Armaros looked at the cloaked man as he also spotted an orb in his left hand as it glowed and a sinister looking magic circle appeared in the man's hand. Shia who was watching it all just stood there frozen before she looked down at her feet, not being able to look at what is happening there.
"With this, I will now take your power. It will serve humanity well." The man said as he smiled at him.
The magic circle shimmered and glowed and then Armaros eyes widened as he felt a pull inside of his body as he gasped as he felt an invisible force. He grunted as his body tensed as he gasped a he started to feel the familiar pain he felt whenever he used his mana as his eyes widened even further.
"Ghh! Gah! Ghaaa!" Armaros grunted before he screamed out as familiar yellow light shot out of his chest as he screamed.
But then it soon spread over his entire body as light left from his body as he felt great pain, even his head wasn't spared as his entire body released light. Even greater than when he flooded his entire body in mana in the past. Now it felt like his entire body was swept ablaze, like lava was flowing through him and then forcefully pulled out as more of it replaced the quantity which was taken.
He couldn't think clearly as his eyes were moving erratically, his chest and entire body feeling like he was being burned from the inside and outside, his mouth open as he screamed from the pain. It felt like someone was violently ripping out a central part of himself from inside of his body and the pain he felt was maddening as his voice shrank from the constant screaming.
Shia who was watching it all happen was wide eyed as she closed her eyes as the screams from Armaros was haunting for her. Even if it was only for a short time, she did enjoy the time she had spent with him, as he was kind to her and also helped her without much prompting.
But she knew that she can't go against her Master, never against her Master. So she just stayed silent like she was taught to and tried to block the screams from the man who had been her partner for a short while.
"This is a bit difficult as I had thought. But don't worry, it will only take a bit more." The man said with glee as he looked at the orb forming in front of his palm as he kept on drawing out Armaros's power.
The man used more power as Armaros felt an ever greater pull as he screamed anew as the pain increased as he felt as if his body was being ripped apart by the man, and not just his body, it felt as if his very soul was being ripped apart.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Armaros screamed from the pain as he used every bit of willpower to have some semblance of thought and to not faint from the pain.
But the man didn't care about the screaming boy in front of him as he was feeling very accomplished as he watched the power being drained from the Dawnbringer.
This kept on going for some more minutes as Armaros could only ensure the absolute pain that he was experiencing as he was now soundlessly screaming as his vocal cords were damaged due to the screaming, not to mention the power which was being taken from him was also having an effect on him as well.
After the last dregs of the divine power was stripped from him, body and soul, it all gathered in the orb in the palm of the man as he smiled to himself. The orb which was in his left hand shattered after it had done it's purpose, but the man was unbothered by it all.
He took out a crystal ball as he inserted the stolen power inside of it as the man smiled to himself. Shia who was watching it all looked at the orb as she gulped before she looked at Armaros was groaning in his place, as his eyes seemed to be half lidded as he breathed heavily.
The man was unbothered as he looked at the crystal ball in his hand as he smiled to himself as he looked at the trapped form of Armaros.
"Thank you for your contribution. With this power at my hands, it will serve as a good tool for me to use." The man said to him with a triumphant smile.
Armaros was silent as he breathed air as his chest rose from it. But after a few seconds, he started to chuckle, before it turned into a full blown laughter which surprised the two as they looked at him.
Shia started to fear that the events that had happened had caused Armaros to lose his mind and this caused him to be like this. The man was also of the same thought as he looked at the boy.
"Oh, did you lose your mind already? Well, I did say that you would live and you did live, so I wasn't particularly lying about that, now was I?" The man said as he chuckled as he believed that the boy had lost his mind.
But Armaros just laughed a bit more before he calmed down, and then trained his tired eyes at the cloaked man.
"No, I just realised something, that's all." Armaros said in a hoarse voice as he looked at the man as his sclera is red.
"Oh. Pray tell, what did you realise?" The man said to him confidently.
"You're someone who is like me." Armaros said as he looked at the man as he froze.
"What?" The man asked with an edge in his voice.
"I was confused why someone from one of the hero clans would do something like this. If there was one thing that was certain about the members of the hero clans, it would be that they are all proud of their heritage and their powers, and would never stoop so low as to steal the power of another clan. It would be dishonourable and I know from my own family that it's members value their own power highly due to the connection to the ancestor and would never try to take the power of another clan, due to their own pride and honour." Armaros said as he coughed a bit as he looked at the man.
The man glared at him as his eyes were visible from under the hood as Armaros smirked at him, despite his weakened state.
"As such, they would never try anything like this, as they would instead train their own powers and wouldn't do anything dishonourable like this. Unless of course, they are someone who doesn't even have the gift." Armaros said with a grin.
"You—!" The man said in anger as he flinched as the boy's grin widened.
"It took some time for me to understand that no self respecting, and proud member of a hero clan, who was born with the abilities granted by his blood, would ever try something like that. As every clan also respects each hero, and it would go against their status. But that wouldn't be the case if the person is someone who wasn't able to stand up to the standards of the clan, or they didn't have the power entirely." Armaros said as he chuckled.
"You're on thin ice right now." The man said to him but Armaros didn't care at the moment as he was also slightly delirious as well.
"You wouldn't have tried to take my power if you were born with your clans gift, but since you did, I guess you were not born with it, and so the clan didn't treat you with the respect that you think you needed to have as a member of the clan. In their eyes, you're a failure and disappointment who doesn't deserve their respect." Armaros said as he smiled as he saw the man grit his teeth.
