Peacekeeper's Wrath

"Seize the moment and make my plan work," I thought, knowing it was a reckless gamble, but the best option I had.

I swung my sword, cutting down a bandit. Their death held no weight on my conscience right now. I knew I should take my responsibilities seriously, but I hadn't caused my comrades' deaths. I lacked the courage to face my parents, but I knew they were terrified of what was happening to me.

I hoped this new power I possessed would guide me towards success.

The path seemed endless, with no way around. I tried to look ahead, to imagine what awaited me if I returned safely.

I had reached the Fallen Temple. It was indeed a ruin, the old altar the only structure still intact. Areina was the first to dismount, ready to assist me, but I insisted on handling it myself. We walked into the heart of the ruins and rested for a few seconds, but a horde of bandits appeared from all sides. I grabbed my sword, ready to fight, but they only gave me a glance. Their leader suddenly emerged from behind the altar and sat silently upon it. Light emanated from the bushes and converged at the four corners of the temple.

The bandits began a strange dance, kicking up dirt, shoving it around, their hands held perpendicular to their legs. They sang notes with a bizarre sound.

"Welcome, my dear sacrifices. Be my guest and honor me with your presence as a pleasing gift for the Angel of Death."

"Are you stupid? Who would accept that?" I muttered.

"Hmmm, wait, the other one wasn't here yet. Oh, there he is!" He glanced over my shoulder, and the boy, riding a horse, emerged and jumped off.

I looked at him and said, "Cry, please take Areina with you. I'll handle this myself," and gestured for Areina to go with him.

He nodded and took Areina's hand. He walked a safe distance away, and I turned to the bandit leader, asking questions.

"What are you planning? I thought you were after money?"

"No, I'm not. You're half right. What I want is power and wealth!"

"Power? What kind of power?"

"I have no obligation to answer you, but I'll tell you. I want absolute power and to paint the world with blood."

"You have ambitious dreams, but I'll crush your little dream and turn it into a nightmare."

"You have a big mouth, little brat. I'm bored, so I'll give you a chance to escape."

"Huh...!?"

"I'll let you brats get away if you defeat me in a one-on-one duel. But if I win, you and your little friends will become dead meat." The bandit proposed.

N/A: ¹[won] The bandit leader already assumed his victory. The bandit is not just boasting but also thinking logically.

I gritted my teeth and accepted the duel. I knew that with my current abilities, I had little chance of winning. I also had no proper knowledge about my new power, so I couldn't use it recklessly.

The bandit leader threw my silver sword, which they had kept while I was in the cell. I caught it and glanced at the tip. It was in perfect condition, so I could unleash my full potential with this sword.

"The rules are simple. If someone is knocked out or unable to fight... No, that's too boring. Let's change it. The winner will be declared if the other party is killed. Sounds really nice... right?"

"That's too..." Before I could finish my sentence, the bandit spoke with a wide smirk.

"Don't tell me you're afraid to die...?"

"No... I'm no...t."

"Then it's not a problem. Let's start already. I'm getting really bored."

"Wait, I want to add another rule..."

"Ehh. Aren't you satisfied yet? Just say it, brat..."

"No one should interrupt the fight, and you cannot attack the other two."

The bandit smirked. "Sure, that's a perfect proposal."

The loud noise from the musical instruments stopped, and a wave of silence emerged. The twilight was nearing its end, and the sun would rise soon. I just had to endure the fight and wait for the rescue to arrive. I knew they had already raided the bandit camp and were heading in this direction.

The fight began, and I attacked first, but the bandit easily repelled my attacks. He countered with a heavy horizontal strike. I barely blocked it and was pushed to the corner. I changed my battle tactics and started running around.

"Oy..Oy.... that wasn't funny." The bandit tried to attack me, but with my height and agility, I managed to get away easily.

But the ground became sticky, and my legs were swallowed by the mud. I was hit by a stone blizzard. My body managed to create a light barrier and blocked the other stone blizzard.

The bandit decided to use his elemental magic, so I started using my spells.

"Pillar of light!" The light flashed with massive rays and pierced the bandit's right arm. Blood flowed from his arm, and he smiled with satisfaction.

"Show me more, brat." He used his ice magic and created a frosty ground. He then released a stone blizzard at my position. I tried to dodge it, but my feet suddenly froze. The blizzard hit me again, but this time I didn't manage to block any attacks.

I gritted my teeth and broke the frosty ground by reheating the surrounding area with a fire aura. I released a light beam, but its size and shape changed into a wide cross.

The bandit tried to block my cross light beam, but his barrier was destroyed. After making contact with the bandit's body, lightning struck him.

He fell to the ground, and his eyes turned like a dead fish. I tried to finish the fight with a blow, but he blocked it with an earth barrier. He stood up and started attacking me.

"That was too sweet for you to have, brat."

"You're too tough to withstand my attack."

I prepared another light beam spell, but nothing came out. The bandit laughed and threw a heavy blow. I tried to create a barrier, but nothing emerged, and he managed to hit my left arm. The wound was too large to mend. I screamed in pain and bit my lip.

