Khalfani stood in the stand, staring at the temple in front of them. There were three in total, but the others had their entrances blocked by years worth of sand just piled up to the brim. This one temple at the end of the row though, this one had its entrance wide open, almost as if they were inviting those who would come across it inside. The Prince wouldn't take the bait, at least not yet and not by themselves. They sent one of their men to capture Yuurei back at the kingdom. Khal was very prideful when it came to certain things and finding the temple was one of them. They felt as if it was their responsibility to get to the bottom of this, but they knew it was absolutely foolish to enter here alone. The day prior they had been beaten- but not by any of the Knights. No, they had been beaten by themselves.

In rage, they had been careless and allowed something that wasn't themselves take over. It was scary to think about. In their senseless rage they managed to kill off a few nobles alongside the Knights of Duat. They didn't feel guilty or ashamed because they murdered some of the wealthiest pricks in the world. They were embarrassed that they had allowed anger to consume them so easily. It was about food at first, but the more they pondered on that fateful night, the more they realized that it was about more than just food. Whatever or whomever this voice was, they needed to go and quickly. Their power over them was growing fast. It was only a matter of time... Lady Nuru was alright, although Khal hadn't seen her this morning. It wasn't her fault, the Lion was just focused on getting this over with.

The stars danced in the night sky, the wind blew lightly causing sand particles to scatter throughout the area. Men had died on this journey so it would have to be worth it. Whatever lie within this temple was waiting. Would it be more Knights of Duat? A vengeful beast? Maybe something else? Only time would tell. Hopefully that guard they had traveled with was able to make it back and get the message to Yuurei. "Ten more minutes and then I'm going in." they said to themselves. This couldn't afford to wait longer than that. Ten more minutes.

Finally Yuurei was here. It was as if the gods themselves delivered their comrade to them. Although, Khalfani knew well enough that Yuurei was the only one who brought himself there. Sure the god could have fetched him, but if the Nephilim wanted to he could have easily told him to fuck off. Yuurei was his brother, not just in arms, but now in love. That meant he would get the best treatment as long as he was Khalfani's guest. Outside of the temple about five guards stood around, drinking water and toning their blades as the half elf explored for himself. The Godsblood turned to the Elven warrior as he finally approached, of course Renji was with him. There was no way Yuurei was going to leave his best friend behind. One thing the commander learned about Renji was that he was always down for a fight. Even if the threat was too big for him to fully engage with, he would stick around as long as Yuurei was around. That kind of loyalty was priceless. Admirable, but perhaps more dangerous than he was prepared for. Khalfani's eyes gazed upon their friend with a slightly saddened expression.

The two hadn't seen each other since the dinner party, or at least to Khal's knowledge. There were a few things that the Prince needed to get off their chest. The commander passed Yuurei the canteen of water that was in their hand before speaking. They didn't need it. The hot weather didn't bother them one bit. Once Yuurei took the canteen Khalfani would nod at Renji and then turn their attention back onto the Light Bringer Berserker. "Of course you'd want to embark on that adventure. It's almost like you have a lust for thrill~" they teased with their warm, gentle voice. Ever since the change they had endured their cold tone no longer existed. Their voice was soft most of the time, it was oddly ominous for most folks they encountered. "Before we enter though, I wanted to thank you for yesterday. I'm glad you were there there to help. Trust me, it won't go unpaid and it hasn't gone unnoticed. You're becoming a hero to my people." They said before turning back to the temple.

"I lost control. I don't know what's happening to me but I believe there is a devil trapped in my conscience. Either way my behavior was unacceptable. I'm glad you're still alive." Before Yuurei could say anything more, Khalfani cleared their throat. Knowing Yuurei there was probably a small little statement of encouragement coming and Khalfani had no reason to be optimistic, not when they were so sure the voice in their head was someone with not-so-good intentions. "This is where the Knights of Duat reside, not sure what awaits us, but are you ready?" They said with a smile. The guards around them readied themselves. Truthfully, Khalfani had no faith that the five of them would survive, they were weak. They lacked magical prowess and had no real strength. In the end, if they should die it would be for the greater good.

