Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: Legionarius Divinum

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The Mantid Blades' wings flared violently like a dragonfly readying for liftoff.

Then—I felt it.

The Aether surrounding it began to condense, thickening the air.

Its severed limb regenerated instantly.

But that wasn't all.

From its back, an extra set of arms burst forth, each wielding its own gleaming blade.

Four arms. Four blades.

A perfect machine of death.

I smiled, letting my shoulders relax. So that's how it is, huh?

Fine.

If he was going to fight seriously—

So would I.

The Swarmborn Minions began to stir.

They were smaller, standing at around five feet tall—lesser insectoid creatures compared to the Mantid Blades. But still dangerous in numbers.

They crouched low, ready to pounce.

But before they could—

"Eek… Eek!"

The Mantid Blades let out a piercing shriek.

The Swarmborn froze.

Though I didn't understand its language, I knew exactly what it meant.

"Don't touch him. He is mine."

I grinned. So this is going to be a duel, huh?

The Swarmborn hesitated, then backed away into the shadows.

It was just me and him now.

The Mantid Blades shifted its stance.

All four of its blades raised. Ready.

I reached into my Nexus Codex and pulled forth my weapon.

A Nodachi—a massive, two-handed katana reinforced with Aether.

I let the heavy blade rest against my shoulder, exhaling slowly as I settled into my stance.

A cold breeze swept across the battlefield, carrying the scent of dust and scorched stone. I kept my hand light on the hilt of my Aether-Forged Nodachi, feeling the energy thrumming beneath my fingertips. The blade was nearly as long as I was tall—crafted not just for cutting, but for devastation.

Across from me, the mantid-blade warrior flexed its four serrated arms, its alien eyes glinting with hunger. Its dragonfly-like wings buzzed in a high-pitched drone, vibrating through my chest. The ruins around us stood frozen in time, shadows of the warriors who had fallen before me.

"Four arms. Four blades. It has the advantage—"

No.

I exhaled slowly, steadying my stance. —It thinks it has the advantage.

Then it lunged.

I moved.

The ground beneath me shattered, cracks webbing outward as Aether surged through my muscles.

In an instant, I launched forward—faster than the eye could follow.

The battlefield blurred around me.

Time itself seemed to twist.

I saw it.

The mantid's right arm coming down in a lethal arc—an executioner's blow, meant to cleave me in two.

"Too slow."

I shifted my stance mid-sprint, feet skimming the rubble.

My fingers tightened around the hilt.

Then—

Click.

The edge of my nodachi slid free in a single, fluid draw—not slashed, but released like lightning being unsheathed from sky.

A silver flash split the dark.

A clean stroke.

A blur of motion.

A moment of stillness.

Then—

The first arm flew free, severed mid-swing.

A shriek tore through the air.

Dark, sizzling blood sprayed across the ruins, hissing as it struck scorched stone.

The Mantid Blades reeled, its remaining arms twitching erratically—

But I was already gone.

The force of my dash left a shockwave in my wake, rippling through the debris, knocking loose pages and splintered glass into the air. My boots barely kissed the ground before I accelerated again—harder, faster.

"No hesitation."

Aether surged beneath my soles, coiling like compressed lightning. I twisted, redirecting my weight mid-stride. My body blurred—a ghost streaking across the battlefield.

Stone cracked beneath each explosive step as I veered around the creature's flank, my nodachi tracing a narrow gleam in the chaos.

The mantid turned—just a twitch of the head.

Too late.

I dropped low, blade angled upward—then rose with a spiraling strike, cutting across its side like a scythe through silk.

Another limb flew free.

A second screech ripped from its mandibles.

Another fountain of green blood sprayed across the battlefield.

The mantid's wings faltered, buzzing out of rhythm—unstable.

It was panicking.

"Good. That means I control the fight now."

It lashed out—

Two arms left, both swinging with desperation, trying to block, to cut, to kill.

But I wasn't there.

I slipped past its wild strikes, dancing through the storm of blades with razor-sharp precision. Aether coursed through me, sharpening my senses, slowing everything around me into frames I could read like a map.

Every dodge—measured.

Every step—calculated.

Each feint—bait.

It lunged again.

I answered.

I drew a second blade—shorter, lighter—gripped in reverse.

With both swords flashing in unison, I closed the gap in a blur.

Left swept low. Right arced high.

A crossing cut—diagonal and final.

The third arm spiraled through the air.

The mantid stumbled backward, ichor pouring from its broken shoulder joints. Its last blade trembled in its grip, its insectoid eyes flickering wildly between me... and the limbs now littering the earth.

It knew.

I could feel it.

"I've already won."

I exhaled slowly, releasing the tension in my shoulders.

Dust still hung in the air from my last movement, swirling in slow, lazy arcs.

The battlefield held its breath, waiting for the inevitable.

I gripped my nodachi tighter—funneling everything I had into the blade.

Aether surged through the metal, setting it alight with invisible force.

It shimmered faintly, vibrating with an edge no forge could craft—beyond steel, beyond mortal limits.

Even the air around me shifted.

The pressure rose.

The world tightened.

The mantid roared—a final cry—and lunged in desperation. Wild. Reckless.

I didn't move.

I disappeared.

A blur. A gust. A silence too sharp to be natural.

