Greth looked at Kalvus with an awkward smile.


    "Sorry I messed up, I shouldn''t have said the last line."


    "I couldn''t care any less." My world seems to keep spinning with all his words but I have already decided on what needs to be done.


    ''Don''t regret my actions, sure I will.'' I thought to myself.


    Elda''s face and sorrow were known to me.


    I know she was angry at me when I didn''t kill her perpetrators and I was enraged by this as well now.


    "I see, but do you think you can kill everyone here? I didn''t know you were an awakened but that still doesn''t change anything."


    Greth said with a grin, taking a step back he pulled something out of a brown box kept somewhere.– A vial containing a reddish-green liquid.


    Kalvus gave Asher a glance from the side and brought a woman from the prison, she had her dress torn, her face red and pale– She looked almost dead.


    "What are you planning to do with her?" I asked with a frown making sure my face was not grinning anymore.


    "You don''t need to feel bad Asher, this woman is almost dead. Her inside had been...well let''s say broken down. So even if a doctor came to heal her she will continue to live in a world of pain."


    Opening the vial he poured it down inside her mouth by force. Her body twisted and contracted for a moment, seeing this Asher''s eyes widened he had seen this before, and this is what had happened to kena as well in the ruins.


    "Don''t move." Kalvus pointed his sword toward me before I could take a step forward.


    The woman''s body continued to twist unnaturally till she calmed down, her face which had been pale and sick again regained life, and slowly all her injuries healed.


    "See the magic of this, all kinds of injuries could be healed by this potion. Whoever made this is a genius."


    "This can... heal."


    If it''s true that''s an elixir but I better know not to trust this man''s words. Just a single opening... and I will do what I need to do.


    "You are clearly thinking something stupid." Kalvus shook his head with a smirk, he took the woman and dragged her near the curtains covering the wall, opening them to reveal what was hidden behind.


    The woman who had been looking healthy by now suddenly groaned in agony her face broke down, her skin started to melt as she kicked her legs in the air and was dragged down and thrown towards the curtain.


    "Ah..... don''t tell me." My face went pale as if all the colors had been taken out, a cold sweat ran down my neck.


    "...Monsters" That was the only word that I could say.


    Behind the curtain was a pit– In which monsters with their bodies deformed and twisted lay underneath. The woman who had also been now turned into a monster let out a shriek as she fell.


    Her human form had been replaced by a creature of horror, a creature with claws and teeth that no one would have thought could ever come from a human. The monsters in the pit, hearing the sound of the fall, looked up at the new arrival with hungry eyes.


    "Fascinating isn''t it," Greth said in admiration. "All these monsters do you think... you can win."


    I clenched my fists and took a step forward, my mind racing with anger. "What have you done to these people?"


    Kalvus stepped aside, his grin widening. "What had to be done? You see, this world is not as black and white as you think, Asher. Sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good."


    The pit was filled with the cacophony of monstrous howls and snarls, the air thick with the stench of decay and despair. I felt a wave of nausea wash over me, but I couldn''t tear my eyes away from the horror before me. These were once humans, like Elda and Kena, and now they were... this.


    "I have.... decided."


    "Oh, did you finally give up? Good heavens you sure took your time Asher, but it was worth it. All this drama I mean."


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Greth face chimed with pleasure as he stepped aside from the pit along with Kalvus.


    "I am prepared.... but are you?" I asked in a solemn tone, this time I smiled for sure.


    The two men looked at each other, puzzled. They had pushed me to the edge, and now they were about to find out what that meant.


    "What are you on about?" Kalvus snarled, his grip tightening on his sword.


    "You see, I''ve realized that sometimes, to save the world from monsters, you have to become one yourself.... so thank you," I replied, my eyes never leaving the pit of horrors.


    *Swish!* I swung my sword once in the air, the tension raised like a storm was about to come.


    "Fuck-" Greth cursed as he took a step back, at that moment Asher''s figure vanished from his site.


    *Cling!*


    Two swords clashed at that very moment.


    "Do you really wish to die that much," Kalvus said with a frown– Just by a breath he had managed to stop Asher from attacking Greth.


    "Don''t worry I am prepared to die... but are you ready to die as well."


    *Tink!*


    With a small push we both backed away, he was as fast as I had expected him to be.


    ''fifteen enemies plus an uncountable number of monsters...Can I win?''


    "Pfft- I clearly can''t."


    This situation is clearly out of my league, all I can do is hope to kill as many enemies as I can.


    Greth looked at Kalvus and gave him a nod, the latter took it as a cue to start the battle.