Khalfani nodded at both Yuurei and Renji. The Godsblood was happy to have both of them around, they lightened up the mood whether they intended to or not, every time. Khalfani looked at the duo for a moment, wondering if they felt burdened by the Prince. Sure they were here to support them but even as Khalfani heard themselves talk they grew annoyed. Khalfani wasn't the type to reveal so much about themselves which made Yuurei the one person, as of this moment, who knew them the most. "Alright then. When we get back I'll have something nice waiting for you." By nice they most certainly meant women. Ever since Yuurei came to Desierto the ladies were lining up. Yuurei was something new and different here, foreign by definition, and Khal wouldn't blame them for throwing themselves. Hell, if they didn't know any better they would be willing to give Yuurei a good time themselves. Khalfani heard Renjis words loud and clear.

The exceed was absolutely right. Nuru isn't here, so Khalfani would definitely have to make sure they could control themselves. As much as it was annoying to think about, the Temple of Duat was a sacred place for many people. Not because people wanted to worship, but because it was a landmark. That means they'd have to be more intentional with all of their attacks from here on out. One wrong move and the whole place could collapse and cost the Kingdom a lot of money to recreate. Nuru was right, Khal was trouble just waiting to wreak havoc. In any case, Yuurei would be here to slap them back in shape should they do anything else that would put anyone in danger. With nothing else to say, Khalfani took the canteen and began walking towards the giant door of the temple. The guards would follow, treading lightly behind their prince.

As fate would have it, upon entering the temple the group would be faced with a hole in the ground. It made sense. This temple from the outside looked too slim to actually host an entire platoon of Knights. There was a ladder that could lead folks down, but Khalfani instead would jump. Before they did though they turned to the group. "Here we go." They said before simply stepping over the hole, falling downward. Khalfani didn't have any grand trick up their sleeve, they were just capable of flying. That alone would keep them from turning into a pool of guts and blood. The Guards would climb onto the ladder and make their way down, though it'd take some time.

"R-right." The guards heeded to Yuurei's word of advice. It was obvious what they needed to do, but without the Princes command or a Lords command they were practically mindless. It was the very reason why Khalfani often believed they were above them. The men would begin to make their way down, each climbing onto the ladder and climbing down as swiftly as they could. They understood their own abilities, but they didn't want to seem like they couldn't pull their own weight. The warriors of Desierto prided themselves in their strength and vigor. Only moments before hitting the ground, Khalfani tapped their chest causing their body to glow with a golden aura. Then, they would land safely. The Godsblood turned around to make sure that their comrades were safe, waiting for the rest of the guards to come down. Yuurei would land only a moment after before asking what they should do. The scene was something to behold.

Khalfani turned quickly upon spotting Knights at the end of the building, gently placing their finger over Yuurei's lip. There were a bunch of beams holding up the rest of the building, but the entire place radiated this unique burgundy color. It wasn't blinding, but the color symbolized the mass amount of dark magical energy in the area. The place was in total about fifty meters long and two hundred meters wide. Khalfani pointed towards the end of the building. This was only one portion of the temple, that much became obvious as Khalfani gazed upon the doorway where the Knights had been standing at. This required some stealth, or they could simply just bang it out right here. The problem was that there was absolutely nowhere for the group of adventurers to hide. Once they moved from their current spot the Knights would see them because there was nothing but open space here.

Finally, the guards came down from the ladder but before they could speak and fuck everything Khal turned to hush them. Dammit, what to do, what to do. Then it came. Khalfani turned to Yuurei once more and stared, hoping that he could understand that Khalfani wanted him to use his speed to reach them all at the end of the hall and poof them quickly and quietly.

And just like that Yuurei would take out the first dozen Knights. The guards that were with them couldn't see a damn thing, but Khalfani could. One blow, a throw and boom bap boop and they were done. It all happened so quickly. The guards were in complete awe but Renji just watched. It was just another day for him. Khalfani wasted no time in making their move towards the door, the guards trialed after them. As they jogged past the cold, lifeless bodies on the ground, Khalfani simply gazed. The Knights of Duat had a goal and that goal would not be met, at least not today. With a nod towards Yuurei Khalfani was the first to enter the next part of the building. The door opening wasn't a door at all, it was an opening to stairs. Khalfani would run up the stairs and when they finally got at the top they would see three guards.

