FATE: The Man with Divine Keys

"This damn bitch can really endure, it's been so long, and her mouth is still sealed shut, huh..."

A knight clad in silver armor named Gavin said that with a sneer. He looked at the cowering peasant woman with a hint of cruel amusement in his eyes.

"Hahaha..."

"Heh..."

The other knights joined in the laughter, their tone filled with mockery.

Gavin bent down, grabbed the woman's hair, and stared at her bloodied and pained face, grinning, "If it weren't for you, His Highness would not have ended up like that. It's a pity we haven't found that golden-haired knight yet; otherwise, I would have made him experience an outcome a million times worse than His Highness's."

The Prince had always been rebellious in nature. They had agreed to act together, but he had sneaked away behind their backs and arrived in Tintagel ahead of them. They had to chase him through the night to catch up, only to find him severely injured, with more than half of his bones shattered. Even the most skilled doctor would need at least a year to heal him.

As Prince's top henchman, Gavin couldn't just stand by. After investigating the situation, he quickly located this place.

"Now, tell me, that wyvern blood, and that golden-haired knight, where are they?" Gavin glared menacingly at the woman, looking like a devil.

"I... don't... know..."

The woman's voice was incredibly weak, her face covered in dust and blood.

"Don't know?" Gavin's face twisted into a cruel smile as he stood up and kicked the woman in the stomach.

"Ackkk!!!"

The woman let out a piercing scream, writhing in pain, with crimson blood seeping from her lower body—more precisely, her crotch.

"My child... my... child..."

"I wondered why you kept curling up earlier; it turns out you were trying to protect your child huh..." Gavin said with a cruel smile on his face. "Well, that works for me. I'll just cut open your belly and take out the bastard child, then crush him right in front of you. Maybe then, you'll tell me the truth."

He drew his longsword from his waist with a swift motion and advanced towards the woman.

'Hmm?'

Suddenly, a strong sense of danger suddenly welled up in his heart. Gavin instinctively rolled to the side.

*BOOOM!*

A deafening explosion, like a meteor crashing in the courtyard, sent a shockwave spreading in all directions, carrying dust and smoke.

"AHHH!!!"

"HURT! IT HURTTT!!!"

"GAAAAHHH!"

The knights who had followed Gavin suddenly let out agonized screams.

Black flames were burning on their bodies and seemed to appear out of nowhere. They knelt on the ground as if enduring the most excruciating pain in the world, clawing at their faces until they were bloodied and mangled.

Watching this scene, Gavin couldn't help but take a step back and swallow a mouthful of saliva as large beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

This reminded him of the mages in the palace, those monsters disguised as humans, who used similarly mysterious and sinister methods.

Faint footsteps suddenly reached his ears, and Gavin instinctively raised his head. From within the smoke and dust, a figure emerged.

"Who! Who are you?! I warn you! I am the Chief Guard of His Highness, the Prince of Ganna! If you even think about touching me, the kingdom won't let you off easy!" Gavin threatened.

"Ganna? A kingdom?"

The voice belonged to a young man.

"That's right! If you're sensible, you'll behave—"

Gavin's voice abruptly stopped as a black-haired man appeared in front of him suddenly as if teleporting, his black eyes filled with cold indifference.

"It's just a kingdom."

Arkhan walked past Gavin without a word. As he brushed past, Gavin suddenly knelt on the ground, black flames burning on him deeper than the darkest night.

"AAAHHHHHH!!!"

He was experiencing unimaginable agony, as every nerve in his body was torn apart. His cries were heart-wrenching.

Arkhan's expression remained ice-cold, and he didn't choose to kill these men outright. Allowing these scum to die so easily would be too merciful for them.

He unleashed the power of Jizo Mitama without reservation.

Emotions, reason, memories, life, and body—everything would be completely corrupted by the black flames.

Thousands of years of hatred and countless sins of humanity would make these bastards endure the pain a thousand times worse than falling into hell until they disappeared completely.

This was true survival without escape, death unattainable even if desired, to the extent that describing it as being torn apart by a thousand knives or thrown into a sea of fire would be an understatement.

Faced with these inhumane scums, Arkhan showed his ruthless side for the first time.

He quickly approached the woman, Abyss Flower appearing in his hand, and the tip of the lance gently touched her shoulder.

A massive surge of life energy flowed into her body, healing her bruises and wounds rapidly. Her furrowed brows relaxed, and her breathing became steady.

But Arkhan remained serious, his face growing even more stern.

Although the peasant woman was no longer in danger, the child inside her had suffered severe injuries from the earlier kick, and its life hung by a thread, flickering like a candle, with the possibility of a miscarriage at any moment.

Arkhan continuously infused his magical energy into the Abyss Flower, converting it into life energy and injecting it into the unborn child. However, since the child was not fully developed, it couldn't absorb this life energy.

At this rate, the child would still die.

"Save... my child..." 

In her unconscious state, the peasant woman seemed to sense something, furrowing her brows tightly and uttering dream-like murmurs.

Arkhan fell silent for a moment, his eyes gradually filled with determination.

"Don't worry; I'll save your child."

Arkhan redirected the power of the Abyss Flower, using only a small portion of the life energy to sustain the child's vitality while using the rest to help the child accelerate its growth.

It was a miracle on par with creation, and even though Arkhan had never done such a thing before, he knew he couldn't fail.

Because this was his only chance!

Life energy flowed continuously into the peasant woman's body. When it was nearly halfway complete, Arkhan's body suddenly trembled, and a deep weakness surged through his limbs.

His magical energy was running out!

The magical energy required far exceeded Arkhan's imagination, and even with his magical energy reserves, it was barely enough for half.

Without the support of magical energy, the output power of the Abyss Flower instantly dropped significantly.

'I can't collapse here!'

Arkhan gritted his teeth, a touch of madness flickering in his jet-black eyes. He used his finger like a blade, slashing his wrist, and a large amount of blood sprayed onto the Abyss Flower.

Since his blood could be used to create Primordial Rune, it could certainly be used to power the Abyss Flower!

The crimson blood disappeared in an instant into the lance, and the Abyss Flower suddenly radiated a bright white light.

Its sacred patterns lit up one after another, emitting a very strong vitality. The life energy, now a hundred times more robust than before, flowed continuously into the peasant woman's body.

The woman's belly visibly swelled at an astonishing rate, going from small movements to a full-term pregnancy in just a few minutes.

Blood continued to trickle down, and Arkhan's complexion grew paler, but his grip on the Abyss Flower remained unwavering.

After what felt like an eternity, a surge of vibrant life energy suddenly emanated from the woman's belly.

Arkhan instantly released his hand, and the Abyss Flower turned into faint light and disappeared into the air.

Feeling the vigorous life energy on the woman's belly, a faint smile tugged at Arkhan's pale face.