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Chapter 14: The Guardian of Blades
The moment the chest from the last trial vanished, the world shifted again. The air trembled, and the ground beneath us cracked open like glass shattering under invisible pressure. I braced myself, my hand instinctively gripping my sword hilt. Silvia hovered close to me, her staff glowing faintly, her breath steady but her eyes betraying the same unease twisting in my gut.
A gust of wind howled around us as the endless stone chamber stretched outward into a massive coliseum. The floor was smooth obsidian, polished yet scarred with deep grooves, as though thousands of battles had been fought here before. At the far end, an enormous gate trembled before exploding open with a metallic roar.
From the darkness stepped a figure.
It wasn't human—not fully. Its body shimmered with metallic armor, but instead of wielding a weapon, blades sprouted from its back like the wings of a cruel angel. Each sword floated and spun lazily around it, their tips dragging sparks as they grazed the floor. Its eyes glowed crimson.
The voice of the trial AI echoed above us.
< CHALLENGE 3 (second trial): SURVIVE THE GUARDIAN OF BLADES >
I exhaled sharply. "Figures it wouldn't be easy."
"Kel," Silvia whispered, raising her staff, "this one feels different. It's… stronger."
"No kidding," I muttered, my fingers tightening on my sword.
The Guardian moved, and the air screamed as the first volley of blades shot toward us like arrows of lightning.
I barely had time to raise a qi barrier. The force of the impact pushed me back, skidding across the obsidian floor, my arms vibrating with the backlash. Silvia stood firm beside me, her ice magic flaring instinctively. A wall of frozen mist blossomed in front of her, absorbing three blades before shattering.
"Keep your guard up!" I shouted, leaping forward.
I slashed at the Guardian, quickly channeling Aurora into qi as my qi bursting out in a radiant arc, but its floating blades intercepted, sparks erupting as metal clashed against my aura. I spun, ducked under another strike, and struck again, but each attempt was deflected by those relentless swords.
"Tch, it's like fighting ten opponents at once," I hissed.
Silvia lifted her staff, her lips murmuring an incantation. Frost gathered around her feet, spreading outward, coating the black stone in crystalline sheen. With a cry, she released a burst of ice shards toward the Guardian.
The blades spun faster, forming a shield that shattered her attack like glass.
Her eyes widened. "What—?!"
I cursed under my breath. "It's adapting."
The Guardian advanced, every step shaking the arena. Dozens of blades hovered around it, their tips glinting like stars. They spread outward, forming a deadly constellation of steel. My instincts screamed.
"Move!" I shouted, grabbing Silvia by the waist and pulling her aside just as the blades converged, striking the ground where we stood with enough force to crater the obsidian. The floor rippled like liquid under the impact.
"Kkk...keeeelvin!"she screamed blushing as I ignored her jumping out of the way of the attack.
We staggered. Sweat dripped down my temple. This thing wasn't just a test of strength—it was designed to overwhelm.
I grit my teeth. "Alright, fine. Let's push back."
I surged forward, qi bursting around me, my aura flaring like golden fire. Every muscle screamed as I swung with everything I had, channeling all my strength into a strike meant to cleave through the Guardian's defenses.
For the first time, it staggered.
But before I could press forward, a sword pierced my shoulder, grazing my flesh as I twisted aside. Pain burned through me, hot and sharp.
"Kelvin!" Silvia's voice cracked, her hand reaching toward me.
"I'm fine," I growled, forcing myself upright. Blood trickled down my arm, but I couldn't let her see me falter. "Focus on the fight."
She hesitated—but then something strange happened.
Her staff pulsed, the frost around her deepening into an unnatural blue. The temperature in the coliseum plummeted, frost spiraling through the air like living snow. Her eyes widened, glowing faintly as though touched by something ancient.
A voice—soft, distant—seemed to echo in the air, but only faintly. Silvia gasped, clutching her chest as if something stirred within her soul.
I blinked. "Sil? What's—"
Her aura exploded.
In an instant, the frost around her solidified into jagged glaciers, spears of ice erupting upward to intercept the Guardian's blades mid-flight. The impact was thunderous, the obsidian floor cracking beneath the strain.
