Millburn Town.
Boom!
Boom!
Bang!
"Ah! Please help me!"
"Hey!!! Don't leave us!!"
"Bastar—Arghhh!"
"Gak!"
Earsplitting explosions and detonations resounded alongside the painful howl and screams of the villagers. The originally tranquil and peaceful utopia-like land had now transformed into a place of horror and despair.
The defiant buildings that previously stood proudly were decimated and reduced to ruins. The houses made of concrete were melted by incandescent flames and were burnt to dust. The villagers living in their snug, warm homes witnessed the destruction of their birthplace, they saw their familiar friends and family who they've spent time with, slaughtered and immolated, powerless. The town they considered their home, razed and turned to ruins in a blink of an eye.
Dismembered and mutilated bodies filled the streets, the walls and roofs painted and dyed with fresh blood, and the screeching cries of terror and dread reverberating at the same time in every inch of the small town, forming an orchestra of death and destruction.
Above the town roamed winged reptile-looking monsters, flying and gliding, wreaking havoc everywhere as they spat out the famed dragon breath, disintegrating the helpless and weak humans below.
Warriors and knights clad in leather and metal armors held their ground against the hoard of lizard-like monsters that wielded different weapons while withstanding the destructive rays of light from above.
"Bloody hell! Where are the reinforcements from the kingdom?! Right side, shields up, hold your ground!" yelled a knight adorned in black armor that dripped of blood. "Mages, bombard the bastards with destructive spells in exactly five seconds from now."
"Commander Gawen, the left wing's being pushed back! Their side is about to be breached!" reported a young man that seemed to be in his mid-20s with a solemn expression.
Glancing at the enduring warriors and knights that wielded shields, spears, and spears on the left side of the formation, Gawen clenched his teeth and asked the young man. "Damn it! Victor, what's the status of the spellcasters?"
"Sir, most of our spellcasters have already depleted their mana, our stock of mana potions have all been used up as well," said Victor, his hopeless eyes full of despair.
"What about the villagers? How many casualties do we have?" although he didn't want to know the answer to this question, Gawen still asked.
Victor was silent for a moment before replying gloomily. "Of the 10,000 locals of Millburn, it is estimated that at least 6,500 people have died, with the rest either severely injured, already dead, or missing."
"Push them back! Push them back!"
"Watch out for the Wyverns' breath attacks!"
"Damn these lizards, they just keep coming and coming!"
Frantic and frenzied cries could be heard as the knights in the front-line tried to push back the lizard amidst their formation.
Gawen's heart sunk to the bottom of the abyss as his expression darkened. "And of our troops?" as he said this, he looked at his comrades gritting their teeth to fight the hordes of [Lizard Warriors] and the terrifying [Wyverns] that numbered hundreds, flying in the sky.
"Of the 3,000 knights and warriors from the kingdom, 833 have died in battle, 1,200 are fatally injured with the priests doing their utmost to heal them, and there are some that have already fled."
Hearing the report, desperation filled the commander's eyes as he had a difficult time breathing. "And the scouts? Any news from them?"
"One of the three has returned and reported that a 5,000-man army from the kingdom has already been deployed, and as for the other two, still no news."
Cursing, Gawen roared. "A 5-000-man army has been deployed just recently? By the time they get here, we'll all be dead then, and so will the rest of the villagers!" Just as he was about to jump to the front-lines as well, he paused.
At this moment, a few hundred meters from afar, a skinny figure wearing a light leather armor could be seen running madly towards the knights. "Commander!!! Good news!!!"
Hearing the words, "Good news", Gawen, Victor, and the other knights around, all turned around and looked at the scout that was running to their direction.
Creating a path, the knights moved aside as the skinny scout ran and only stopped a few steps before the commander.
"I.. I have some good news, no, great news!" when he reached Gawen, the young man gasped for breath for a few moments before looking at his commander with a joyous expression. "The illustrious EverGuard Warriors are on their way here to aid us!"
What?! EverGuard Warriors?! Hearing those words, Commander Gawen suddenly laughed uproariously. "Hahaha! Thank the gods! Bell, how long before they get here?"
Alongside Gawen's laugh, the rest of the knights all heaved a sigh of relief when they heard that warriors from the esteemed EverGuard City were coming to support them.
The scout named Bell quickly replied," They should take less than half an hour before they get here, or maybe even less."
Commander Gawen sighed with relief. He then turned around and roared loudly. "Everyone alive, listen up! Powerful warriors from EverGuard City are on their way to support us! That's right, I said EverGuard City!" as the loud shout reverberated in the village, the knights and warriors in the middle of combat all laughed loudly.
