Astrael trudged forward, his boots sinking slightly into the cracked and brittle ground the weight of the recent battle still lingering in his mind. The five corrupted villagers had fallen beneath his blade, each one a painful reminder of his limitations, but it hadn't been as difficult as he expected. In fact, a troubling thought gnawed at him as he pressed onward.
If it was this easy to cut them down...why did the rest of the planet fall?
Astrael knew that there had to have been warriors on this world, fighters far more skilled than him. This realm had once been alive, vibrant, filled with people who had thrived long before Vaalgorth's corruption had swept across this world. There had to have been champions, defenders of this world who would have stood against the rising tide of chaos. And yet, here it was-a shattered, dying landscape, its people twisted into grotesque forms by the very corruption he had just fought.
Why had they fallen? Were they not strong enough? Or was there something more, something darker, that Astrael had yet to understand?
His brow furrowed in frustration. He had trained hard, but the thought of this entire world falling so easily unnerved him. Was it because he was missing something? A deeper, more powerful corruption that no amount of physical skill could counter? The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Perhaps his swordsmanship and growing strength weren't enough to confront the true horror of Vaalgorth's chaos.
Suddenly, a faint sound echoed behind him, barely audible over the distant wind Astrael froze, his hand goimg for his sword. He turned, his gaze narrowing on the five corrupted villagers he had slain. Their twisted, broken bodies lay still in the dirt, the dark energy that had fueled them fading into the air like smoke.
But then he saw it-the slight twitch of a hand, the faint shifting of a limb
His heart sank. The bodies were moving
Astrael's breath caught in his throat as he watched the fallen villagers begin to stir. Their limbs jerked unnaturally, their forms- bending and twisting as they slowly pulled themselves back up from the ground. Dark energy, the same chaotic force that had consumed them in life, began to pool around their bodies, pulling their shattered forms together like strings reattaching a puppet.
The hollow, red glow returned to their eyes as they rose, and Astrael could feel the same malevolent presence he had sensed before—only now, it was stronger. The corruption wasn't just lingering; it was rebuilding them, reforming their broken bodies into something even more twisted.
'How?" Astrael whispered, confusion and frustration swirling in his mind. He had cut them down, ended their suffering. How were they still moving?
The villagers--no, the creatures-stood once more, their bodies held together by the threads of chaos. They moved with even more disjointed motions now, their forms grotesquely stretched and bent, their glowing eyes fixed on Astrael with renewed intensity
Astrael took a step back, his grip tightening on his sword. His mind raced. He had trained, he had grown stronger, but this this wasn't just a fight of strength or skill. This was something beyond what he had prepared for.
The villagers took a staggering step forward, their twisted forms dragging across the ground as they moved toward him. Astrael's heart pounded in his chest He had no choice. He would have to fight them again.
But this time, the corruption was different. It was as if it had learned, as if it was adapting to his every move. He could feel it in the air, the way the chaos pulsed with dark energy, feeding off the very world around them. Astrael readied himself, his blade gleaming faintly in the dim light as he raised it in preparation
'Why did you come back?" he muttered under his breath, his mind filled with the confusion of the moment. His strikes had been true, his power enough to bring them down once. What had changed?
But he couldn't dwell on it. The corrupted figures lurched toward him again, and this time, they seemed more focused, more deliberate in their movements. Astrael squared his shoulders, his resolve hardening. Whatever had caused them to rise again, he wouldn't let it stop him.
With a swift movement, Astrael charged toward the nearest villager, his sword cutting through the air with deadly precision. The blade met its target, slicing through the twisted flesh, but once again, the dark energy swirled, reforming the villager's body as though the strike had barely mattered
Astrael leaped back, narrowly avoiding a jagged, corrupted arm that swung toward him. His mind raced as he tried to comprehend what he was facing. This wasn't a normal fight. His attacks weren't enough. The corruption wasn't just affecting their bodies-it was controlling them, reforming them no matter how many times he struck.
