The world came back to me in waves of sharp, throbbing pain. I was still bound inside the tent, the agony in my stomach a constant reminder of the Captain's brutal strike. Outside, the sky had darkened into night, and the steady rhythm of rain drummed against the canvas.
I forced myself to sit up, my breath hitching as I peered through the tent flap. The Captain was standing a few yards away, barking orders to his men.
"I want eyes on the north and south perimeters of the Verdant Wastes," he commanded. "His Majesty's reinforcements will be here in an hour. We cannot afford to lose our foothold before they arrive."
He must have sensed my movement, because he turned his head and locked eyes with me. "So, you're finally awake. You haven't forgotten our little agreement, have you?"
I swallowed hard, my voice raspy. "N-no. I haven't forgotten."
"Then stay put, kid."
Damn it, I thought, sinking back onto the dirt floor. He's too strong, and that 'Problematic Ability' of his makes escape impossible. If I run, he'll just reappear behind me and finish the job. All I can do now is wait for a miracle.
Minutes felt like hours. Suddenly, a scout from the southern perimeter burst into the camp. "Captain! We have massive movement heading our way! It's an imperial force!"
The Captain's expression shifted from boredom to a cold, focused intensity. "Battle positions, now! And you, kid—" He leveled a serious gaze at me. "If you try anything, you know exactly what happens."
"Yeah, yeah. Go fight your war," I muttered, though my heart was racing.
This is it. My only chance.
I watched from the shadows of the tent as the clearing erupted into chaos. The Luminarch soldiers clashed with the Imperial Royal Guard. Screams of pain and the ring of steel on steel filled the air.
"My turn," I whispered, a grim smile touching my lips. "Fire Magic: Ignition."
I focused my mana, the heat searing through the ropes until they snapped. I scrambled toward the back of the tent, desperate to avoid the main fray. The rain had turned into a torrential downpour, making every step a gamble. If I was spotted now, I was a dead man.
I bolted into the dense undergrowth of the Verdant Wastes, running in the opposite direction of the camp. But as I ran, I felt a surge of mana so immense it made the very air vibrate. It was coming from the southern reaches of the forest.
That power... it feels familiar.
I changed course, drawn toward the source like a moth to a flame. When I reached the clearing, I froze. There stood Grandpa Clif, clad in battle armor, his legendary staff glowing with a fierce light. Facing him was a man I recognized from the stories—the King's Sword. He was a towering figure, nearly 1.80 meters tall with silver-blond hair and black armor that seemed to swallow the light. He wielded a massive, thick-bladed sword the color of midnight.
The Luminarch Captain and a handful of his elite soldiers were already there, caught between the two imperial powerhouses.
"That terrifying aura... it was Grandpa all along," I breathed.
I leaped down toward Clif. "Grandpa! What are you doing here?"
Clif spun around, his eyes wide with shock. "I should be asking you that! This is the most dangerous part of the Wastes, Alex! We're about to enter a battle to the death!"
"I'm not sitting this one out," I said, my jaw set. "I'm going to help you take down these soldiers."
Clif looked at me, a proud smile breaking through his concern. "Alright. But where's your sword?"
I looked down, embarrassed. "I... I lost it to the Captain in our duel. He still has it."
Clif's gaze shifted to the Captain, his expression darkening. This guy is trouble. His eyes turned a brilliant, piercing white as he used his mana-sight to analyze the Captain's holy energy. He was startled by what he saw, but he didn't flinch. He leaned toward his companion, the King's Sword, and whispered.
"That man is overflowing with mana. We're going to have to give it everything we've got if we want to walk away from this."
The King's Sword—a man named Hino—nodded, his voice like grinding stone. "I understand. Since you're a mage, I'll take the Captain one-on-one. You and your grandson handle the rest of the soldiers."
The Luminarch Captain, whose name I soon learned was Yusuke, let out a mocking laugh. "Did you forget I was standing right here? You talk as if you've already won. Pathetic."
"That arrogance will be your undoing," Hino replied.
"Then let's end this," Yusuke challenged.
"Gladly."
Hino charged. Yusuke met him with a roar, his blade glowing with Purification as he effortlessly parried a strike that would have cleaved a lesser man in two. Hino retreated instantly, his own blade crackling with Black Thunder.
Yusuke's laughter was dry and mocking. "Taking it seriously now, are we? Hahaha!" He leveled his sword at Hino. "Holy Enhancement!"
Hino's eyes widened in genuine shock. "What? Holy Enhancement? That's a forbidden art, lost to the high echelon of the Theocracy!"
"So you've heard of it," Yusuke sneered. "This ability multiplies my power tenfold."
But I don't have much time, Yusuke thought privately. The mana drain is immense. Once I hit the limit, the backlash will be catastrophic. That's why they call it forbidden.
Hino didn't hesitate. He activated his own Physical Enhancement, boosting his speed and defense five times over.
"May I know the name of the man I'm about to kill?" Yusuke asked.
"I am Hino," the King's Sword replied. "And I am the one who will end your life."
"Hahaha! I am Yusuke, holder of the Sixth Seat among the Twelve Thrones of the Luminarca Conclave!"
"Enough talk. Time to die."
Yusuke vanished, moving at a speed that defied logic. Hino tried to dodge, but the tip of Yusuke's blade caught his armor, shearing through the heavy plate as if it were parchment.
What? Hino thought, leaping back into the trees. It was just a graze, and yet it took out half my chest plate...
Hino unleashed a barrage of lightning spells from the canopy, but Yusuke danced through the bolts with terrifying grace, closing the distance in a heartbeat. Their battle became a blur of light and shadow, moving deeper into the Wastes.