'What's wrong? What did he do?' I glanced at his fingers and saw a red ring. I was sure he was cheating. He was using a ²[anti-magic ring].

N: ²[anti-magic ring] is a device that nullifies the magic core of the enemy within a ten-meter radius. The user is exempted and can use their magic core and transform its mana into elemental attributes.

"That's too unfair!" I quickly grabbed my sword and smashed him, but he blocked it with an earth barrier.

I suddenly felt my body stop moving. I was stunned with a curse-stunning magic. This meant my mobility was stopped for a day. 'I'm doomed. Is this the end?'

The bandit launched a powerful blow. I closed my eyes and waited for a second, but the blow didn't reach me. I slowly opened my eyes and saw [Cry] blocking his attack.

"You seem to be in bad shape. You should at least try to seek help from others," he muttered while blocking the bandit.

The sun rose in a complex position, and its rays hit my cheeks. The boy in front of me was shining like a silver rose. I couldn't stop my eyes from glancing at him. His hair was swaying like leaves in peaceful rice fields. His eyes were stunning, and I thought he was cool.

He attacked the bandit, and they exchanged blows. Although the bandit had a huge body, the boy managed to stand against him.

"Boy, you're good. Can you entertain me a little?"

Cry didn't say anything, probably because he couldn't understand him. The other bandits approached us, but their leader stopped them.

"Fuckers, don't interrupt my game!!!" he shouted. They stopped and turned back to their positions.

Cry managed to strike the bandit and give him a few wounds. They continued to exchange blows until Cry was hit on his right arm. The clean cut chopped his right arm off.

"Cryyyy.... Your arm...." I shouted, but it was too late. Blood sprouted from his right arm, and a loud scream echoed.

"Wkwkkwkwkwkwk.... That's the sound I want." The bandit laughed with a loud noise and kicked Cry's body. He rolled a few meters and stopped after stumbling into the tree trunks.

The bandit started to walk towards me and placed his sword at my neck, preparing a straight strike.

Blood flowed before my eyes. A body stood in front of me, with a sword thrust into her stomach.

"Cough...cough...cough...cou...gh."

"H..uh.. Areina!? What ar...e ...y..ou do...ing?"

Areina replied with a smile, her eyes sleepy and her lips pale.

"Wkwkkwkwkwk.. do you see it, Selva? Your friends are dying because of you. How sweet, aren't they?" The bandit mocked me, and he continuously stabbed Areina. Blood flowed from her mouth, and the ground was flooded with her blood.

I tried to move, but my body was locked by an invisible chain. My mind was about to explode because of what was happening. Cry was unconsciously lying in the tree trunks, missing an arm, meanwhile, the bandit was walking towards the cliff, holding the lifeless body of my maid.

"Princess Selva, please witness your maid's burial." He smirked and threw the dead body over the cliff.

"Nooo..." My tears flooded my face. My mind couldn't accept what had just happened. No, I couldn't even accept what had happened. 'Move....move... please body mov....e' I screamed, but nothing changed.

The bandit was now walking towards Cry. "Noo....o, please... don't hurt him..." I cried, but he didn't stop. He walked slowly, and I felt everything was getting slower.

He grabbed Cry's head and dragged him to the altar. Every single bandit was shouting happily. My heart slowly scattered like little scraps.

He placed Cry on the altar and slowly pierced his neck. He stopped and grabbed my sword.

"I'm going to borrow it for a while."

"Nooo... Don't do that. Please kill me instead." I shouted in frustration.

"Don't worry, you'll follow them afterwards."

My mind wished everything would change. I wished I had never crossed this path. My head and heart couldn't withstand this pain. Seeing Areina thrown and Cry sacrificed was enough to fill me with regret. My sword was slowly piercing Cry's neck. The blood dripped out, and the black altar was slowly turning red.

[Your reach the tip of ascension]

[Your ability was tripled]

[You can now use the hero's

ability ³{Excalibur strike} ]

A:[Excalibur strike] is a rare ability with a powerful strike that can cut even space, but it requires a lot of mana to use. Using it without proper preparation can lead to serious damage to the user. The worst-case scenario can lead to the user's death.

'Why now? Why didn't I achieve it when everyone was still alive? Areina and Cry are dead. Why....why ... Damn you, fate... I hate you so much....'

With frustration, my body broke free from the curse, and I stood with my head looking down. "Arrrrrgggg...." I shouted.

Everyone looked at me with disbelief. I walked slowly and grabbed a sword lying on the floor.

"You will pay for what you did." The lonely feeling was turning into a trumpet of anger and killing intent.

I swung my sword and tried to attack the brutal bandit. He merely blocked it, but I didn't stop and continued to attack him. He was shocked by the sudden change, but his confidence was too high. I wanted to kill him and make him experience the pain and frustration I felt.

[Do you want to use the skill {Excalibur strike}?]

"Yes." I prepared to make my vergence.

[Warning, your body can't withstand the effect of the skill {Excalibur strike} ]

Before I could hit the brutal bandit's neck, my body stopped, and my consciousness faded. It was almost there. I could almost kill him, but fate really hated me.

******

A: I love to read your comments fellas....