The Warden moved with terrifying speed, its axe cleaving through the cold air with a whistle that nearly tore Kael's ear off.
The force of the swing alone sent shards of stone flying, embedding into the broken pillars like arrows.
Kael didn't try to block.
He couldn't.
He was fast, but not invincible. One clean hit from that thing, and he would be just another skeleton rotting in the Hollow Sanctum.
Kael darted around the Warden, his every step measured, precise.
The gauntlet on his right arm pulsed, itching to unleash its power.
"Use it," Kael thought. "Or die."
He flexed his fingers.
Energy surged from his Soulbrand, traveling down to the relic now bound to him the Warden's Shard.
Chains of shadow burst from the ground, snaking toward the Warden like hungry vipers.
[Ability Activated: Shadow Bind]
The spectral chains wrapped around the Warden's limbs, hissing and crackling.
For a moment, the creature staggered, slowed.
Kael seized the chance.
He lunged forward, the broken blade of the Shard glowing faintly in his hand, and slashed at the Warden's side.
Sparks flew.
The blade bit into the rusted armor but didn't pierce through.
It was like trying to cut a mountain.
The Warden roared a soundless, echoing fury and snapped the chains apart with brute strength.
Kael barely managed to leap back as the axe came down again, missing him by inches.
"Not enough," Kael realized grimly, heart pounding. "Shadow Bind only buys me seconds."
He needed to do more than survive.
He needed to win.
Kael circled the Warden, watching it carefully.
The monster wasn't invulnerable. He had felt it during that brief slash the armor was old, corroded. Beneath it, the Warden was not untouchable.
But it would take precision. Speed. Ruthlessness.
Kael gritted his teeth.
He launched into a sprint, zigzagging to avoid the Warden's sweeping strikes.
The ground trembled with every blow.
Dodging a downward smash, Kael slid under the Warden's arm and drove the broken blade into the gap beneath its shoulder plate the joint where armor was weakest.
The relic flared with power, sinking deeper.
The Warden shuddered.
A hollow, furious scream tore through the chamber, shaking dust from the ceiling.
Kael was thrown back by a blast of cold air, skidding across the stone floor.
Pain flared along his ribs likely cracked but he forced himself up.
The Warden staggered, leaking ghostly blue light from the wound.
It was injured.
It could bleed.
Kael coughed blood onto the floor and smiled grimly.
"Good. Let's finish this."
The fight became a brutal dance.
Kael weaved between deathly strikes, using Shadow Bind whenever he could to slow the Warden's movements.
Each time, he chipped away at the ancient knight stabbing into joints, slashing through weak points.
But the battle took its toll.
Every burst of Shadow Bind drained Kael's stamina. His vision blurred at the edges. His legs felt like lead.
He knew he couldn't outlast the Warden.
He had to end it.
Now.
Kael sprinted toward a cracked pillar at the edge of the chamber, luring the Warden after him.
The monster gave chase, single-minded and furious.
At the last moment, Kael planted his foot against the pillar and launched himself upward, flipping over the Warden's head.
The creature swung upward, but too late.
As Kael descended, he drove the Warden's Shard straight into the exposed gap at the monster's neck.
The relic howled in his hand, drinking deep.
The Warden convulsed violently.
Kael twisted the blade, pushing all the energy he had left into the relic.
For one terrible second, the chamber was filled with blinding silver light.
Then silence.
The Warden collapsed onto its knees and disintegrated into ash, the heavy axe clanging uselessly to the ground.
Kael landed heavily, breathing in ragged gasps.
Every muscle in his body screamed.
His hands shook from adrenaline and exhaustion.
But he was alive.
And victorious.
[Warden Defeated: Experience Gained]
[Level Up: 3 → 5]
New Ability Unlocked: Relic Resonance (Passive)
Relics bound to Soulbrand users gain enhanced effects over time.
+5% effectiveness to Warden's Shard abilities.
Kael sank to his knees, letting the System notifications wash over him.
Level 5.
It wasn't much compared to the guild warriors out there but it was his. Earned by his own hands.
He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the pulse of power in his veins.
The Forsaken System was alive inside him, growing stronger.
"I'm not weak," Kael thought, his fists clenching. "Not anymore."
Minutes later, Kael staggered out of the Sanctum, clutching the broken relic.
The sun was beginning to set over the Wastes, painting the dunes in crimson and gold.
Ash whinnied as Kael approached, stamping the ground anxiously.
Kael managed a weak grin.
"Yeah, I missed you too, buddy," he rasped, hoisting himself into the saddle.
He needed to move.
The Guild of the Black Sun wouldn't give up just because a few hunters failed.
They would send stronger ones next time.
Kael's path was clear.
He had to grow stronger fast.
Stronger than the guilds. Stronger than the kings. Stronger even than the gods who had tried to erase him.
He tightened his grip on the reins.
The Hollow Sanctum had been the first step.
Beyond the Wastes lay cities, dungeons, ancient ruins and allies. Other Forsaken, hidden like him, waiting to rise.
Kael would find them.
He would forge a new order one that didn't bow to the Divine System.
And when the gods realized what he was building, it would already be too late.
Ash galloped into the night, carrying Kael toward the unknown.
The road was long.
The enemies were many.
But Kael's spirit burned brighter than ever.
The Last Guardian had begun his rise.
And nothing not guilds, kings, or gods would stop him now.