Meanwhile, Clif turned to me. "I'm going to use a high-level spell to clear these soldiers out." He reached into a spatial rift and pulled out a standard-issue sword, tossing it to me. "Take this."
"I'll do my best, Grandpa. The rain has stopped, but I'm still low on mana. I'll stick to swordplay."
"Give it your all, my son. I'm counting on you."
Clif began his incantation. The enemy soldiers charged, but I met them head-on. Using my Physical Enhancement and the techniques Clif had drilled into me, I began cutting them down one by one.
"The spell is ready!" Clif shouted. He slammed his staff into the earth. "Wind Magic: Three Fangs!"
A massive, three-headed wolf made of pure, swirling wind erupted from a magic circle. It lunged at the Luminarch soldiers, devouring them in a whirlwind of teeth and mana.
"Not finished yet!" Clif roared. "Stone Golems, rise!"
Two towering behemoths of rock pulled themselves from the earth, joining the wolf in a devastating offensive. I watched, awestruck. "Wow, Grandpa... that's incredible!"
Clif rubbed the back of his head, looking almost embarrassed. "Just a little something I picked up in a dungeon years ago, haha."
But the levity didn't last. "Did Hino finish his fight?" I asked. "We should check on him."
We ran toward the site of the duel. When we arrived, the scene was a nightmare.
"You were good," Yusuke said, his voice cold and steady. His sword was buried deep in Hino's chest. "But you're finished."
Hino spat a mouthful of blood, his voice a mere whisper. "You... you're not human... tsk..."
Yusuke wrenched the blade free, letting the King's Sword collapse into the mud. He enchanted his sword with sacred mana and drove it through Hino's heart, ending the life of the empire's greatest warrior.
"What? Hino... lost?" Clif whispered, his voice trembling with disbelief.
Yusuke turned to us, calmly wiping Hino's blood from his blade. "He was strong. It was a fun diversion."
Clif's aura began to swell, turning dense and suffocating. I had never seen the old man this angry. I knew I couldn't just stand there.
The rain is gone. I can use my fire now.
I closed my eyes, whispered an enchantment, and unleashed a massive fireball. I followed right behind it, charging at Yusuke with my sword leveled. But Yusuke was ready. He summoned a spectral angel that swatted my fireball aside like a fly, and he easily parried my lunge.
"I'm done playing games with you, kid," Yusuke said, his eyes flashing. He lunged.
I can't dodge this!
"I won't let you!" Clif roared. He slammed his staff down, and chains of pure mana erupted from the ground, binding Yusuke's limbs and halting his strike.
Yusuke snarled, commanding his spectral angel to attack Clif. Clif sent his golems and the wind wolf to intercept.
"Grandpa!" I shouted, sliding to his side. "Can you use those chains again? If you can hold him for just a second, I'll go for a surprise attack!"
"I'll try. When you see the opening, don't hesitate."
I don't have much mana left, I thought, my heart pounding. I can't boost my speed. I have to put everything into a fire enchantment on my blade. If I fail here, it's over.
"I'm ready, Grandpa. Let's do this."
I charged. Yusuke met me, our blades clashing in a frantic rhythm. I just had to hold him there... just for a moment.
"I'm going to kill you both!" Yusuke screamed, his bloodlust palpable.
"The magic is ready, Alex!" Clif shouted.
I feinted a high strike, creating the opening Clif needed.
"Chains of Death!" Clif cried.
The chains lashed out, but Yusuke was faster. "Purification!" A blinding light erupted from him, melting Clif's chains before they could settle. He lunged at me. I tried to twist away, but his blade caught me across the chest.
I fell back, the world spinning. Yusuke moved in for the kill, but a shimmering barrier snapped into existence around me, courtesy of Clif.
My vision began to blur. I looked at Clif one last time before the darkness took me.
I hope this isn't fatal for him, Clif thought, his own mana reserves hitting rock bottom. I'll use what's left to heal him, and then... I'll give everything I have left to this world.
"The kid is done, old man," Yusuke sneered, his smile wide and cruel. "Surrender or die."
"I will not surrender," Clif said, his voice steady. "To die as a man is the true prize of war."
"Then die!"
Clif rushed to my side, expanding the barrier to cover us both. "I'm going to heal you, Alex. But first..." He cast a cloning spell, his double taking over the maintenance of the barrier.
"G-Grandpa..." I groaned, my eyes fluttering open.
"Alex, listen to me. I need you to do one thing: survive. I'm summoning my eagle. It will take you back to the empire."
"No! Grandpa, you'll die! I won't leave you!"
"I was going to die anyway, remember?" Clif said, a sad smile on his face even as tears tracked through the grime on his cheeks. "We don't have time. Go, Alex. Don't let this be in vain."
He struck his staff on the ground three times. A triangular magic circle formed, and a massive eagle materialized. It gripped me in its talons, lifting me into the air.
"This will be my final performance," Clif whispered as I was carried away.
"Let's see what you've got, old man!" Yusuke shouted.
More Luminarch soldiers were flooding into the clearing. Clif watched them come, his mind expanding, seeing the world in slow motion. He drew a massive circle around the entire battlefield.
Yusuke's sword pierced Clif's chest.
Clif smiled. "Forbidden Magic: Cataclysm of Death."
The world disappeared in a blinding white light. A massive, mushroom-shaped cloud of fire and mana rose into the sky, consuming everything in the clearing.
I watched from the eagle's talons, a scream dying in my throat as the only home I had ever known vanished in a roar of light.