Chapter 42: The Light That Watches
The lower district of Serrealla had already descended into chaos.
Stone pillars cracked.
Market stalls burned.
People screamed as holy knights rushed civilians away from the collapsing streets.
And in the center of it all—
Caelum laughed.
His massive greataxe spun violently through the air once again, glowing runes blazing gold as it tore through buildings with terrifying force.
The weapon crashed through a stone archway—
And missed Darius completely.
Darius moved through the destruction almost casually.
No wasted movement.
No panic.
The collapsing debris never even touched him.
Another swing came.
Then another.
Caelum's attacks were brutal enough to shatter the entire district apart, but every strike only met empty air.
"You'll never escape this city if all you do is run, monster!" Caelum roared.
Darius slipped beneath another swing, his coat snapping through the wind pressure as the axe buried itself into the stone behind him hard enough to split the street apart.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Do you not care about the citizens you're putting in danger?"
Caelum's expression twisted immediately.
"Well look at that…"
He ripped the axe free with one arm.
"A monster worrying about humans."
The holy knight spat toward the ground.
"It's so disgusting…"
Golden light exploded beneath his feet.
"…it makes me want to kill you even more."
He vanished.
The stone street shattered beneath the force of his charge as he rushed Darius head-on, massive axe screaming downward with enough force to cleave through reinforced walls.
Darius stepped sideways.
Barely.
The axe missed him by inches.
And in the same motion—
Darius drove a punch directly into Caelum's chest.
He only used half his strength.
Maybe less.
But the impact still sounded like thunder.
Caelum's eyes widened as his armored body launched backward through the air before smashing violently into a stone wall hard enough to crater it inward.
The entire structure shook.
Dust exploded outward.
Silence followed for only a second.
Then Darius exhaled softly.
"I have no reason to spare you," he said calmly, "if you don't even care about the lives you're putting in danger."
The sound of armored footsteps suddenly echoed around him.
More knights.
Dozens.
Holy soldiers flooded into the broken district from every direction, surrounding Darius in organized formation. Spears lowered instantly while glowing sigils lit across their armor.
Darius looked around slowly.
"…That's a lot of people."
None of them moved.
None of them hesitated.
One knight stepped forward carefully.
"Monster," he said coldly, "surrender and your death will be merciful."
Darius blinked once.
Then smiled faintly.
"…No."
The ground exploded beneath him.
Meanwhile—
Far below the city.
Near the crashing ocean cliffs beyond Serrealla's outer walls—
The others ran.
The roar of waves echoed through the massive stone tunnels leading toward the hidden shoreline passage as Lirael guided the group deeper beneath the city.
Mist drifted softly around her feet while glowing Veil symbols lined portions of the cave walls, barely visible beneath layers of age and seawater.
"We're close," she said quickly.
Blue stayed near the front now, his senses fully sharpened.
Something still felt wrong.
Too easy.
Far too easy.
Even after everything—
No one had stopped them.
That thought alone made his instincts scream.
Kin ran beside Mira, breathing harder now.
"…Please tell me the Veil entrance isn't all the way at the bottom of this death cave."
Mira didn't even glance at him.
"If you fall into the ocean, I'm not saving you."
"You'd miss me."
"No."
"…That hurt."
Gus suddenly slowed.
"…Wait."
Everyone stopped instantly.
The pressure hit them a second later.
Heavy.
Cold.
Wrong.
Kin's shadow twitched unnaturally beneath his feet.
Gus' dark energy flared instinctively around his hands.
Blue's eyes narrowed immediately.
Someone was there.
At the far end of the cavern—
Standing directly between them and the glowing Veil entrance—
Were four figures.
Three holy knights.
And one man standing calmly in front of them.
Seri.
The ocean wind moved softly through his white robes as faint golden light drifted around him unnaturally.
He looked calm.
Peaceful even.
But the moment Blue saw him—
Every instinct in his body screamed danger.
Gus felt it too.
So did Kin.
Though neither understood why.
Seri's eyes moved quietly across the group before finally settling on Lirael.
"…Interesting," he said softly.
"…A Mistborn truly returned."
Lirael's expression hardened instantly.
"You should move."
Seri smiled faintly.
