Back in The Sacred Forest, The Fisher Family slept during the night.
Henry stood on the porch. He was vigilant and wary. He had sensed figures approaching the house. He stared at the forest and pondered about his kids' futures. Henry sighed and wondered why things had turned out like this. He clenched his fist and vowed to protect his family, no matter what.
A group of cloaked and masked people appeared on top of the trees. Their cloaks and masks showcased an interesting drawing of an eye. It resembled the cloaks of The Exalted One and Sabre.
One of the people questioned if it was the right place.
Another person replied that it was.
One of them signaled the rest. They nodded.
As the wind blew, the group leaped out of the trees. They descended to the ground and landed quietly.
Henry stood on the porch and noticed their presence. He glared at the group as they approached.
The group surrounded the house.
Henry walked down the stairs and stood on the grass. He questioned if they were with The Exalted One and Sabre.
Two figures, in front, took off their masks. It was The Exalted One and Sabre.
Henry clenched his teeth.
The Exalted One commended Henry's keen senses. He asked if he was waiting for them.
Henry was annoyed. He asserted that the pair had a lot of nerve to come back there.
The Exalted One smirked and proclaimed that he was there for the children.
Henry, angered, claimed that they were not going to lay a finger on his kids.
Sabre smirked. He commented that it would be more fun if they had a fight.
The Exalted One declared that Henry was a fool. He stated that no matter how hard he tried, the children were destined for a different future. He concluded that Henry would lose and die there.
Sabre was delighted. He laughed.
Suddenly, the group lunged at Henry.
Henry, unfazed, swiftly dodged and deflected their attacks. He, agile and fast, launched his counterattack. He kicked one of the men's face and punched another in the gut.
The man grunted and fell. The rest were shocked.
One of them, angered, charged.
Henry, unfazed, ducked and tripped him. As he fell, Henry jumped and punched the back of his head. In the next moment, he, mid-air, dodged an incoming slash. He kicked the assailant away.
At the same time, he elbowed the next guy and punched another. As he landed, the assailant got back up.
Another person threw a punch at him, but he grabbed his arm and elbowed him. Then, he kicked his face and punched the next assailant.
The group was stunned.
Henry, serious, demanded to know what they were. He concluded that they were not human.
Sabre and The Exalted One watched the fight from afar.
A cloaked figure asserted that Henry was no normal human, either. He continued that they would not hold back, now.
As the group rushed towards him, Henry, unfazed, prepared himself.
The cloaked figure asserted that the Fisher Family were a threat. Suddenly, the cloaked figure disappeared.
Henry was taken aback.
The cloaked figure appeared in front of Henry. He threw a punch at him.
Henry dodged and blocked the incoming punches. He threw a few back.
The cloaked figure was able to dodge Henry's punches. He praised that his senses and reflexes were impressive. He concluded that Henry's martial arts was nothing to sneeze at.
While Henry was busy fighting the group, the siblings woke up. The brothers were alarmed and wondered what was happening.
Adelia, worried, advised the trio to stay put. They were concerned about the ruckus. As they walked towards the window, the cloaked figure's fist connected with Henry's gut.
Henry, coughing, was sent flying. He landed near the porch. Henry, in pain, grunted.
The Exalted One smiled and questioned if he was done.
Sabre was entertained.
Henry slowly stood up. He was panting. He noticed members of the group started to chant around the house. They had their hands together and were glowing.
Henry, worried, questioned what they were doing. He demanded the group to leave them alone. He insisted that they just wanted to live peacefully.
Sabre mocked that he was pathetic.
The cloaked figure revealed that their goal was to eliminate any threats and obstacles in the way of their plans.
Henry gritted his teeth. He claimed that they had no idea who they were messing with. In an instant, he started to shine. He, with his arms raised, groaned.
Energy surrounded his body. In the next moment, the energy expanded into a ball and radiated an enormous light.
The cloaked figures were alarmed.
Henry yelled and unleashed a powerful blast of energy. A huge explosion occurred and knocked everyone away.
After the dust settled, the area around the house was scorched and destroyed. The house was slightly damaged.
The Exalted One, Sabre, and the cloaked group were blown back. They were lying on the ground, motionless.
Henry was panting and standing.
The brothers were shocked and in disbelief. Stark commented that he could not believe that Henry had this much power. Matteo exclaimed that he was amazing.
