Way of the Knights

---

Going back a few hours, sometime during Amalia's meeting with her sisters and their unknown leader…

An intruder came. A young man with short jet black hair, he's wearing black robes with golden edges. His looks were pretty normal but he carried a unique aura which was akin to a slumbering beast that could terrify anyone who dares to disturb him. 

He moved like a phantom, swift and silent. No demonic beast detected his presence since he was too sneaky and fast. This young man was of course, none other than Vendrick, his target, the Hag's camp. 

Arthur, Rosa and the rest of the tribe thought that he's still in seclusion. He slipped away and intentionally didn't tell them about this since he deemed it unnecessary. Had either Arthur or Rosa knew that he planned on taking on such a dangerous enemy, they wouldn't have allowed him to go alone. They will insist to come with him and even follow him here and that can't happen since Vendrick won't be able to spare enough attention to save them should an accident occur. 

They won't be of any help, besides this is his battle alone. He can't endanger them so he decided to go alone without informing them. 

Thanks to his recent breakthroughs, arriving at the camp took less time than before. This time however, he didn't purposefully hid upon arrival. 

There's no need to deliberately hide his presence since he wasn't here to sneak around and investigate. He was here to pick a fight. 

Therefore, the moment he arrive, he released his animosity without holding back, causing the ground beneath him to cave in due to how potent his aura was. 

A primal presence descended on the whole camp. It was as if a slumbering beast woke up, pissed and ready to lay waste on its surroundings. 

Everything went dark. The defenses of the Hag already located him and imprisoned him with thorny walls. The sentinels in form of insect abominations rose from the underground and began travelling towards Vendrick. 

Sadly, even though they were of the insect race and got numerous amplifications from their Hag Mother, the primal aura coming off of Vendrick was so potent that it thoroughly suppresses them. It's only natural though, after all how can mere insects dare to compete with brilliance against that of a Dragon? 

Just from intimidation itself, Vendrick had already won uncontested. He would dare even say that even if their mother was here, there's no competing against him. 

Vendrick had no plans to waste any words with this abominations. The moment they surfaced, he summoned the Spear of Wisdom of infused it with Lightning. Vendrick could use the spear without risking the tribe, the formation will keep them hidden from view despite no leaving the spear there.

Vendrick stomped forward, the force of his step caused the ground to shatter beneath him but he paid no attention to it. With a loud grunt, he gripped the spear tight and swung at every abominations at his sights. 

One mighty swing, numerous streaks of lightning shot out and all of his target fried to ash. They didn't even manage to screech for very long before they died. Some manage to ask for reinforcements but Vendrick wasn't fazed. 

Let them come, it doesn't matter how many of them there are. He was planning on wiping them out anyway. He's not even concerned if he was detected by the Hag herself since he was here to kill her too. 

Thus, Vendrick's unstoppable rampage began…

Abominations of insects coming from all sides in all shapes and sizes attempted to overwhelm him but every step Vendrick took he would wipe out a good chunk of them with a single swing. Only ashes which scattered in the air was what is left of them when he's done. 

All traps were neutralized, totems destroyed, curses and hexes being purified by Lightning and Thunder. Vendrick was practically unstoppable. 

It didn't take long before he wiped out all the ones patrolling the territory above the surface. And with the surface being purified by lightning, the boost of the Hag being in her home ground was slowly decreasing. The only thing that puzzled him is that the Hag herself was nowhere to be seen. 

She should've been alarmed but the commotion by now. Heck, she should've known that he's here the moment he flared his aura but so far, he hadn't seen her, not even her shadow. 

"Strange…" Vendrick frowned, "I'm not exactly being subtle about my approach right? Where the heck is that Hag?"

He was a bit concerned about this since knowing how highly territorial Hags were, he should've been successful at pissing her off. Also, considering the fact that setting up this territory took a lot of time and effort to do so in her part, should make his act of destroying it beyond infuriating and aggravating for the Hag. 

She shouldn't have this much patience with her since that isn't one of their characteristics, yet she's not here…really strange. 

"I'll be more cautious then." Vendrick whispered to himself. 

He didn't drop his guard, in fact he became more solemn after seeing that the Hag was displaying something different from what he knows. That being said, it doesn't mean that his rampage was slowing down. 

Vendrick eventually arrived at the home of the Hag. More precisely, the entrance to the underground base of the Hag. As expected, there were several more curses, hexes, totems and guards that were blocking his way but he made a quick work out of them. 

Lightning was extremely effective against them. The element was their mortal enemy, amplified by the fact that it was a Law, something that they'd never have the chance of understanding all their lives. 

Under Vendrick's ocular technique, he managed to locate the path that would lead him deeper underground. Since the defenses above were destroyed, all mechanisms that were preventing him from spying beyond this place was removed, therefore he could see the greater chunk of the Hag's home. 

It wasn't so big. There's no need for the Hag to have an extremely large home he guessed. There are numerous traps and illusions set up to protect it though but really, as if any of that could stop Vendrick's tracks.  action

Heck, he could've went straight to the core if he wanted to but he decided to mess with the Hag some more by deliberately going off track and arriving at the dead-ends and traps just to destroy them. He did it to send a message, but for some reason this Hag's patience is astonishingly long.

Oh well, it doesn't matter. Vendrick was planning to eradicate everything he sees anyways, 

Time passed and steadily, the Hag's children were killed by Vendrick. By now, only a few of them remained, all too scared to even move and justify going against Vendrick. That being said, it's not like he's going to spare them even with that. 

Pity is not something these things deserved. In fact, they shouldn't be capable of showing emotions at all, it's just that Vendrick was too strong for them and his presence broke their spirits. 

Vendrick lost count on how many of this insects he had killed so far. Thousands maybe? Either way, the Hag's still not here. Vendrick was now thinking that the Hag might've left them behind to do some personal errands since if she's here, there's no way that she could stand still after witnessing her life's work be wasted in under minutes. 

After going around the underground, destroying everything he laid his eyes on. The presence of the Hag's aura was dwindling. Her influence around this area was slowly disappearing, being purified by Vendrick's lightning. 

Eventually, he went to the core of the Hag's home. What he saw there was a large ritual circle just like those above but this being here is an obvious clue that this was used for something more important.

Aside from the ritual circle, he saw that the amount of totems, cursed items and hexes arranged in this place was the greatest he had seen so far. He could also smell the presence of the Hag here, telling him that she was here recently. 

At the middle of the ritual circle was a crib made out of bones. Vendrick could sense the abomination in there. It was young, but its presence was so horrid that it caused goosebumps to appear all over his body. 

Compared to things he had seen before, this one is clearly a cut above the rest. This infant should have the highest potential amongst the Hag's children and if this thing grows up, it'll bring doom to everything around it. 

Thankfully he discovered it early on. One strike of his spear and it was dealt with, the only downside is that it's carcass was stuck on the tip of his spear, his lightning was already frying it but its taking time. 

That's when he heard a commotion behind him. He turned around and saw a boulder light up with runes as it slid to the side, revealing a dumbfounded Hag - Amalia, staring at him with her youngest charred by lightning at Vendrick's spear tip. 

"Ah! There you are...."