I stared, stunned. This wasn't her normal magic. It felt… different. Deeper.
Silvia raised her staff again, her breath ragged but her gaze steady. "Kel… cover me."
Something in her tone made me move without question. I surged forward, blocking the Guardian's advance with reckless swings, each blade strike crashing against my aura, my body screaming with every impact. But I didn't care. Because behind me, Silvia was radiating power unlike anything I'd seen from her before.
"Now!" she cried.
I dove aside.
Her staff slammed into the ground, and a blizzard erupted from her body, swallowing the Guardian in a vortex of snow and ice. The storm howled, freezing even the air itself. The Guardian thrashed, its blades whirling frantically, but the frost devoured them, locking them in crystalline prisons that shattered to pieces.
When the storm faded, the Guardian stood encased in solid ice, its body frozen mid-motion.
Silvia staggered, her knees buckling. I caught her just before she collapsed. Her skin was cold to the touch, her breath uneven.
"Sil… what the hell was that?" I whispered, staring at her pale face.
She shook her head weakly. "I—I don't know. It just… awakened. Something answered me."
I frowned, glancing at the frozen Guardian. Whatever that was, it wasn't just her normal magic. It was something older, more powerful. But before I could press further, the AI's voice boomed overhead.
< CONGRATULATIONS. TRIAL COMPLETE. >
The frozen Guardian shattered into dust, its blades dissolving into shimmering fragments that rained down like falling stars. The arena trembled once more, and the chest appeared at the far end of the battlefield.
I helped Silvia to her feet, still supporting her weight. She gave me a weak smile, trying to mask her exhaustion.
"Guess… we passed," she whispered.
"Barely," I muttered, still eyeing her suspiciously.
We walked toward the chest together. My body ached, my shoulder burned, but all I could think about was that moment—when her aura had changed, when frost had erupted like it was answering some hidden call. She hadn't even known what she was doing, and yet she had nearly overwhelmed the Guardian.
What was happening to her?
I clenched my jaw, shoving the thought aside as I opened the chest. A surge of light engulfed us, and the floor beneath our feet dissolved once again.
We were being pulled into the next trial.
And I had the unsettling feeling that whatever Silvia had awakened was only the beginning.
---
---
Chapter 14: The Guardian of Blades
The moment the chest from the last trial vanished, the world shifted again. The air trembled, and the ground beneath us cracked open like glass shattering under invisible pressure. I braced myself, my hand instinctively gripping my sword hilt. Silvia hovered close to me, her staff glowing faintly, her breath steady but her eyes betraying the same unease twisting in my gut.
A gust of wind howled around us as the endless stone chamber stretched outward into a massive coliseum. The floor was smooth obsidian, polished yet scarred with deep grooves, as though thousands of battles had been fought here before. At the far end, an enormous gate trembled before exploding open with a metallic roar.
From the darkness stepped a figure.
It wasn't human—not fully. Its body shimmered with metallic armor, but instead of wielding a weapon, blades sprouted from its back like the wings of a cruel angel. Each sword floated and spun lazily around it, their tips dragging sparks as they grazed the floor. Its eyes glowed crimson.
The voice of the trial AI echoed above us.
< CHALLENGE 3: SURVIVE THE GUARDIAN OF BLADES >
I exhaled sharply. "Figures it wouldn't be easy."
"Kel," Silvia whispered, raising her staff, "this one feels different. It's… stronger."
"No kidding," I muttered, my fingers tightening on my sword.
The Guardian moved, and the air screamed as the first volley of blades shot toward us like arrows of lightning.
I barely had time to raise my qi barrier. The force of the impact pushed me back, skidding across the obsidian floor, my arms vibrating with the backlash. Silvia stood firm beside me, her ice magic flaring instinctively. A wall of frozen mist blossomed in front of her, absorbing three blades before shattering.
"Keep your guard up!" I shouted, leaping forward.
I slashed at the Guardian, my qi bursting out in a radiant arc, but its floating blades intercepted, sparks erupting as metal clashed against my aura. I spun, ducked under another strike, and struck again, but each attempt was deflected by those relentless swords.
"Tch, it's like fighting ten opponents at once," I hissed.
