Sun & Moon Continent, a fantasy world with a long history. This place has a magical energy source that can give humans extraordinary power.
Humans summon all things between heaven and earth, they can be ordinary, like tree branches, blades of grass, hoes,… or they can be extraordinary, like treasures, monsters,…
Once a contract is successfully formed with these things, they are called contractors. The maximum rank is ninety-nine levels. Those who reach level ninety possess extraordinary might, hailed by the world as gods on earth.
…
Ancient Forest, an ancient area existing before humanity appeared. It is the dwelling place of countless energy monsters, a death zone for weak humans but an endless treasure trove for the strong.
A man and a woman were desperately running deep into the forest, the man's arms still holding a baby wrapped in a blanket.
The two of them were covered in wounds, their expressions exhausted as if they had just gone through a fierce battle but got no rest.
"Stop right there and surrender!"
A proud and powerful voice rang out immediately after the sky lit up brightly. A giant fireball like a miniature sun flew towards the two of them.
The woman formed hand seals, and energy from her body surged out around them. A giant magic circle appeared beneath their feet, flashing a brilliant blue. In the instant the fireball drew near, the figures of the two of them immediately disappeared.
The attack did not stop because they disappeared. It fell straight into the forest, exploding violently with terrifying shockwaves and heat.
A radius of thousands of meters was flattened, all living beings near the ground were turned to dust.
In the sky, the three figures now became clearer. In the middle was a handsome man with cold eyes and golden hair. His battle armor, made from precious cloth and pure gold, represented the status of an emperor.
Beside him were two middle-aged men, one whose clothing, beard, and hair were all white, and another whose clothing, beard, and hair were all fiery red. The one on the left radiated cold air all over, water vapor in the air would freeze solid just passing by. The one on the right was like a furnace, flames rising from his body, causing water to evaporate upon nearing.
But the three of them were also in a sorry state now, faces bruised, armor pierced with several holes. It could be seen that the other two, though at a disadvantage, were not ordinary people either.
Their expressions were ugly, especially the one standing in the middle. His face was now gloomy, his eyes and facial muscles all trembling with anger.
"After them! Their deaths won't be enough to atone for their crimes!"
Following the energy traces left behind, all three continued flying deeper into the forest.
In a distant place, the group of three suddenly appeared, scaring the weak energy monsters nearby.
The woman suddenly knelt down, coughing dryly without stopping, fresh blood could be seen flowing from her mouth. The energy on her body scattered chaotically and then dissipated completely, her expression dazed, eyes half-open and half-closed as if about to faint.
"Astrid!" The man hurriedly stepped closer to support her, his face full of worry.
His appearance was wretched, clothing torn and tattered, fresh blood staining him red. Compared to her, he looked even worse, only his energy wasn't in chaos like hers yet.
"Raphael, I'm fine. It's just overusing energy, resting a bit will be okay." Astrid smiled to reassure him but he couldn't feel okay at all. Did the two of them really have time to rest?
Her gaze fell on the child in the cloth, that was her and his newborn child, who hadn't been in the world for long.
Looking deeply at the baby for a moment, her eyes emitted infinite love and also a determination, as if deciding to bet on one last move.
"Continuing like this... everyone will die."
Her honest words were like a knife stabbing into Raphael's bleeding heart. His eyes grew dim, his whole body at this moment was utterly weary.
He was originally a noble youth, born destined to stand above tens of thousands. His life back then was smooth sailing, everything he did received maximum assistance.
Since the day he became a contractor, he progressed smoothly until reaching level ninety, receiving the title Celestial Sword God. He was the youngest, at least publicly, to break through to level ninety in history.
In his youth, training outside the continent, he accidentally met Astrid. The two of them were kindred spirits, over time, feelings developed between them and moreover they awakened a fusion technique.
Though a genius, he had no desire to conquer the continent or to stand atop the world, only wanting a happy life. After his wife became pregnant, he constantly dreamed of a happy future with his wife and child.
Yet a sudden incident struck: his father—Gabriel Dawn—one of the peak-level contractors—for some reason rebelled, stole a divine artifact and proclaimed himself a revolutionary.
Their clueless clan was suddenly implicated, the situation was beyond saving so they were forced to join to resist the Great Sun Temple.
He himself went from a carefree young master to a wanted criminal, constantly hiding and fleeing. And it even implicated his wife and his unborn child.
"It's all because of that damn old man... It's all because of him!" Raphael roared as if trying to vent some of the feeling of helplessness in his heart right now.
"Don't curse him... I feel what he did wasn't wrong. The Great Sun temple and the two empires are clearly oppressing the common people." Astrid spoke softly, she had never once resented Gabriel until now.
She wasn't like Raphael, who came from nobility, she was just a commoner with high talent. Of course she understood the suffering of the common people when oppressed by officials and nobles.
"So what? We were living just fine. Why bother about them? If not for them, for that old man..." Raphael questioned but the words couldn't come out.
Common people... Wasn't he cursing her now?
He didn't care about her background, he only cared about his own feelings for her. Wholeheartedly, for a lifetime unchanged.
"Enough, no more arguing about pointless things. In a moment, I will sacrifice myself, you use all your strength to fight them off. I want the boy to be named Leo... Do you think that's okay?" Astrid smiled, gently saying her final instructions.
Raphael's pupils trembled, he was... scared! He was afraid of losing her, losing the best thing that had ever come into his life. If he could choose, he would rather sacrifice the child and keep her.
"No, let me be the sacrifice. You can still use that move as before. My injuries are worse than yours anyway." Raphael hurriedly tried to dissuade her, he didn't want to see her die before his eyes. The other way around would be slightly more bearable.
Sacrifice the child? Absolutely impossible, to use this move, one must at least be level ninety, otherwise it won't work.
"No, I'm just a support type. Later, I won't have the ability to protect Leo alone. My decision is made, you don't need to stop me. Moreover, if we don't act decisively, all three of us will die." Astrid glared at him, the gentle kindness gone, replaced only by absolute resolve.
"I... I..."
Raphael wanted to speak but couldn't say anything. In the end, he could only reluctantly nod. Tears from a great man who feared neither heaven nor earth now streamed down his cheeks like a child's.
"Raphael... Promise me you must live. If possible, I want our child not to be implicated in this matter."
Even though Astrid didn't blame Gabriel, it didn't mean she wanted Leo involved in this grudge. Not everyone in the world is a hero, forcing an ordinary person to bear heroic responsibilities is a kind of torture.
Raphael said nothing, only looked at the child less than a few months old in his arms. He shared her thoughts, he absolutely did not want his child involved in the mess caused by his hateful old man.
"He will not have the Dawn surname. I will not let him know about his origins." He solemnly promised as if certain he could leave safely.
Partly to bolster his own courage, partly to reassure her. Because his own strength was quite inferior to those three, now seriously injured, he couldn't fight back anyway.
"These two little mice run pretty fast. Ready to receive judgment from the god yet?"