Hero of Darkness

As Kahn and the subordinates stood a few hundred meters away from the gigantic wood elemental general aka Armin in his Erdtree form… the green wave of aura washed over their bodies and all of them instantly felt a soothing and relaxing surge of energy running through their bodies. 

Kahn felt like all the exhaustion he was going through because of the weakened state was slowly fading bit by bit. 

Other than Ceril, who was an undead and basically repelled this wave of Life Force that was released by Armin… everyone else had an elated expression as if they received a damn good massage. 

Rustle! 

Rustle! 

Crack! 

But before any of them could react… the broken plants, splintered trees as well as the torn off roots started reattaching themselves to their split parts as if a form of suction force was pulling them back together. 

And soon, a mild green aura ran across them while completely rejuvenating the branches, leaves and trunks. 

Even the flowers started blooming again till the point the scenery of this battlefield changed into that of a tourist spot where multicolored and varieties of plant life had given a serene appearance to the whole region. 

In just a minute, the two kilometers area was completely restored to its former state as if this wasn't a former battlefield but a picnic spot. 

Although Kahn knew nothing about Life Force since he was neither a Healer nor an Alchemist… he could tell that an abundance of world energy was part of this life force. 

Just that Armin's abilities allowed it to convert it into Life Force while other professions used it to either fight or create spells and formation. 

Thud! 

Thud! 

The gigantic figure of Armin moved across the open places and he kept gazing around the 10 kilometer radius battlefield that was destroyed during the battle. Given his height, he saw nothing but absolute destruction made by Ceril during his battle with Ashokvatika. 

He gazed downwards and looked at Ceril who stood along with the rest a few hundred meters away. 

The next second, an archaic and domineering voice resounded in the two kilometers of area. 

"Did you really have to destroy everything here? They too have lives and sentience." said Armin in a disapproving manner. 

"Tch! What are you complaining about? I killed this thing and you're the one who benefited." replied Ceril as if he didn't feel anything. 

"How careless. This entire region is filled with Dark Magic and Darkness element. It's very…." spoke Armin and continued in an exasperated voice 

"Suffocating." he said. 

"What?! What did you say, you overgrown tree?..." spoke Ceril in an angered voice. 

"I'm just saying… if the traces aren't removed, this region will turn into barren land. And many mages and healers will be able to sense the presence as well. 

You didn't do a thorough job." said Armin in his Erdtree form without any hesitation. 

But before Ceril gave a comeback, Kahn interjected. 

"Alright alright.. Stop it. 

Let him do it. It's better this way." he said. 

Because Dark Magic was forbidden in this Empire and the monster wave consisted of wood elemental creatures. 

So leaving traces of dark magic and darkness element in this worn-down battlefield would raise unnecessary questions. 

On top of it… Kahn had already merged the body with Armin so there was no trace left of the Ashokvatika either. 

So if there was a battlefield filled with Dark magic and a wood elemental legendary rank monster was behind the attack at the border… 

Wouldn't it mean that there were two legendary rank monsters who played a part in it? 

Plus the massive 10 kilometer radius battlefield would confirm the fact that there was indeed a battle that was on a completely different scale. 

So Kahn also felt the need to hide the happenings of this battle. 

Soon, under Kahn's orders… Armin and Blackwall used their respective abilities related to controlling plant life and terrain manipulation to restore the whole 50 kilometers of region and Kahn in the meantime created new members of the legion. 

By the evening, Kahn now had 500 thousand new subordinates as part of the legion, many of which were tree sentinels and those giants that were 50 meters in height alone. Compared to before… Kahn was now a complete powerhouse whose army was capable to fight against a million soldiers if he were to release all the subordinates from the Legion in an all-out war. 

Meanwhile, Ceril had been flying around the region and absorbed all traces of dark magic spread across the battlefield. 

And with all three of their collective efforts… the whole 50 kilometers region was restored to its former state; if not more lavish and tranquil. All the traces of the battle between two legendary monsters were cleansed to the point where one wouldn't even dare imagine that this region was attacked by a monster tide. 

"Alright. Let's leave." spoke Kahn and their two warships returned to the main military headquarters of the Berawaa region. 

Even now, the bloodied battlefield was yet to be cleared and thousands of dead bodies were still being collected by soldiers. 

More than 30 thousand people had died this time and even the numbers were lesser than the Caladrius attack, the fact remained that there was a huge loss of life. 

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

The next day, the families of the martyrs were informed about the battle and how their family members who fought valiantly fought on the battlefield had sacrificed themselves for the motherland. 

In the evening, Kahn held another announcement across the entire Verlassen fiefdom. 

Everything about the battle was revealed to the masses. However, this time the narrative was different and so were the results. 

Because Kahn declared that the main cause of this attack, a wood elemental legendary rank monster that could control wood elemental creatures ran away before they could even get there. 

The military's response was quick this time and many lives were protected because of their bravery. 

And it was the military of the Berawaa region who repelled the entire monster tide by themselves. 

This way, Kahn didn't mention any of his involvement or the reinforcements he sent from the capital. And he also praised Commander Chetak and Victor Apopis who played a big part in fending off the enemy monsters. 

This was a win that only the military needed and he didn't want any credit for it at all. So he told a white lie to the masses. 

Kahn then returned to Aesir the next morning and lay down in his bed. 

Armin, who reverted into his human form now had more archaic green tattoo-like runes spread across his body compared to before after his evolution. 

"Start the Soul Reformation procedure. Heal my soul as quickly as you can. Because we don't have much time. We have to be ready… " spoke Kahn with a somber expression. 

A determined expression appeared on his face as Kahn revealed the main target of his worries… 

"To face an enemy we can't even see."