Adelia wondered if her husband would be alright. She looked out of the window.
Suddenly, the cloaked figures stood back up. The group was unfazed and was unharmed. The Exalted One sat up, annoyed.
Henry was shocked.
The Exalted One, smiling, claimed that Henry was one of a kind. He elaborated that even so, his group were special, too.
Henry clenched his fists and declared that he would protect his family, no matter what.
A cloaked figure stated that he was persistent.
In the next moment, the cloaked figures charged at Henry.
As the brothers watched from the window, Henry, determined, defended himself.
A cloaked figure threw a punch.
Henry caught his hand. As the cloaked figure was surprised, Henry threw him onto the ground.
Another cloaked figure was behind Henry. His body sounded metallic, and Henry noticed his black metallic hand. A contraption opened on his arm, revealing a spinning blade. The metallic cloaked figure swung it at Henry.
Henry slapped his arm and diverted his attack. He swiftly elbowed the cloaked figure's face.
A slimmer cloaked figure rushed towards him. She was wielding a sword. The sword's blade was emitting an aura of energy. She attempted to stab him, but Henry grabbed the sword.
As the cloaked figure was taken aback, Henry pulled the sword away.
In the next moment, the cloaked figure flipped and kneed Henry in the chin.
Henry, staggered, let go of the sword.
As he stepped back, the cloaked figure was holding the sword and slashed at him. The sword left a cut across his chest.
Henry was injured and groaned. He held his wound. On her next attempt to take his life, he was able to kick the sword out of her hands. He then grabbed her leg and threw her away.
A barrier surrounded her as she crashed into a tree.
Henry looked at her in awe. He was perplexed. The techniques of his foes varied widely.
Meanwhile, the metallic cloaked figure from before had his body open up. A contraption emerged. A mechanical snake jumped out. The mechanical snake charged at him.
Henry was surprised. He evaded the snake's attempt to bite him. Henry grabbed it and threw it away.
The snake turned around.
As it launched at him, Henry, using his martial arts, punched through the snake's head.
It broke apart.
Another cloaked figure lunged at him from the air. This cloaked figure held a stick. The stick extended into a staff.
Henry noticed the cloaked figure swinging the staff towards him. He attempted to dodge the attacks, but the cloaked figure was fast and relentless. He was hit on the legs and the arms. He staggered and struggled to stand.
The cloaked figure was not finished. He jumped and twirled the staff. Henry was struck in the head and sent flying.
Suddenly, another cloaked figure prepared a ball of pressured water that was infused with energy. He tossed the ball. The ball exploded upon contact with Henry.
Henry screamed.
However, they were not done, yet.
The female cloaked figure created a big ball of fire and threw it at him. At the same time, the metallic cloaked figure opened contraptions on its shoulders and fired missiles. The missiles were also infused with energy. They exploded.
The explosion knocked the brothers back. They were blown into the wall and the floor.
As smoke filled the room, Adelia called for them. She rushed to help them. She saw the boys were alive. However, the wall was destroyed. As she held her kids close, she glanced outside and worried about her husband.
Henry, injured and bloodied, laid on the ground.
The Exalted One was disappointed.
Sabre chuckled and suggested that they should hold off on killing the rest of the family. He wanted to play with them.
Henry, angry, sat up. He was determined to protect his family. Blood flowed down his forehead. His clothes were tattered. He was barely alive.
The Exalted One remarked that Henry was a stubborn old fool.
The cloaked figures surrounded Henry. They were ready to finish him off.
Henry clenched his fists and looked around in a frenzy. He was losing his strength. He was on the verge of death, and the group was not letting up. Would this be where he dies?
Suddenly, he noticed his wife and the three brothers watching him from the destroyed room.
Hafen, Matteo, and Stark were worried. Their father was in trouble.
Stark muttered that Henry was losing.
Matteo wondered if they should help him.
Hafen refused to believe that their dad was going to lose.
The trio knew that their father was not weak. He was the strongest man of the forest. They were certain that he would win.
Even so, there was a strange uncertainty. They had to help. The brothers jumped out the window and landed on the grass.
Adelia and Ana were behind them. Adelia begged her sons not to go.
The brothers sprinted towards the fight. Stark yelled at them to stay away from their dad.
However, more cloaked figures appeared before them.
A cloaked figure, in the back, ordered them to dispose of the pests.
