Mounted on his dark horse, Captain Saiba of the imperial knights charged across the bloody battlefield. In his right hand, he wielded his enchanted blade, beheading every Matra in his path. None could withstand the slash of his Dagma Blades—how could they, when they were crafted specifically for him by Aeros, the greatest mage of Rucaria?

In the distance, a colossal Matra fixed its gaze on Saiba. Lifting a massive tree log with its right hand, it hurled it toward him with tremendous force. Noticing the incoming projectile, Saiba smirked. "How scary," he muttered, his voice dripping with mockery. As the log hurtled toward him, he leaped onto it, then sprang off its top, skillfully evading it and leaving it to crush his horse.

While still midair, Saiba slashed with his dual blades, sinking them into the neck of a great-sized Matra. Landing gracefully, he dashed forward with inhuman speed, cutting down Matras in his relentless advance toward the colossal foe.

As Saiba closed the distance, the colossal Matra raised its massive hand and stroke down, shrouding him in a thick smokescreen. Moments later, Saiba emerged from the dust cloud and darted swiftly along the beast's arm toward its head. The Matra, sensing the danger, tried to crush him on its shoulder, but as it lifted its hand, it discovered he had vanished.

Atop the Matra's head stood Saiba, his right hand shading his eyes as he appeared to scan the battlefield. It seemed this had been his objective from the start, using the height of the colossal Matra to gain a better view.

From a distance, Saiba caught sight of Kuda, Rucaria's legendary hero and his childhood friend. The blonde warrior had fallen to his knees, facing Rucaria's greatest foe—Xenon, the ancient being leading the invasion against the city alongside his army of Matras.

Xenon was anything but human, a manifestation of terror in the form of a slender humanoid monster. His pale white skin was laced with dark veins, his glowing purple eyes radiated menace, and his jet-black hair cascaded down to his back. A creature of overwhelming power, Xenon was capable of defeating even humanity's strongest knight—Kuda himself.

"Kuda, no..." expressed Saiba, his eyes widened.

He then looked down and glanced several knights surrounding the colossal Matra, too afraid to make a move.

"You there!" He yelled, "take care of this thing for me, will ya?"

"W-what?!" Questioned a knight in fear.

"You're the mages, aren't you? This should be a piece of cake for you."

"Curse you, Saiba!" Shouted another knight.

"Don't you dare escape with your tail between your legs!" Yelled another.

"Tsk," Saiba scoffed, "useless bastards."

Suddenly, the Matra brought his hands together in a deafening clap above his head, aiming to crush Saiba.

"Has the Inferior scum finally bitten the dust?" mocked a knight.

The Matra spread his hands apart, and to everyone's shock, there was no trace of Saiba.

From above, Saiba descended onto the Matra's point of view, and in an instant, everything went dark as Saiba drove his blades into both of the Matra's eyes.

He then quickly propelled himself away from the monster, which let out a deafening scream of agonized pain.

"Watch out!" warned Saiba, landing swiftly next to the knights. "It's about to get messy." He then quickly dodged the Matra's strike, which sent a knight flying into the air.

Blinded by Saiba's thrust, the Matra went berserk, wildly swinging his hands and taking down several knights in a frantic attempt to crush Saiba.

The Matra suddenly halted its relentless attacks and raised its left arm, only to reveal that it had lost a hand, and blood poured out of the wound.

"Playtime's over, big guy!" Shouted Saiba as he charged at its leg, slashing the joint and sending the creature crashing to the ground, chin first.

"I'll leave the cleanup for you, boys!" he yelled as he sprinted away.

"I hate that guy," complained a knight, just before being brutally crushed by the still-living Matra.

At the centre of the battlefield stood Xenon, looming over the gravely injured Kuda.

"I have only respect for you, great hero," said Xenon in a deep, emotionless tone, "you've displayed power and bravery, unprecedented."

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"Complimented by Mr. Chaos Incarnate himself?" He laughed, "I'm flattered."

Kuda then began to cough heavily, spilling blood from his mouth as he struggled to breathe. His wounds were too severe; he was nearing death.

"It pains me that you could not see the truth, you were stubborn to the very end."

"I already told you," Kuds rasped, struggling to speak, "your truth has no place in this world."

"Is that so?" Inquired Xenon, "then what about the other world? The one you came from."

"How the hell do you—" Kuda gasped, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"I know your little secret, hero. I know how you acquired your power, the one unmatched by any other. The power that far surpasses any form of magic."

"You... You know about—"

"I know everything there is to know, hero," Xenon said, raising a finger as dark mana began to swirl at its tip. "And after I rid the world of you, I too will possess this power."

A massive orb of dark energy formed at Xenon's fingertip, lightning crackling from it as powerful winds surged around it.

Powerless, Kuds remained in place, his right hand clutching his injured shoulder. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped as he stared at his impending doom.

"I, too," announced Xenon, "will get... A system."

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through, and in the blink of an eye, Saiba materialized beside Kuda. In that instant, it felt as though time itself had stopped.

In the brief moment following Saiba's reckless charge, Kuda seized his foot mid-air and appeared to be chanting a spell. Moments later, just before Saiba's eyes, the entire scenery shifted; both he and Kuda were suddenly teleported away from the battlefield.

Driven by the momentum, Saiba's legs carried him a few more steps before he came to a halt. "Where is this?" he muttered to himself, then turned his head to glance at the capital city of Rucaria—and beside it, the war-ravaged landscape. They were on a hillside, a safe distance away.

"Saiba..." said Kuda, lying on the ground, his breath heavy. "Come to me, brother."

"Kuda!" yelled Saiba in concern, quickly rushing to his friend. "You're... in horrible shape, little brother," he chuckled.

"Yeah..." He coughed, "I've seen better days, alright."

"It's okay, we'll patch you up real quick, it's not too late—"

"I'm afraid this is it for me, brother."

"What? No! What are saying?!"

"Listen... Saiba," he muttered, grabbing the kneeling Saiba by his shirt and pulling him closer.

"Xenon.. has won... he'll soon claim Rucaria as his own... There's no stopping him now."

"We can worry about that later, right now we need to—"

"Just shut up and listen!" Yelled Kuda, "you will have to carry on in my stead, Saiba."

"What? Me? I can't even use magic!"

"You won't need to, I will give you my power."

"Your power?"

"Yes... The power that I brought with me from the other world...the system, I can transfer it to you."

"The other world? What the hell are you blabbering about?! Have you finally lost it, Kuda?!"

"You will understand everything when the time is right, Saiba, right now all I need of you is to promise me... Save Rucaria."

"I... I am no hero, Kuda... You know that more than anyone."

"Promise me, Saiba!" He shouted.

"I..." He hesitated, his gaze locked on his dying brother—his mouth bloodied, his right eye gone. Yet, in the one eye that remained, there was the same look as always: a look of concern for others, a look of unwavering selflessness.

"I promise."

"Give me your hand," Kuda said with a smile.

The two friends joined hands. Brilliant white rays of light began flowing from Kuda to Saiba, and several system windows materialized around them, flickering with streams of data and symbols.

[System transfer in progress]

"What.. is this..?" Wondered Saiba.

"Today, Rucaria falls," announced Kuda, "but a new hero... Rises."

[System transfer completed]

"Saiba... Unlock the power of the system... Find allies... And when the time is right... Come back and kick Xenon's but—"

"Kuda!" The worried friend shook his dying brother, "don't you die on me, Kuda!"

"I... Believe in you... Big brother," he said before he drew his last breath.