The Sword Protector's sinister presence looms, chilling the air with the promise of death that follows in its wake. The cries of the fallen and the clash of weapons create a cacophony, drowning out all rational thought.
Amidst the chaos, my mind races. The figure in black who intervened has left more questions than answers. What happened in those fleeting moments? Was the power absorbed, or was it something else entirely?
My thoughts are cut short by a sudden shift in the battle's tempo. The Sword Protector, having effortlessly dispatched the first squad, now turns its gaze toward us.
The ground trembles as it moves. "Ricka! Get ready!" I scream. Rick steps forward, ice claws forming around his hands, each breath releasing a puff of smoke that fades quickly into the cold air.
"I'm ready!" he grumbles, his ears perking up as his blue eyes glow with an intense light.
We don't have a plan, but after days of fighting, we've learned to coordinate our abilities well. "Avidia!" I shout. She appears beside me, her staff shifting back into its original from after begin a pole for most of time.
"Right," she murmurs, the light fading from her eyes.
_________
[System]
Name: Avidia
Level: 10
Current rank: Unseen mage
Ring Rank: —
Ability: Emptiness
Title to Achieve: Void Sovereign
Attributes: Curse of The Hollow Oath
Aspect: —
_________
_________
[System]
Name: Ricka
Level: 15
Current rank: Iced wolf
Ring Rank: —
Creature Rank: demihuman
Ability: Nethril Frost
Title to Achieve: The Glacian Reaver
Attribute: Frost Slumber
_________
We've all levels a significant amount, we're not nearly as powerful as the sword protector in front of us, but with our combined power, we should be enough to kill him, if not, we'll be the ones dead.
"Ricka your up first!" I shout cutting through the stillness.
He nods, and Ricka lunges forward, his ice claws gleaming in the dim light. The Sword Protector meets him head-on, its movements precise and terrifyingly swift for something of its size. Ricka barely evades a deadly slash, his claws clashing with the blade, sending shards of ice scattering into the air.
"Avdia move back!" I shouted again.
We found out Avidia's powers didn't allow her to go close range and the new skill she gained with her current title makes her magic unseen until it hits the target.
"Alright," she says while stepping back until he waits for Ricka's signal which was a two-heel stomp on his right foot, the sign which means his ice has spread around it.
"Avidia, now!" I command, noting that we needed it weakened before he executed it.
She nods, raising her staff. The air around her darkens, the light dimming as her emptiness power gathers. She points her staff at the Sword Protector, and black energy surges forth, distorting reality as it hurtles toward the foe.
The blast of emptiness strikes the Sword Protector, causing it to stagger momentarily, the void energy eating away at the shadows that cling to its form.
Taking advantage of the brief opening, Ricka leaps into action. His claws glow with a frosty brilliance, and he strikes, aiming for the Sword Protector's joints. Ice forms rapidly around the impact points, freezing the dark energy that courses through the creature.
Yet, the Protector recovers with terrifying speed, its sword swinging in a wide arc. Ricka is forced to retreat, the ground where he stood now a scarred, frozen wasteland.
"Now Ricka!"
A smirk forms on his face as he jumps back, the ice under his feet bursting into small particles before reforming, into ice-thorned vines, that traps it in place.
Ice reforming.
And with that I need you to amplify this strike.
"Got it," Gluttony replies.
My whole body radiates with energy, my finger twitches with the power coursing through it, and my heart quickens as I aim my hand toward the sky, the energy building within me like a storm ready to unleash its fury. The clouds above darken, swirling ominously as the air crackles with electricity. My fingers tingle as the power intensifies, and with a sharp breath, I release it.
A bolt of lightning shoots down from the heavens, striking my outstretched hand. The energy surges through me, traveling down my arm and converging at my fingertips. The bolt, at first a blinding blue, crackles with raw power. I can feel its strength, the sheer force of nature at my command.
The Sword Protector struggles against Ricka's icy vines, its blade thrashing in a desperate attempt to free itself. But it's too late. With a roar, I channel all of my energy into the lightning bolt and hurl it toward the immobilized enemy.
The bolt streaks through the air, illuminating the battlefield in a flash of electric blue. It collides with the Sword Protector's chest, the impact sending shockwaves through the ground. The force of the strike causes the Protector to reel back, the blue lightning crackling around its body, searing through the shadows that cling to its form.
But it isn't enough.
The Sword Protector begins to recover, its crimson eye glowing with renewed fury. The shadows that cling to it seem to absorb the lightning, diminishing its effect. Panic threatens to set in, but I push it down, focusing on the power still flowing through me.
"Not yet," I growl, feeling the energy shift within me. The blue lightning in my hand begins to change, darkening and intensifying. I feel it—the anger, the desperation, the will to survive, the want to bring this universe, and the gods vying for control—all coalescing into something more. The blue light flickers, and then, with a surge of power, it turns a deep, violent red.
[Level up!]
[9>10]
[Rank obtained]
[Lightening wielder.]
[Skill associated: Lightening blast]
My eyes widened but I couldn't do anything as the lightning blot turned into a full blast If lost control now, this fight would end with us dying and I knew for a fact Elga wouldn't help us since being weak cannot help her reach her goal of dying.
"Avidia.." I grunt while trying to call out to her, I can see my hands shaking as the power is on the verge of ending.
"No. Do it yourself." Gluttony chimes in. "You want to take down a universe, right? Make a god's creation feel fear. Show them you're the one that is going to end them, not the people under you."
Hearing her words only fills my head with the doubts I thought I had gotten ridden of, but I was wrong it was still there, still clinging to my mind, hoping to send me down the same path I had always taken.
Being stuck on the sidelines.
"I can't," I manage to say, feeling the lightning's intensity wane as flashbacks overwhelm my mind. My feet begin to slide backward, and I watch in dismay as the ice vines around the Sword Protector start to crack and crumble as he finally activated his skill.
His magic cuts abruptly.
"Then think about it, think about the doubts placed on you," Gluttony voices, and I do. "Let that sword be over your head forever let it drive you forward, push you to become something greater than the gods themselves."
"I.." I put one foot forward. "Will.." I put another, the crimson lightning growing. "Become.." My head lifts to meet the knight, "The strongest!" I roared, pushing forward, the lightning became stronger, but the knight breaks loose off the iced vines.
It hurled towards me, but I didn't stop, I believed in the power that was being unleashed, no.
I believed in myself.
I am Cipher, the anomaly of this world, I will take down the world and all humans and gods that get in my way. I needed none, I believe in myself.
Just as the Sword Protector's sword was poised to strike me down, a sudden and violent shift occurred. The crimson lightning blast burst through it.
The once menacing figure staggered, its glowing crimson eye turning dark as the power coursed through it, disrupting its body and turning it into nothing but stone, which might be its first form before it turned into the protector.
[Level up!]
[10>13]
"I did it." I pant while dropping my hands to my side, Gluttony vanishing instantly.