Clang! Clang!
The sound of clashing swords echoed through the air.
One after another, lifeless bodies fell to the ground.
Some had their heads separated from their shoulders. Others had massive sword wounds across their chests.
The air felt heavy with the smell of blood and sweat.
This was a war between two nations. Ashenvale and Nyvaria.
And now, the war had reached its final stage.
Nyvaria was almost certain of victory.
They still had about 20% of their troops left.
But their opponent?
Only one man remained.
Yet that one man….
He was like a wild tiger among a herd of helpless sheep.
One soldier ran at him with a sword and slashed…
But the man grabbed the attacker's wrist mid-air and stopped the strike.
And then…
Schlck!
His sword pierced through the enemy's chest and burst out from the back.
Another soldier charged at him from behind, trying to land a surprise attack.
But the man simply hurled his sword backward…
Shlick!
The blade pierced through the enemy's throat and burst out from the other side, spraying blood like a fountain.
The man didn't get time to even breathe.
From both sides, 7 or 8 more soldiers rushed at him. Without even a hint of fear, he threw his fists.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Each of his punches sounded like a cannon blast.
None of the attackers could stand after a single blow.
If one had a gaping hole in his chest, then another's ribs were completely crushed into powder.
His calm face looked like the face of a devil to the soldiers of Nyvaria.
This one man had erased the existence of all their legends.
The famed Nyvarian general, Richard Hendrickson, known as the Sword King…
lay on the ground with a massive hole in his chest.
Even the Nyvarian king, a man worshipped for his battle strategies and sharp mind…
His headless body lay somewhere on the battlefield like an abandoned corpse.
And the cultivators?
Martial Kings. Martial Saints.
All of them… were already dead.
He slowly walked toward the man whose throat he had pierced just moments ago.
His black, hoodless cloak fluttered in the wind like the banner of a fallen kingdom.
When he reached the corpse, he stepped on the body and pulled out his sword with one strong yank.
It was a black claymore, its edge shining under the sunlight.
Warm, dark red blood was still dripping from the blade, falling onto the ground with a soft hiss.
The soldiers who were rushing to attack him a moment ago…
Now they were hesitant.
They had all seen what he was capable of.
And who was this man?
This was none other than Aiden Ferith.
The General of Ashenvale.
A Martial Emperor, a man who stood at the peak of cultivation.
A true war hero.
Why a war hero?
It wasn't a title he gave himself.
It was a name people gave him out of love and respect.
He was always a kind-hearted soul.
A loving husband.
A caring father.
A friend you could always trust.
And to the people…
He was a shield.
A beacon of hope.
An existence that made everyone feel safe.
But to his enemies?
He was a demon.
Like a monster pulled straight out of a myth.
He lunged at the remaining troops, who were still in a dilemma.
And began his endless massacre.
Screams of pain and terror echoed across the battlefield.
The same soldiers who had been certain of their victory just moments ago…
Now began to fall one by one.
Their leader was already dead.
And yet, they kept fighting…
All because of one man who had promised them victory.
But as they stood at the edge of death,
they finally realized…
all their dreams of victory were nothing but illusions.
One man alone had changed the tide of an entire battle.
Soon, the remaining soldiers began to flee.
And those who failed to escape?
They were turned into corpses…
cut down by Aiden's merciless blade.
He stood still, staring at the fleeing enemies in the distance.
The war..
which had dragged on for more than two months…
was finally over.
He had finally won…
Yet…
he felt nothing.
The silence at the end of the battle was deafening.
Victory was his, yes…. but it felt empty.
Because….
The people he fought for… the ones he loved… were gone. He was still lost in his thoughts when suddenly…..
Crunch!
A step behind him.
He didn't turn. He already had a hunch about who it was.
"I see you've finally come," Aiden said quietly. His voice was a bit rough.
A part of him had been hoping that he was wrong.
But then the answer came.
The voice was soft and familiar. But cold.