He needed a new strategy
As the five villagers closed in on him, Astrael's eyes darted across the battlefield, searching for anything-any clue, any weakness in the corruption. His powers weren't strong enough to fully cleanse them, but perhaps there was another way to stop the chaos from reanimating them. If he couldn't destroy their bodies, maybe he could disrupt the energy that held them together.
With a burst of speed, Astrael dodged between two of the creatures, his sword slicing through their limbs, even though he knew it wouldn't be enough. He could feel the chaotic energy swirling around him, thick and oppressive, like a living force trying to suffocate him.
His mind focused. He had spent days practicing his healing abilities, learning how to control the flow of cosmic energy, but healing was only one side of the power he wielded. Xal'Anar had given him the ability to manipulate energy-to restore life but perhaps also to sever it.
Astrael's heart pounded in his chest as an idea formed. He couldn't heal the corruption, but maybe-just maybe-he could disrupt the energy long enough to stop it from reforming. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes for the briefest moment centering himself, feeling the cosmic power flow through him.
The villagers lunged at him, but Astrael was ready. In one swift motion, he focused his energy, channeling it into the space around the villagers, where the chaotic energy swirled the strongest. His hand glowed faintly, the cosmic energy pulsing through his veins
The corrupted villagers froze for a moment their twisted forms trembling as if caught in an invisible force. Astrael pushed harder, his mind straining to control the chaotic energy, to sever its hold on the villagers. He could feel the resistance, the way the corruption fought back, but he wouldn't give in.
With a final surge of power, Astrael's energy collided with the chaos, sending a shockwave through the air. The villagers convulsed, their bodies trembling as the dark energy began to unravel, the threads of corruption loosening their grip
For a brief, flickering moment, Astrael thought he had succeeded. The dark energy dissipated, and the villagers fell to the ground once more, lifeless.
But the moment of victory was fleeting
The chaos pulsed once more, stronger this time, and Astrael's heart sank as he saw the villagers begin to stir again. Whatever he had done wasn't enough-the corruption was relentless, refusing to be undone so easily.
Astrael stood, his breath heavy, his heart pounding. His mind raced, searching for answers, for a way to break this cycle. The corrupted villagers, now reassembling themselves again, were no longer just an obstacle-they were a message. A sign of the true power of Vaalgorth's influence, a power Astrael was still far from understanding
But Astrael wasn't ready to give up. He couldn't. He had come too far, trained too hard. He needed to find another way. This was just the beginning
Gritting his teeth, Astrael readied his blade once more. The fight wasn't over yet.
And as the corrupted villagers rose once more, Astrael prepared to face them, knowing that this battle would push him to the very limits of his strength.
The fight raged on, stretching into what felt like an eternity. For nearly twenty minutes, Astrael had been locked in a deadly dance with the five corrupted villagers, their twisted forms lunging at him with a relentless hunger. Each time he cut one down, it would rise again, reassembling its broken body as though his strikes meant nothing. But as the battle wore on, Astrael began to notice a pattern—a faint pulse of energy that seemed to radiate from the center of each villager's chest.
It wasn't just their bodies that held them together—it was the chaotic energy at their core. The heart. That was the source of the corruption. Every time they reformed, it was because that core remained intact, feeding the dark energy that animated them.
His breath came In sharp gasps as he dodged another wild swing from one of the villagers, his muscles burning from the constant movement. Yet, with every blow, every strike, he could feel his understanding of the battle deepening. This was no ordinary fight—this was about energy, about focus.
He needed to stop attacking their bodies and focus on the heart of their corruption.
Astrael leaped back, putting distance between himself and the creatures. He wiped sweat from his brow, his mind racing. His sword had cut through them easily enough, but it wasn't enough to stop the reanimation. He needed precision. He needed to destroy the source of the chaos, not just the twisted flesh that surrounded it.
A new plan began to form In his mind. He had spent days practicing his healing powers, learning how to focus his cosmic energy to restore life. But what if he could use that same energy, not to heal, but to disrupt? To target the heart of the corruption directly?
The idea was risky—he hadn't fully mastered his energy manipulation yet, and channeling his power into a weapon during combat was something he had only just begun experimenting with. But there was no other choice. If he didn't stop them now, the corrupted creatures would continue to rise, and the fight would drag on forever.
