We moved through the forest, traversing what felt like endless paths. Most of the time, we stopped only briefly to settle down and have something to eat before continuing onward.
It was a deadly journey. One wrong decision could spell the end for everyone.
If Milo and I died out here…
The cadets would lose all hope of ever returning alive, so we moved carefully.
Every step calculated.
And whenever we encountered monsters, we relied more on physical combat than aura-based abilities.
Neither of us could afford unnecessary energy expenditure. After all the encounters we had survived thus far, caution had become second nature.
But during one of our many movements through the pale forest…
We stumbled upon something strange.
Very strange.
Even Milo stopped in place.
"…This is new," he muttered quietly.
Before us stood a massive gothic structure, it rose unnaturally from the dead landscape like the remnant of another age.
A colossal construction of pale stone stretched upward toward the crimson heavens above, its towering frame disappearing into thick mist that had swallowed its upper sections entirely.
Iron lattice windows lined the exterior, though many had been shattered long ago.
Yet the building itself wasn't the strangest part. Nature—
Or perhaps something far worse—
Had overtaken it.
Massive blood-red crystalline formations erupted violently from the earth, surrounding the structure: They looked less like minerals…
And more like frozen explosions.
Gigantic unnatural geysers trapped in time. Their jagged surfaces stretched outward like petrified feathers or crystallized flesh.
The ground surrounding the structure was littered with countless smaller crimson shards embedded deeply into the pale earth.
Scattered around them were fragments resembling fallen petals, or perhaps splashes of dried blood turned solid. The entire landscape radiated violent beauty.
It looked less like a ruin…
And more like the aftermath of divine catastrophe. As though two incomprehensibly powerful beings had fought here.
Or worse…
A single disaster had torn everything asunder. I narrowed my eyes.
Something about the entire place felt wrong. Deeply wrong, we stepped carefully toward the pale structure.
The moment we crossed its threshold, the atmosphere changed instantly.
Inside, cracked pavement stretched beneath our feet.
The floors were ravaged beyond recognition. Massive fractures split the ground and walls alike, evidence of immense force once unleashed within this place.
The corridors extended endlessly into darkness, and from somewhere deep within…
A dreadful aura lingered.
Something ancient.
Something oppressive.
It felt like a presence waiting to envelop us entirely. Milo immediately narrowed his eyes. In a flash of blue light, he summoned his massive sword.
His shield, unfortunately, was still gone.
Destroyed during our encounter with the Terror… We moved deeper into the corridors cautiously.
Our hope was simple.
Avoid whatever presence lingered outside near the structure, at least within these walls, we had temporary cover. But as we advanced deeper, my mind wandered.
I found myself studying the architecture around us. It made no sense.
This place shouldn't exist.
What was a structure like this doing in a wasteland like the Ivory Waste?
Who built it? Why was it here?
How long had it stood untouched beneath this dead sky?
And then—
The answer came.
Or rather…
They came.
Without warning.
Figures emerged from the deeper corridors.
Gaunt, towering, humanoid creatures lurched toward us with unnatural movements.
Their bodies were grotesquely elongated, composed of unnaturally stretched limbs and exposed sinew.
Their skin looked stretched painfully over bone. Like wet leather left too long beneath the sun.
Their flesh carried a dark gray-green color, rotting and lifeless, but the most disturbing feature…
Their heads.
And backs.
Instead of hair or flesh, jagged splinters of wood, shattered stone, and chitin-like growths had erupted violently from their skulls and spines. The protrusions spread outward in wild crown-like formations.
As though the creatures themselves had once been consumed by some dead forest and fossilized alive, their faces were horrifying.
Skeletal, bird-like.
Deep hollow eye sockets absorbed light itself instead of reflecting it, their mouths had elongated into sharp beak-like protrusions curved downward permanently.
Like eternal grimaces carved into dead flesh.
Their arms were absurdly long.
Spindly.
Malformed.
Each creature clutched staffs or spears seemingly grown directly from their own bodies.
The same splintered material protruding from their flesh formed their weapons.
As though their pain had become physical… or perhaps weapon and creature had always been one entity.
They moved strangely.
