[Time: 11:47 PM]
Location: Ruins of Azura City
Two young Guardians, Kai (C Rank) and Lena (B Rank), crouched behind the shattered remains of a collapsed building.
Kai, a lean boy with short, unkempt black hair and sharp blue eyes, clutched his weapon with trembling hands. His tattered Guardian uniform was stained with dirt and dried blood, the sleeves slightly too long for his frame. Though his stance was tense, there was a quiet determination hidden behind his fear.
Lena, on the other hand, had a battle-worn presence. Her auburn hair was tied messily in a short ponytail, a jagged scar running along her left cheek. Her brown eyes, once filled with youthful ambition, now carried the hardened gaze of someone who had seen too much war. Her Guardian armor, though scratched and dented, still fit her strong, athletic build perfectly. The air was thick with smoke and the acrid stench of burning debris. The ground trembled under the weight of distant explosions, and the sky above was a chaotic swirl of fire and magic.
"Do you think we'll make it out of this alive?" Kai whispered, his hands gripping his weapon so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Lena, her scarred face grim, glanced at him. "We don't have a choice."
"If we don't hold this line, the city falls."
"And if the city falls..."
She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to. Kai swallowed hard, his gaze darting to the horizon where the enemy forces loomed like a tidal wave of darkness.
"I just... I didn't think it would be like this."
"The stories made it sound so... heroic."
Lena let out a bitter laugh.
"Heroic? Kid, there's nothing heroic about war. It's just blood, pain, and trying not to die long enough to see the next sunrise."
A deafening roar tore through the battlefield. BOOM! The ground shook violently, cracks spreading beneath the force of its presence. Both Guardians flinched as a monstrous shadow loomed in the distance.
A massive Malvora beast—twice the size of a war elephant—charged through the chaos. Its obsidian armor was cracked and jagged, pulsing with veins of red energy. Four glowing eyes burned with hunger, scanning the battlefield for its next prey. HRAAAAAAH! It let out a guttural snarl, its breath thick with dark mist that twisted the air like a living nightmare.
The stench of rotting flesh clung to the air as the beast let out a guttural snarl, its breath thick with dark mist that twisted the air like a living nightmare.
A squad of A-ranked Guardians stood their ground. Their barriers flared to life, golden energy humming with power. FWOOOM! The shimmering shields formed a last line of defense between them and certain death. For a moment, hope flickered.
Then, the beast struck.
CRAAAACK! Its massive claws ripped through the barriers like paper, the golden energy shattering into nothingness. Sparks rained down as the air filled with the sharp ZING! of broken magic. The Guardians barely had time to react before a shadow loomed over them.
A single, crushing step.
BOOM! The ground caved in beneath the weight of the beast's foot. The air split with the sickening sound of bones snapping, armor crumbling, and muffled screams—cut off all at once. Dust and debris shot into the sky, swallowing the scene in silence.
The battlefield moved on. The war raged. But they did not.
Kai's voice trembled. "What... what is that thing?"
Lena's jaw tightened. "That's a Malvora War beast."
"And if we don't get out of here, it's going to be the last thing we ever see."
Before Kai could respond, a streak of red light blazed across the battlefield. The beast's arm ignited, flames consuming it in an instant. FWOOSH! The monster howled, its molten flesh bubbling and cracking.
A lone figure landed between the Guardians and the beast, his crimson cloak billowing in the embers. His golden eyes burned like miniature suns, reflecting the inferno around him.
"Stay out of my way," Ryusei Tenka (S rank) muttered, his deep voice cutting through the chaos. Flames coiled around his fingers, twisting into an ever-growing storm of fire and wind.
Kai's eyes widened. "Th-that's Ryusei Tenka..."
"They say he took down an entire Malvora army alone."
Lena nodded; her voice filled with awe. "And they say he walked through a battlefield untouched, reducing everything in his path to ash."
"A monster in human form!!"
The beast roared, its severed limb regenerating at an unnatural speed. Ryusei smirked. "Then I'll just burn it again."
He snapped his fingers. WHOOSH—BOOM! A fiery vortex erupted, engulfing the monster in a hellstorm of swirling flames. The creature writhed in agony before collapsing into a heap of smoldering ash.
Before the flames fully faded, another figure emerged from the battlefield—a woman clad in flowing silver armor, her katana gleaming with frost. Akari Mizuhara(S rank). The air around her chilled instantly, the flames flickering dim in her presence.
"Ryusei, you're too reckless," she said, her voice calm but carrying an edge of steel.
Ryusei turned to her, a smirk playing on his lips. "And you're too slow. I had it handled."
