"I don't want to harm anyone," Chronoran said quietly, his voice soft like rustling leaves on a windless night.
"Then… what do you want?" Akito asked, barely lifting his head.
"I'm interested in humans," Chronoran turned toward the wind, his silver hair flowing behind him. "Their emotions. Their choices. When Zalgrum first attacked, I was watching. Some shielded children, others gave their lives for strangers. It was… fascinating."
"So you're curious about the human world? About emotions?" Akito frowned. "But how can I help you?"
"I'll be appearing among humans from time to time," he replied calmly. "You'll be my guide. Only you."
"Are there others like you? Other Kings?" Akito stood straighter.
"There were five of us," Chronoran nodded gently. "Hazgur, Ksarg, Graknar, Zalgrum… and me."
"You mentioned the second phase… Why is it forbidden?"
"I don't know," he paused. "But the Creator himself placed the restriction. By the way, he's watching you. He says… you remind him of himself. And he's placing his hopes in you, Akito."
He extended a hand.
"Get up."
Akito blinked—and in the next instant, Chronoran was already standing over Zalgrum's body.
"I didn't finish him off. This is your fight. End it yourself."
"Until next time, Akito Kurosawa."
And just like that, he vanished. No flash, no sound. Only the whisper of wind.
Clenching his sword, Akito approached the fallen giant. His blade sank into the crack left by Kenshi's earlier strike. Zalgrum's body ignited and crumbled, turning to ash.
[You have defeated: Zalgrum — Devourer of Realities]
[Level Up: 205 → 255]
[Rank Up: B → S]
[Reward: 50,000 Eny | Relentless (Lv.2 → Lv.3) | Victor (Lv.3 → Lv.4) | Eye of Truth (Lv.3 → MAX) | New Skill: Will of the Chosen (Lv.1) | Bonus Points: 100]
"…Now that's a reward," Akito whispered. "I wonder what they'd give for beating Chronoran. Though… I doubt I ever could."
He opened his interface and bought a healing potion for 5,000 Eny. One sip, and warmth flooded his body. It wasn't much—but it was enough to stand.
As he walked toward Arden—
[Guardian #5 Activated]
Akito looked up. Floating above the scorched battlefield, where the unimaginable battle had just ended, was a new silhouette. It hovered as if untouched by gravity, then descended like a falling star with graceful ease.
Akito tensed, raising his sword. He was nearly out of strength, but instinct still lived. Yet as the figure approached, fear faded—replaced by surprise.
A girl landed softly before him.
Her black-and-silver hair hung to her shoulders, and her eyes glowed a gentle blue, like moonlight reflecting off a lake. She wore a strange outfit—like it was woven from stardust—a shimmering fabric that covered her chest and hips, glittering as if alive.
"I am your new Guardian," she whispered. Her voice was a lullaby—quiet, but clear—like night itself had spoken.
At that moment, the bodies of the other Guardians began to rise into the air. A light turquoise energy wrapped around them, healing wounds and restoring strength. Even Akito felt the warmth wash over him. The pain faded, as if it had never existed.
"You're… healing them?" he asked in awe.
"Yes," she nodded with a soft smile.
Elian winced, trying to rise. She looked at him and said gently:
"You're an elf, aren't you? Don't you know any healing magic?"
Elian froze. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her voice had a strange power—it threw everything off balance.
Then came a low, shame-filled voice from Targus:
"Jarl… We failed again. I'm not worthy of being a warrior… or your Guardian."
"Enough," Akito said firmly. "We won. That's what matters."
He stood and opened the system interface. A new window popped up:
[Guardian #5]
Name: ??? [Add]
Level: 200
Rank: A
Role: Mage
[View Full Info]
He clicked. More details appeared:
Height: 168 cm Weight: 53 kg Age: 7000+ Skills: Star Retribution (Lv.1) | Astral Limit (Lv.1) | Celestial Guard (Lv.1)
Akito looked at her with a faint smile.
"I'll name you… Aurelia."
"How do we get back home?" Arden asked, glancing around.
Akito blinked—he hadn't asked Chronoran how to return. The space around them felt frozen. The dim, scorched sun barely pierced through the ashen clouds.
"Don't worry," Aurelia said softly. "I'll handle it. Akito, come to me, please."
He stepped closer. Aurelia circled around him, then placed her hands on his head. Her eyes glowed with a gentle golden light.
"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.
"I'm looking into your memories. Through the star threads, I can open a path back."
Before them, a portal shimmered into existence—clear as day was Akito's familiar room. Warm. Safe.
"How did you…?" he began, but then a system warning flashed:
[Mana Level at Critical Limit]
"Damn it," Akito muttered.
The Guardians began to fade one by one. Their forms flickered, dissolving into the air. The portal, too, began to shrink and destabilize.
"Move it!" Arden shouted.
But Akito was already sprinting. At the last second, he leapt through—the portal snapped shut behind him, just barely catching his fingertips.
He crashed to the floor of his apartment, gasping for breath.
"I need to upgrade my energy… next time, I might not be so lucky," he whispered.
He pulled up the system menu:
[Player Profile: Akito]
Attack: 660 HP: 800 Mana: 12 / 25,500 Age: 18 Height: 182 cm Weight: 78 kg
Skills: Iron Will (Lv.3) | Victor (Lv.4) | Eye of Truth (MAX) | Relentless (Lv.3) | Will of the Chosen (Lv.1)
Stats
Strength: 30 [+] Speed: 50 [+] Endurance: 40 [+] Vitality: 35 [+] Energy: 51 [+] Bonus Points: 100
"Alright, let's spend these…"
[+15 Strength] → Attack: 660 → 960 [+10 Speed] [+15 Endurance] [+15 Vitality] → HP: 800 → 1100 [+45 Energy] → Mana: 25,500 → 48,000
"Perfect. That should be enough."
Just then, the room filled with light—the Guardians began to return, one after another. Kenshi appeared first.
"Akito…"
He froze when he noticed Aurelia. She stood in the center of the room, her body radiating golden aura. Kenshi walked up with a sly smile.
"Hey… wanna grab a drink? Chill a little?"
Aurelia looked at him silently. A second later, a wave of energy blasted him into the wall. He crashed to the floor.
"This magic is exhausting…" she said softly. Then she climbed into Akito's bed, pulled the blanket over herself, turned to the wall, and added:
"Good night."
Arden chuckled under his breath:
"Looks like we've got ourselves a new queen."
Akito sighed and lay down on the floor.
"Welcome home…"
[Noxveil]
Hey there, reader!
If you've made it this far, thank you so much. I'm writing this story in Russian and translating it into English — so I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Even one small comment gives me huge motivation 💬💙
Let me know who your favorite character is so far!