The battlefield had fallen into an eerie stillness after the mages' last attack. They were utterly breathless, the weight of their failure hanging heavily in the air. The once vibrant energy of their magic was now replaced by a crushing silence, broken only by the soft rustling of the wind through the broken landscape. The tension was palpable, and in that moment, everyone seemed to hold their breath.
The mages stood frozen, their eyes wide in disbelief as they tried to comprehend the utter failure of their powerful spell. It was as if the reality they had trusted in—the reality of their powers—had been shattered before their very eyes.
Seraphine, standing apart from the group, gasped for breath, the exhaustion of her previous battles evident in the way she steadied herself against the boulder. Her pulse was quickening, her mind racing as she observed the now impassive Gate Guardian standing before them.
Her gaze turned bitterly toward the mages, and through clenched teeth, she muttered, "Idiots."
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the contempt was clear, the disbelief at their utter lack of preparation evident in her words. Her hand trembled slightly, the weight of the moment pressing down on her.
Meanwhile, hidden just behind the large boulder, Zhuo leaned back casually, still sipping his drink, his posture nonchalant. He glanced at the scene, his expression almost mocking. He could feel the intense energy building in the air as the mages began to chant. As they readied themselves for what they considered their last resort, Zhuo couldn't help but comment dramatically.
"Wooah, I thought that was gonna work. All that fireworks for nothing, huh?" He made a show of stretching his arms and cracking his neck as though this was all just an annoying delay in his day. His tone was sarcastic, teasing—as if the fate of the world didn't hang in the balance. It was both terrifying and completely detached, and anyone who knew him understood that he wasn't even slightly worried.
Despite the clear tension in the air, the captain of the mages didn't waver. His hands were tightly clenched around his staff, his knuckles white with the strain. His voice rang out, commanding, with a note of urgency—he could not afford to show any fear, not now.
"Prepare for the Forbidden Sealing Technique!"
His voice cut through the air like a blade. He would not back down. He could not.
The mages quickly regrouped, their faces set with grim resolve. They began chanting in unison, their voices low and ominous as they invoked ancient, mysterious languages, the very syllables themselves vibrating with arcane power. The air began to hum, the ground beneath their feet trembled, and the very fabric of space seemed to shift. It was as though the world itself acknowledged the weight of the magic being called upon.
A massive symbol appeared in the air.
It was an intricate array of arcane sigils, each one linked to the next, a series of mystical chains wrapping around the form of the massive Gate Guardian. The chains snaked around its legs, coiling around its six powerful arms and head. There was a flash of light, and the chains tightened, their energy crackling as they pulled the Guardian into place.
A cube-shaped symbol materialized, enveloping the Guardian in a glowing prison of runes and light. The mages collectively held their breath. There was a moment of silence—a moment when it seemed like their plan had succeeded.
But Seraphine's eyes narrowed, her senses sharpening as a sudden unease crept over her. She stepped back, clutching her staff tightly, as the gnawing feeling of impending disaster wrapped around her chest.
Her voice was tight, and her words betrayed her concern. "This won't hold..." Her tone was soft but certain. She could feel it in her gut—the seal wouldn't last. This was no ordinary creature they were dealing with.
Zhuo, who had been observing the scene with a bored, almost detached expression, couldn't help but chuckle softly. He took another sip of his drink and smirked as he gazed lazily at the mages, almost as if they were performing some foolish circus act.
"It would've been a miracle if the seal could really seal that monster," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His words held no fear, no sense of urgency—he simply watched the scene unfold with a detached amusement, as if he were watching a play. He wasn't wrong, of course. The Gate Guardian, an ancient, almost unkillable being, was far beyond what these mages could handle with their primitive sealing techniques.
---
And then—the inevitable happened.
The first crack appeared.
A single, thin line appeared on the surface of the cube symbol. The crack spread quickly, like the fissure of reality itself, and the glow around the cube dimmed, flickering like a dying candle.
Then, in a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, the seal shattered completely. The runes that had been holding the Gate Guardian in place exploded into fragments, and the chains that had bound it fell away like strands of broken glass.
There was no rumble, no dramatic shift in the air. Just a sudden shift in the gravity of the moment.
And then—
The Gate Guardian leaped.
The ground shuddered as the enormous being effortlessly jumped free, its six limbs pushing against the ground with unbelievable force, launching it through the shattered seal as if it were made of nothing more than paper.