"I had to. You've become too powerful, Master. I can't let that continue anymore."
Aiden turned his head slowly.
Nolan Ashborn!
His disciple.
The boy he had raised.
The one he called his sworn brother.
His eyes which once were full of hope and gratitude, were now filled with hatred and jealousy.
Aiden's voice became bitter and heavy with sorrow.
"So… it was really you who invited Nivaria."
Before he could say anything else…
Chk-shkk!
A blade struck him, piercing straight through his back and bursting out from his chest, spraying blood.
He gasped.
His body trembled.
He dropped to one knee, barely keeping himself from falling.
"You were my brother!" he choked out.
Nolan looked down with a blank face.
"And you were a curse in my life, Master. No matter how hard I tried to shine, I was always in your shadow."
Aiden gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his lips.
"So… you hated me for being strong?" His voice was weak. Each word was a struggle.
"Yes," Nolan said flatly.
"No matter how hard I tried…I was nothing compared to you. My efforts, my achievements… none of it was ever recognised because of you."
Aiden stared at him with a heavy heart.
"You think I wanted that? I would've given you everything. All of it."
"And that's the problem!" Nolan snapped.
"You think I am a beggar? You think I am only worthy of your mercy?"
Despite the blade in his chest, Aiden stood slowly.
"And that's why you betrayed me? Brought assassins into my house and had my family killed? Even invited a foreign nation to invade ours? Just so you could remove me and feel powerful?"
He almost choked on those last words.
Nolan sneered.
"Yes. I will erase your very existence from this earth. No one will remember you anymore.
I will be the strongest one.
I will become the legend people remember from this moment onward!"
Hahaha…
He started laughing like a madman.
Aiden shook his head.
"I wish I had known it sooner. Then I would've nipped your twisted existence in the bud."
"Save it, Master. Your family is already waiting for you," Nolan said with a cruel smile.
"Don't make them wait too long. You should go and say hi."
"I will go," Aiden blurted out, gritting his teeth.
"But I'll take you with me."
He took a shaky step forward.
His legs were barely holding on, but his eyes burned with the last bit of energy in him.
Then, with all the strength he had left, he lunged forward and swung his blade at Nolan.
But he was too weak due to the wound.
Nolan easily dodged it with a slight twist and stabbed Aiden again with a knife in his chest.
"You should give it a rest, Master."
Aiden's strength gave out completely this time.
He dropped to his knees, then collapsed fully.
But his eyes never left Nolan's face.
Nolan stood there, emotionless.
He looked at the man bleeding out before him, the one who had believed in him more than anyone.
The battlefield was now painfully quiet.
And in that silence… Nolan felt it.
The weight of his "victory."
"Why don't I feel happy? Why? Why?"
Tears fell from his eyes, without him even realizing.
A memory flashed before him.
In the ashes of war, a boy lay broken, breath fading under a crumbling sky.
Death reached for him until a shadow moved through the dust.
A strong hand dragged him from the jaws of death.
It was Nolan.
And the one who saved him… was Aiden.
The lust for power.
The hunger for fame.
They turn even saints into monsters.
Nolan was no different.
And just like that, betrayal brought Aiden Ferith's glorious story to a shameful end.
He was still conscious…
but slowly losing it.
Aiden's vision began to dim.
The world around him grew colder.
The faces of his loved ones started to flash before his eyes.
And then, the one's who had betrayed him.
"If I had just one more chance…
I wouldn't put my trust in the wrong person.
And maybe, my family could still be alive then."
But it was too late.
No amount of regret could bring back what he had already lost.
Or that's what he thought.
Was it fate? Karma? Or perhaps… mercy?
Whatever it was, Aiden didn't know what was coming.
Darkness started to swallow him. He was slowly losing his consciousness.
But in that endless black…suddenly a spark appeared.
A single light. He heard a voice,
"A soul unyielding... shall not perish."
To be continued…