[Time Remaining: 8 minutes.]
"What the hell?!" Sophia's voice shook.
"I thought you hit every inch of his body!" Erza snapped.
"I did," Rollo grumbled, his jaw tight.
"Maybe it's the head—because it stayed in one piece?!" Jan stammared.
"This isn't the first time we've faced this guy. We crushed his head before."
"It doesn't matter now. Prepare!" Marcus's commanding voice cut through the chaos, his eyes glowing intensely. Magic coursed from his fingertips as he rose into the air, surrounded by a swirl of glowing circles. His staff hovered beside him, vibrating with power.
[Celestial Luminarium!]
"Not this time! I'm not playing this game again!" Saveth snarled.
*Whoosh—*
Saveth appeared in the middle of the group, striking Marcus with a brutal blow that sent him hurtling into the distance before he could finish his spell.
*Boom—*
"Kids, retreat!" Erza shouted as Rollo spun around, swinging his sword at Saveth.
Jan immediately sprinted away, but Sophia hesitated for a split second. She stared at the sack in front of her, then grabbed it and ran, the fabric fapping against her leg.
Saveth was more focused on Rollo—he seemed to want some payback. Within mere seconds, he had landed many a hit on him, teleporting back and forth. He was going to relish his revenge, but then, he narrowed his eyes—he saw Sophia running away with his sack! "You wreck!" A dark snarl twisted his face.
Before Erza could react, Saveth teleported past her, leaving her blade slicing through empty air. Her heart froze as she spotted him… standing behind her daughter.
"SOPHIA!" she screamed.
It was too late. Sophia turned around into Saveth's grip. He seized her by the neck, lifting her into the air. She clawed at his hand, gasping for breath, her feet kicking helplessly, but his grip only tightened.
"Didn't I warn you about snooping?!" Saveth sneered, his voice laced with malice.
"Kugh... Aughh... Kkkeuugh!!!" Sophia struggled, her face reddening as her vision blurred.
"What's that? Can you repeat it?" the fiend mocked, squeezing harder. Her head lolled as consciousness slipped away, the sack dangling from her hand.
*Whoosh—*
Jan rushed past them in a blur, snatching the sack from Sophia's hand as he bolted in the opposite direction.
"You filthy brat!" Saveth roared, hurling Sophia aside like a rag doll.
Jan didn't look back. His legs burned as he pushed himself to the limit, clutching the sack tightly to his chest.
"Marcus, now!" Rollo bellowed, smirking as he leaped into action. "Nice one, Jan."
Marcus had barely recovered from the earlier blow. He waved his staff with a flourish, creating a glowing portal directly in Rollo's path. A second portal materialized just ahead of Jan, shimmering with golden light.
*Whoosh—*
Emerging from the second portal, Rollo soared through the air, sword raised. As he descended, Saveth teleported again, materializing right in front of Jan.
*Boom—*
Dust exploded into the air as Rollo struck the ground with immense force, sending debris flying in all directions. But Jan didn't dare stop to see the result. Emerging from the chaos, he kept running, his breaths ragged and uneven, his legs pumping like pistons. It felt like a ghost was chasing him, its icy breath brushing the back of his neck.
*Whoosh—* *Boom—* *Boom—*
The sounds of the battle echoed behind him. For a fleeting moment, Jan thought he had more time. But through the dust, the others could see that Rollo's sword was cutting through nothing but air.
A dark presence loomed ahead…
*Whoosh—*
Saveth materialized from a portal, his hand shooting out like a viper. Before Jan could react, a crushing force seized his head and slammed him into the ground.
"AUGH!!!" Jan's scream tore through the air.
[-1500]
His vision blurred, red flashes clouding his sight. It wasn't even a proper attack, but the sheer impact drained a significant chunk of his health. Pain radiated through his skull as the ground pressed against his face.
"Erza!" Marcus's voice rang out, sharp and commanding.
She didn't hesitate. Without a word, she leaped into the glowing portal Marcus had prepared. Almost instantly, another portal shimmered above Jan and Saveth.
