After what felt like an eternity…
At last, Ren slowly opened his eyes.
His eyelids were heavy, like two slabs of stone weighing down his soul, suppressing every lingering thought.
Sweat and dust clung to his dry skin, sticking together like fragments of a nightmare that refused to fade.
The exhaustion wasn't just in his muscles, it ran through his bones, a hollow, drained feeling that left only an empty shell gasping for breath.
The world before him blurred, like a thin mist over a shattered mirror.
Everything… chaotic, trembling, stained with flickering streaks of light and dark. He could no longer distinguish between his own ragged breaths and the sound of rubble falling across the battlefield.
But then… amidst that void, a brilliant light suddenly burst into his vision.
It was so blinding that Ren had to blink rapidly, his lashes wet with stinging salt, trembling with the erratic pounding of his heart.
And in that hazy moment between waking and dreaming, he saw it.
The sword.
Unmistakable.
The sword in Diavel's hand, glowing bright like a blade of fire in the dead of night, like a cold moonbeam tearing through the thick clouds blanketing the sky.
It sliced through the air, tracing a perfect arc so flawless it seemed beyond this world.
That slash carried no sound, no shockwave, just a clean, silent motion… yet within it lay the full weight of belief, of restraint finally released, of determination that had surpassed the limits of the self.
That strike…
Drove straight into the Golem Sentinel's cracked chest.
Right there, where Ren, Nautilus, Yuna, Lind, Shivata… and everyone else had poured in sweat, staked their lives, and invested their fragile hopes to carve out the smallest of fractures, was now torn wide open by that finishing blow.
There was no roar. No cheering.
Only a single sword strike. And a surge of light bursting from the sundered armor, like the first sunlight breaking through the crevice of a deep cavern.
The system light flared brilliantly, engulfing the space tinged with the ashes of a prolonged battle. It wasn't loud, nor ostentatious… but it made the hearts of anyone still standing clench tight.
The Golem froze.
Its entire body stiffened, each stone joint cracking with a faint but resonant sound like the toll of a bell signaling the end.
Its once darkly glowing eyes, once flaring with malice, now shimmered with the fading glint of blackened embers… then went out.
The massive stone frame tilted… and crashed to the ground, echoing like an ancient fortress crumbling beneath a quake.
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: Boss Golem Sentinel has been defeated.]
[Born to uphold peace, yet became a symbol of war and meaningless power.]
[Under the command of the Dinvine Golem Legion, enforcer of order.]
[A fracture appeared within the depths of the Cosmos, of Creation, between Peace and Emotion.]
[Ended after the battle against #$%^&… continued to follow Creation… gradually grew arrogant and indifferently complacent.]
[Then lay forgotten for an age.]
[A part of the Golem Knight Legion...]
[You received EXP…]
[You received Cor…]
[You received…]
Amid the dense, dazzling system notifications flashing across the screen...plain, mechanical, yet heartbreakingly beautiful...
He forced his eyes open one more time, just to confirm that it was real. That everything that had just happened… wasn't an illusion born of a disoriented mind.
And then....
As if someone had suddenly drained all the air from his lungs, crushing his chest, Ren collapsed onto the ground.
No more resistance. No more struggle.
Only ragged breaths and the screaming emptiness inside.
A wave of emotion surged up, but he no longer had the strength to cry. Joy, pain, pride, and even the shame of failure, all melded into a choking lump in his throat.
He didn't know how much he had contributed. Didn't know if his own strike had truly meant anything.
He only knew...he had reached his limit.
And at last… the battle was over.
Silence settled over the aftermath like a weight pressing against the earth.
Even the breeze carried a heaviness, as though the very air had been sealed, suffocating.
No praise. No victorious cheers. The familiar sounds of joy, of relief, of pride, were all quiet, swallowed by the darkness.
It was as if time itself had paused here, suppressing words left unspoken, as though something worse was waiting just ahead, lurking somewhere in the corners of everyone's mind.
The faces around him, worn and weary, bore the scars of battle still etched into their skin. Not one showed the joy of triumph.
Those darkened, dull, and hollow eyes, as if they had seen enough of war's ruins and the kind of pain that could never be erased.
The wounds were not just scratches on their bodies, but deep cracks in their souls, where emotions had grown numb, no longer strong enough to spark laughter or joy.
The faint light from the remaining swords shone on their faces, only highlighting old scars, cracks filled with guilt and pain.