Silvia lifted her staff, her lips murmuring an incantation. Frost gathered around her feet, spreading outward, coating the black stone in crystalline sheen. With a cry, she released a burst of ice shards toward the Guardian.
The blades spun faster, forming a shield that shattered her attack like glass.
Her eyes widened. "What—?!"
I cursed under my breath. "It's adapting."
The Guardian advanced, every step shaking the arena. Dozens of blades hovered around it, their tips glinting like stars. They spread outward, forming a deadly constellation of steel. My instincts screamed.
"Move!" I shouted, grabbing Silvia and pulling her aside just as the blades converged, striking the ground where we stood with enough force to crater the obsidian. The floor rippled like liquid under the impact.
We staggered. Sweat dripped down my temple. This thing wasn't just a test of strength—it was designed to overwhelm.
I grit my teeth. "Alright, fine. Let's push back."
I surged forward, qi bursting around me, my aura flaring like golden fire. Every muscle screamed as I swung with everything I had, channeling all my strength into a strike meant to cleave through the Guardian's defenses.
For the first time, it staggered.
But before I could press forward, a sword pierced my shoulder, grazing my flesh as I twisted aside. Pain burned through me, hot and sharp.
"Kelvin!" Silvia's voice cracked, her hand reaching toward me.
"I'm fine," I growled, forcing myself upright. Blood trickled down my arm, but I couldn't let her see me falter. "Focus on the fight."
She hesitated—but then something strange happened.
Her staff pulsed, the frost around her deepening into an unnatural blue. The temperature in the coliseum plummeted, frost spiraling through the air like living snow. Her eyes widened, glowing faintly as though touched by something ancient.
A voice—soft, distant—seemed to echo in the air, but only faintly. Silvia gasped, clutching her chest as if something stirred within her soul.
I blinked. "Sil? What's—"
Her aura exploded.
In an instant, the frost around her solidified into jagged glaciers, spears of ice erupting upward to intercept the Guardian's blades mid-flight. The impact was thunderous, the obsidian floor cracking beneath the strain.
I stared, stunned. This wasn't her normal magic. It felt… different. Deeper.
Silvia raised her staff again, her breath ragged but her gaze steady. "Kel… cover me."
Something in her tone made me move without question. I surged forward, blocking the Guardian's advance with reckless swings, each blade strike crashing against my aura, my body screaming with every impact. But I didn't care. Because behind me, Silvia was radiating power unlike anything I'd seen from her before.
"Now!" she cried.
I dove aside.
Her staff slammed into the ground, and a blizzard erupted from her body, swallowing the Guardian in a vortex of snow and ice. The storm howled, freezing even the air itself. The Guardian thrashed, its blades whirling frantically, but the frost devoured them, locking them in crystalline prisons that shattered to pieces.
When the storm faded, the Guardian stood encased in solid ice, its body frozen mid-motion.
Silvia staggered, her knees buckling. I caught her just before she collapsed. Her skin was cold to the touch, her breath uneven.
"Sil… what the hell was that?" I whispered, staring at her pale face.
She shook her head weakly. "I—I don't know. It just… awakened. Something answered me."
I frowned, glancing at the frozen Guardian. Whatever that was, it wasn't just her normal magic. It was something older, more powerful. But before I could press further, the AI's voice boomed overhead.
< CONGRATULATIONS. TRIAL COMPLETE. >
The frozen Guardian shattered into dust, its blades dissolving into shimmering fragments that rained down like falling stars. The arena trembled once more, and the chest appeared at the far end of the battlefield.
I helped Silvia to her feet, still supporting her weight. She gave me a weak smile, trying to mask her exhaustion.
"Guess… we passed," she whispered.
"Barely," I muttered, still eyeing her suspiciously.
We walked toward the chest together. My body ached, my shoulder burned, but all I could think about was that moment—when her aura had changed, when frost had erupted like it was answering some hidden call. She hadn't even known what she was doing, and yet she had nearly overwhelmed the Guardian.
What was happening to her?
I clenched my jaw, shoving the thought aside as I opened the chest. A surge of light engulfed us, and the floor beneath our feet dissolved once again.
We were being pulled into the next trial.
And I had the unsettling feeling that whatever Silvia had awakened was only the beginning.
---
(TT)