Prologue - Frozen Hero
The whooshing sound of the wind mixed with the clashing swords echoed through the dark sky without a pause as I, Axl, the hero of Terra, fought the dark lord fiercely. The floor around us had turned into a sea of fire. The wind that came from the impact brushed my dark blue messy hair every time our swords collided. My red eyes fell on the dark lord who was attacking me non-stop.
The heat and constant fighting made the sweat wet my athletic body which was wrapped in thick medieval armor. A pair of dragon wings behind me showed that the main ingredient of the armor was the wing of the black dragon, a suitable armor against the dark lord. My hand held a blade which was covered with my Mana Energy.
Yes, even though I fought with a sword, I wasn't a swordsman, but a magus. But instead of just concentrating on magic, I learned many things, from crafting certain items, and skills, to learning to use all weapons. So fighting with a sword wasn't a big deal for me.
- Clang!
A loud clunk sounded once again when our swords crashed against each other. But instead of continuing the fight, we stopped 10 meters away from each other.
"Khhh!" I gritted my teeth as half the black mask covering my face fell to the ground.
[The Obsidian Black Mask has been destroyed.]
[Your physical defense will decrease by 5%.]
"Not bad for an amateur hero." A male voice coming from behind me made me turn around. My eyes stared at the figure of a dark lord who had a body not much different from mine. His black hair swayed in the wind. A black armor covered his body and a pair of demon wings behind him. An obsidian mask also covered his face.
"Shut your mouth!" I said as I put my attack stance.
After answering me with a mocking laugh, he also put the same attack stance as me.
"We'll see who will have the last laugh," he said.
Yeah, this bastard had the skill to clone my moves, that was the reason why I was having a hard time defeating him.
Once again, I lunged at him. This time I aimed for the torso. He was about to counter me, but suddenly I changed my move and swung down. The blade of my sword grazed his chest.
"Hmph..." The dark lord glared at me with narrowed eyes. "Trying to play tricks on me, huh?" His sword emitted a black orb of demonic power that rushed to me.
Due to the narrow distance, I couldn't dodge completely. It managed to graze me. I could feel its incredible force.
Due the massive power, my body flew up high and slammed onto the floor, creating a big crack around my body. Luckily, my armor protected me.
[HP: -15%]
[Effect: Overwhelming Demonic Power (-SPD 10%)]
The darkness of the demon energy enveloped my entire body. That was the dark lord's unique skill. Even though it was a dark lord, he could give out demonic energy. As long as I was surrounded by that demonic energy, my physical abilities would drop drastically.
The pain struck me. I could feel the fire burning my skin while it spread to my bones.
"Goddammit!" A grunt escaped my throat as I desperately got back to my feet.
"As expected, you're nothing more than an amateur hero," he mocked me. And then he brought his sword down towards me like a lightning strike.
But I didn't budge. Instead, I chose to fight him head-on. I used one of my ultimate skills.
'Dragon Rage!' It was a skill that allowed me to summon my fullest power. As a result, my body would get something far greater.
[Your ATK, MATK, SPD +200%]
[Time remaining: 4:56]
A surge of power flowed into me. Without fear, I swung my sword, splitting his lighting strike before I stormed at him faster than lighting.
One hit.
Two hits.
Three hits.
Four and it kept coming.
I swung my sword like a madman, pierced his armor, stabbed his body, and showered him with nonstop attacks.
"Ahhh, fuck..." The dark lord grunted with his eyes wide open once I stopped my attack. He fell to his knees and dropped his sword. His armor and mask shattered, showing his half-burned face.
Based on his almost empty HP points, it should be enough to kill him.
[The Dark Lord is in a heavy bleeding effect!]
[His HP will decrease 10 points per second]
"You're done," I said with heavy breaths. My Dragon Rage's time was up so the side effect would come to me.
[Dragon Rage has finished!]
[Your ATK, MATK, SPD -300%]
[Warning! You will experience pain for 5 minutes]
"Anggg!" A scream out of my mouth once the pain stabbed me. My whole body felt heavy. It was the side effect of the skill since I pushed myself too much. It felt like thousands of knives were piercing my body. I struggled to stand up due to the pain and exhaustion that had seized me.
I fell to my knees and dropped my sword. It turned into a light that shattered into pieces.
Seeing my condition, he laughed at me.
"HAHAHAHA! You even dare to go that far. I was wrong about you. So...." He extended his arm to me. "I will give you a nice reward..."
A dark demonic aura came out from his palm and rushed at me. I knew it was bad news, but I couldn't move. He cursed me.
[Dark Lord Skill: Demonic Aura]
"Ugh!" I screamed as my body was enveloped by the demonic aura.
[Warning! Demonic aura is corrupting you!]
"Shit, what the hell?!" I yelled. My vision blurred as my body was getting heavier. Once I raised my palms and looked at it, I just realized a weird dark crystal was crawling on my body and covering it.
"Dispel!" I tried to use my skill to neutralize it, but a red box of announcements showed up.
[Error! Skill has failed!]
[Warning! Demonic aura is corrupting you!]
Seeing my panic, the dark lord laughed as his body slowly turned into dust.
"Heal! Recovery!" I tried the others. Still, it gave me the same answer.
[Error! Skill has failed!]
[Warning! Demonic aura is corrupting you!]
[Error! Skill has failed!]
[Warning! Demonic aura is corrupting you!]
"Inventory!" I was getting panicked since the crystal that covered my body was getting more and more.
[Access denied! You cannot access your inventory!]
"What?!" I shouted.
Then the dark lord's voice made me turn to him again.
"Bye-bye, hero." He grinned evilly before he exploded.
[Congratulations! The Dark Lord has been defeated!]
My eyes widened as the impact threw my body. I could see some announcements about my victory but I couldn't read them. A second later, the bright light engulfed me before I completely lost consciousness.