“Neo, Seth, take everyone to the infirmary and have their wounds attended to,” Cynthia said. Two guards nodded and began leading everyone away.
The less-injured guards were helping the severely injured ones. The battle had lasted just seven minutes, yet 70% of the Alderford family’s available guards were either dead or injured.
The dark-robed figures, who identified themselves only as the Hand, were all Root Saints, so they were able to overpower the guards, killing them like flies effortlessly.
It was a short battle, yet it left a lasting impact.
Soon, only Cynthia, Lilian, Unity, Saintess Selene, and the dying Uncle Drew remained. Saintess Selene still cradled the man she had only recently met.
She had never expected the cheerful carriage driver to save her life in such a dire situation. Yet the truth remained: she was alive because Kent’s overpaid carriage driver had chosen to sacrifice his own.
***
Kent, who had leapt into the portal, reappeared in his room. Immediately, he sensed where Lilian and Unity were, thanks to the Harem link connecting them.
Thankfully, they were within a 5,000-meter radius. Using his [Blink] skill, he teleported to their location without hesitation.
As soon as he arrived, his eyes fell on the bloody back of Saintess Selene. The sneak attack was quite severe. However, Saintess Selene took a pill that cut her pain receptors, so she wasn’t feeling anything at the moment.
“Master,” Kent gasped in panic, rushing toward her. From the angle she was facing, he could only see the gruesome injury on her back.
However, as he appeared beside her, his gaze shifted, and he saw Uncle Drew drawing his final breaths.
“Kent, please save him. Please,” Saintess Selene pleaded, her voice trembling and tears brimming.
In all her years as a cultivator, she had never imagined her life would be saved by someone she had barely noticed.
The truth stung. She had never truly valued Uncle Drew, and her pride blinded her from seeing his worth. Yet, in a cruel twist of fate, he was the one to save her.
Because of this, she didn’t want him to die. She needed him alive so she could repay him. Yet, she was powerless to do anything.
However, when her eyes landed on Kent, she saw hope—a glimmer of a chance to save him. Somehow, she trusted Kent would be able to do something.
Kent, of course, forgot about everyone else and immediately moved to the dying carriage driver.
“Uncle Drew, can you hear me?” Kent called out, his expression grim.
Although he didn’t know much about the man, Uncle Drew had left a good impression on him from the very first ride he gave him and Unity to the city.
Since then, Uncle Drew had been his go-to driver, someone he could rely on. Now, seeing him bleeding out on the ground shook Kent to his core.
Uncle Drew, despite being on the verge of death, used the last of his strength to clench Kent’s hand, signalling that he could still hear him.
“Uncle Drew, don’t die on me! I still need you to take me to town and all the places I want to go. Please, don’t die,” Kent pleaded, subconsciously praying to the gods for a miracle.
‘Tower, do something,’ Kent desperately reached out to his only trusted assistant.
[I’m sorry, Master. With me still not fully awakened, I can’t do anything to save him,] the Tower responded, its words only adding to Kent’s despair.
‘Think of something else! If he dies, I will—’
[The Master can use one of his wishes, but I can’t guarantee it will bring the dead back to life. From what I can sense, he is half-dead, and in the next thirty seconds, if nothing changes, he will be gone for good.
So, while the wish may not guarantee success, it’s your best shot,] the Tower advised.
‘Thanks, Tower.’
Kent immediately decided to wish Uncle Drew back to good health. However, just as he was about to speak his wish, a voice echoed in his head.
‘A rider is neither dead nor alive; a rider is a rider because they chose to ride at night. The Riders of the Night need to rise and ride again. Call forth the captain of the Riders of the Night.’
Hearing those words, something clicked in Kent’s mind, prompting him to shift from his current though and take on something else. He reached into his tower storage and retrieved an item.
It was the True Name Token he intended to use on Unity.
He planned to use the [True Name Token] to bestow a true name upon Uncle Drew. The reason was that the voice wanted that, and he wouldn’t hesitate.
‘Tower, how do I use it?’ Kent asked.
[Drop your blood and his blood on it.] The tower seemed to gain some clarity as it replied.
Under the watchful eyes of the four ladies in the room, Kent dropped his blood on the token and then proceeded to drop Uncle Drew’s blood on it.
[A suitable true name has been rewarded. You can bestow it by chanting these incantations.]
Kent felt the information flood into his mind. Suddenly, he tapped Uncle Drew’s chest and began reciting the words.
“In the shadow of death and under the gaze of the eternal moon, I call forth the name that binds fate and defies the void. Let your soul be rekindled, and your strength become unyielding. Rise anew as the bearer of the mantle, Kael Duskbane’s legacy, and take upon yourself the True Name—Umbra Severis!”
“Rise, Umbra Severis, Captain of the Night Riders.”
The moment Kent spoke those words, a surge of shadowy energy erupted from Uncle Drew’s body, instantly closing the wound on his chest.
But it didn’t stop there.
The shadowy energy continued pouring out, enveloping Uncle Drew in a cocoon of darkness. The room became thick with its oppressive aura as the energy surged for ten minutes before finally subsiding.
Then, something unexpected happened. The horse that had drawn Uncle Drew’s carriage mysteriously appeared in the room, standing vigil before the cocoon.
With a sudden, powerful burst, the cocoon shattered. Uncle Drew emerged, his complexion pale and shadowy. His eyes now glowed a vivid green, and his physique had transformed into that of a seasoned warrior.
He walked toward the horse, his movements deliberate and commanding, and climbed onto its back.
The moment he sat down, another wave of dark energy engulfed him and the horse. Their forms began to change.
The horse became spectral, its skeletal frame gleaming with an eerie brilliance, while Uncle Drew transformed into a figure of myth and legend.
His attire was jet black, adorned with intricate runic patterns that shimmered faintly in the dim light. A dark hood obscured half his face, and his armour appeared forged from bones, exuding an aura of unrelenting menace.
His eyes had shifted to a deep, glowing green, burning like twin embers beneath the shadow of his hood. On his back were two long swords, radiating potent dark energy that seemed almost alive.
Now fully transformed, the horse stood as a Shadowmare—an apex predator of battlefields, a spectral steed known only in legends. Its skeletal body glowed faintly, and its presence alone could strike fear into the hearts of the bravest.
Uncle Drew, now reborn as a Night Rider, turned to Kent. For a few tense moments, he simply stared, his piercing gaze assessing his summoner. Then, in a deep, resonant voice, he spoke.
“The night shall be ours again.”
Kent smiled, his expression calm. As if guided by instinct, he responded.
“And they shall appear on the battlefields again. Their legend will rise once more, known as the harbingers of Hell, the creatures of myth—the Night Riders.
Oh, mighty Kael Duskbane, take your swords again and lead the Riders of the Night into the darkness. Let your legend be reborn.”
Suddenly, a swirling portal materialized in the room. Without hesitation, Uncle Drew and his Shadowmare stepped into it and vanished.
The Captain of the Night Riders was born, and his mission was clear now.
He would seek out his fellow riders, awakening their slumbering legends and bringing them to their new master—Kent—who would bestow their true names and reignite their eternal saga once again.