Though the boy gasped as the man slammed his right foot on his chest as his air was pushed out. He groaned as he looked at the man with a gleam in his eyes, feeling quite vindictive.
"You felt inadequate because you didn't have the power, the respect that is given to descendants in the clan, and because you didn't have it, you wanted to take the power of another to make yourself seem more powerful. And who better than the exile who was almost like you." Armaros said with a smile even as the felt the pressure on his chest increase.
"You're feeling pretty cheeky aren't you." The man said with a growl.
"You're pathetic. You didn't get the validation that you wanted from the clan so you decided to steal the power from me to make yourself feel important. The clans are prideful, their members are probably one of the most proud people in the empire, but even they wouldn't stoop so low. But you, you're just a desperate failure, even more than me. Even when I had been exiled, I wasn't so pathetic as you to become so desperate for power and validation." Armaros said to the man with a victorious smirk.
The man growled as he raised his food and slammed it on his chest as Armaros gasped in turn, he felt his ribs crack a bit from it as he coughed as the man ground his foot on his chest as the boy laid there.
"You really have a mouth on you don't you. But no matter, it's not like you are going to survive this anyway. Now that I have taken every shred of divinity from you, you will lose the power that you had and you will be weakened. Although, I guess you are stalling so that your clan will come here and capture me. Don't think I don't know about it. Even if you have been exiled, the clan will look for you, and despite what I want to do to you, I have already finished with my objective. I'm not going to take anymore risks." The man said before he slammed his foot one more time on his chest as he gasped.
The man then walked to Shia who stood straight as she kept her eyes on the ground with a downcast look.
"You did good work. Granted, it was a simple task, but you did complete it, so you will get the praise for it." The man said to the girl as she wordlessly nodded to him.
The man pulled out a scroll as he opened it before he looked at Armaros who was looking at them with tired but angry eyes, his sclera was red and gave him a more dangerous look at the man chuckled.
"Now that I have taken your power, you are just a normal human, and now I can't even feel a connection with you like before when I captured you. You are no longer a true hero descendant. You're even lower than me, because now the other clans would never recognise you are one of their own." The man said with a smile.
Armaros growled weakly at that as he was also feeling tired.
"Goodbye Armaros Dawnbringer. I also placed a spell which would attract monsters here so good luck surviving that." The man said to him as he is certain that the boy wouldn't be able to escape the place with his life.
Armaros growled as he glared at Shia who flinched and looked down as the man activated the scroll and the two disappeared from sight as the boy groaned from his place on the ground.
'Damn it, my body still hurts. And that bastard actually did something like that, did he really take out my power, but I wasn't able to sense him anymore. And this fatigue as well, I can't faint here, not when the bastard said that monsters will be coming here.' Armaros thought to himself as he tried to free himself.
As he tried to do that, soon he heard growls from around him as his eyes widened as he tried to put more power into it as he decided to use mana to free himself as he didn't feel the magic circles on him.
'I don't have the ability to use Holy Light if what that bastard said is the truth. Well, I can always...' Armaros thought to himself before his eyes widened as he remembered a thing that he had forgotten due to what was happening.
He was suddenly aware of the fact that he wasn't about to use Holy Light, which was naturally produced by his body due to the blessings. And now that blessing from his ancestor has been taken from him, so the Holy power inside of him is all that was left of it, and he remembered about the other thing that was inside his body as well.
'The demonic scabbard! That thing was only locked inside of me because is passively made holy power inside of me and had caged it. But now I don't have the ability to use it!' Armaros thought to himself as he was alarmed.
He also saw demonic wolves and bears appear from around him as his eyes widened as he grit his teeth as he channeled mana inside his body, and due to his haste he also channeled some of the leftover holy power inside his body as well.
The result was that he was able to break the earth that was holding him down as he got up as he panted and looked at the monsters, but his eyes widened as he felt a pulse from deep within him.
His mind was erratic at the moment as he didn't get much time to control himself and the situation wasn't helping in the slightest. He felt numb all over his body, and pain as well, it was confusing for him as both sensations mixed as he staggered.
But he still used Mana to look inside of himself as he found the veil of holy power surrounding the demonic scabbard, but his fear grew as he became aware of the fact that the scabbard was now pushing against the holy power with more fervor and the pulse that he felt was increasing and the finite holy power was disappearing fast.
"No." Armaros muttered in horror as he realised that he was effectively screwed.
He had just had his divine power ripped from him, leaving him in a weakened state. He is surrounded by monsters who no doubt wants to tear him apart and feast on his flesh. And the demonic scabbard inside of him is about to break free of the cage of holy power. And he was also slightly delirious due to the pain he had endured as he trying to calm himself down with breathing as he drew his sword to fight.
*Badump*... *Badump*... *Badump*.. *Badump*
Armaros gasped as the pulse from inside him grew in strength and it felt like something from inside him was trying to break out, which wasn't far from the truth as he felt it's power increase.
He looked inside himself again and found out that the last dregs of his holy power was about to vanish from stopping the demonic scabbard and said scabbard was about to free itself.
'Ah fuck.' Armaros thought to himself as the last remaining holy power vanished from the power of the scabbard.
No sooner than it did, the scabbard immediately spread its demonic power through his body as his eyes widened. He felt the demonic power surge through his body as he staggered in place as he gasped and placed his left hand on his chest.
"Gh! Agh! Aaaaaahhhhh!" Armaros grunted before he screamed as demonic energy surged out of him in a pillar which shocked the monsters as his eyes became unfocused.
'No, about to—' Armaros thought to himself as his mind went blank in a moment.