Akari raised an eyebrow. "Handled? You nearly let it crush half the squad."
Before Ryusei could retort, a squad of Malvora's warriors surged toward them. Cloaked in shifting shadows, their twisted, skeletal armor pulsed with dark energy, as if alive. Their eyes—hollow voids leaking black mist—locked onto their targets with unrelenting hunger. Each warrior wielded a weapon fused with void magic—jagged swords that dripped with darkness, spears that distorted the air around them.
They moved unnaturally fast. WHOOSH! Their figures blurred, gliding across the battlefield like wraiths. Their footsteps made no sound, only the eerie hum of their cursed energy filled the air. Akari raised her blade with a single, fluid motion. FWOOOSH! A flash of ice-blue light burst from her sword, and in an instant, the warriors were frozen solid. With an elegant step forward, she swung her katana once, shattering them into crystalline shards.
Kai stared in awe. "That's Akari Mizuhara... 'Frozen Abyss.'"
"The woman who held off an entire invasion force alone for three days."
Lena nodded; her voice reverent. "They say even death itself hesitates to touch her."
[Time: 11:53 PM]
Atop the remnants of a collapsed skyscraper, He stood unmoving. The fires below raged wildly, yet none could reach him. His silver hair shimmered under the blood-red sky, untouched by the embers that painted the battlefield in ruin. His cloak, pristine and unstirred, carried an eerie weight—as if the very air refused to disturb him.
Below, chaos reigned. Guardians fought desperately, their shouts drowned beneath the war cries of Malvora's forces. A young recruit clutched his wounded arm, his breath ragged. "W-we're going to be overrun... There's too many—"
A firm grip silenced him. Captain Elias—his eyes sharp despite the exhaustion—spoke in a hushed yet commanding tone. "Steady yourself."
The recruit swallowed hard. "But, Captain—"
"He's here."
The battlefield seemed to pause. A presence, suffocating yet magnetic, pulled all attention toward the towering ruin above.
Then, a voice—calm, unwavering, absolute.
"Sector 3 is collapsing. Reinforce it."
That was all it took. Captain Elias straightened instantly. "Understood, Commander!"
A Malvora Knight took its chance. Leaping through the smoke, it lunged from above, jagged spear gleaming as it plunged toward the figure standing high above the battlefield. The Guardians below barely had time to react—
SHRRK!
A radiant blue flash erupted. Before the spear could reach him, ice had already claimed the attacker mid-air. Frost spread in an instant, encasing its entire body—face twisted in frozen rage, weapon halted mere inches from its target. A perfect ice pillar stood where the warrior had been.
A slow breath misted in the cold air. He exhaled, unbothered. "Predictable."
With a flick of his wrist, the ice shattered into a thousand glittering shards, cascading like falling stars.
From below, the Guardians could only watch in stunned silence. A whisper spread among them, awe creeping into their voices.
"Even after all these years... Hikaru(Rank SS+) is still untouchable."
[Time: 12:00 AM]
The battlefield fell silent as a deep, resonant hum filled the air. The ground trembled, and the sky above darkened, as if the stars themselves were being snuffed out. A massive portal, swirling with black and gold energy, tore open in the center of the battlefield. From it emerged a towering figure, his presence alone causing the air to warp and distort.
Malvora.
He stood at nine feet tall, his cracked black skin glowing with golden veins that pulsed like rivers of molten light. His hollow golden eyes burned with an ancient, malevolent intelligence, and his face resembled a monstrous king, twisted by centuries of power and corruption. He wore an ancient black battle robe that seemed to absorb the light around him, and his very presence radiated an oppressive, suffocating energy.
The Guardians froze, their weapons trembling in their hands. Even the most seasoned warriors felt a chill run down their spines.
"So this is the best Earth has to offer?" Malvora's voice boomed, deep and resonant, carrying an unnatural echo that seemed to reverberate through the very fabric of reality. "Pathetic."
He raised a hand, and the ground beneath him cracked and splintered, tendrils of dark energy snaking out and consuming everything in their path. A group of Guardians charged at him, their weapons glowing with elemental energy, but Malvora didn't even flinch. With a casual wave of his hand, he unleashed a wave of dark matter that disintegrated them instantly, leaving nothing but ash in its wake.
"Is this all you can muster?" Malvora sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Where is your so-called saviour?"
"Where is Hikaru?"
As if in response, a golden light erupted from the distance, and Hikaru appeared, his robes torn but his presence unwavering. His golden eyes locked onto Malvora, and for the first time, a flicker of emotion crossed his face—fear.
