Ray and Seraphine had barely made it past the camp's outer defenses when the alarm bells rang.
"Let's go!" Ray hissed, his voice low but urgent as he lunged for the reins of the nearest black horse.
He swung onto the saddle in one fluid motion, gripping the reins tightly. Without waiting, he pulled Seraphine up behind him, her breath catching as she scrambled to hold on.
"Go where?" she snapped. "We're surrounded!"
Ray smirked, holding up the stolen orb.
"Relax. I have a plan."
She stared at him in disbelief. "This is your plan? Stealing an artifact tied to Asmodeus?"
"Hey, it was either this or let them figure out who you are. And no, this is not the plan."
The forest was alive with the sound of shouting bandits and snapping twigs. Ray cursed under his breath. They couldn't outrun them forever.
"There!" He pointed ahead to the rocky plains barely visible through the trees. "The ruins. If we make it there, we have a chance."
Meanwhile, the bandits were now very close to them, constanly shooting arrows at them each one too fast for Ray's senses to register.
However Seraphine was deflecting them all through her sheer reflexes. Ray as impressed to see her skills and made a mental note to ask her level later.
The ancient ruins loomed ahead, their jagged monoliths bathed in eerie light. The dormant guardians were still, their runes faintly glowing. Ray and Seraphine had scouted this place earlier, but entering it had been not under their plan.
Ray tightened the reign around the horse as it bolting towards the runes.
[ Runes of Aeons discovered! ]
[ Warning! Lithoguards are being awakened! ]
"They're waking up!" Seraphine said, her panic rising.
"Good," Ray muttered, dragging her toward the ruins. "That's the point."
"What's the point?!"
"They won't follow us into a death trap," he replied, casting a glance behind them. The bandits emerged from the trees, in a sheer number that they could form an army themselves.
The moment they stepped onto the cracked stone of the ruins, the runes on the monoliths flared to life. A low, grinding noise filled the air as the massive stone guardians began to stir.
"Ray…" Seraphine's voice wavered, "We can't outrun them and then this!"
"I know!" he snapped, searching his inventory. He pulled out a divine sword, an entity which he had hidden in his inventory, forged from the very essence of celestial light.
Its blade shimmered with a soft, silver glow, but beneath that ethereal sheen, it was etched with pulsating golden runes as if it was breathing the divine mana itself.
<Blade of Zephyriel>
Forged by Aelric, a mortal craftsman, the blade hums with unspoken love and sacrifice.
Rank: ??
Level requirement: 300+
???
???
*Can only be wielded by light faction members*
"Princess! By any chance can you wield this?"
He held the weapon out to Seraphine, her eyes wide with reverence as she reached for the blade.
As Serephine's fingers wrapped around the hilt, the sword settled into her grip as if the sword had reached it's old master's hands.
For a moment, the runes on the sword dimmed, as though the sword itself was considering her, weighing her heart and intentions.
Its divine light flickered in time with her heartbeat, sharing its strength with her.
The bond was immediate, it was the sword which chose it's new master, from an archangel to a mere mortal.
[
Level requirements are wavered off!
Seraphine Dawnstrike power level is insufficient!
Sword has been partially sealed!]
"I...I have never seen such a divine sword in my life" she said mesmerised by its glow.
"This is not the time to be fascinated princess!
Be ready to strike! We are very close"
The rythmic pounding of their black steed echoed throughout the ruins.
"But I don't have much divine mana to wield this! This... this orb sucked all of it!"
"Then use what's left to create a distraction!" Ray said.
"A distraction?!"
"Yes! Just one blast to hold them off—then we're through the portal!" He gestured to the faint, shimmering light visible deeper in the ruins.
A sharp sound cut through the stillness—stone grinding against stone.
From the corner of his eye, Ray saw it- a towering monolith, its surface covered in glowing runes, shifting unnaturally as if animated by malice.
It lunged toward them with terrifying speed, its massive form slicing through the air like a falling mountain
"Hold on tight!" Ray barked, his voice sharp and urgent. He yanked the reins, and the horse reared, its powerful muscles coiling as it veered to the left.
The monolith's jagged edge smashed into the ground mere inches from where they were before, the force of the impact sending shards of stone flying in all directions.
Ray leaned low over the horse's neck, his breath coming fast. The sound of another monolith moving behind them spurred him to push the horse harder.
The beast, as if sensing the danger, surged forward with a burst of speed.
Ray could now clearly see the shimmering light at the centre of ruin which was just some metres ahead.
A shadow passed over them—another monolith descending from above. Ray felt a jolt of terror running through his veins.
"Princess! Now!"
"I can't fight them!" she said, panic creeping into her voice.
"You don't have to fight them—just slow him down!"
Reluctantly, she held the sword close and let out a slow breath. Golden energy began to pulse faintly around her. She gripped the divine sword Ray had handed her earlier, its weight suddenly feeling much heavier.
"I don't think this is going to work," she muttered, raising the sword.
"Just trust me!" Ray shouted, seconds away from his death.
Seraphine swung the sword with all her strength, channeling the last of her divine energy.
A blinding wave of light erupted from the blade, crashing into the overhead monolith.
The divine mana in the air fluctuated as the light attacked the guardian, shattering it instantly, its massive frame instantly crumbling to dust.
The light then went ahead slicing another of the monolith behind in a clean strike crumbling it also into dust.
Both of them froze.
Ray gaped at her. "That's…not a distraction."
Even Seraphine looked stunned, staring at the sword as if it had betrayed her expectations. "How…?"
"I don't know!" Ray said, glancing nervously at the remaining monoliths. The others were stirring now, their runes flaring in response to the divine attack.
Seraphine stumbled, clutching the sword tightly. "I don't have enough energy for another one," she said weakly. "That blast took everything I had left."
"That's fine," Ray said quickly, grabbing her arm and and guiding the horse towards the portal. "You did enough."
The monoliths roared, their movements like an avalanche of destruction, but Ray's mind was sharp, his instincts honed.
And as the next monolith lunged, Ray made his move, steering the horse into a daring leap over the crumbling ledge, the ground falling away behind them as they soared into the portal.
The monoliths didn't pursue them; they stayed rooted to the ruins, their attention fixed on the lingering remnants of divine energy in the air.
The bandits skidded to a halt at the edge of the ruins, clearly hesitating.
"Won't they follow us?" Seraphine asked as they fell into the portal.
Ray smirked. "I don't think so, you just pissed off an entire army of ancient guardians, and I'm guessing even they don't want to deal with that."
The bandit leader barked an order, but as his men hesitated, he snarled in frustration. "Cowards! They're right there—"
Another monolith roared, its glowing runes flashing as it turned toward the bandits.
"Fall back!" the leader shouted, his voice trembling as the first massive arm swung toward them.
With that, the portal closed behind them, leaving the ruins and their chaos far behind.
The bandit leader stood in the center of the camp, fuming. His subordinates scrambled to report, but none had any good news.
He clenched his fists, his mind racing. "That girl… she's definitely the celestial princess. Asmodeus himself planned her death, and now she's in the hands of some imposter. If I now tell Asmodeus he- he would kill me... my daughter... No... No I won't tell him anything"
Although his reasons were clear in his mind, but deep down he had another reason for not informing him.
He felt as if Asmodeus was somehow going to be in even bigger trouble than he was in.