Endless...It's all endless.
A faction emerged, so powerful they dominated an entire continent, driven by insatiable greed and corruption. My disdain for both humans and gods grew ever deeper, but nothing ignited my fury more than those who dared to elevate themselves to the status of gods.
***
The air was thick—so thick it felt like my lungs were closing up, each breath a struggle. Fear slithered down my spine, branching through my limbs, making my feet feel as though they had taken root in the floor. The hum of death lingered, oppressive and all too familiar, curling around me like an old acquaintance.
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[System]
Rank: —
Skill associated with rank:
Ability: The Originate
Attributes: —
System status: Seraphic
Aspect: Unpredictability and Anomaly
—Skills—
Creation [Angel]
Elemental [Angel]
Lightning [Archangel], Lightning Bolt [basic], Chain Lightning [basic], Thunder Strike [basic].
_________
I had leveled up fast, just one level shy of becoming level 10 and earning my first rank. And before me stood a thing far more powerful than I am at the moment.
_________
[System]
Name: Sword Protector
Level: 30
Skill: Sword magic
_________
In a wide, open field where countless swords jutted from the earth, an eerie figure stood watch—a silent guardian of battles long past and oaths long broken. Its twisted form seemed part shadow, the dark tendrils wrapping around it like a living shroud.
Anchored to the spot, its lone, glowing red eye burned with an unsettling intensity. Before it, a sword stabbed deep into the ground, its blade glowing with an otherworldly crimson light. This was the Sword Protector, a relic of old wars, bound to guard the field of blades for eternity.
I steadied my breath, readying myself for the confrontation. To defeat such a being would not only bring me closer to my next rank, but it wasn't me alone, I stepped back letting a squad of people dash forward towards it.
"First squad up! Take the left!" A man screams from behind me.
Moving towards Avidia, Ricka, and Elga, we all stood waiting for the man to say fight while the sword protector just stood there, awaiting for the first attack. "Are they-" Ricka begins but gets caught off immediately by Elga.
"They're going to die," she stated flatly, her voice steady despite the gravity of her words. "That thing will wipe them all out and just return to that same spot.
"Then why didn't we find another route?" ask Ricka.
"That's to long. The others managed to escape by taking the longer route, but we don't have time for that." She explains.
"I see." He turns around. "If so I can't watch them suffer," Ricka says, his voice carrying a hint of sadness.
I didn't feel the same way. After leaving Valley's end we met up with them in the forest while fighting goblins and horned wolves, they let us join but we were left to clear the way for form while they enjoyed themselves.
Although they let us level up, they haven't fed us any of their meat, or the storage of food they were carrying. We were left to find herbs after Elga's herbs finished and now, I get to watch them suffer and try to survive.
Confidence is really a burden to many, it blocks their rational thinking .
So I'll watch until my time comes.
"Go!" The leader bellowed, urging the first squad onward towards the left flank of the imposing Knight.
At first, the Sword Protector stood as still as a statue, an eerie calm unlike the events unfolding. Then, abruptly, it unleashed its armored hand with devastating swiftness, hurling the attackers through the air. Their armored bodies crashed heavily against the ground, echoing with the sound of metal clashing against the earth.
The barrage from the ranged attackers—arrows and spells—hardly seemed to affect the creature. Regaining its composure, the Sword Protector adopted a stance akin to that of a duelist, its blade emanating a sinister, pulsing glow.
"What is that thing?" I couldn't restrain myself from asking.
"A warrior," Avidia answers this time not Elga. "He is the embodiment of a warrior, the protector of ancient swords."
"That's right." Elga nodded to her explanation. "After defeating the first dragon, whose bones lie a few miles back, the greatest knights saw no point in further fighting since the world had entered an era of peace. So they stuck their swords into the ground, sealing the blood of the first dragon somewhere. Yet, I've never heard of a guardian being placed here."
"And after defeating the knight, the swords will be able to appear again and perhaps the blood of the first dragon." Avidia finishes. "Though the blood is just a myth."
"The blood of the first dragon, huh?" I mutter, my thoughts briefly lingering before the chaos ahead pulls me back.
With chilling ease, the Protector swung its blade in a wide, effortless arc. The ground beneath it erupted violently, sending dark energy spikes shooting up to mercilessly impale the advancing soldiers. Their screams echoed in the air, abruptly silenced as life drained from their bodies, leaving a grotesque scene of skewered corpses strewn across the blood-soaked earth.
As panic spread, the leader, his face drained of color from sheer terror, tried to rally his troops. "Regroup! Fall—" But his orders were abruptly severed as the Sword Protector extended a finger toward him.
One of the old rusted sword stuck into the floor yanks itself out and charges towards him piercing straight through his chest. He stumbled backward, his eyes wide with shock and pain, before collapsing.
The rest of the group stood frozen in shock until someone suddenly dashed forward—a figure I had only noticed once or twice before. Cloaked in black, they had kept their distance from the others, never bothering to join them.
"Oh, him," Avidia says, as Ricka spins around.
Just in time, we see the figure launch a powerful sidekick at the sword protector, then use their hands to grip its armored shoulders, swinging over it with swift precision. Before anything else can happen, the hood of the cloak slips slightly, revealing a glimpse of green hair, and then they vanish.
"He absorbed its power?" Elga sounds shocked for a second. "It can't be? The only power I noticed the sword protector has is sword magic?" she turns to me concern etched on her face.
"That's right." I shake my head to assure her. "Are you sure it's power or something else?"
"I...I don't know, but I'm sure it's something important." She looks back up, the concern slowly leaving her face. "For now, it's up to you guys to finish it." she motions to the Knight.