With mechanical persistence, like beings that had forgotten why they still existed…
Yet were cursed to continue moving regardless.
Ancient things.
Dead things.
Guardians of forgotten ruins, pilgrims abandoned by time itself.
I stared for only half a second. I had absolutely no idea what these creatures were.
Then suddenly—
The corridor exploded. The creatures rushed us with terrifying speed. I immediately drew my blade. One of them lunged forward first.
Its jagged arm suddenly shifted.
Stone-like flesh hardened instantly, transforming into a sharpened blade structure. I reacted instinctively, my sword flashed. The impact shocked me.
Its body felt like cutting solid rock.
Yet with enough force—
I sliced clean through it. The creature split apart violently, its body collapsing against the ruined floor.
My eyes narrowed.
A swarm.
These were Husk variants. Possibly a weaker species… But dangerous in numbers,
Milo burst forward beside me, he restrained himself carefully.
I could tell he wanted nothing more than to burn the entire place down.
But after his earlier Aura overflow… He was deliberately holding back. Several creatures rushed him simultaneously… without his shield, he had adapted quickly.
One creature swung a jagged spear toward his chest.
Milo caught its arm with his gauntlet: The force cracked the floor beneath him.
Then—
His massive sword moved in a brutal horizontal slash. Three creatures split apart instantly.
More came.
Relentless.
The vile things swarmed endlessly through the shattered corridor.
I rushed beside him. Cutting down two more in rapid succession.
But then—
Something changed. The creatures adapted, the moment our blades connected again, their bodies began shifting unnaturally. Stone-like growths erupted rapidly across their skin.
Rocky carapace structures formed instantly over vital areas. Defensive adaptation.
Shields… their hardened bodies now resisted, through direct retaliation.
And suddenly…
This fight became much worse.
They charged at us heavily, smashing straight through the shattered windows as they flooded into the ruined hall.
Most of them missed Milo and me entirely.
The ones that found their marks—
Were cut down regardless.
Their hardened shields proved meaningless.
Milo slammed his foot into the ground with violent force.
In the very next second—
The monsters began falling one after another beneath the ceaseless arcs of his blade.
His sword spun in a brutal whirlwind.
Swinging with both hands… he made fiery ash and sparks scattered through the air.
The pressured force it let outward alone, pushed and errupted the walls, dragging dust and shattered fragments into the air.
Debris exploded throughout the corridor.
Milo had stopped holding back.
He was becoming serious.
I tightened my grip around Aurum. The blade of golden oath.
I used one of the five sword paths of my world, the one with less aura strain.
Tashi.
Aurum-Tashi… the blade of golden blessing.
The reason I never relied heavily on Core Artifacts was simple.
Core Artifacts break.
And once broken—
They cannot be restored.
But this…
This was different.
stepped forward, I raised the golden blade.
Using blessing of auspicious gold, my reflex, prediction and senses became sharper. Indeed that was the best path to survival.
In reaching the apex of my movement—
My blade flashed downward in a devastating vertical slash.
The impact detonated violently.
Broken furniture, shattered rocks, fragments of stone.
Everything exploded outward in a monstrous burst of force.
One of the Husks suddenly pushed through the shockwave.
Fast.
Far too fast.
It lunged directly at me.
Its stone-like forelimb had shifted grotesquely.
Its appendage had hardened and transformed into a jagged bladed weapon.
A living sword.
Sharp enough to cleave flesh and bone apart effortlessly.
There was no time to evade.
Pure instinct took over.
My jaws tightened, then I caught the attacking limb at the base with my forearm while simultaneously shifting Aurum Tashi upward to intercept the main force.
Metal screamed, the impact drove against my flank painfully.
The sharpened edge scraped across my side.
I immediately slammed downward with brute force.
Mostly to stop that blade from digging any deeper.
Then—
Within that short decisive moment—
I pivoted sharply.
My body spun with sudden violence.
The golden chained bracelet around my fingers flashed brilliantly.
And I drove the reinforced strike directly into its skull.
The creature crashed violently into the ground beneath us.
A crater exploded outward from the impact.
It twitched once… that was enough.
In one smooth brutal motion—
I followed through with a devastating low cleave.
And relieved its neck…
From the rest of its body.