6kv Chapter 482: He has arrived
Chapter 482: He has arrived
The live stream had crossed 120 million views and was still rising rapidly.
The whole world had fallen silent. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and watched the destruction unfolding before their very eyes.
Although most of the explicit bloodshed was being actively censored, the fall of one S-Ranker after another had filled every viewer with dread and horror.
---
White House, America.
"Contact the streaming companies and order them to shut the broadcast down," the President ordered in a grave voice, summoning his secretary as the knight’s sword pierced through Theodore’s abdomen. "There is no one in this world capable of stopping that monster."
Taking a deep breath, he opened the secured compartment built into his desk and removed a hardened black communication handset.
Unlike ordinary phones, the device immediately scanned both his fingerprint and iris before unlocking.
Once the verification was complete, the President dialed the emergency line.
"This is the President," he said in a low voice. "Initiate nuclear response protocol immediately."
"B-but sir, the awakeners are still there," the secretary tried to speak, only to be immediately interrupted.
"And they are already dead," the President replied sharply. "Not only America, but all of humanity will be destroyed if that monster leaves the city."
His heavy eyes remained fixed on the television screen as the horrifying battle continued to unfold.
"Contact the streaming companies and terminate the broadcast," he ordered once more.
"Y-Yes, sir."
The secretary hurried out of the office while the President tightened his grip around the secure handset.
Seconds later, the line connected.
[National Military Command Center – Secure Line]
"Mr. President, this is the National Military Command Center. Please provide authentication."
The President silently pulled a metallic authentication card from a sealed compartment beside the handset.
"Authentication code: Sierra Eighteen."
A brief silence followed.
"Authentication confirmed. Standing by for strike authorization."
The President slowly closed his eyes before giving the order humanity had feared for generations.
"Authorize a tactical nuclear strike."
"Confirm target."
"Anomaly-class Boss Monster located in San Francisco."
"Target confirmed."
"Strategic Command has confirmed a launch platform in the Pacific Ocean."
"Estimated impact time after launch: ten minutes."
"Awaiting final confirmation from the President of the United States."
The President slowly raised his eyes toward the screen as the Death Knight walked toward Aryan, step by step.
"I repeat: awaiting final confirmation from the President of the United States."
"This is the President of the United States."
His voice was low and heavy.
"Final confirmation granted."
"Execute the strike."
---
In a hotel room in California, United States...
"All that for a drop of blood," the Dark Knight’s voice rumbled from the television mounted on the wall.
"Oh, A-Aryan..." Siya, mother of Raj and Aryan, whispered, tears of terror running down her cheeks as she sat on the sofa watching the live stream of the catastrophe.
"Pl-please, Lord Sh-Shiva, protect him," Aisha pleaded, her hands joined in prayer, cheeks damp with sweat and tears.
The monster slowly moved toward Aryan, raised its blade high, and declared as it brought the blade down toward Aryan’s neck:
"Die."
Just as the blade was about to reach his neck, Aryan suddenly vanished. The blade struck the ground, leaving a deep gash.
"Aryan, are you alright?" Raj asked, crouching in front of Aryan with a hand on his shoulder. Aryan’s back was leaning against the wall of a building on the street.
"R-Raj... wh-why are you h-here?" Aryan whispered, barely forming the words. "Y-you need to g-get away. It’s too d-dangerous here."
"Don’t worry, brother," Raj said in a warm tone. "I’ll be back right away."
He rose and began walking toward the centre where hundreds of awakeners lay unconscious or dead across the ground. Aryan should have stopped him. Raj was only an A-Rank. He would die if he fought that monster. He shouldn’t even have been here in the first place. This wasn’t something he could handle.
Yet a strange feeling surged in Aryan’s heart from Raj’s reassuring words. Although every instinct was against it, he somehow knew that Raj would return safely.
---
"Aghhh... it fucking stings..." Noah muttered, tightly holding his bleeding torso. He dragged himself back, leaning against a mound of debris. His eyes moved toward Theodore, who lay unconscious on the ground a few metres away. A pool of blood was spreading out from his body.
"O-oh no... even the Lion King... i-is this really the end."