It landed with a thundering crash, the ground cracking and splintering beneath its feet, sending shockwaves through the earth. The battlefield shook violently, dust and debris flying into the air as the Guardians' massive form cast a long shadow over the remaining mortals.
For a moment, everything paused. There was only the sound of the rumbling earth and the collective gasp of the mages and the awakens as they stood frozen in disbelief.
The mages—who had just moments ago been hopeful—were now staring in stunned terror at the beast before them. The captain's expression drained of color, his eyes wide with horror as he witnessed the insurmountable might of the Guardian. The blood drained from his face, his hand trembling as he looked down at his staff. His voice, when it came, was barely a whisper:
"It's... not possible..."
The moment seemed to last forever. The air, heavy with the remnants of their failed attack, felt suffocating. The ground beneath them groaned, almost as if it, too, were resigned to the fate they had brought upon themselves.
And there, standing among the broken ruins of their best efforts, Zhuo smiled, his lips curling into a knowing, almost amused grin.
"Yeah... I thought as much."
---
The mages were left trembling, their magic exhausted and their will broken. The battlefield had shifted once again. There was no hope now. The Gate Guardian, unscathed and unrestrained, towered above them, and every awakener felt a deep, soul-crushing dread.
No one dared to breathe as the Gate Guardian raised its six titanic arms, its fifth eye—a deep, ominous crimson slit—now wide open, glaring down at the mortals with an almost divine level of contempt.
The air itself thickened, vibrating with an unseen force as something colossal built within the monster's massive frame.
Then, the energy surged.
A hum, low and dreadful, crawled through the atmosphere—a sound that resonated not in the ears, but in the bones.
The crimson glow in the Guardian's fifth eye deepened, and in each of its six arms, unimaginable power condensed, forming radiant orbs of pulsating destruction. Each sphere churned with chaotic energy, warping the space around it, devouring the very air itself in its sheer intensity. The land trembled beneath its growing might, cracks forming under its monstrous presence.
It was preparing to end this.
The final attack.
A spell so devastating, so overwhelmingly absolute, that not even ashes would remain of those unfortunate enough to be caught in its path.
The silence was unbearable.
---
Seraphine gasped, her lungs burning as she forced herself to move forward.
Her legs screamed, her mana reserves scraped dangerously close to depletion, and yet—she refused to back down.
The logical part of her brain screamed at her to retreat, to rethink, to do something other than charge straight toward oblivion.
But she didn't care.
If she didn't block this—they were all dead.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself into motion, her arms raised as she summoned the last vestiges of her power. Mana crackled around her like a broken current, unstable yet fierce.
The sheer force radiating from the Gate Guardian was suffocating, pressing down on her body like an unstoppable tidal wave, making it hard to even lift her arms. Every fiber of her being screamed at her that this was beyond her, that this level of power was something she couldn't hope to resist.
But she ignored those instincts.
She had to.
Because the alternative was watching everyone die.
Zhuo took another sip of his drink.
The ice in the glass clinked softly, the liquid swirling lazily under the dim battlefield glow.
His black eyes were sharp, devoid of their usual amusement.
The laziness in his expression remained, but beneath the surface, his thoughts churned, his mind assessing every detail with razor-sharp clarity.
He wasn't watching the Gate Guardian anymore.
His focus had already shifted elsewhere.
Somewhere... just beyond the battlefield.
Something felt wrong.
Something wasn't adding up.
It wasn't the Gate Guardian that made his instincts crawl—the colossal beast was dangerous, sure, but it wasn't enough to make his nerves this unsettled.
No, this feeling... this sensation creeping along his spine...
It was something else.
Something older.
Something far worse.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His senses, honed to an unfathomable degree, screamed at him—not to fight.
But to leave.
To run.
To escape.
But Zhuo wasn't the kind of person who fled from danger.
He had stood in front of gods, had walked through ruined worlds, had crushed entire civilizations under his heel without so much as a second thought.
And yet—
For the first time in a long, long while—
He hesitated.
His fingers tightened around the drink, his usual smirk still on his face, but this time, it didn't reach his eyes.
Because something out there was watching.
Something beyond mortal understanding.
Something waiting.
He let out a slow breath, his golden-black eyes narrowing slightly, as a single thought crossed his mind.
"I don't think I want to see what happens next."