One way or another I got what I wanted, and yet it was nothing like I envisioned. My body began to deteriorate faster than expected, his unexpected arrival made things even more complicated, and the order… the order’s intervention cost me Ki-joon. King… if only I could strangle him with my own two hands… but that is no task for me to accomplish.
Just as I thought it would happen… I chose to split some of my memories once the chance presented itself… no one knows me better than myself after all. At the time it felt a little rushed, but now I’m glad to have made the right choice... the thought of allowing myself so much power was too frightening to ignore, so I sought help in the only person I could trust with it… Lionheart.
Her control of the spectral gear became quite outstanding over the year, and even without my presence she found a way to untap more of its potential. There’s also her azure ring… it was exactly what I needed for this. It carries so much power that she’s yet to discover, and now… it too carries the most important thing about me.
My core… I can only hope that she will keep it hidden now. So much of me has been transferred into her gear, and now I put my heart in her care as well… if she were someone else, I’d fear the possibilities, but I’m confident that she will be able to end things when the time is right… at least for me. I wanted to remove that part of myself so badly, to return to my old self, but also to remain who I am now. Two conflicting goals… I wonder which one will prevail in the end.
Southern Region of the Deadlands: 936, December 31st, Monday, 4:00 AM.
Concerned for the safety of his old friend, Sebastian neared the ruined castle with haste as he chased after Sovereign. The cuts and bruises in his body, inflicted upon him by the powerful knight known as The Golden Lightning, failed to close and heal themselves despite being cursed with the power of a demon. His body began to weaken with every passing minute, as the fresh winds and gentle weather of the Deadlands had suddenly become a freezing winter.
“Is this… how the others feel when coming here?” he wondered, huffing white mist through his nose with every breath.
Despite his many excursions inside the deadly zone, none of them ever felt as long and lonely as his trip towards the center. Dust, rocks and fog was all he could see for as far as his eyes allowed, with not a single whisper to be heard. For the first time in six years roaming the Deadlands, the major had found himself wondering about his current whereabouts, as if the instinct that guided him for so long had suddenly been forgotten.
“Guess I’ll just follow my gut…” he whispered with furrowed brows.
Though in the midst of a disorienting silence and identical wastelands, the unique landmark that had been left behind by a terrific explosion put a sudden stop to the major’s advance. He planted his feet on the ground while bending his knees, raising a screen of dust around him as he stopped at the very edge of a gigantic crater.
A shocked gasp escaped him as he quickly stepped away, exhaling through pursed lips in a sigh of relief. He gazed upon the absurdly long fall that led to an empty pit of darkness, the heat radiating from within its depths alone forcing a frown in Sebastian’s face. His eyes remained glued to the gigantic precipice however, as a series of sparking waves of electricity crawled all over its rocky walls.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The major froze with a slacked jaw at the horrific sight, knowing well the cause behind such destruction. “Was this…”
“Your god…” a woman interrupted his sentence from behind.
Her familiar voice caused Sebastian to turn around with a rapid motion, coming face to face with the furious azures of a gladean knight. Her once shiny armor slowly crumbled into small chunks of gold, revealing the black turtleneck bodysuit she wore underneath. The once legendary glaive she wielded with pride rested broken in her right hand, having been turned into nothing more than a small pole of burnt steel. Deep wounds and lacerations covered her porcelain skin, leaking streams of blood that rolled down her limbs and body, barely kept together by whatever power the woman had saved within her pathway.
“Miss… Atalanta…”
The blonde knight furiously glared at the major with gritted teeth, displaying weak sparks of golden lightning crackling around her. “I had enough…” she growled, tossing away the pole in her hand. “I’m done showing mercy…”
Sebastian wrapped his fingers around the grip of his giant sword—sheathed safely behind his back, and bent his knees slightly while gulping down with concern. “Wait, listen to me…” he proposed.
Closing her ears to his words however, Atalanta pressed her fingers tightly into shaking fists—making the veins in her hands to surface. “Whatever you have to say at this point is irrelevant to me,” she said. “I’m will put an end to your misery… and then move on to your god.”
With a loud and intimidating roar, The Golden Lightning jumped forward against the major while reeling her fist backwards—creating a powerful lightning bolt that thundered over the battlefield. The sudden attack from the knight forced Sebastian to instinctively take a step away from her, only to have his foot slide off the edge of the crater.
“Ah!”
“Die!”
Atalanta commenced her assault with a furious punch, enveloping her fist with crackling waves of electricity. Her eyes widened with rage the closer she flew to Sebastian, who failed to defense himself against her attack as he slid off the edge. The blonde knight’s knuckles sunk themselves deeply into the major’s face, drawing blood from his lips and nose and they broke through his flesh with ease.
“Ough!” the major cried in pain as he was thrown into the depths of the crater by Atalanta’s attack, followed by a trail of his own blood.
The blonde knight landed safely on the ground after a successful strike, and watched as her staggered foe was taken by gravity into the dark pits of the Deadlands—unaware that she would be the next contender to stare into its depths. “Ngh!” she grunted while falling to her knees, screaming at the agonizing pain of her contracting muscles. “Urgh… Argh!” Her vision blurred, and her senses suddenly shut down for a second to alleviate the pain—forcing her fall forward into the crater. “I’m not… done yet!” she snapped with a roar, pressing her arms firmly to her sides while joining her legs together to form the shape of an arrow—following the major into the depths of the hellish zone.
“Please, listen to me!” Sebastian begged the fast-approaching knight.
“I said enough!” Atalanta retorted, tightening her fists one more time.
“He is a good person!”
“You expected me to believe that!”
The major tried to reason with his foe, though his failed attempts only served to anger the knight even further. The light of the crimson sky was quickly absorbed by the shadows of the gigantic crater, swallowing both Sebastian and Atalanta into its absolute darkness. It did not take long for the enraged gladean knight to reach her target, wasting no time to clobber him with a violent onslaught of punches and kicks.
“Ngh… please.” the major refused to give up on reasoning with The Golden Lightning, whose continuous assault forced him to protect his head with both arms.
“I’ll kill you!” Atalanta yelled furiously, letting out all of her anger with every brutal strike—tearing through the flesh of the major’s arms, and showering her face and fists with his blood.
END OF CHAPTER