Stark, infuriated, ordered the group to move out of his way, and a battle ensued. Stark threw a punch at one of the cloaked figures.
The cloaked figure, however, grabbed his fist and retaliated with a kick. As Stark was knocked down, the cloaked figure uprooted a tree nearby. The cloaked figure threw the tree at him.
Stark was surprised, and he was slammed into the ground.
Hafen lunged towards the cloaked figure and attacked.
As the cloaked figure was sent rolling on the ground, another cloaked figure came and defended him. He wielded a sword. He slashed at Hafen.
Hafen was able to dodge. He threw a punch, but the cloaked figure deflected.
The cloaked figure kicked him and sent him rolling on the ground.
Matteo ran past the fight.
The cloaked figure, angered, rushed towards him. He swung his sword and left a cut on Matteo's arm.
Matteo gasped and fell.
The cloaked figure aimed his sword towards him.
However, Matteo rolled away and dodged the attack. He kicked him in the head and staggered him.
Another cloaked figure flew towards Matteo. He had feathered wings on his back.
Matteo was surprised.
The cloaked figure's claws grasped Matteo's arms, and he flew into the air.
Matteo was startled, and he wondered what was going on. He was in a panic.
As he struggled, the cloaked figure threw him towards the ground.
Matteo fell and landed on his head.
Hafen yelled at them. He ran towards his brother and asked if he was alright.
Just then, the flying cloaked figure swung his wings. He unleashed slashes of wind that were infused with energy.
Matteo and Hafen were sent flying.
Simultaneously, Stark, with the tree on top of him, struggled to push the giant tree off.
In the meantime, Henry watched as they fought the cloaked figures. He reminisced of the last time he felt like this.
A few days prior, he was with his wife in their bedroom, crying on her shoulders. Henry cried that eventually, he won't be able to keep his kids safe. He continued that they would leave, and that the outside world would destroy them. He looked into Adelia's eyes and expressed that he was a failure of a father.
Adelia pushed him off her shoulders and looked back at him in the eyes. She urged Henry to not say that. She asserted that their kids would not have had a dad if it wasn't for him. She continued that he gave them a dad. She smiled and expressed that to their kids, Henry was someone to look up to and get guidance from. She remarked that he had done well.
Henry muttered that they would not be ready for the outside world.
Adelia reassured him that it would be fine. She continued that it may not be the perfect path for them to tread on, but that the obstacles they may encounter will only make them grow more than before.
That moment felt surreal to Henry as if the moment for the kids to explore the outside world was looming closer than ever before.
Henry, for once, felt happy at the thought. He wanted to be there when they were all grown up and living out their desires. However, his current situation was grim. A puddle of blood formed under him.
Henry, determined, was ready to protect his family and fulfill his role as their dad. He, full of hope, was not going to die until then.
Henry closed his fist and stood tall. He roared. A strong wind blew and made the group of cloaked figures step back.
As he glared at the group, the group was astonished.
The Exalted One laughed. He questioned why Henry was so persistent.
Henry stood up and asserted that his family meant everything to him.
Sabre smirked and stated that his family was doomed.
Henry gritted his teeth. He rushed towards him.
Sabre smiled and prepared his energy. In a flash, the two men clashed.
The Exalted One commended that he may be the strongest human.
The cloaked figure, wielding a staff, commented that Henry resembled a king of a conquered kingdom, Henry's Kingdom.
The Exalted One chuckled that it may be him and wondered why Henry had hidden himself from the world.
Henry stated that his purpose in battle was not to kill but to protect.
The Exalted One sneered and revealed that their true goal was to create a utopia. Not genocide. He commented that their goal was not something that a mere human could comprehend.
Just then, a powerful wave of energy blew Sabre away. The huge wave of energy expanded.
The cloaked figures were taken by surprise.
Henry was panting. His energy was depleted, but he had one last trick up his sleeve. He declared that he was going to protect his family if it was the last thing he did. He was ready to die for that.
As the cloaked figures were confused, Henry closed his eyes and concentrated. He used a secret technique, which was a transformation that he had learned and mastered a long time ago.
A technique that could only be taught and learned by those who have experienced death. A technique that allows the user to unleash immense power...
Sabre was pushed back and angered.
On the other hand, The Exalted One was intrigued. He smiled and asserted that Henry had been hiding his true power.
...A forgotten technique from long ago.