Astrael steadied his breathing, closing his eyes for a brief moment. He could feel the energy flowing through him, the cosmic power that Xal'Anar had blessed him with. It surged in his veins, pulsing with the rhythm of the universe itself. Focusing, he directed that energy toward his sword, imagining it wrapping around the blade, sharpening its edge, guiding it toward his target with deadly accuracy.
The sword began to glow faintly, a shimmering blue aura surrounding the steel. Astrael opened his eyes, the energy humming through his body as he prepared for the next strike.
The villagers advanced again, their jerking movements as unsettling as ever. But this time, Astrael didn't flinch. He knew what he had to do.
As the first villager lunged toward him, Astrael sidestepped and swung his sword in a fluid arc, aiming not at the creature's limbs or torso, but at the heart—the center of the dark energy that pulsed within its chest. His blade, now infused with his focused power, struck true, slicing through the corrupted flesh and into the core of the chaotic energy.
For a split second, there was resistance, as though the energy itself was fighting back against the blade. But then, with a sudden burst of light, the core shattered, the dark energy dispersing into the air like smoke. The villager's body crumpled to the ground, lifeless and unmoving.
Astrael's heart raced as he stared down at the body, waiting to see if it would rise again. But it didn't. The chaotic energy was gone, destroyed at its source.
"It worked…" Astrael muttered, a mixture of relief and disbelief washing over him. But there was no time to celebrate. The other villagers were still advancing.
With renewed determination, Astrael turned to face them. He had the answer now. He knew how to stop them.
The next villager lunged, and Astrael swung his sword again, this time with more confidence. His energy flowed through the blade, guiding his strike directly to the heart of the corruption. The sword met its mark, and once again, the core of chaotic energy shattered, leaving the twisted body to collapse lifelessly to the ground.
One by one, Astrael cut through the remaining villagers, each strike aimed with precision at the core of the corruption that pulsed within their chests. The fight had changed. No longer was he simply reacting, defending himself against endless waves of reanimating creatures. Now, he was in control, targeting the source of their power and severing it completely.
The last villager fell with a dull thud, its body crumpling to the ground as the chaotic energy dissipated from its core. The battlefield was silent once more, the twisted forms of the villagers lying still, no longer animated by the corruption that had once controlled them.
Astrael stood amidst the fallen, his sword still glowing faintly with the remnants of his energy. His breath came in heavy gasps, but his mind was clear. He had learned something invaluable in that fight. It wasn't just about brute strength or skill with a blade—it was about understanding the nature of the corruption, about using his cosmic power in ways that he hadn't yet fully explored.
He had learned how to focus his energy, not just as a healing force, but as a weapon. By wrapping his cosmic power around his sword, he had been able to target the heart of the corruption with deadly accuracy, destroying the chaotic energy at its source. It was a new layer to his abilities, one that would be vital in the battles to come.
But the fight had also shown him just how powerful Vaalgorth's corruption truly was. These villagers had been reanimated by the chaos, their bodies held together by a force that defied death itself. And while Astrael had managed to stop them this time, he knew that the corruption ran deeper than what he had faced here. There would be more challenges ahead—stronger, more dangerous foes that would require even greater mastery of his abilities.
He sheathed his sword, his mind buzzing with thoughts of what lay ahead. The mountains still loomed in the distance, their jagged peaks dark against the swirling sky. Somewhere within those mountains, Vaalgorth's influence was stronger, the corruption more concentrated. But Astrael wasn't afraid. He had grown, learned, and adapted. He had found a way to fight back against the chaos.
As he turned to continue his journey, Astrael cast one final glance at the fallen villagers. They had been victims of the chaos, twisted into monsters by a force beyond their control. But now, they were at peace.
Astrael would honor their memory by continuing to grow stronger, by mastering his powers, and by confronting the corruption at its source.
He took a deep breath and moved forward, his mind focused, his heart steady. There was still so much more to learn, but Astrael knew one thing for certain: he would be ready for whatever came next.