A few minutes ago

Arion gritted his teeth, barely managing to hold his sword in his trembling right hand. Next to him, Ava and Cyrus lay on the ground, wounded and barely conscious. Cyrus's spear was broken in half, the tip shattered into a million pieces. His left arm and leg were gone, and his left shoulder hung by a thread of flesh. Ava had lost both of her arms, her robes soaked in blood.

Arion himself was in no better shape. His left arm was missing entirely, while his right hand was bent at an unnatural angle, bones broken, but he still clung to his sword. His vision blurred with pain and exhaustion, but he refused to fall.

“You’re a tough one, aren’t you?” The succubus laughed. The other Goblin Emperors chuckled along. "I’m surprised you haven’t fainted like those two bugs. This is becoming... quite interesting."

Arion didn’t respond, only glared at the succubus. He knew that while he, Cyrus, and Ava might have taken down one Goblin Emperor, facing four was impossible. Their skin was impenetrable to both physical and magical attacks.

Cyrus had been the first to fall, struck down when a Goblin Emperor severed his left shoulder in a single blow. Ava saved him with a blast of lightning, but in doing so, she was caught off guard. Another Goblin Emperor cut off both her arms and kicked her, spilling her guts. Arion had managed to use healing potions to keep them alive, but even those could only do so much.

“Well, I’m busy right now, so it’s a shame I can’t keep playing with you,” the succubus said with a grin. “And it looks like the goblins have finally broken through the gate. I wonder how long your precious humans can hold out.”

At his words, Arion whipped his head toward the fort. Sure enough, columns of smoke rose into the sky. His heart sank.

“Lord William…?!”

"William?" The succubus’s grin widened as he licked his lips. “Oh, this William must be special to you. I’ll make sure to play with him until he’s completely broken.”

Arion’s expression twisted into rage. Gripping his sword tightly, he gathered the last of his strength. “I’ll kill you!” he roared, charging at the succubus.

The succubus just laughed and lazily waved for the Goblin Emperors to handle him. Three of them moved in. The first swung its club down, but Arion managed to block it with his sword. However, the pain in his injured arm became unbearable, and his grip faltered.

Time seemed to slow as the Goblin Emperor’s club came crashing toward Arion’s face. He closed his eyes, knowing this was the end. ‘I’m sorry, my lord… I couldn’t keep my promise…’

But then, a force shoved him aside. Arion caught a glimpse of Cyrus gritting his teeth as he pushed him out of harm’s way. Before Arion could react, the Goblin Emperor’s club came down.

Arion closed his eyes in horror. When he opened them, all he saw was a corpse covered in blood where Cyrus once stood.

The Goblin Emperor seemed disappointed but shrugged and advanced on Arion again.

“Cyrus?” Arion murmured, staring at the spot where his friend had been.

They had only known each other for a week, training and fighting together, but in that short time, they had become close. The death of Cyrus was a huge burden on him and what’s more, Cyrus died because he was reckless.

The Goblin Emperor stepped forward, its massive club lifted once more. Arion barely had the strength to stand, his body broken, his spirit flickering like a dying flame. He glanced at Ava, barely alive on the ground, and then at Cyrus’s lifeless body lying in a pool of blood.

‘Is this how it ends?’ Arion thought. ‘After everything, I’ve failed. I’ve failed my lord, my friends, and everyone counting on me.’

The succubus crackled from the Goblin Emperor’s shoulder, relishing Arion’s despair. “What a pitiful sight,” he mocked. “Do you regret trying to be the hero, Arion? If you had just accepted your fate, maybe your friends would still be alive. But now, you get to die knowing it’s all your fault.”

Arion clenched his teeth, every part of his body screaming in pain. He could feel the weight of failure pressing down on him, suffocating him. But beneath the pain, there was something else. A spark.

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‘No. This can’t be the end.’

A memory surfaced. Lord William’s face, stern but encouraging, as he had entrusted Arion with the mission. Ava and Cyrus, their smiles, their trust. The soldiers fighting for their lives behind him, relying on his success. His comrades, all those he had vowed to protect, still needed him.

The spark grew brighter.

‘I can’t give up. I won’t let their sacrifices be in vain.’

