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As Griffith's strength and influence continued to rise, the Holy Temple had no choice but to change its attitude towards him. Commendations, titles, and even the bestowal of divine arms—a series of rewards made Griffith the new favorite of the Holy Temple. At the same time, his "Band of the Hawk" was promoted to the "Knights of the Hawk," and there were even rumors that some high-ranking figures in the Holy Temple intended to transform this force into the eighth direct military arm of the Holy Temple, with the name already chosen: the "Knights of the Holy Wing." Griffith himself was granted the title "Eagle of Light," becoming the idol and aspiration of all young men.

However, while newcomers are one thing, the rise of a new force inevitably encroaches on existing powers' interests. The young and ambitious Griffith, overly confident in his political acumen and intelligence, refused to make any concessions in the balance of power. The ultimate result was the birth of a devastating tragedy.

The specific details of that year have been heavily altered by later historical records, but from the traces that remain, it can be inferred that the incident involved three grand prelates of the Holy Temple, four of the seven knight orders, the sacred protectorates of Fasin and Os, and a legendary romance between the Eagle and a princess. Ultimately, the Holy Temple disbanded the "Knights of the Hawk," with the once "Eagle of Light" stripped of all honors, his combat energy sealed, his bones shattered, his skin flayed, and thrown into a death cell awaiting execution.

Later accounts are more obscure. It is said that upon hearing the news, the warriors of the "Knights of the Hawk" launched a mutiny, rescuing Griffith from the death cell. Griffith then chose to transform into a Death Knight to regain his strength, sacrificing the lives of three thousand of his subordinates to a demon deity in exchange for immense dark power.

With an aura of destruction, Griffith launched a bloody assault on two royal families and dozens of noble houses. He also targeted the leadership of several Holy Temple knight orders before vanishing without a trace. Decades later, during the Undead War, he reappeared as the commander of an undead army and the Grand Commander of the "Death Knights," slaughtering tens of millions of humans. In this regard, his infamy even surpassed that of the later "White Lion King" Leimen, who swept through the human world, and he was ultimately crowned with the title "Eagle of Darkness," forever etched in human memory as a harbinger of fear and a subject of curses.

(The above plot is adapted from the manga *Berserk*. A tribute to the great work.)

The divine arm "Blade of Light" is one of the most famous epic weapons, its power rivaling that of the "Holy Lance Rhongomyniad." It was originally bestowed upon Griffith by the Pope, and despite changing hands multiple times, it always remained by the Eagle's side. This was no secret to Chen Xuanfeng, who was familiar with the history of nearly all epic weapons. The deduction based on this easily revealed the identity that the other party wished to conceal. The most confusing aspect—the issue of power attributes—was ironically clarified by the reincarnated werewolf's habit of judging a person's identity based on their fighting style and weapon usage, a practice from his previous life in the martial world, while treating power attributes, which he had learned in this world, as secondary information. This accidental approach led him directly to the truth.

"Warrior over there," the female knight, feeling ignored as she watched Chen Xuanfeng and Griffith converse, suddenly shouted, "The Holy Temple is here to capture a dangerous heretic. If you do not wish to be associated with a criminal, please leave immediately."

Knight Elizabeth's own cultivation was mediocre, and she was too far away (she also lacked the courage to approach the "Eagle of Darkness" closely) to hear the conversation between the two. To avoid causing panic, she did not reveal Griffith's identity, though this concern was entirely unnecessary. However, Chen Xuanfeng had no intention of fighting alongside this strange Death Knight and thus voluntarily stepped aside. Earlier, when the Holy Temple's elite forces had gathered, the carriage carrying Jin Luosha and the others had already retreated from the encirclement. By the time Chen Xuanfeng returned to the carriage, the Holy Temple's assault had begun.

The angelic warriors sang hymns as they brandished gleaming holy swords, descending from the sky. Twenty Titan warriors summoned massive thunderbolts, weaving a grand thunder net, while the temple guards, wielding dual blades, swiftly closed in under the cover of the former two, ready to provide support. The remaining black-robed figures in the rear were indeed Grand Prelates and mages, now unleashing a torrent of light magic and divine spells that rained down from above.

Yet Griffith showed no sign of panic. He didn't even draw his divine arm, merely raising his hand slightly. The light and thunder in the sky seemed drawn to him, converging into his palm and crystallizing into a faint blue lightning sword. With a single sweep of the sword's radiance, over thirty angelic warriors descending from the sky were instantly struck, blood spraying as more than ten were cut down, while the rest fled in panic. By the time the dual-blade-wielding temple guards arrived, the brief time difference had already made them the second wave of casualties. Without the ability to fly like the angelic warriors, their fate was even more tragic. Under the "Eagle of Darkness's" refined swordplay, fewer than ten managed to escape, while the rest were sliced to pieces. Finally, Griffith flicked the energy sword in his hand, and with a loud "boom," the blade shattered into countless light points, shooting toward the distant Titan warriors and mages, causing chaos among the spellcasters.

"Impressive," Chen Xuanfeng, watching from afar, couldn't help but praise as Griffith effortlessly dismantled the Holy Temple's seemingly inescapable assault. These warriors were all at the level of Sword Masters, and while they posed no threat to a Saint-level expert, they could easily kill a typical Sword Emperor. Yet, they couldn't last even a minute against the "Eagle of Darkness." Moreover—"Without using any power beyond that of a Sword Master, relying solely on the techniques of the 'Nameless Sword Style,' he managed to turn the mundane into the extraordinary, unleashing a level of skill rivaling the 'Eight Scenes of the Tushita Heaven Sword Style.' Such talent is truly terrifying."

Geniuses do exist in the world, and Chen Xuanfeng had long known this. Huang Chang, the author of the *Nine Yin Manual*, who became a peerless martial artist through studying Taoist scriptures, was one such example. Compared to him, the "Eagle of Darkness," who could turn mediocre sword techniques into unparalleled martial prowess, was not so exaggerated. Still, knowing and witnessing such a miracle firsthand were two different things, leaving the observer deeply shaken and unable to remain calm.