He stood up from the rock where he had been sitting and began to walk slowly toward us.
My brothers, tense, drew their swords, ready to strike the moment he got any closer.
—"Hey, hey… relax, guys. I'm not here to fight. I just came to tell you something important.
So listen… and lower your swords," he said with a mocking tone.
—"One more step and I'll cut off your damn head," Akira replied, unsheathing his katana, his rage barely contained.
The man froze instantly.
He looked at us carefully, one by one, and then burst out laughing with a twisted, unhinged grin.
—"You know… you are the last living humans on the entire planet.
The rest died in battle.
And the ones who were enslaved… they're being executed as we speak.
In a few minutes, the human race will be extinct.
Well… except for you… eleven."
Daichi clenched his teeth before speaking:
—"It doesn't matter. We'll kill every last one of you.
And when we do, no one will speak of your kind again.
You'll cease to exist."
—"Hahaha! That was hilarious," the man said, smirking.
"If that's what you want, then head to the portal in the City of Ruins.
It's near the Elven Kingdom.
That portal will lead you straight to us."
—"This will be your end… and your clan's—whatever you are. Do you hear me?" Daichi replied, stepping forward.
—"So be it, then.
We'll be waiting… in the Realm of the Heavens.
But tell me something…"
The man pointed straight at me and stopped in front of me.
—"How is it possible that you're still alive…
when I killed you with my own hands?"
He sighed, shook his head, and hit his forehead with his fist, as if he couldn't believe it.
—"Tch… what am I saying? You barely have any magic power…
But you gave me quite the scare, you know?
That damn knight… he lasted over ten minutes guarding the door.
It pissed me off so much!
That's why his death was slow and painful.
He could barely scream when I tore his head off.
Hahahaha!"
I couldn't take it anymore.
—"YOU'LL REGRET THAT! I'll kill you with my own hands!" I screamed, all the rage in my soul pouring out.
—"Hahahaha… I'll be waiting for you, then, new knight.
Let's see if you last longer than he did."
And without another word, he opened his black wings and rose into the sky, vanishing into the clouds.
---
We looked at each other in silence for a few seconds.
We knew exactly where we had to go: the City of Ruins.
It was near the Elven Kingdom.
It would take us two days on foot, so we set off immediately.
On the way, we passed destroyed villages, abandoned towns…
Everything that man said… was true.
There were no more humans left alive.
The human race… had been annihilated.
Our mission to protect it… had failed.
---
That night, we camped beside a river.
We caught some fish, bathed, and cooked dinner.
During the meal, we started to recall old memories from our childhood.
Everyone laughed at stories from the past…
I couldn't remember any of it.
But my heart knew that everything they said was true.
I knew that I, too, had once laughed like that…
---
The next morning, we continued walking toward our destination:
To kill the gods.
Hours later, we finally arrived at the entrance to the City of Ruins.
A massive wooden gate, overgrown with vines, blocked the way.
Together, we pulled away the vines, one by one, until the door was fully revealed.
We pushed hard…