Chapter 12 The Night Of Burning Shadows
Vaelith’s POV
I remained seated beside the fallen tree silently while the assassin camp continued celebrating nearby. The fire crackled softly.
Laughter echoed through the forest.
But somehow… everything felt heavier now.
Beside the campfire, Vark was aggressively losing a drinking contest against three assassins half his size.
I stared into the darkness quietly. Nysera refusing made sense.
Black Thorn was her family. Risking them for someone she barely knew would be stupid.
And yet… part of me still felt disappointed.
Annoying. I barely knew her.
So why did that bother me?
The sound of footsteps approached again.
I didn’t need enhanced senses to recognize them anymore.
Nysera stopped beside me without speaking.
For several seconds, neither of us talked.
Then she quietly placed something beside me. A black cloak.
“Wear this before leaving.”
Nysera crossed her arms while staring toward the camp.
“The eastern road outside the forest leads toward the merchant cities. Avoid the northern territories.”
“Holy Dominion?”
Her expression darkened slightly.
“They’ve been moving more aggressively lately.”
So even Black Thorn noticed. I slowly stood.
“Thanks for not killing me.”
Nysera snorted softly.
“You’re still alive because I haven’t decided if you’re stupid or useful.”
“Fair enough.”
For a brief moment… the atmosphere between us felt strangely peaceful.
Then suddenly, everything exploded.
BOOOOOOM!
The entire camp shook violently as golden light erupted from the eastern trees.
Screams echoed instantly.
Several assassin tents burst into flames.
My eyes widened sharply.
“What the hell?!”
“ENEMY ATTACK!”
The peaceful atmosphere vanished immediately. Masked assassins rushed through the camp while explosions continued tearing through the forest.
Golden mana flooded the area violently.
And the moment I felt it, my chest tightened.
Holy Dominion.
Nysera reacted instantly.
“All assassins to defensive positions!”
Her voice cut sharply through the chaos.
The assassins obeyed immediately.
Another explosion tore through the camp.
BOOM!
Bodies flew across the ground while flames spread between tents rapidly.
Vark came sprinting toward us while screaming.
“MASTER! SHINY HUMANS ATTACKING!”
“I noticed!”
Nysera grabbed one of her assassins immediately.
“How many?”
The assassin’s breathing was panicked.
“At least twenty Dominion hunters!”
Twenty?!
That wasn’t a search party. That was extermination. Golden light suddenly illuminated the trees ahead. Then figures emerged from the darkness.
White armor. Holy insignias.
Silver swords glowing with mana.
Holy Dominion execution squads.
The moment their leader stepped forward, his eyes landed directly on me.
And narrowed.
“…There.”
The man slowly raised one glowing sword toward me.
“By order of the Holy Dominion…”
Golden mana exploded around him violently.
“…the corrupted one shall be purified.”
Nysera immediately stepped between us.
“Black Thorn territory,” she said coldly. “Leave.”
The holy knight looked toward her briefly.
Then scoffed.
“You shelter monsters now, assassin?”
Nysera’s eyes sharpened dangerously.
“He’s under my protection.”
I blinked once.
The holy knight’s expression darkened.
“You would oppose the Dominion for him?”
Nysera slowly unsheathed one of her swords. The answer was obvious.
Then chaos erupted.
CLANG!
The assassins and Dominion hunters collided violently throughout the burning camp. Steel crashed against steel while mana exploded across the forest from every direction.
The battle was brutal instantly. Holy knights fought with overwhelming power, but the assassins moved like shadows through the battlefield.
One assassin slit a knight’s throat before immediately getting impaled by holy magic from behind. Blood splashed across the snow-covered ground. Screams echoed everywhere.
And standing in the middle of it all… I froze. Because this was happening because of me.
Nysera suddenly grabbed my arm.
“Move!”
A blast of holy mana exploded where I’d been standing a second earlier.
BOOM!
The ground shattered violently. The holy knight from before pointed his glowing sword directly toward me.
“Capture him alive!”
Three knights rushed toward us instantly.
Nysera moved first.
Her blade sliced across one knight’s throat before she spun gracefully beneath another strike.
The second knight swung toward her again, I caught the blade barehanded.
CRACK.
The knight froze.
“…What?”
I drove my fist directly into his chest. The holy knight flew backward through two burning tents violently. Silence spread briefly nearby.
Several assassins stared at me in shock.
Nysera’s eyes widened slightly too.
Ah. Right.
Dungeon Core strength.
Probably should’ve hidden that better.
Another knight charged toward me while chanting holy magic. Golden chains erupted from the ground instantly.
I dodged sideways narrowly.
The chains wrapped around nearby trees instead, crushing them apart.
Vark leaped onto a knight’s face nearby while screaming aggressively.
“GOBLIN SUPREMACY!”
“…Vark no!”
The knight blasted him backward with holy magic. The goblin crashed into a tent dramatically.
“MASTER I SAW MY ANCESTORS!”
I rubbed my forehead briefly. Even during war this goblin remained ridiculous.
Nysera sliced another hunter across the chest before looking toward me sharply.
“You need to leave!”
“And let your camp burn? Terrible plan.”
Another explosion erupted nearby.
The Dominion hunters were pushing deeper into the camp now.
Black Thorn was losing ground.
And worst of all, more holy knights kept arriving from the forest.
This wasn’t random. They came prepared.
For me.
A sharp realization settled into my chest.
Seraphel.
He really was searching for traces of the Dungeon Core.
Nysera suddenly grabbed my collar roughly.
“Listen carefully.”
Her eyes burned with frustration.
“If they discover what you truly are, they won’t stop hunting you.”
“They already aren’t stopping.”
“You don’t understand.”
Another scream echoed nearby. Nysera looked toward the battlefield briefly before speaking again.
“There are things in the Holy Dominion far worse than Seraphel.”
That sentence alone was terrifying.
A wounded assassin suddenly stumbled toward Nysera.
“They broke through the eastern side!”
Nysera cursed under her breath immediately. Then looked back at me.
“Take your goblin and run.”
“No.”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
“This isn’t your fight anymore.”
“It became my fight the moment they attacked because of me.”
For a moment, Nysera simply stared at me. Then suddenly, a massive pressure descended over the battlefield. Everyone froze instantly.
Assassins. Holy knights.
My instincts screamed danger immediately. A new figure slowly stepped through the burning trees.
Tall. White cloak.
Golden markings across silver arm
or.
Unlike the others… this one radiated overwhelming mana.
The holy knight smiled faintly upon seeing me. And somehow… that smile felt worse than open hatred.
“…Found you.”
Nysera’s expression changed instantly.
Then she whispered one name quietly.
“Dominion Inquisitor…”
