[Completed] Legend of the Five Knights I: Rise of a Guardian Angel

Episode 23: Courage of a Knight

[Several Minutes Earlier- Rebel Central]

Kuroshi stopped in front of a pair of strange black rocks. "So this is where they've been hiding," the blacksmith said as he pushed one of the bus-sized stones out of the way, revealing a hall big enough for an adult to walk through. It continued on for as far as the eye could see.

He was about to walk inside but stopped as he heard footsteps approach. He turned around and saw the tip of a sun-shaped staff pointed at the side of his neck.

"Tell me where your leader is, rebel," the man wielding the staff said, his eyes cold.

"Me a rebel?" Kuroshi asked, trying not to laugh. "Oh, I assure you, I am not one of them. The name is Kuroshi."

"Kuroshi? You're the one who told my eldest kid where his brother was taken, didn't you?"

The black-cloaked figure nodded his head before looking at the tied up Dan squirming around as his dad held him on a leash. "Those rebels sure went far this time."

"Yes, they did," Hideo's father said, closing his eyes. "I thought that I could stop the rebellion when I—" The ground shook yet again. This time, more violently than the last.

"Those kids must be fighting over there," Kuroshi said, narrowing his eyes at the central path he had taken to get there.

Dan's father looked at the shaking stones with concern. "Hope that Hideo is fine."

"Oh, he is. I sent him off to fetch Eiji to hand him Donato. Right now, those two should be heading back here. Now, the one I am worried about is Tetsuya."

"Tetsuya? Who is he?"

"He's... One with a special role to play in a conflict which will certainly make this one pale in comparison."

"Another conflict?"

Kuroshi stepped forward. "Yes, but none of that matters if we die here today. One must fight to see what is to come, life is like that."

Dan's father tilted his head as he followed after him. "Pardon this question, but have we met before?"

"Hmm? What makes you think that?'

The duke lowered his head. "You remind me of someone I met when I was a kid. One of those who killed my people."

Kuroshi looked over his shoulder and noticed that the duke had his hands curled into fists. "You also harbor hatred toward the monarchy, do you not?"

"Yes. I will not act deceptively. Even after all these years, I cannot help but feel resentment toward the monarchy and their dogs, the Seven-Hills."

"I see, so why did you decide to become a dog yourself? While you may not be one of them, you are still a duke, a vassal to the crown. Are you not as much a dog as the seven and I?"

The duke nodded. "I admit I am."

"How interesting," a voice called out. The two men looked forward. Waiting for them at the end of the hall was a man with long green-haired tied back into a ponytail. His attire was like a pirate's more than what one would expect from a confidant of a rebel leader.

"Seems one of the worms has crawled out," Kuroshi said, chuckling.

The man scoffed as he flipped his hair. "A worm, you say? It's better to be a free worm than a dog to the crown." He reached for the anchor-shaped necklace wrapped around his neck. The anchor unleashed a brilliant green light that enveloped the entire cavern hall.

Kuroshi kept staring at it as if unaffected by its radiance while the duke shielded his eyes.

The green-haired man raised his right hand into the air, a ruby cutlass in hand. "Die, dogs! You forfeited your lives as soon as you stepped into this hall!" He closed his eyes and rushed forward as flames enveloped the sword. He raised his left hand and slashed the wall of earth with an emerald blade. Vine erupted from the wall and ran from where the man stood all the way to the twin boulders.