"Malvora," Hikaru said, his voice steady but laced with tension. "You're not welcome here."
Malvora chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that sent shivers down the spines of everyone present. "Welcome?"
"Child, I do not need your welcome."
"This world is mine by right. And you... you are nothing but a pawn in a game you cannot hope to understand."
Hikaru's grip tightened on his blade. "We'll see about that."
Malvora's grin widened, revealing rows of jagged, golden teeth. "Oh, Hikaru..."
"You always were too arrogant for your own good."
"Let me show you the true meaning of power."
He raised both hands, and the sky above him twisted and churned, forming a massive vortex of dark energy. The ground beneath him cracked and splintered, and the air grew heavy with the weight of his power.
"Behold... the power of the Void!"
With a deafening roar, Malvora unleashed a torrent of dark energy that tore through the battlefield, consuming everything in its path. Hikaru raised his blade, channeling his own golden energy to create a barrier, but the force of the attack sent him skidding backward, his feet digging trenches into the ground.
The Guardians watched in horror as Malvora's power ravaged the battlefield, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Even the strongest among them felt a sense of hopelessness as they realized the true scale of the threat they were facing.
[Time: 12:23 AM]
The battlefield held its breath.
A dark figure stepped forward, his presence sending a ripple of unease through friend and foe alike. Yami (Rank ???). His midnight cloak, torn yet regal, whispered against the storm of embers in the air. His crimson eyes, sharp as a blade's edge, carried the weight of a thousand battles—of victories, losses, and a betrayal that still echoed through history.
The Guardians watching from the distance stiffened. One of them, a younger recruit, swallowed hard. "That's... Yami."
Another, older Guardian grimaced. "Yami the Betrayer." His grip on his sword tightened. "The man who turned his blade against his own brother."
The recruit hesitated. "Is it true?"
A bitter chuckle. "Truth doesn't matter in war. Only the victors get to write it."
Beyond them, Yami strode forward, his obsidian katana humming with power. Across from him, Veydrak, Malvora's strongest general, stood waiting, a cruel smile twisting his monstrous face.
"Yami, the legendary swordsman," Veydrak mused, his fanged teeth gleaming. "I've longed to test my blades against you."
Yami's gaze never wavered. His voice was quiet, carrying the weight of storms. "Then let's not waste time."
Their blades met in an explosion of sparks. Each strike came faster than the eye could follow, shockwaves tearing through the battlefield. Yami sidestepped, countered, pressed forward with relentless precision.
"You're too slow," he murmured, cold as the void. His katana pulsed with energy. "Event Horizon."
A crescent arc of anti-matter carved through reality itself, swallowing Veydrak whole. No scream. No remains. Just silence.
As the dust settled, Yami turned sharply, his gaze locking onto the battle raging between Hikaru and Malvora. His fingers tightened around his blade, and for the first time, a shadow of emotion flickered across his face.
"I need to end this now."
Hikaru stood breathless, his robes torn, his blade fractured. Before him loomed Malvora , the dark overlord. Reality warped around the monstrous entity.
Malvora chuckled. "You reek of desperation, child. Do you really believe you can match me?"
Hikaru's grip tightened. "This ends now!"
He hurled his strongest attack, "Heaven's Wrath," a divine golden beam that slammed into Malvora with earth-shattering force. When the dust cleared, Malvora still stood, a thin crack running down his armor.
Malvora smirked. "Impressive, but not enough."
As Malvora prepared his final attack, a shadow flickered between them. SHING!
Yami landed in front of Hikaru, his katana dripping with void energy. Malvora snarled. "You again..."
Hikaru's eyes widened. "Yami...?"
Yami didn't look at him. "You talk too much."
Malvora laughed. "So, the traitor returns to save his brother. How poetic."
The two clashed, their blades sending shockwaves through the battlefield. Yami's strikes forced Malvora back, his smirk fading.
"You... You shouldn't have this much power," Malvora hissed.
Yami's expression remained unreadable. "And you shouldn't be breathing."
The battlefield trembled under the weight of two monstrous forces colliding. Yami stood firm, his midnight cloak billowing in the gusts of magical energy, his obsidian katana, Kuroyasha, humming with power. Across from him towered Malvora, the dark overlord, his cracked black skin glowing with golden veins, his hollow golden eyes burning with ancient malice.
Malvora sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "You think you can defeat me, Yami? You, who betrayed your own kind? You, who walks the line between light and shadow? You are nothing but a relic of a forgotten age."
Yami's golden eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on Kuroyasha. "I don't need your approval, Malvora. I just need to end you."