He turned his focus to the Death Knight, who stood still, staring at something distant.
Noah followed its gaze, finding a man walking toward the Death Knight in cold, measured steps, carrying an unreadable expression.
"R-Raj Singh... wh-what’s he doing here?"
After a few steps, Raj vanished from his spot and reappeared before the Death Knight, standing face to face with it.
"Are you the strongest in this world?" the knight asked in a heavy tone.
"I’m not," Raj said, looking up at the knight’s face with a calm expression.
The moment those words left his mouth, the knight instantly swung its sword with blinding speed.
"Then you are of no use to me!"
Dust and debris flew from the sheer speed of the blade. It struck with a heavy clang.
As the dust settled, Raj’s figure was revealed, his rusted katana blocking the longsword above his head.
"However, I’m more than enough to deal with someone like you."
He suddenly vanished, letting the longsword descend. The blade hadn’t even reached the ground when he reappeared behind the knight in the blink of an eye, striking directly at its neck.
"You feel similar to me. Your soul is corrupted as well," the knight said, grabbing Raj’s katana behind its neck before the strike could land.
"You are even stranger," Raj replied, now standing in front of him. "How can you still speak after being completely corrupted by death."
The flame in the Death Knight’s eyes began burning more intensely, as if Raj had struck a nerve.
In an instant it lurched forward and swung its sword faster than ever, gathering a storm along the blade. Raj immediately raised his own weapon to block the sudden attack, but the force behind it was so intense that he was sent airborne from the impact.
He teleported mid-air and, using the momentum from being thrown, brought his own blade across the knight’s side from behind.
A metallic clang and a shower of sparks erupted from the contact. At the same time, a compact sphere of bright white energy formed before the knuckles of Raj’s free hand.
"Pure Yang Orb!"
He drove the orb straight into the knight’s back. A blinding white light swallowed the whole area, followed by the knight’s piercing, inhuman screech.
"As I thought, you are weak to yang energy," Raj said, pulling his hand back.
Shards of broken metal fell to the ground from the knight’s side, where its dark skin, laced with vein-like cracks, was now exposed. Black blood flowed from the wound where Raj had landed his strike.
Now completely furious at being injured, the Death Knight gripped its sword with both hands. A black aura emerged from its body and began seeping into the blade, turning it darker and more abyssal. Only faint black flames licked along its edge.
"He is only a few steps away from perfect Sword Aura," Raj mumbled, slightly taken aback.
In response, Raj poured his own mana into his blade, turning its color from crimson to a dual black and white.
The Sword Aura hadn’t even fully activated when the Death Knight’s sword was already before Raj’s eyes.
The two blades clashed, causing a massive collision that split the ground beneath them.
Both moved at a speed no eye or camera could capture. What was visible was only the destruction and aftermath their clash left behind. Several craters of varying size began forming across the terrain, accompanied by bright sparks from the clash of the two weapons. It was impossible to tell who had the upper hand. Only their blurred figures became visible at irregular intervals.
"It’s so unfair!!" the Death Knight roared amidst the battle, pressing its sword down upon Raj.
"What are you on about?" Raj asked, his brows furrowing.
"If there was someone like you in my world, it wouldn’t have been destroyed!" the knight cried, its voice heavy with agony.
It raised its sword high and crashed it down upon Raj with a force unlike any before.
"Unfair!!!"
It struck again, causing a sonic boom.
"Unfair! Unfair! Unfair! Unfair!... Unfair!!!!!"
It went into a complete frenzy, launching a barrage of heavy strikes upon Raj, each one blasting the ground and nearby buildings into smithereens.
A deep crater remained when it finally ceased its assault.
"So what?" Raj asked, standing at the centre of the crater, holding his sword with both hands above his head. "The world is never fair to anyone."
He spat out a mouthful of blood and muttered, "Your world was destroyed because you were too weak to protect it."
"Don’t speak as if you know anything about me!" the knight roared before bringing its sword down again.
The blade struck empty ground.
"I have heard enough of you," Raj’s deep voice came from behind the knight. "Vivi, activate the Extreme Yin Transformation."