Nox regained consciousness, finding himself still on the battlefield.
'What just happened?'
He was rushing towards the guardian when it caught him. Then, it showed him the corpses of Sarah and the Constellation. When all hope seemed lost, he woke up, seemingly having gone back into the past.
Kid, something used a curse on you. I took care of it, but you'll need to either escape or figure it out from here.
'I thought you were dead? What happened?'
Nox sighed a breath of relief. If the former Mythmaker was still alive, then there was a chance of victory. After all, he was powerful enough to defeat the Constellation back in the First Challenge.
Us Mythmakers don't play by the rules. My energy supply was fully exhausted, but something you obtained gave me a sliver of it back. If you find any more artifacts capable of healing the soul, then I'll be able to assist.
The boy felt a smirk when hearing the first sentence. Opening his mouth, he was about to complain when a noise knocked him out of his daze.
"Nox, snap out of it!" Sarah yelled, weaving a spell. Various symbols interlaced in the air, forming a magic circle.
Green flowers emerged from the ground beneath. He felt his mind grow calmer while he was relieved of exhaustion.
In the distance, the guardian was engaged in a fierce battle with the Constellation. A blade of wind pierced through the thick armor of the guardian, pinning it onto the floor.
However, the Constellation wasn't in a much better condition. Blood poured from numerous cuts on her body.
'She's about to collapse.'
Through his divinity, he saw that the powerful strings that once surrounded her soul were growing thinner and thinner. It was a miracle that she was still alive.
Despite this, the old woman stood her ground. Another relic was summoned.
Unlike the previous weapons, this one seemed to be a simple book. Tattered and worn out through years of use, Nox felt an ancient force radiating from it.
She closed her eyes, chanting an incomprehensible language. An enormous amount started to gather around her. However, the guardian noticed what she was doing.
In an impressive feat of strength, the monster pulled itself out of the ground. With the sword still stuck inside its body, it rushed towards the Constellation.
"Die!"
'She's not going to make it!'
Their fight was too far away. In the short time that he was unconscious, the two had ripped apart a portion of the forest.
Nox closed his eyes. His senses took in everything around him in a fraction of a second. The toppled trees, the blood slowly dripping onto the ground, the horrifying form of the incoming guardian, the green aura keeping him calm.
The conclusion… there was no chance of winning.
He had been defeated countless times. When faced with a creature stronger than him, he was hopeless.
A mocking voice entered his mind. It wasn't the familiar voice of the Pheonemon, nor was it the reassuring voice of his past self.
No… it was something far greater. The fabric of time itself bent to its will.
Is this all you amount to? How disappointing.
In an instant, millions of memories flashed past his eyes.
The noises of people screaming; crying out in pain and sorrow. The scent of burning wood and rotting flesh. A man returns home from a hard day's of work to find his entire family massacred and his house crushed by abominations.
Crack.
A wounded soldier hopelessly lay on the ground, blood slowly seeping out of his tortured body. He gasps for breath, but only manages to inhale the poisonous smoke covering the battlefield. Slowly, his eyes closed, accepting his fate.
Crack.
A former king watching his kingdom slowly break and crumble apart. His once glorious empire had been transformed into a ghostly echo of its past self. His prayers to heaven were met with a deathly silence, for nothing can bring back the ones who had been forsakened.
Crack.
A person who stood alone against the Universe, with nothing more than a sword in his hand. Beaten and bloodied, he tramples over the countless bodies that he has sliced through. Deities and Celestial beings bowed to his will, yet… he could not save his world.
When given everything, you've achieved nothing. You are not worthy.
An ethereal hand reached from the sky, extending into his frozen form. It seemed to disappear inside his body.
He felt a chill run across his being. It was as if the figure had grasped and squeezed his very existence.
Nox opened his mouth to cry out in pain, but the voice was caught in his throat, swallowed by the endless darkness that threatened to extinguish him. The boy smiled.
A surge of power ran through his veins.
Shadows wrapped around the Mythmaker's body as the divinity activated. The ability to gain strength equivalent to the enemy was not one to be taken lightly, even for the gods.
With both hands, Nox tightly gripped the arm of the Celestial. His violet eyes shook as the power continued to flow into him.
You dare!
The heavens screamed at him, scrambling his mind into disarray. The translucent arm was unable to handle the depth of his divinity.
Nox remembered what the former Mythmaker had told him.
'Mythmakers don't play by the rules.'
With a quick burst of energy, he yanked the false god into existence. He saw a combination of fear, anger, and disbelief on the entity's face as it was forcibly removed from the confines of the heavens above.
Its figure was glorious. Golden hair streamed down their angelic body. Wings sprouted from its back. With unblemished pearl-white skin and blinding presence, it made sense why Awakeners often referred to angels as majestic beings.
Nox raised his arm. Tendrils of power flowed effortlessly from his consciousness. They intertwined with one another, carrying his will.
A gleaming longsword appeared in his hand. In one smooth motion, he jammed the blade into the angel, sinking deep into its flesh.
Golden blood poured out like a fountain as the being stared at the boy in horror.
"When humanity needed you the most, you left them."
The Mythmaker slowly walked over to the bleeding figure. They were short and calm steps, but with each bated breath, the eyes of the entity grew wider and wider.
Wait! If you kill me they'll-
"I, the last Mythmaker, Sentence you to death."
In one swift motion, the head of the angel was severed from its body.
Countless voices were screaming inside his consciousness, but it didn't matter. After all, what he had just done was considered blasphemous by many.
Nox stumbled, barely catching himself from collapsing. Just as quickly as it came, the strength disappeared from his body.
[Divinity: Struggle has been destroyed. A Myth is being created.]
On the brink of death, a boy had an epiphany. With one arm, he trampled over the false god. A Mythmaker was meant to defy fate, so he did. 'Prove yourself to the world.' they said; so he did. It doesn't matter who it was. If they were judged as unrighteous, then he would Sentence them.
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[Divinity: Mythmaker]
> Sentence: This aspect allows you to enforce your will on those judged as unjust.
> Slice: When wielding a blade, this aspect blurs the boundaries between the mortal and other worlds.
> Rain (Broken): This aspect allows you to manipulate nearby liquid sources. Partially locked.
> Extend: Using energy proportionate to the task, this aspect allows the user to extend objects depending on their interpretation.
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