A few hours later.
The city had been blocked off by the darkness from the far south of it. To the north lay a high misty cliffs, one gigantic hole that had been draining the ocean for centuries – called the eternal drain-fall. One magnificent site for anyone not easily shaken by the prospect of falling in and never coming out.
A mesh had been set up here to prevent children from both sea and land from accidentally swimming too close and being dragged into an eternal fall. It was sturdy – the Knight was unable to break it using an unenhanced [Impact].
The western side – inland, was a vast stretch of road – an essential route regularly cleared of monsters by the adventurers, even if the strongest of them were currently busy with the dark Knights.
The ocean far stretched into the eastern side. The only way to leave the city was by flying using the road inland west bound or take a ship or submarine to head east using the sea. Otherwise, the north and south were closed by void and hole respectively.
This covered everything around the city.
From the edges of the misty cliffs draining water into an endless hole – that never fills – came a swarm of dragons. The city did not panic as they had been told of 'the migration' of the Red Scorches.
From the wall of the city, which stretched down into the sea floor, and as high as mountain peaks and low strata, was something that jarred everyone's gaze away from the dragons. Everyone on the wall had stopped the fighting to look at.
"why did you stop!" – screamed one of the adventures, at the top of his lungs.
Instead of looking at him, she put her sturdy hand on his chin and turned his head towards the sea. The dark knights who were winning, and the adventures barely limping on but alive because just like the dark knights, they were professionals at fighting monsters and importantly people – all of them stopped, lowering their weapons
Right there, in the path of all seas, came something. A massive tsunami came rolling in. But there was just something wrong about this wave.
It was not the fact that it started from high above the clouds, way high.
It was also not the fact that one could see the base of the wave all the way at the boom of the sea floor through the clear sea waters.
One of the adventures clicked his tongue, "what kind of cruel joke is this, I'm not paid enough for this city – like really, what is this bullsh*t?"
It was the middle of the night, and as such they should have not been so surprised. But right before their eyes, an inky wave, blocking out all the stars in the night, surfing the sea floor, rolling towards the city like a sarcastic joke.
The was no denying it, this was the iconic wave known to rush straight from a dungeon.
"This should be impossible – there are no dungeons near here, and the oceanic darkness has never shifted this far. What even is this?"
She was right there should be no darkness or dungeons close to the city. This city was perpetually being sieged from the south, and due to the drain-fall, it made this city one of the most important structures in the entire world, providing the nearest and usually safest passage from Nhoils to the Home continent.
Thinking about it clearly – the Home continent is where the knight headquarters are located, making this not just the only path, but the beacon for light as it is the path the knights take on their way to liberate or delay the fall of many if not all places in Nhoils.
This continent is literally next to the biggest patch of darkness on the entire map of Ouran. One spanning so much that it is known as the oceanic darkness. One so massive that even running at the speed of light, no-one could run through in a single night. Making it one of the most hopeless fronts of the battle between the knights and the darkness.
And right now, a random clog was about to plug this hole that allowed fresh air to flow into Nhoils. This is also why the dark knights were trying to barge the path from sea and make the hopeless situation in Nhoils even more hopeless.
Ironically enough – they call it – The plunge into eternal and everlasting darkness – may we all fall – may none stop it – right of law for Ouran.
This is also why so many conflicting groups of dark knights had banded together. To dissuade the hope, and after that they would go their separate ways, following their own paths to plunge Ouran into further darkness.
The wave consumed the ports and the ships anchored on their harbours. It covered the wreckages deep in the sea floor, brought to ruin by the dark knights. It covered the wall, the fighters and everything else, the entire city found itself in this darkness. The dragons just flew away and just stopped shy of the border to this darkness and faced inside, waiting to pounce on those not permitted to escape.
There was no knight in sight, so this truly was a hopeless worst-case scenario.
After all – the supply run would next be made in a year or so.
Many closed their eyes, trying not to lose themselves.