Saveth's eyes flicked upward. A sinister smirk twisted his lips as he raised a hand. The portal began to shimmer unnaturally, its golden hue darkening to crimson. Tendrils of warped energy coiled around it, distorting its edges, until it vanished with a faint pop.
"Damn it!" Marcus cursed, his jaw tightening. His hands moved quickly, weaving another portal beside him in a desperate attempt to regain control.
No longer bothered by the rulers of Valkeries, Saveth returned his attention to Jan. His grip tightened, pressing his head deeper into the ground. The pressure was relentless, suffocating, and slow, as if Saveth were savoring this death.
Jan clawed at the dirt, his body trembling with effort. But against Saveth's strength, it was like trying to move a mountain.
"You should've stayed out of this, little hero," Saveth scoffed maliciously.
The words cut through Jan's pain, shocking him enough for Saveth to sense it.
"Oh, you thought I didn't know who you were? I simply didn't think you were worth killing—just like your little friend. Kehehehehe."
*Boom—*
"How about now, you bastard?!" With a flying kick, Sophia struck Saveth in the face.
He barely moved his neck—the impact was seemingly inconsequential.
Jan extended his hand and thrust it toward his tormentor's chest, but that didn't do any damage either.
Saveth chuckled, his smirk twisting into a cruel grin. "How adorable." With a casual flick of his wrist, he struck Sophia with the back of his hand, sending her stumbling backward. At the same time, he lifted Jan off the ground effortlessly, tightening his grip over his throat.
"Kugh... Aughh... Kkkeuugh!!!"
"I hope you said your goodbyes. Kehehehehe."
"Leave them alone!" Rollo roared as his fist connected with the side of Saveth's face, sending him flying across the field.
*Boom—*
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Jan fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.
"Jan, are you okay?!" Sophia scrambled toward him, her chin also dripping with blood.
"Y-Yes..." he managed to choke out.
Rollo glanced back at the two, his tone firm. "Jan, Sophia, you've done enough. You must retreat now."
Without waiting for a reply, Rollo grabbed the sack and hurled it into the air. Marcus waved his staff, and successfully teleported it into Erza's hands.
"Yes, uncle." Sophia no longer hesitated. She looked at Jan and said, "Can you run?!"
"Yes."
"Then let's go."
Seeing the two running away, Rollo finally turned his gaze forward, his expression hardening.
"No more games, Saveth. I'm going to kill you this time!"
Saveth emerged from the rubble, brushing dirt off his suit. His smirk hadn't faded; if anything, it had grown sharper.
"Oh no, I'm so scared!" he mocked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Reaching into his suit pocket, he added with a dark chuckle, "As long as I have this..."
Saveth's words were abruptly cut short, his expression contorting into something grotesque.
The veins on his forehead throbbed violently, pulsing as though they might burst at any moment.
His bloodshot eyes widened unnaturally, darting erratically, and his jaw cracked open. His shoulders snapped in sharp spasms as he trembled, his laughter a twisted, broken sound.
"Kehehehe...
Kehehehe...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The chuckle, low and unsettling at first, grew into a booming, maniacal laughter that reverberated like a sinister symphony. It was a sound that clawed at the edges of sanity, chilling even the most hardened soul.
Rollo stood his ground, his sword steady in his hand, but his heart raced in his chest. He didn't understand what was so amusing, but the air had changed. It felt heavier, oppressive, suffused with a killing intent so sharp, it was as though Saveth's laughter alone could cut through flesh.
*Whoosh—*
In an instant, Saveth vanished, dissolving into thin air.
Rollo's grip tightened as he stepped back cautiously, his eyes darting around the battlefield. Every muscle in his body tensed, ready to react, but Saveth didn't reappear. The silence pressed against him like a vice.
Then he saw it—
A portal shimmered to life behind Jan and Sophia, who were running away.
"JAN, SOPHIA! LOOK OUT!" Rollo's voice rang out, raw with urgency.
Jan's head snapped around just in time.