"And let creatures like you walk freely into the Veil?"
Blue stepped forward immediately.
"We don't want a fight."
Seri looked toward him.
For just a moment—
Blue felt like the man was seeing directly through him.
Then Seri spoke calmly.
"If your companion survives the knights above…"
A pause.
"…I will allow you passage."
Blue's jaw tightened instantly.
"You expect us to trust you?"
"No," Seri replied simply.
"…I expect you to survive."
Something about the way he spoke made the cave feel colder.
Blue moved before anyone could stop him.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he rushed forward at full speed, hidden blades flashing into his hands.
He aimed directly for Seri's throat.
But Seri didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't even blink.
Then—
Something grabbed Blue from behind.
A massive armored hand locked around his shoulder before slamming him violently into the cave wall hard enough to crack the stone apart.
Blue barely managed to twist mid-impact before being thrown back across the cavern toward the others.
One of the holy knights stood where Seri had been.
Large.
Silent.
His glowing gauntlets pulsing with holy energy.
Blue landed hard before immediately forcing himself back to his feet.
His chest burned.
Fast.
Too fast.
At the same moment—
The other two knights stepped forward.
Weapons drawn.
Seri folded his hands behind his back calmly.
"This should be fun to watch."
Blue's eyes narrowed instantly.
Something wasn't right about him.
Not his power.
Not his presence.
Him.
He looked toward the others immediately.
"We have to beat them now."
His voice sharpened.
"Something's wrong with that man."
Lirael stepped forward quickly.
"Blue, listen to me—we don't have time for this."
Her eyes flicked toward the glowing Veil entrance behind Seri.
"We just need to survive until Darius gets here."
Mira drew her blades instantly.
"Then let's survive."
Green light slowly began glowing around Rito's hands.
"…I'm ready."
Kin spun his staff once before shadow curled around his feet.
"Well…"
He smirked nervously.
"…This is definitely getting bad."
Gus stepped beside Blue silently as dark flames slowly formed across his fingertips.
Blue looked at all of them.
Then nodded once.
"Formation."
They moved instantly.
Blue at the front.
Gus and Kin flanking.
Mira and Rito behind.
Lirael near the entrance.
And standing before them—
Three holy knights.
Watching.
Waiting.
Above the city—
Darius stood in the center of destruction.
Holy knights surrounded him across the shattered district floor.
Some unconscious.
Others barely moving.
Darius exhaled softly as he looked around.
"…That's a lot of you."
He adjusted one of his blades calmly.
"But honestly?"
A faint smirk crossed his face.
"…None of you are capable of hurting any of us."
One knight tried rushing him.
Darius disappeared instantly.
The man collapsed a second later.
"…Maybe this city's overrated."
Then—
Something tore through the air behind him.
Darius' instincts exploded instantly.
He twisted sideways just as Caelum's axe flew past his face close enough to cut several strands of hair away before burying itself into the stone street behind him.
Darius blinked once.
"…So you're not dead?"
A loud laugh echoed through the ruined district.
Caelum stepped from the collapsing rubble grinning wildly, blood running from the corner of his mouth.
"Of course not!"
He ripped the axe free violently.
"You just caught me off guard!"
Golden light surged violently around his armor now.
Far stronger than before.
Then—
To Darius' surprise—
Caelum twisted the weapon apart.
The massive greataxe split cleanly into two long-handled tomahawks glowing with radiant energy.
Caelum rolled his shoulders slowly.
Still smiling.
"But now…"
His eyes sharpened.
"…I'm ready."
The holy knight lowered both weapons.
"Now, monster…"
Golden light exploded beneath his feet.
"…this is where you die."
Golden light erupted across the shattered district.
Caelum moved first.
The twin tomahawks spun violently in his hands as he rushed Darius with enough force to crater the street beneath every step. Holy energy surged behind him in waves, blasting apart nearby debris as the remaining knights rallied around their captain.
"Formation!"
Caelum roared.
The knights reacted instantly.
Not like frightened soldiers.
Not like civilians.
Like warriors who had trained together for years.
Three knights rushed from the front while two moved toward the rooftops above. Spears of light formed in their hands as glowing sigils expanded beneath their boots.