Bloody hell! The esteemed EverGuard Warriors are actually coming to help! Cleaning up these monsters should take no time when they get here!
Gawen continued "They should get here in less than 30 minutes and we can definitely hold our ground till then!"
Right then and there, every single soldier fighting for their lives, for their comrades', and for their purpose, all boiled with excitement, their rage being fueled thoroughly. The morale of the troops instantly soared to the skies!
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Looking at the battlefield, Gawen, Victor and the rest of the knights and warriors, all took out their respective weapons. Roaring with fury, they all leaped towards the battle.
**********
At this moment, a few hundred miles from Millburn Town, a group of warriors that numbered 50 could be seen riding warhorses that were clad in armor. The warriors were all incredibly powerful and they wore rare armors and wielded unique weapons, their aura towering up to the sky, deadly to behold. All of them were monstrously strong, the weakest being a [Gold] ranked warrior, while the strongest being a peak-[Royal] ranked powerhouse.
The armor of the horses seemed to be made from rare materials and metals while being delicately and overbearingly designed. Although they were heavy armors, the horses weren't slowed down at all as they kept running at an incomprehensible speed.
Amongst these horses was a powerful-looking black stallion with a blazing red mane and red eyes. The most striking part of the horse were the sparks of flames it left behind on its trail, resembling a stallion that originated from the inferno! Furthermore, it was adorned with a lustrous red-heavy armor that had detailed engravings on it, akin to a work of a master craftsman, exuding an overwhelming presence that could frighten monsters, sending them feeling in terror.
Sitting atop the black stallion was a young man with an otherworldly appearance and a pair of radiant golden eyes that shone with resplendence. He had jet-black hair that flowed carefreely along the wind and a face that dimmed gods and immortals alike. Currently, Jaden was looking at the skill page of [Sundering Heavens] that was updated previously.
_______________________
[Sundering Heavens] (Legendary)
Type: Active
Level: 1 / 5 (33%)
Description: Created by an unparalleled genius who had enlightenment, the skill's power and potential shocks even the gods above. Once unleashed, the heavens shall cry and the earth tremble. Be it gods, devils, demons, or even the world itself, none shall stand in your way!
→ The skill can be enhanced and used alongside Fighting Aura, strengthening the destructive power of the skill by 200%.
Mana Consumption: None.
Cooldown: 12 hours.
_______________________
"Fighting Aura is really a miraculous thing, huh, it can even enhance [Sundering Heavens]...wait, can Fighting Aura also enhance other attack skills?" holding his perfectly chiseled chin, Jaden pondered.
After looking over the updated skill, he also checked the new skill he obtained a while ago.
_______________________
[Riding]
Type: Passive
Mastery: Intermediate 1 (8%)
→ When riding a mount, movement speed increases by 11%.
→ Easier actions and movement when riding a mount.
_______________________
To prepare Jaden for the expedition, other than the monstrously intense combat training, Roland also had Jaden practice riding. Although Jaden felt awkward and made a lot of mistakes at the start, he still got the hang of it in no time, surprising both Roland and Fang. And after a month of training, [Riding]'s mastery had improved from Basic to Intermediate 1.
After checking out the skill, Jaden then proceeded to eye his status page.
_______________________
STATUS
Name: King
Age: 18
Level: 1
Class: Swordsman
Title: Disciple of the Lord of EverGuard
World Rep: 21,999
Attributes:
STR: 244
AGI: 231
CON: 225
INT: 176
VIT: 189
WIS: 170
Innate:
CHA: 159
LUC: 60
PER: 120
FOR: 160
_______________________
If a player were to see Jaden's attributes and level right now, then that player would definitely say that he was seeing things. Such high attributes are impossible to attain for a mere Level 1 insect!
After a full month of nonstop, insane training while withstanding the overbearing pressure of a [Royal] and [Imperial] power at the same time, this miracle occurred. At the last day of training, Jaden was capable of fighting Fang and Roland under the intense pressure, of course, only the pressure, since Jaden would probably die the moment he experiences the true strength of a [Royal] ranked powerhouse let alone an [Imperial] one.
Still, such feats were unprecedented and unheard of!
"Hey kid, we're only a few minutes away, prepare yourself." at this moment, a blonde-hair man with a sword sheathed on his back approached atop a beautiful white stallion that had a horn on its forehead.
The man was Fang.
Hearing Fang's words, Jaden looked up and glanced afar, towards the direction where they were going. As he sat atop the warhorse, he could see the distant dark clouds that loomed the sky, it was like an omen or the symbol of a calamity as it hanged above with a foreboding presence.
Fang and the rest of the warriors also saw and felt the calamitous presence that loomed above the town that exuded bloodthirst and chaos.
