Chapter 193: Guardians
The snow had barely settled from the first collapse when the vault groaned again. The symbols crawling across the stone weren’t fading. They were accelerating, lines of black script burning themselves brighter, deeper, as though the stone itself was trying to tear open.
Lucen wiped blood from his lip with the back of his hand, grinning even as the system’s hum still vibrated in his bones. "Alright," he muttered, voice just loud enough for the others to hear. "I knew it wasn’t going to be a one-and-done."
Selindra didn’t answer. Her blade was already in hand again, eyes locked on the arch. Her breathing was steady, deliberate, no hint of nerves.
Varik shifted his weight slightly. That was all. No words, no visible tension, but Lucen caught the way the air seemed to thicken around him, the subtle flare of his mana leaking outward.
The vault screamed. That was the only word for it. A sound so sharp and low it tore through their ribs. The script flared blinding white before collapsing into darkness. For a heartbeat, nothing. Then—
Something stepped through.
This one wasn’t hulking and armored like the first. It was taller, thinner, its body wrapped in tattered shadow instead of stone. A skeletal frame stretched too long, bones glistening like obsidian glass, and at its back, six wings of black fire flickering in and out of existence. Its face was a void. No features, only a shifting mask of red light that writhed like it wanted to escape.
The pressure doubled again. Lucen’s mana core buckled under it, the system chiming:
[Guardian Manifestation Detected]
[Estimated Threat Level: SS]
[Warning: Mana Core Instability Likely]
Lucen hissed under his breath, adjusting his grip on his sword. ’Perfect. The sequel’s always bigger.’
The guardian raised one hand. Not slow like the first. Instant. A beam of red light shot across the ridge.
Lucen dove sideways as the beam carved a trench where he’d been standing, molten glass spraying from the snow.
Selindra was already moving, sprinting low, blade cutting an arc as she closed distance. She didn’t hesitate, not for a breath. Her strike met the guardian’s ribs, but instead of shattering, the blade slid through, like cutting smoke.
The guardian’s head snapped toward her, the red mask distorting, screaming. The air rippled and a shockwave blasted out. Selindra was hurled backward across the ridge, boots carving lines in the snow before she caught herself, blade braced.
Lucen cursed. "Oh, it’s going to be that kind of fight."
The guardian’s wings spread wide. Six streaks of black fire shot out in arcs, jagged and wild.
Varik moved. His sword cut once, twice, three times, each swing so fast Lucen barely saw the motion. The arcs of fire split apart, scattering into harmless sparks that fizzled into the snow.
Then Varik was there, in front of the guardian, sword slamming down.
The guardian caught it. Bare hands. Its skeletal claws wrapped around the steel, red light crawling up the blade.
Lucen felt it, the sheer force meeting Varik head on. The air screamed, snow boiling off the ridge as their power locked.
Varik’s face didn’t change. He shoved, and the guardian staggered back a single step.
Lucen’s grin sharpened. "Guess I should earn my keep."
Mana flared through him, the familiar pull threatening to burn his veins. He didn’t care. He raised his hand, sigils spiraling faster than thought. [Soundlash.]
A crack of compressed sound tore across the ridge, slamming into the guardian’s side. The skeletal frame bent with the impact, shrieking as fractures spidered along its ribs.
Selindra was already back in motion. She leapt high, twisting midair, her blade flashing down like a silver guillotine. The strike carved through one of the wings, black fire exploding outward.
The guardian roared, a piercing, psychic scream that made Lucen’s vision blur. His system lit warnings again, mana bleeding uncontrolled.
[Warning: Core Overload Risk +12%]
He grit his teeth, forcing focus. "Not now—"
The guardian snapped toward him. Its hand lifted again, another beam charging.
Lucen spat a curse, slammed both hands forward. [Frost Spire.]
The ground erupted in a spear of jagged ice between him and the guardian. The red beam fired, carving straight through the spire, shattering it to glittering shards, but slowed just enough for Lucen to roll aside, heat searing his cheek.
Selindra landed, blade striking again, this time at the neck. The steel met resistance, sparks exploding as it struck hardened bone, but cut deep enough that the guardian’s scream cracked, stuttered.
Varik’s sword came down at the same moment. A single perfect arc, angled at the guardian’s chest.
The blade cut through. The guardian staggered, ichor of red light spilling like liquid fire.
But it didn’t fall.
Instead, its wings snapped wide again, and this time they didn’t throw fire. They folded inward, cocooning its body. The red light pulsed brighter, faster, like a heartbeat accelerating.
Lucen’s gut twisted. "Oh, that’s never good."
The wings exploded outward. A wave of pure abyssal energy ripped across the ridge, flattening the snow into black glass.
Lucen slammed a crater-shield into the ground just in time, the eruption blasting against it. The shield cracked, shattered, and he hit the ground hard, ears ringing.