The Goblin Emperor’s club came down, and in that instant, something changed. Time seemed to slow. A brilliant light erupted from within Arion, flooding the battlefield. The club stopped mid-swing, inches from his head, as the radiant energy surrounding him pushed back the darkness.

The light surged, bright as the sun at midday, blinding both the Goblin Emperors and the succubus. Arion rose to his feet, no longer shaking, his sword gleaming with the same brilliant radiance that now coursed through him. His injuries, though still present, no longer felt crippling.

Arion the Lightbringer

has Woken as Champion of Dawn!

———————————————————————————

Those who walk in shadow will meet their end,

For the light of dawn will rise again.

Fear the sword that burns so bright,

Awaken, Hero of Sun, the Lightbringer!

Of course, none but William could see the blue screen. However William was too busy fighting to notice it.

The succubus shielded its eyes from the blinding light. "What... what is this?!"

Arion's eyes burned with a fierce golden glow. "This is your end."

Suddenly, the sun seemed to shine brighter, its light focusing around Arion. He stood taller, a presence larger than himself. His armor glowed like molten gold, and his broken sword reformed, blazing with solar energy.

He raised his sword, now transformed into a radiant blade of pure light, and pointed it toward the Goblin Emperors and the succubus. "You’ll pay for every life you’ve taken."

The Goblin Emperors roared and charged at him, but this time, Arion was ready. With a single swing of his sword, a massive arc of light shot forth, cleaving through two Goblin Emperors, their bodies disintegrating in a brilliant flash. The remaining Goblin Emperors hesitated, uncertain, as they felt the sheer power radiating from Arion.

The succubus screamed in frustration. "No! Kill him! Crush him!"

The last two Goblin Emperors lunged at Arion, but he moved with an immense speed. His sword danced in the sunlight, each strike infused with solar power. The last Goblin Emperors fell, their massive form reduced to ash in the wake of his radiant blade.

As the final Goblin Emperor crumbled, the succubus hissed, its smirk replaced with fear. "You... you can’t defeat me! I am eternal! I am one of the Duke!" It leapt from its perch, attempting to escape, but Arion wasn’t about to let it flee.

He raised his glowing sword high, channeling the full force of the sun’s energy into the blade.

With a blinding flash, Arion brought his sword down, releasing a wave of solar energy that engulfed the succubus. Its scream echoed through the battlefield as the radiant light burned through its dark magic, unraveling its very essence. In mere moments, the succubus was no more, reduced to nothing but smoke and ash.

The battlefield fell silent.

Arion stood alone amidst the ruins, his sword still glowing with the light of the sun. Then, as if a puppet’s strings had been cut, he crumpled to the ground, exhaustion overwhelming him.

"What happened...?" Arion murmured, his mind spinning as he tried to process everything. He had no memories of what had happened, but he remembered something else.

Cyrus. Ava.

He scrambled to his feet and rushed to Cyrus first. Kneeling beside his friend, Arion’s hands trembled as he checked for signs of life. But it was too late. Cyrus’s eyes had lost their light, and his chest no longer rose with breath. Almost all of his body had been crushed flat, broken beyond recognition.

No healing magic or potion could save him. Not now. Not ever.

Just as Arion was about to grieve for his fallen friend, a thunderous roar erupted from all sides. Elite Goblins and Goblin Knights were charging at him, their eyes burning with fury.

Arion tried to stand but immediately collapsed. The pain from his injuries was unbearable, and his strength was completely drained. He could barely move, let alone fight.

‘I wonder what really happened,’ Arion thought, ready to accept his fate. But just as before, someone shoved him aside.

He fell, barely conscious, and through his blurred vision, he saw Ava standing. Her face was twisted in pain, but she managed a smirk when she noticed him looking.

“Alright, Mr. Radiant," Ava said, her voice strained. "My brother's dead, and you’re useless now. Guess I’ll have to do the shining."

“You’re out of mana,” Arion croaked, remembering how she'd exhausted her both mana and potions during the fight.

“Magic can still work without mana.” Ava’s grin widened as electricity crackled around her. “As long as we pay with our lives, we mages can still cast.”

Before Arion could protest, darkness overtook him. His last sight was of Ava screaming, summoning a massive bolt of lightning from the stormy sky.