Faint silhouettes among the dying light, like lost souls wandering through the remnants of their own lives.
The feeling of victory within them was not satisfaction, but a vast, endless void that could never be filled.
It was like a bottomless black hole, devouring all trust, all hope. Everything seemed to have only just begun.
This battle, though over, felt like an unhealed cut, still smoldering inside, lingering with unanswered questions.
And in that moment, memories of this meaningless war, of those who had died in vain, rose again like ghosts, following their every step.
Every gaze, every tight grip on the sword, felt like a preparation for what had yet to come, a confrontation with a future full of uncertainty and fear.
Ren stood still. He didn't know what to feel. The wind still whistled past, but the silence inside him made it feel unbearably heavy.
The joy of victory had faded as quickly as it came.
Guilt flooded every cell in his body, as if he hadn't done enough.
He hadn't saved those who died. He hadn't protected them… If only he had warned them earlier… maybe no one would have died…
Suddenly, footsteps echoed, followed by a familiar voice...one filled with bitter resentment, shattering the silence.
Lind stepped forward, each footfall like a nail driven into the already suffocating air after battle.
His eyes were cold, blazing, sharp like twin blades, glinting in the pale light from the battlefield's scattered fragments.
There was no longer any calm or indifference, only a storm of fury, boiling, ready to burn through all reasoning, all excuses.
His voice burst out like thunder, sudden, uncontrolled."YOU... it was you, you bastard. WHY didn't you warn us sooner?!"
His voice cracked with every breath, dry, heavy, like each word was a verdict."You knew. YOU KNEW ABOUT THAT BOSS! The way it moved, the way it countered, its tactics… YOU KNEW EVERYTHING! But you stayed silent. You told no one!"
Ren couldn't respond. He had never seen Lind like this. Though usually cold and arrogant… the man standing here now… was no longer rational, consumed by rage and loss.
Lind stepped closer, fists clenched so tight they bled, teeth grinding, every muscle in his arms trembling from restraint.
"What were you planning, huh?" his voice was hoarse, spitting each word through gritted teeth."You kept that info for what? To swoop in for the final strike? To claim the reward all for yourself? Too afraid someone might steal your glory, so you stayed quiet and watched us walk straight into a trap?"
Ren opened his mouth, but no words came out, as if every sound was strangled by that burning stare.
"Do you know that because of your pathetic selfishness, Chest is dead?!" Lind roared, his voice breaking under the weight of pain and hatred, pointing to where a lifeless body still hadn't shattered into a thousand fragments.
"He trusted you. We trusted you! And in return, you let us face something you fully understood, while we had no chance to defend ourselves!"
Silence.
Each word struck Ren like an axe to the chest, not because they were all true, but because… some of them were.
The air was so thick it felt impossible to breathe. Everyone around, Diavel, Nautilus, Yuna, even Shivata, none of them dared to speak.
The name "Chest," just spoken aloud, seemed to carry the ghost of disappointment and grief, hovering around Ren like a curse.
Ren stood as if pierced through the heart, eyes wide, unable to believe what he had just heard. He clenched his hands tightly, as if that was the only way to keep himself from collapsing.
"No…" Ren murmured, his voice hoarse, trembling."I… I didn't know anything. I'd never seen that boss before. I didn't know how it fought…"
He turned to the others, Diavel, Shivata, Yuna, Nautilus… searching for a sympathetic glance, for someone to speak up. But no one looked him in the eye. No one.
"Why would I keep something like that to myself? I didn't want… anyone to die."
His voice choked."Chest… he didn't deserve to die. But neither did I! I fought too. I hurt too. I wasn't just watching this battle from the sidelines!"
But Ren's voice dissolved into the cold void. No one answered.
Diavel only looked down, his eyes darkening. Something in him was torn, between compassion and responsibility. But in the end, he said nothing.
Lind, on the other hand, scoffed with scorn:
"Don't act anymore, Ren. You think a few tears will wash the blood off your hands? Do you even know what you've done? You cost this group one of its best members."
He turned his back, waving a hand as if brushing off something worthless."I don't care what you say. We're not letting this happen again."
Lind walked away, but his final words struck like a cruel blade:
"Get lost… get the hell out of this group. You're a damn curse. Ever since you showed up, nothing good has happened."
Ren stood frozen. In his mind, his heartbeat sounded distant, meaningless. No one stopped him. No one spoke.
Only the stretching shadows on the ground remained, blending with the lingering cold from a battle not yet forgotten.