Selindra had braced behind Varik. His mana flared outward, a barrier of sheer force meeting the eruption head-on. The wave split around him, leaving a clear circle of untouched snow at his feet.
Lucen groaned, dragging himself upright, blood running from his nose. "Yeah. Definitely an SS."
The guardian was changed now. Its body slimmer, sharper, the red mask fully splitting open into a maw of light. Its claws burned with the same abyssal fire as its wings.
Selindra spat once into the snow, grip tightening on her sword. "It’s evolving."
Varik’s gaze never left the creature. "Then we end it before it stabilizes."
Lucen wiped his face with the back of his hand, grinning through the blood. "Finally. Something fun."
He let mana surge again, raw and dangerous. [Cataclysm Vector.]
The spell ripped outward in jagged lines of unstable energy, carving across the ground toward the guardian. They struck its legs, detonating into violent eruptions of force. One limb cracked, shattering at the knee.
The guardian screamed, stumbling, just long enough for Selindra to move. Her blade flashed, cutting through the other wing with surgical precision.
Varik finished it. He stepped in close, his strike not fast, not showy, just absolute. His blade cut from hip to shoulder.
The guardian split cleanly in half.
Red light exploded outward, screaming into the sky, before collapsing into nothing. The body disintegrated, ash scattering on the wind.
Silence fell.
Lucen swayed on his feet, his system pinging softly.
[Guardian Defeated]
[XP Gained: +14,500]
[Level Up: 30 → 31]
He barked a sharp laugh, half-exhaustion, half-thrill. "Two down."
Selindra’s blade dripped black ash. She didn’t lower it. Her eyes stayed on the vault.
Varik finally exhaled once. His voice was steady, but low. "It isn’t over."
The vault pulsed again.
—
The snow settled again, soft and quiet as if the mountain itself was trying to smother the violence that had just unfolded.
The ridge was littered with scorch marks, splintered ice, and veins of black glass where abyssal fire had licked the earth. The only sound left was the low, crackling hiss of mana residue evaporating into the cold air.
Lucen dropped onto a chunk of half-melted stone, running a gloved hand through his sweat-damp hair. His chest rose and fell too fast, mana still buzzing under his skin like a hive. The system’s faint hum was there too, smug and metallic.
[Level Up: 30 → 31]
[Stat Allocation Pending]
’Yeah, yeah, later,’ he thought, tilting his head back toward the bruised sky. His veins still felt hot, raw from pushing out that [Cataclysm Vector]. His whole body ached like someone had poured fire under his skin, but his mouth still curled in that crooked grin. "Two down. Think the third gets a crown?"
Selindra didn’t laugh. She didn’t even sheathe her sword. She stood several paces away, boots firm in the snow, blade point sunk into the ground. Her shoulders moved with slow, deliberate breaths. That was the only sign she’d taken anything from the fight.
Her eyes flicked toward him, sharp as a scalpel. "You’re reckless."
Lucen barked out a laugh, low and unbothered. "And you’re welcome."
Varik stood closer to the vault than either of them, sword still in hand, though his posture was deceptively relaxed. The way his fingers rested against the hilt said otherwise. His gaze stayed fixed on the sealed arch.
"Rest," he said simply.
Selindra’s head turned slightly. "We don’t have time. The seal hasn’t finished its cycle."
Varik didn’t look at her. "We make time. You’ll need strength when the next comes."
Lucen spread his arms wide, mock-pleading. "See? Even the big guy says sit your pretty ass down."
Her expression didn’t change, but her grip tightened briefly on the sword before she finally pulled it free of the ground and stepped back. She didn’t sit next to him, not even close. She picked a separate patch of flat stone, perched on it like a hawk poised to strike again.
Lucen smirked at the distance. "Don’t all rush to be cozy at once."
"Shut up," Selindra said. Not harsh, not heated. Just flat.
Lucen chuckled anyway, leaning back on his hands.
The silence that followed wasn’t comfortable, but it wasn’t empty either. The ridge groaned faintly under the cold wind, carrying with it the distant echo of ice shifting down the cliffs.
Varik finally turned from the vault, planting his blade tip-first into the snow beside him. "Lucen."
Lucen cracked one eye open, head still tilted back. "Mm?"
"Mana."
Lucen grinned faintly, though he felt the sting under his ribs. "Yeah, yeah. Burned through more than I meant to. What’s new."
Selindra’s gaze slid to him then, unreadable. "How much."
Lucen tilted his head toward her, expression playful but eyes sharp. "Curious, are we?"
Her face didn’t move. "If you collapse in the next fight, you’re dead weight."
Lucen’s smile widened, showing a flash of teeth. "Relax. I’ve still got plenty. Enough for another [Shockweave Bolt]. Maybe even a [Frost Spire] if I’m feeling generous."
Selindra’s brow twitched. Barely noticeable, but it was there.
Varik’s voice cut between them, calm but heavy. "Save your mouth. Conserve energy."
Lucen gave a lazy salute. "Aye, aye."