Way of the Knights

---

"Raven!" Mark yelled as soon as he realized who it was. Him, Anne and Luna already came running towards him at this point.

His voice wasn't quiet, allowing the people around him to awaken from their stupor and finally recall all the memories they have with the person who just arrived.

"Holy crap! It's Senior Raven!"

"Instructor Raven is back!"

"Sir Raven! Welcome home!"

The mood of the army completely turned around upon realizing that Raven was finally back, and from what they witnessed earlier, it was obvious that his strength reached an unimaginable degree. It had to be known that they had been struggling to take down even a singe golem, yet Raven took out one as easy as waving his hand. 

Raven looked at his comrades with a wide smile in his face. It truly felt nice to be back. His eyes was of course focused on the gorgeous blonde who transformed into a streak of golden light and crashed on his embrace. 

Her fragrance, her warmth, the sounds of her sobs, this hug. He missed everything about her. Raven couldn't help but smile warmly as he embraced the gorgeous woman who's sobbing uncontrollably before him. 

Luna hugged him tight - very tight, afraid of letting go and afraid that all of this was just a dream. She doesn't want to be parted with him anymore. Words can't even explain how much she missed him. This was the man that haunted her dreams constantly. The only man that she's willing to give her heart to. 

She felt his rough but gentle hand caressing his back. She felt him burying his face on her neck and leaving trails of kisses there causing her to feel a bit ticklish. Raven cupped her face gently and wiped away her tears. His gentle voice echoed onto her soul…

"Don't cry, Love." He coaxed, "I'm here. Everything's going to be alright."

Yes, he's here. He's back. With him here, everything's going to be fine. It was his tall back that propped up the heavens for them. Now that's he's here, there's nothing to fear anymore. 

Luna buried her face onto his chest once more. Raven then took this time to look at Mark and Anne who's watching this warm scene. He smiled and said:

"Good work out there. Thank you for keeping an eye on her." 

"You surely took your sweet time huh?" Mark said while offering a handshake that Raven returned. 

"Yeah, geez." Anne feigned her disappointment, but she too was smiling from ear to ear. "But no matter. Welcome home, Brother."

"Thanks." Raven chuckled. "You guys should take a rest, check how Paul's doing for me will you?"

The two nodded in unison. Raven then returned his attention to Luna and said: "You should come with them."

Her answer was a furious shaking of her head, she pulled him ever closer causing Raven to break into a fit of laughter. 

"Come on, Love." He coaxed, "You need to rest. I'm not leaving again I swear."

Luna looked at him suspiciously, Raven sighed and whispered something to her ear. When Luna heard this, her face changed. She then bit her lips and reluctantly agreed. The three then started falling back, leaving Raven alone to deal with the remaining golems.

"Dad, have the troops retreat. I'll deal with this." Raven transmitted a message towards Luis, who felt a little bit worried about his well being. 

Raven was obviously aware of his worries, that why he added: "Don't worry. I can handle this. Trust me, I'll be fine."

Hearing his son's confident tone, Luis signaled the retreat. The army was confused at first but signal was clear, so without asking too much, they retreated. 

As they began retreating, they could obviously tell that the Raven planned on handling all the four golems by himself. A lot of them were filled with doubts and uncertainties about this decision but they didn't dare voice it out. 

Raven met all of these gazes with a smile. He didn't care about what they think, his actions will speak louder than words anyway. 

"Young Raven." Old Lee called him, behind him was Morel and Leona. 

Raven smiled and greeted them: "Hello Seniors. Thank you for looking out for my friends while I'm gone."

"Oh, it's nothing. We didn't have to do much anyway, they've grown up splendidly and so did you. In fact, you guys might be the one's look after us when all of this is done." Old Lee jovially claimed while placing both of his hands on Raven's shoulders.

"How can that be? Not to mention us, but the further generations still has to rely on your experiences and teachings." Raven replied politely. 

"Okay, enough of those pleasantries." Leona chimed in, she then looked at Raven and asked: "Are you sure that you'll handle this alone?"

"I'm sure. Leave this to me and take a good rest." Raven answered.

"Will you truly be fine, Young Master?" Morel asked.

"I will, trust me." Raven answered confidently, "Moreover, thank you for being there for my family while I was away." 

"It's the least that I can do as your retainer and on behalf of the Kingdom." Morel bowed, "Please be careful Young Master."

"I will." Raven nodded and walked past them. 

As majority of the troops retreated back to the safety of the Kingdom's formation, Raven eventually arrived beside the Queen who's still holding down the golems with her technique.

"Aunt, it's fine to release them. Please retreat to the walls as well." Raven informed her causing Elizabeth to look at him with uncertainty. 

"Wouldn't it be fine for me to hold them down while you destroy them?" She asked. 

"It would." He answered truthfully, "But I'm afraid the backlash of your technique will injure you. Technically, you shouldn't even be using this much energy since you just got back from your body. Allow me to handle this. I'll I be fine I promise." 

Elizabeth sighed since if he said it like that, then there's no reason she could refuse. But in her heart she was gratified because her daughter chose an extremely qualified man to be her partner. As a mother-in-law, aside from giving them grandchildren, there's nothing else she could wish for.

She then released the golems and gave one last look at Raven before retreating back to the walls. 

Now, everyone's eyes were focused on the four hulking giants and the lone human who decided to face them. All of them felt nervous about the battle. Although they could tell that Raven was strong, they still don't know if he's going to be able to defeat all four with just him alone. 

Raven's eyes shone with a clear glint as he gazed at the Giant Golems in front of him. As they began regaining their mobility, his body slowly levitated. 

There was nothing but pure indifference on his face. It was if their size didn't matter to him at all. He wasn't fazed about their toughness nor how difficult it is to locate their core. None of those matter since as soon as he appeared, the fates of these golems are sealed. 

As the golems witnessed him, they could vaguely feel the arrogance that this person was exuding. Their feral natures were provoked, causing them to act. Two golems rushed towards him while the other two condensed black orbs on their mouth. 

The people who were watching felt their hearts tighten at this scene. They bore witness to the ferocity of this golems so surely, they know just how much danger Raven currently was in. Some people started thinking that the retreat order was a mistake and that they shouldn't have left him alone to face all of the golems at once. 

But before they could even voice out their concerns, an incredible scene unfolded before them. 

"Heroic Influence: Destruction Territory." 

As soon as these words left Raven's lips, a burst of light emerged from his body. The light erected a dome encasing him and the four golems within. 

Time seemingly stopped, the golems stopped moving from where they were. Out of nowhere, white lines appeared on each of them. These lines swiftly scattered and covered their entire bodies, at a distance it appears as if these lines were similar what one could see at the surface of a cracked mirror. Raven lifted a hand and…

Snapped.

*Crack!* *Woosh!*

A loud fracturing sound echoed across the ears of everyone who's watching. Under their dumbstruck gazes, the four Giant Golems crumbled like shattered rocks, shortly after that they turned into dust particles that scattered with the wind. 

There was pin drop silence on the battlefield. Everyone's jaws were hanging open. Their minds almost refuses to acknowledge that Raven just killed four Giant Golems with a snap of his fingers. 

"And done." Raven said non-chalantly. 

It was done? Just like that? One snap and that's it? What kind of monster is he? 

These are the only few of the many questions that people had in their mind. Even his own team couldn't help but feel an enormous shock upon witnessing how he easily defeated the enemies they struggled so much with. action

But even though the golems are no longer a threat. Raven didn't retreat. Instead, he kept his vigilance and looked over the horizon. 

Just as when someone's about to ask a question, Raven's voice suddenly sounded on their ears.

"You're watching right? Come out, it's time to finish this."