Vierd stood before the massive stone entity, watching as its glowing blue eyes bore into him—not just seeing him, but recognizing him as something that should not exist.

  This was no ordinary monster.

  This was a part of this world itself—its final protector.

  The air around them grew heavier, as though the very space between them was filling with an unseen force. He knew—this fight would not be like the others.

  But he didn’t have time to think.

  No—it didn’t vanish.

  It moved, with speed that defied logic, as if the distance between them had simply collapsed.

  A massive fist came crashing toward his chest, with enough force to shatter a mountain.

  The instant he sensed the attack, he threw himself to the side, dodging by mere inches.

  The spot where he had been standing exploded into shattered stone, dust and debris flying in all directions.

  Vierd spun sharply—and struck back.

  "I WON’T LET YOU CONTROL THE PACE OF THIS FIGHT."

  He lunged forward, his black-glowing blade slicing toward the guardian’s neck.

  But the guardian was no fool.

  It raised its massive arm, blocking the strike.

  A sharp, metallic screech echoed through the ruins as sparks flew from the impact.

  But there was no cut.

  Vierd’s sword hadn’t pierced its body at all.

  "Its body is too solid... No, it's more than that."

  This wasn’t just stone. The guardian was a part of the Gate’s core itself, formed from the energy of this collapsing world.

  Vierd leapt back, quickly reassessing his opponent.

  But the guardian didn’t give him time.

  It slammed its palm against the ground.

  And at that moment—the earth split apart.

  From the cracks, black, glowing chains erupted—writhing, twisting, moving like living things—

  —and they shot straight toward Vierd.

  He moved fast, jumping over one, twisting midair to avoid another.

  But there were too many.

  They didn’t just move randomly—they anticipated his every escape.

  One of them snapped around his ankle.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Before he could slash it away, the guardian pulled.

  An irresistible force yanked him forward, his body hurtling through the air—

  —and then crashing straight through a stone wall.

  Dust and rubble rained down around him.

  Pain flared in his ribs, but he ignored it. Pain was nothing new.

  He forced himself to his feet—but the chains were faster.

  This time, they weren’t aiming for his body.

  The moment they touched him—

  A cold unlike anything he had ever felt sank into his bones.

  A sensation of tearing, unraveling— as though something was being pulled out from deep inside him.

  A dark grin spread across his lips.

  He had known this Gate consumed souls.

  But he hadn’t expected it to have a way to rip them out by force.

  The guardian raised its arm, and the chains tightened—pulling harder, draining him.

  Vierd felt it—his soul, fracturing.

  As if the Gate itself was rejecting his very existence.

  But then—for a brief moment—

  His mind drifted somewhere else.

  A woman’s voice.

  "YOU CAN’T STAY HERE, VIERD…"

  Her hand was on his face—warm, but trembling.

  Her golden eyes were just like his.

  But no matter how hard he tried—he couldn’t remember her face.

  "THE HUMAN WORLD WON’T ACCEPT YOU… AND NEITHER WILL THE WORLD OF SPIRITS."

  She was shaking.

  Was she crying? No… it was something else.

  Fear?

  And then—a shadow appeared behind her.

  A second voice—cold, absolute.

  "IF HE STAYS, HE WILL DIE."

  Vierd snapped back to reality—just as a surge of pain shot through him.

  The chains tightened further—tearing into him, trying to consume him.

  And at that moment—

  He had no time for memories.

  He didn’t need to see a past he couldn’t even remember.

  In an instant—he let his power explode.

  Black flames of shadow erupted from his body, darkness surging outward in waves.

  The chains that had been pulling at his soul—

  —stopped.

  Then, one by one—

  Vierd dropped to the ground, but he didn’t stop moving.

  Using the momentum, he lunged straight toward the guardian, his sword now burning with something unnatural.

  The guardian raised its arm to defend—

  Its once-indestructible body cracked as the sword sank deep into its stone flesh.

  Because this wasn’t just a sword anymore.

  The blade carved through the guardian’s arm—then drove straight toward its core—

  Where the blue light pulsed like a heart.

  One clean, final strike—straight through the core.

  And in that moment—

  The ancient walls cracked.

  The towers swayed.

  The very fabric of the Gate trembled.

  But amid the destruction—

  Something fell from the guardian’s chest.

  A small, glowing object.

  Not just any object—a stone.

  Vierd picked it up—and instantly, he felt it.

  "THIS…"

  It pulsed with a cold energy, but it wasn’t an ordinary power source.

  There was something inside it.

  Something… connected to him in a way he didn’t understand.

  But before he could dwell on it—

  The ground beneath him shook.

  No time.

  He turned, running through the crumbling city—

  And that’s when he felt it.

  A presence.

  Not a monster.

  Not a shadow.

  He glanced back—just for a second.

  And he saw it.

  A figure moving through the ruins.

  Eyes glowing red.

  But there was no time to find out who—or what—they were.

  Because behind them—