"We're only a few minutes away but when we get there, the city might already be razed to the ground without any survivors left, so let's hurry up!" shouted Fang as he slapped down his rein, commanding his white horse to run faster.
"Yes, sir Fang."
"Okay guys, brother Fang already said so, let's go on full speed."
"Damn those berserk dragons!"
After Fang had yelled his words, the rest of the warriors all agreed and rode the horses, full speed ahead.
Jaden also hurried his pace as he followed alongside Fang with his black warhorse.
**********
"They're here! They're here!" shouted Bell as he used an eye technique to see farther into the distance.
Up in the sky, Gawen heard Bell's yelps as he beheaded the Wyvern that he was standing on. Looking into the distance, he saw the silhouette of the figures he and his comrades have been waiting for. Gawen jumped from the Wyvern that fell down the sky and landed beside Bell.
Roarrrr!!!!!
ROARRR!!
GRUAAAAA!!!
Just as he was about to shout out the news of the EverGuard Warrior's arrival, he heard multiple deafening cries that nearly shattered his eardrums. As the fearsome roars reverberated in his ears like thunder, his legs shook as they lost strength, he could only kneel on the ground, powerless.
It wasn't just Gawen, and it wasn't just the whole warrior, knight, and mage groups, as even the endless waves of Lizard Warriors were silent, kneeling subserviently, akin to a servant prostrating oneself in front of a king; even the Wyverns that soared the sky all dropped and fell to the ground helplessly.
Gawen, Victor, Bell, and the rest of the army, all looked towards the source of the thunderous cries. They all saw it. They all saw them.
Five colossal figures resembling the mythical dragons could be seen flying rapidly towards the battlefield.
The Berserk Dragons have come!
As the dragons drew closer, they brought about a dreadful aura as the essence of the surrounding mana, light, and even life itself started deteriorating and regress. The Lizard Warriors and the Wyverns that had traces of draconic bloodline all bowed their heads and knelt as if it was an instinct of not just their blood, but their very existence.
Gawen raised his head with difficulty and stared at the dragons with bloodshot eyes. He saw one of them open its massive jaw as an ink-black mana and light gathered within it. Gawen felt his bones shudder as two words appeared in his mind.
Dragon Breath!
Boom!
A black ray of light shot forth from the large maw of the dragon into their direction. In a blink of an eye, it had already arrived tens of meters away from the army.
'It's over.' thought everyone present as they watched the incoming destructive attack, headed their way.
*Whoosh*
Right then, a sound of the wind itself being sliced apart could be heard.
Bang!
The ink-black dragon breath collided against something as the dragon's attack was split apart effortlessly.
Squinting its eyes, the corners of the mouth of the berserk dragon that shot out the dragon breath lifted as it saw a ten-meter long sword light swiftly flying towards its direction.
Gawen turned around and he saw a figure of a young man from afar, dashing towards them at an unbelievable speed.
**********
"Hey kid! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Oi! Jaden! Come back here now!
"Fuck, the kid's lost his mind."
Clamors and uproar could be heard amongst the armored warriors from EverGuard as they urged their warhorses to move faster.
Fang smiled when he saw the young man shot forward in a blink of an eye towards the dragon. Unsheathing the sword on his back, Fang also leaped to the sky as he positioned himself into a stance.
'Dragons...' thought Jaden as he ran towards the battlefield with unbelievable speed. The moment he saw the dragon breath from the dragon, Jaden already dismounted and started running.
At this moment, thick golden aura covered the entirety of Jaden, enhancing his physique, and strengthening his very being.
'Forsaken.' said Jaden in his mind as a rustic obsidian sword appeared in his hand. The sword looked so ordinary and common that it was as if it was a normal iron sword that was simply painted black. There were no striking engravings or beautiful design and patterns that enhanced its looks, however, a faint archaic aura could be felt coming from it.
Akin to a chained behemoth, the sword was only waiting for the right time. The right time when the shackles that have been chaining it down could be undone so it can finally be free, and by then, the sword's glory and splendor shall be known throughout the world.
Pulling his arm, Jaden gathered his momentum. Golden aura exuded from him as it covered his whole body and even the surroundings, radiating towering majesty and fearsome strength.
As golden ripples appeared around him, it was as if there were multiple golden illusory rings encircling around Jaden, enhancing his exalted appearance that resembled that of a god.
Destructive power alongside Fighting Aura encompassed a hundred-meter radius around him, forming a unique territory or domain.
With a simple thrust of his sword, space crumbled like paper as the land below were shattered and decimated, forming shockingly wide fissures.
[Sundering Heavens]!