Quickly the Knights turned around, but Khalfani quickly placed their hand onto their mouths and activated a spell, causing light energy to corrode them from the inside, slithr down their bodies and explode. Guts and blood flew everywhere. Khalfani was slightly triggered because the sight of blood was a symbol of past times. There was another opening at the staircase, revealing another floor just like the one they had come from with about fifty men waiting for them. They turned upon hearing the explosion. This was where the first part of the real battle began- but not for Khalfani. There was another opening at the end of this room and they needed to get to it.

"Alright my friends, they're all yours. I'll handle the third floor." the Lion said to their comrades. as they darted forward. The Knights of Duat gave up on trying to catch them and there they landed at the entrance to another staircase.

The Knights on the last level of the floor were on guard. Of course Khalfani had expected them to hear what was going on beneath them, but they didn't expect to see so many guards left standing. Khalfani walked through the opening and stood at the end of the room. They counted thirty-eight, with one little fellow at the end of the room sitting on the throne. A smirk spread across his face, tapping his chin. The Knights began to inch forward, but that was before the man sitting atop the throne of skulls spoke. "Wait." he creaked. For a moment there was silence. The silence was interrupted with a manic laughter that boomed through the halls. Khalfani twisted their head in confusion. "So they sent the Prince! Bwahahahahaheeheeheehee!" The man slapped his face with both hands before sliding them down slowly, stretching his eye lids. "I'm honored! Really!! I get to eat the prince, bwahahahahaha!"

Then it clicked. "Oh wait, I know you. You're the Knight who almost ascended before being corrupted by a Priest of the Duat. Such a shame, you looked better in the stories." Khalfani said innocently. They decided that there was no need to talk anymore. They stretched their arm out towards the Knights on the left before shooting out a meteor. Upon hitting one of them it exploded. However, the Knights on the right shot their own spells. Khalfani quickly dodged to the left, the lightning and darkness magic shooting through the opening that was behind them. The Knights began to charge forward. Khalfani tapped their chest as a golden aura emitted around them. If they were gonna move, they were gonna move fast. They flew around the beams, dodging the Knights and shooting their own spells. It seemed like the darkened King wanted to wait his turn. That was until after a few moments of throwing spells and dodging the guards found themselves running up the stairs. The Knights then turned their energy towards them, getting ready to shoot out out spell.

"My Lord!" The guard shouted upon revealing himself. Khalfani quickly threw their arm downward, sending a slash of light towards the Knights aiming for the guard, slicing their arms off before they could fire off any spells. "You shouldn't have come." Khal hissed. Then, the other guards came but there were only about seven of them left. Dammit. "Heyyy! Wait a minute, this isn't a fair fight anymore, hahahaha!" Raad laughed before standing up and charging towards Khalfani. The Prince turned around to see him swinging. The Lion raised their shield to block their hand, but it cracked the shield. In the process, Khalfani activated the shield and froze him on the spot. You see, Raad thought that because he was the strongest out of all the Knights that he'd have an epic fight and an epic ending, but he was completely wrong. Khalfani flew around the man and grabbed his neck.

Khalfani was ready to bargain with the Knights but when they had turned they saw all of their guards dead, yet about ten Knights remained. With a simple flick of the wrist, Khalfani snapped the mans neck, raising their hand to the ceiling and causing a magic circle to appear. The guards hadn't even gotten involved and the Knights murdered them where they stood. So much death, so much blood. It was almost unbearable. If Yuurei had come upstairs he would witness Khalfani standing and Khal would nod to tell him to leave the building. If he hadn't come upstairs, then he would get the message. As Khalfani lowered their hand, magical sphered dropped onto the building ripping it apart and causing it to shake as if it were going to fall. Khalfani flew out of the ceiling with a golden armor in their hand, watching it crumble from above.