As the SHIELD gem activated, a shimmering barrier formed above my head, expanding outward. The shield materialized, about half a meter taller than me and two meters in diameter, encircling me in a protective bubble.
The guard swung his blade with full force, aiming for the newly formed shield. The moment his sword made contact, it bounced off as if striking a bubble, the force harmlessly deflected.
As he staggered back, thrown off by the impact, I quickly reached for the gem at the bottom of the staff. I had to be careful, avoiding triggering the SHRINK AND GROW gem, which would undo the effect and stop everything.
I reached for the DISINTEGRATE gem and carefully pulled it from the bottom of the staff. The reason I had attached the gem to the staff was simple: the staff acted as a focus. Any gem activated without a focus—whether it was engraved into the skin, as I had done with the REGENERATE gem, or affixed to a staff—would take much longer to activate. The focus increased the casting speed by up to 5 times depending on how complex the gem is.
As the DISINTEGRATE gem detached from the staff, I swiftly attached it to a smaller wand on my belt. The wand was a more compact, weaker version of the staff, but it was far easier to wield and carry at all times.
I focused intently on the wand, willing the gem to glow with that same deep blood-red hue. According to the calculations I had made when I first created the
DISINTEGRATE gem, it would take approximately 7.8 seconds for the gem to fully activate. The SHIELD I had up, however, could only last for about 7.3 seconds.
I would have to pray that the guard struck in around 7.2 seconds, allowing the shield to deflect his blow just in time for me to finish casting the DISINTEGRATE gem before he could recover and attack again.
He was striking relentlessly, each blow coming every 0.8 seconds, and I had just been bounced off his previous attack. He didn't pause, each swing following the last without hesitation.As I had hoped, his ninth attack, the one after the shield had deflected him, came at exactly 7.2 seconds. I had only 0.8 more seconds before his next strike, but in that brief window, I knew I would succeed in activating the DISINTEGRATE gem as it would only take 0.5 more seconds compared to his 0.8 seconds.
As he raised his blade to strike again, my spell activated, the DISINTEGRATE gem releasing its power. In an instant, he was reduced to nothing but a cloud of dust that settled silently to the ground.
I stood there, breathing heavily from the intensity of the fight that had just unfolded. Slowly, the effects of the gem I had engraved upon my arrival in this world began to take hold. The exhaustion that weighed on me started to fade, replaced by a renewed sense of determination.
I glanced around, scanning my surroundings carefully. There were no signs of surveillance—no cameras, no watchers. Judging by the primitive nature of this place, it seemed unlikely they even had such technology. For now, it seemed I was safe.
Then it truly hit me—I had just killed a man. Not a villain, not an enemy, but someone simply doing his job. A guard, a protector. Perhaps he had a family, a wife like I once had in the distant past, before my life veered down this dark and relentless path. If only I could turn back time, return to those days when my hands were untainted.
I walked to the spot where they had stood moments ago. Bowing my head, I murmured a quiet prayer—not to any god I believed in, for I was neither pious nor religious. Instead, it was a prayer for the gods they might have worshipped, a plea for mercy on their behalf.
"I hope you find peace," I whispered, my voice raspy vibrating the earth as I talked.
I turned away as their remnants scattered into the winds, carrying with them my silent hope that they would find eternal peace in whatever heaven awaited them. Slowly, I approached the gates they had guarded.
As I stepped into the city, I was met with a lively, bustling atmosphere—a stark contrast to the somber burden I carried. Merchants called out to customers, children laughed as they darted between carts, and the rich aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air. This was a place where joy thrived, but I knew I would find none here.
Walking through the streets, I focused on the task ahead. Fortunately, I could understand their language, though their writing—etched on signs and shopfronts—was slightly different from what I was accustomed to. Still, it was readable enough to guide me.
I looked through my bag to find another gem I had put in it before trying to go through the portal. A gem which would make me more dexterous. I would allow me to pickpocket almost anyone—in my old world at least. I did not know if the avarage person was more powerfull than most people in my old world. This would be my way of life in this accursed world—the world that had taken my wife.