Malvora laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that sent shivers through the air. "End me? You cannot even comprehend what I am. I am eternal. I am the void itself."
Yami's voice was cold, unwavering. "Then let's see how eternal you are when I erase you from existence."
With a flick of his wrist, Yami's katana pulsed with an eerie, unnatural glow. The air around him warped, as if reality itself was bending to his will. He raised Kuroyasha, the blade humming with raw, anti-matter energy. The ground beneath him cracked and splintered, and the sky above darkened, tendrils of shadow curling around him like serpents.
"Event Horizon," Yami whispered, his voice carrying the weight of inevitability.
The katana's blade glowed brighter, a swirling vortex of black and gold energy forming at its tip. The air grew heavy, and the battlefield seemed to hold its breath. Yami's golden eyes locked onto Malvora, and for a moment, the overlord's smirk faltered.
"You dare—?" Malvora began, but Yami was already moving.
In a blur of motion, Yami lunged forward, Kuroyasha slicing through the air with a deafening SHING! The blade pierced through Malvora's armor, the dark matter-infused metal shattering like glass under the force of the attack. The katana drove deeper, piercing Malvora's heart, and the overlord let out a guttural roar of pain and fury.
"You... you cannot—!" Malvora gasped, his voice strained as dark energy leaked from the wound. His golden eyes widened in shock, his monstrous form trembling as the anti-matter energy of Event Horizon began to unravel his very essence.
Yami's voice was cold, devoid of triumph. "You relied too much on brute strength, Malvora. You forgot that even the void has its limits."
Malvora coughed, dark liquid seeping from his lips. His voice was weak, but his eyes burned with defiance. "You think... this is the end? You think... you've won?"
Yami's grip on Kuroyasha tightened. "You're finished."
But before Yami could withdraw his blade, Malvora's lips curled into a sinister grin. "No... this is just the beginning."
With a sudden surge of energy, Malvora's body erupted into a torrent of dark matter, the tendrils of void energy coiling around Yami's blade and surging toward Hikaru, who stood nearby, his golden eyes wide with shock.
"Hikaru!" Yami shouted, his voice filled with urgency. He tried to sever the connection, but it was too late.
The dark energy enveloped Hikaru, and he let out a choked scream as Malvora's essence flooded his soul. His golden eyes flickered, shifting between light and abyssal black as Malvora's voice echoed in his mind.
"I live within you now, Hikaru... You are mine."
Hikaru clutched his head, his body trembling as he fought against the corruption. His voice was strained, barely a whisper. "No... I won't... let you..."
But Malvora's laughter echoed in his mind, cold and mocking. "You cannot resist me, child. Your envy, your ambition... they make you weak. You are mine, and together, we will reshape this world."
Yami reached forward, his expression a mix of anger and desperation. "Hikaru, fight it! Don't let him control you!"
Hikaru's eyes flickered, and for a moment, there was a glimpse of the brother Yami once knew. But then, his expression turned cold, his voice low and bitter. "I refuse... to be in your shadow."
With a sudden burst of energy, Hikaru raised his hand, an ancient incantation spilling from his lips. The air around Yami grew heavy, tendrils of ancient magic coiling around him.
"Eternal Petrification!" Hikaru roared, his voice filled with a mix of pain and determination.
A blinding light engulfed Yami, and his expression turned from confusion to sorrow. "Hikaru... why?"
Hikaru's voice was icy, his golden eyes now fully consumed by darkness. "You were always the stronger one. The hero. But not anymore."
Yami's body solidified into stone, his katana still gripped tightly in his hand. Hikaru opened a portal and hurled the statue into the void, his hands trembling as he did so.
Malvora's voice echoed in his mind, triumphant. "Oh, Hikaru... You have the heart of a true monster."
Hikaru staggered, gasping for breath. "I did what I had to do."
[Time: 3:14 AM]
Deep in an old forest, where the trees swayed like silent watchers, a lone statue knelt in the moonlight. Its surface was cracked and worn, touched by time, yet a strange feeling surrounded it. The statue's golden eyes, faded by years of stillness, seemed to hold the trace of a lost soul.
The wind whistled through the branches, carrying echoes of a story long forgotten. The forest, untouched by war yet heavy with its memories, stood as the keeper of an untold legend.
Then—
A pulse. A faint shimmer ran through the stone. The cracks grew, just a little.
Far beyond the forest's edge, under the same night sky, a boy wandered into the jungle, drawn by something he couldn't explain. A strange pull guided his steps, deeper into the unknown, as if something was calling out to him.
Leo.
Fate was waking up once more.