Endless Ascension
Episode 4 – The Champions of the Watchers
The gates are silent.
The crowd is silent.
Only the hum of my throwing stars fills the air — low, steady, hungry.
Up in the stands, the shadowed figures rise for the first time. The air itself seems to bend around them, as if the arena is terrified of what they're about to unleash.
One of them — a towering shape cloaked in gold and black — raises a single hand. A portal opens in the center of the arena, its edges rippling with black light.
From the darkness, the first Champion steps out.
Champion One – The Skybreaker
He's human in shape, but his armor looks grown, not forged — plates of some living metal that shift and breathe. On his back are four massive wings made of molten steel feathers, each dripping with sparks.
In his hands, a spear longer than I am tall hums with contained lightning.
The system speaks.
[Opponent: LVL 160 – Skybreaker, First Champion of the Watchers]
My stars feel heavy in my grip. Not from fear — from anticipation.
The horn sounds.
⸻
He moves first — a single flap of those molten wings sends him rocketing toward me like a meteor. The spear thrusts forward, faster than most bullets I've seen.
I twist sideways, the tip grazing my cheek. I hurl a star mid-spin — it whirls toward his chest, but he bats it away with the shaft of his spear, lightning crackling on impact.
The other star I keep close, waiting for an opening.
He swings again — I duck under, sliding between his legs, and as I rise I hurl both stars into the base of his wings. The runes flare bright — I ignite.
The explosion sends him staggering forward, molten feathers scattering across the sand.
He roars, spins, and drives the spear down. I catch the haft with one hand, claws digging into the metal, and slam a star into the gap in his helmet. The rune detonates inside.
His body hits the ground with a sound like a collapsing tower.
[Level Up] → 46 → 51] (+5 levels)
*[Weapon Upgrade] → Tier 7 Visual Mod — Impact Shockwave: Star detonations create a concussive blast around the target.]
Champion Two – The Bone Wraith
The portal pulses again, and the second Champion emerges.
Tall, thin, wrapped in a cloak made of human spines. No visible face — only a skull mask with black fire glowing from its sockets. Its hands are long claws tipped with obsidian, dripping liquid shadow.
The crowd shifts uneasily. Even they don't like this one.
It vanishes.
The first swipe comes from behind — I spin, stars raised just in time to block. The claws rake against the glowing edges, sparks and black fire flying.
It attacks fast, teleporting in short bursts, each strike aimed for my throat, heart, or spine. I can't just throw blindly — it's too quick.
I bait it. Drop my guard just enough to make it think I'm open.
It lunges for my chest — both stars leave my hands in the same breath, one embedding in its mask, the other in its stomach. The runes glow… and I chain ignite.
The blast rips the mask apart, revealing nothing beneath but black flame. It collapses, the fire sputtering into nothing.
[Level Up] → 51 → 56] (+5 levels)
*[Skill Unlocked] → Void Lock: Star hits prevent teleportation for 3 seconds.]
Champion Three – The Iron Juggernaut
The ground shakes before the portal even opens fully. Then he steps through.
Three times my height. Armor thicker than any tank I've fought. His arms end in cannons, each the size of a small car, humming with power.
He doesn't run. He doesn't need to.
The first blast screams toward me — I dive aside, the impact blasting a crater into the arena wall. The second comes immediately, forcing me into a roll across the sand.
I need to get close.
I fling one star high, far over his head. His cannons track me, not the blade. I sprint in, closing the gap as he charges another shot.
The falling arc of the star catches him in the back — rune igniting just as I slam the second into his chest. The double blast sends him reeling, armor dented.
I leap up, land on his shoulder, and drive both stars into the base of his neck. The explosion rips his head free in a shower of sparks and gore.
[Level Up] → 56 → 61] (+5 levels)
*[Weapon Upgrade] → Tier 8 Visual Mod — Piercing Runes: Stars penetrate armor before detonation.]
The Warning
The third Champion's corpse is dragged away.
The cloaked watcher who summoned them steps forward, voice deep enough to rattle the air.
"You climb too quickly. The higher gates will not tolerate you."
I spin the stars once, the new molten lines and glowing glyphs making them look more like fragments of a dying sun than weapons.
"Then stop me."
The portal swells again — bigger this time, the edges cracking as if struggling to contain what's inside.
From the darkness, something begins to emerge…