Another group moved to Darius' blind spots.
Cutting off escape routes.
Restricting movement.
Darius' eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Disciplined."
Caelum grinned wildly.
"You monsters always think strength is enough!"
The first knight attacked.
A spear thrust toward Darius' throat—
Only for Darius to twist around it effortlessly before slamming the hilt of his blade into the man's ribs hard enough to launch him across the street.
But before the body even hit the ground—
Another knight appeared behind him.
Fast.
Too fast for ordinary humans.
Light-enhanced blades crashed toward Darius simultaneously while Caelum himself came from above, both tomahawks descending like executioner axes.
The street exploded.
Darius vanished from the impact zone a fraction of a second before the attacks landed.
Stone erupted upward.
Nearby buildings collapsed inward.
And still—
The knights kept advancing.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Their teamwork was sharp enough to become genuinely dangerous.
Every movement covered another weakness.
Every attack pushed Darius toward another fighter waiting nearby.
One knight slammed both hands into the ground.
Holy sigils erupted outward instantly.
Chains of glowing light shot upward from the street toward Darius.
He dodged left—
Straight into another attack.
A tomahawk grazed his shoulder.
Blood splattered across the ruined stone.
Caelum laughed loudly.
"There it is!"
The holy knights surged harder now.
The moment they saw blood—
Everything changed.
Caelum raised both weapons toward the sky.
Then roared.
"LIGHT ROAR!"
The sound exploded across the district like thunder.
Golden energy erupted from Caelum's body in violent waves, washing over every nearby knight as their armor flared brighter than before.
Their power rose instantly.
Faster.
Stronger.
Sharper.
Even Darius felt the shift immediately.
One knight blitzed toward him with enough speed to crack the ground beneath his feet.
Another appeared overhead.
Then another.
For the first time since the battle began—
Darius stopped smiling.
The attacks came relentlessly now.
Holy blades carved through the streets while glowing spears exploded against buildings around them. The district itself was being torn apart under the pressure of the battle.
A tomahawk slammed into Darius' guard hard enough to send him skidding backward through broken stone.
Another knight struck him from the side immediately after.
The humans were overwhelming him through sheer coordination.
And for the first time—
Darius realized something.
If enough of them gathered…
If enough trained soldiers fought together…
Humans really could become dangerous.
Caelum rushed him again laughing wildly.
"What happened, monster?!"
The captain swung both tomahawks downward violently.
"I thought your kind was superior!"
Darius caught both weapons with crossed blades.
The impact shattered the street beneath them.
Then—
He sighed.
"…You're loud."
Caelum's grin faltered slightly.
Darius slowly lifted his head.
And when Caelum saw his eyes—
Something changed.
The hybrid had been holding back.
Massively.
The air itself shifted.
Then Darius disappeared.
Caelum's eyes widened.
Too fast.
A shockwave exploded behind him.
One of the holy knights collapsed instantly before he even realized Darius had moved.
Then another.
Then another.
Bodies dropped across the battlefield faster than the eye could follow.
The rooftops shattered apart as Darius tore through the battlefield like a blur of black motion and silver steel.
One knight raised his shield—
Darius appeared behind him.
The man collapsed.
Another tried activating a holy barrier—
Darius shattered it with a single kick before driving him through a wall.
Caelum spun violently trying to track him.
Impossible.
Every instinct he had screamed danger.
Then—
Darius appeared directly in front of him.
Caelum barely crossed his tomahawks in time.
The impact detonated around them.
Caelum's arms instantly buckled.
"…What…"
Blood spilled from his mouth.
"…are you?"
Darius looked almost bored now.
"A warning."
Then he vanished again.
Caelum felt three impacts simultaneously across his chest, ribs, and stomach before his body launched through multiple stone buildings like a cannonball.
The holy captain crashed into the center of the ruined district hard enough to leave a crater beneath him.
Silence followed.
The remaining knights stared in horror.
Not because Darius killed them.
He hadn't.
But because now they understood something terrifying.
This monster had been sparing them the entire time.
Darius slowly adjusted his blades.
Then looked toward the ocean cliffs beyond the city.
"…Alright."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Now let's go save those kids."
End Chapter 42