Chapter Thirty-Nine – The Most Talented Guardian Appears
The meteor blazed across the crimson sky like a mountain of fire, tearing through clouds and leaving behind trails of molten light.
Below, Azeon watched it fall — and smiled.
"Derona… come to me."
From the shattered ruins of the stadium, the black blade came whirling through the air, spinning with deadly speed before stopping neatly in his outstretched hand.
But Derona looked different — darker, heavier. The red veins across its blade pulsed like living fire.
A whisper echoed in the air.
> "Master Azeon… it's been thousands of years since I last felt your hand."
Azeon's grin widened. "It's been over five thousand years… So this boy—he's your new master?"
> "Yes, Master Azeon. His blood fell upon my blade. We forged a blood oath. He is my master now."
Derona's voice trembled as crimson light flared along its edge.
Azeon raised the sword toward the meteor and whispered,
"Then, Derona… let's remind the world what true power looks like."
"Blood Slash."
He swung.
The slash that left Derona's edge wasn't just energy — it was a tear in space itself. The sky screamed as the crimson arc raced upward, slicing through clouds, light, and sound alike.
A thunderous crack split the heavens.
The meteor — the city-sized meteor — stopped mid-fall, shuddered, and split cleanly in half.
Princess Isha, watching from afar, gasped in horror.
"He… he actually cut it?"
Her knees gave way, and she dropped to the ground, trembling.
"He's a monster. Azeon… Atta's been holding that inside him all this time…"
In the distance, Azeon looked up at the two halves of the meteor, his red eyes glinting.
"This is fun," he muttered. "After five thousand years, I finally get a fight worthy of me."
But before he could finish, a kick slammed into his chest, sending him crashing down to the ground at blinding speed.
He landed with explosive force, dust blasting outward. As he looked up, Luke Blackwood floated high above — calm, cold, and composed.
Azeon's gaze flicked upward — the two halves of the meteor hadn't fallen. They were frozen in the sky.
Luke raised his hand, eyes glowing like emerald suns.
"Earth Magic — Ruins of the Planet."
The two massive meteor halves shattered into thousands of spike-sized fragments, each as thick as a tree trunk.
Luke pointed downward.
"Rain."
The spikes fell.
One by one, they screamed through the sky, crashing toward Azeon like divine judgment. Each impact shook the earth, turning the battlefield into chaos.
Azeon darted between the falling debris, Derona flashing in his hand as he sliced apart the raining spikes.
Luke appeared before him in a blink, a green-bladed dagger in hand. Their blades collided — Derona's deep red against Luke's shining green — sending sparks and shockwaves with every strike.
Even as the spikes rained down around them, they fought — climbing, dodging, leaping from one falling fragment to another.
Azeon smirked, grabbing one of the falling spikes and hurling it toward Luke. Luke flipped onto it midair, using it as a springboard to close the distance.
Their eyes locked — and Luke's foot connected with Azeon's face.
Azeon grinned through the blow, grabbed Luke by the leg, and threw him onto another falling spike. He followed instantly, slamming down with terrifying speed.
Azeon's hand wrapped around Luke's throat. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"You were fun, human."
He raised Derona — but before the blade could strike, his arm was severed.
For a second, everything froze.
Derona's severed hand fell through the air — and Azeon turned, shocked.
Floating beside them was a young girl — short black hair, eyes glowing bright violet. A faint smirk curved her lips.
"You look pathetic, Atta," she said coolly. "Those horns don't suit you."
Luke's eyes widened.
"Charlotte! What are you doing here? And don't talk to Prince Atta like that!"
Charlotte turned to him, grinning mischievously.
"Aww… big brother Luke almost lost. How rare."
She winked. "And I'll talk to Atta however I want — he's my childhood friend, remember?"
From afar, Princess Isha blinked in confusion, turning to David Diamante.
"Who is that girl? She looks… like a child."
David chuckled softly. "That's Charlotte Devon — the Second Guardian of the Human Kingdom."
Princess Isha's eyes widened.
"Charlotte… so she's the one Atta was talking about?"
David nodded, smiling faintly as he watched her floating beside the two titans.
"She may look young — fifteen, maybe — but don't be fooled. She's the youngest Guardian in history… and the most talented one among us all."
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To be continued…