Thinking fast, he shoved Sophia aside, sending her tumbling to safety. But before he could react again, Saveth stepped out of the portal like a shadow made flesh—his hand driving straight through Jan's stomach.
*Splatter—*
"AUGH!!!" Jan's scream ripped through the air as blood erupted from his mouth, splashing onto the ground in thick, dark drops.
Saveth lifted Jan into the air effortlessly, his hand still buried in the wound. His face twisted with fury, his voice low and venomous. "Nice trick. Now give it back."
Jan gasped for breath, his vision swimming. "I-I don't h-have it."
Saveth's glare darkened.
Several glowing portals appeared around him, but with a single wave of his hand, they snapped shut, their golden edges fizzling out into nothingness.
"Stop lying," he growled, his voice thick with malice. "I know you took it just now when you faked that attack. Give it back, or I'll kill you."
Jan coughed weakly, blood staining his lips. He met Saveth's gaze, his own filled with defiance. "Y-you'll kill me... anyway."
Saveth's smirk widened, cruel and cold. "I guess you're right," he murmured, twisting his embedded hand inside Jan's stomach.
A fresh wave of pain surged through Jan, forcing his jaw to clench in silent agony.
"But first…"
*Whoosh—*
With a flick of his fingers, a portal erupted behind him. Rollo, mid-leap, was swallowed whole before he could reach them.
"This will keep him away for now," Saveth muttered, turning his attention back to Jan.
*Splatter—* *Splatter—*
Saveth wrenched his hand free from Jan's abdomen, blood spilling freely onto the ground. The wet, sickening sound of it echoed in the night, painting the dirt in thick crimson streaks.
Jan barely registered the pain before the next blows landed.
*Boom—* *Boom—* *Boom—*
Hits rained down on him in a relentless storm. He couldn't see them coming—only feel them. Each impact tore through his battered body, each strike pushing him closer to the abyss.
Yet, he made no sound.
Even as Saveth drove his hand into his stomach again—Jan refused to scream.
[Pain Resistance has leveled up! → Lv.3]
Saveth's expression darkened, his amusement fading into something colder.
"What's wrong? Too broken to cry?" he sneered.
[Healing!]
Marcus's magic flared, golden light wrapping around Jan's crumbling body. But it was only prolonging the suffering—keeping him alive just enough for Saveth to continue his torment.
From a distance, Erza burned with rage, her hands clenched so tightly around her blade that her fingers bled. Every instinct screamed at her to attack, to cut him down where he stood—but she knew better. If she moved, Saveth would simply teleport her away like he did with Rollo.
She waited for an opening.
But an opening never came.
Seconds stretched into eternity as she and Marcus watched, helpless, while Saveth continued to break Jan apart.
For Jan, time stopped making sense. Every moment was the same—the verge of death, then being dragged back just enough to suffer again. A cycle of agony, revival, and despair.
Yet, through the hellish loop,
Jan… smirked.
[Pain Resistance has leveled up! → Lv.5]
Saveth's brow twitched. "What the hell are you laughing at, you vermin?"
Jan coughed, his broken body trembling—but his eyes gleamed with something vicious.
"You lost."
Saveth's breath hitched.
A chime echoed in Jan's ears.
[Time Remaining: 0 seconds.]
"Damn it!"
Ring— Ring—
[Mission: Defend Valkeries City – Completed.]
[Congratulations! You Have Successfully Defended Your First Siege!]
[Rewards Will Be Distributed Based on Individual Contribution.]
[Calculating Contribution...]
[Congratulations! You Ranked #1 in Contribution Points!]
...
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
...
[You've reached Level 45. You Can Now Distribute Your Points!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
...
[Rewards – 100,000G, Medal of the Unyielding, Warpweave Boots, Tome of Echoing Fate, Shattered Mirror Shard, Brute's Heart x 3.....]
[Skill Awakening - Counterstrike - Fleeting Step - Survivor's Mark]
[Titles - Valkeries City's Guardian - History's Protector]