    "I don''t think you''ve thought this through, Asher. You can''t beat us all. You''re just a foolish boy with a vendetta."


    "I may not win, but I will not lose either," I said with a smile.


    I don''t want to smile without knowing, so I will smile and keep smiling when I want to.


    ''I will use static at the right moment.''


    With a smirk I accelerated ahead, Kalvus didn''t wait either his feet lifted by the wind carried him away from me.


    Greth, who was not a fighter, took a step back, his eyes widened in shock as he saw the swiftness of our movements. The guards around him looked ready to pounce on me but hesitated due to the sudden change of events.


    Using the distraction, I lunged towards Kalvus with my sword, the blade cutting through the air with a fierce intent. His eyes narrowed as he readied himself for the assault. He was a skilled swordsman, his movements precise and calculated. Our swords clashed with a metallic ring, sparks flying as we locked eyes.


    Without wasting any time Kalvus threw a gust of wind toward Asher, seeing this I dodged to the side trying to catch Kalvus''s hands.


    Seeing my approach he jumped back with his wind-boosted agility, narrowly avoiding my grasp. The room had turned into a whirlwind of steel and magic.


    The guards, caught in the crossfire of our battle, were forced to retreat to the edges of the chamber, their eyes wide with fear and confusion.


    Greth, unable to hide his shock at my sudden aggression, shouted a command that echoed through the room. The guards jolted from their paralysis and lunged at me one by one, their weapons glinting in the flickering torchlight.


    "Kill him!" Kalvus bellowed, his face contorted in rage.


    The guards, still disoriented from the sudden shift in power dynamics, stumbled forward awkwardly. Their movements were sluggish, almost as if they were unsure of what they were doing. Each guard''s eyes revealed a flicker of doubt, of fear, but they were driven by the authority of their leader.


    "Tch!" I clicked my tongue at this, Sword of Repose crackled in response turning into a sword whip.


    I swung it with all my might and in a flash of light the three guards were knocked back, with a slash on their chest.


    Their armor had been cut cleanly, leaving a trail of red mist in the air. They fell to the ground, hopefully not alive.


    Kalvus looked at them with his eyes squinted and clicked his tongue. His sword now covered in wind lunged at Asher, with a fierce force destroying the path in its wake.


    But Asher was quicker, I ducked and rolled under the sword path, my sword whip cutting through the air, leaving a trail of purple flash.


    Kalvus using his sword with wind, striked the whip, sending it away.


    "Impressive, but not enough." He smirked.


    Greth witnessing this turn of events, looked at Asher for a moment, then turned to walk toward the horror of monsters he had created.


    I once again sprinted toward Kalvus, Kairosflow making me move twice as fast then before. Five guards with different sets of abilities did not wait for my next move and attacked me simultaneously.


    *Cling!*


    *Cling!*


    *Cling!*


    Various clashes of swords happened at the same time Asher who had been looking at the world in slow motion could see every single movement of each guard.


    Some threw rocks while some used their heightened strength to kill Asher, but all of it was a futile effort.


    Each of their attacks was met with swift counters, my sword a blur as it danced around their crude blows.


    *Thuck!*


    A single thrust from Sword of Repose left a trail of bloody mist, as it pierced another one of the guards, taking his life.


    Splashes of blood sprayed everywhere, painting my face in crimson.


    The guards fell one by one, their lives claimed by the cold steel of my blade. The room was a symphony of clanging metal and grunts of exertion. The smell of blood grew stronger, mingling with the stench of fear and monstrosity from the pit.


    Kalvus''s eyes shook at this situation, he had not expected Asher to be this strong.


    Looking at the clashes of sword and supernatural, Kalvus also decided to make his move.


    He raised his sword and pointed toward the group that continued to fight with Asher. The wind gathered at the tip of his sword wrapping around in the form of a tornado, with all his strength he thrusted it ahead.


    The tornado of sword wind shot towards Asher with a deadly intent to end this fight swiftly.


    *Boom!*


    A smile played on my lips, as I took a step mid-air and jumped up toward the ceiling, Kalvus''s eyes widened in shock as his attack hit his own men, destroying them.


    *Crash!*


    Coming down like a commet by kicking the ceiling, I raised my sword turning it into a sword whip and swung it down.


    Greth''s eyes followed me with a mix of excitement and horror, while Kalvus had a look of shock and disbelief.


    Kalvus who could have dodged such an open attack stopped moving– His body had been frozen in time!


    The sword whip came down like lightning leaving a trail of purple and black afterimages, with the sound of air bursting apart it struck the frozen kalvus splitting him apart.