One whisper of movement.

A flash of light.

A clean arc.

A single, perfect stroke carved through the stillness.

And then—

I stood behind it.

My nodachi is already resting in its sheath.

Click.

The moment the sound echoed—a shockwave erupted. The force sent dust, stone, and blood flying in every direction. The mantid's final arm fell.

Its body convulsed, twitching, its wings spasming violently. Then, with one last sputtering hiss—it collapsed.

Silence.

The dust settled, the battlefield returning to stillness. I exhaled, rolling my shoulders as I turned away. My heartbeat was steady, my mind clear.

"A battle is decided before the final strike. The moment you hesitate... you lose."

I sheathed my nodachi fully and walked forward, stepping over the fallen remains of my opponent.

This was the power of the Unsealed.

But after taking two steps, it stood again.

Another show of regeneration. But this time, it was different.

Not just one limb—all four arms regenerated at once. The difference was obvious; the newly formed limbs lacked the hardened carapace that once armored its flesh.

I acted quickly, my nodachi humming with Aether as I prepared to slice it in half—

But before I could move—

Screech!!!!!!!

A piercing, ear-shattering noise erupted from the Mantid Blades, a sound that could easily be heard for at least a kilometer. If a normal human were standing here, their eardrums would have burst instantly.

My enhanced body tensed against the sonic assault. Being Unsealed meant my Aether-infused blood granted me superior resilience, but even then, I could feel the reverberations rattling through my bones.

I took a deep breath, reinforcing my circulation, bracing for what was coming next.

And then—

They came.

The battlefield trembled as countless insectoid forms surged in from every direction. Humanoid insects, each standing around five feet tall, poured into the ruins like a relentless tide. They crawled over broken walls, scuttled across the debris, their alien eyes locking onto me with murderous intent.

Hundreds.

The bystanders—the Swarmborn who had been lurking in the shadows—had already been watching. But now, reinforcements had arrived.

I scanned the battlefield, quickly estimating their numbers. Five hundred. Maybe more.

So that screech was a call for help, huh?

I smiled. You think I came alone too?

I reached for my Codex Nexus—the living grimoire bound to my very soul. The pages flared to life, glowing with an ethereal blue light as I called forth my next move.

"Legionarius Divinum: Armory of the Gods."

A thunderous hum filled the air as reality itself bent to my will.

Hundreds of Aether-forged weapons manifested above me, their forms flickering between steel and pure energy. Swords, spears, axes—every kind of blade imaginable hovered in the sky, suspended like an army awaiting command. Their edges gleamed, infused with enough power to carve through the swarm below.

I set my gaze upon the approaching horde, my mind memorizing every enemy's location—like an archer lining up his arrows before the first shot.

The Mantid Blades stared at me, its eyes brimming with pride. It believed the battle had shifted in its favor.

I met its gaze. "So, you need your friends to feel strong?"

I smirked. "Pathetic."

Mocking it with my eyes, I readied my nodachi.

Then I launched forward.

Round three begins.

I planned to finish him off with a single, decisive slice to his abdomen—an executioner's strike meant to carve him in half. But before my blade could reach him—

He retreated.

The Mantid Blades launched backward, his wings buzzing furiously as he evaded my attack. My nodachi sliced through empty air, stopping inches away from his vanishing form.

But he didn't escape alone.

A wall of Swarmborn leaped between us, their bodies acting as living shields. The moment my blade cut through the first wave, dozens more threw themselves in the way, sacrificing themselves to protect their master.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Being a coward now, are you?"

I could see it in his alien gaze—the pride from before had vanished, replaced with something else. Wariness. Calculation. A hint of desperation.

He was stalling.

He knows I'm stronger.

A second wave of Swarmborn surged toward me, their clawed limbs reaching out in a ravenous frenzy. But I wasn't the only one with reinforcements.

"I also brought friends."

The moment I whispered those words, Legionarius Divinum roared to life.

Hundreds of floating blades—each infused with Aether—shot forward in a synchronized assault. Every sword, spear, and axe struck true, piercing through the insect horde with pinpoint precision.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Each impact triggered an explosion of Aether, obliterating the Swarmborn on contact. And yet, for every blade that struck, another instantly took its place, creating the illusion of an infinite arsenal.

The battlefield became a storm of steel and light, the sound of clashing weapons and dying shrieks filling the air.

Even so—I couldn't waste time.

Aether was infinite. But my heart was not.

I had to end this.

I lunged forward, my nodachi carving a lethal path through anything foolish enough to stand in my way.

Swarmborn fell like autumn leaves, their bodies split apart in clean, merciless strikes. I didn't slow down. I didn't hesitate. Each step carried me closer to my true target.

The Mantid Blades.

His wings flared wide, his four arms bracing for my approach. He had nowhere left to run.

The Mantid Blades braced itself, its four arms raised in defiance, its alien gaze locked onto me with an unreadable expression—hatred, desperation, or something deeper.

It didn't matter.

This battle ends now.

With a single step, I vanished.

Shinsoku—Godspeed.

The world blurred around me. The very air warped under the sheer velocity of my movement. In that instant, the battlefield no longer existed—only my blade, my target, and the strike that would decide it all.

A single arc of silver.

SHNK.

The first leg severed.

SHNK.

The second followed.

The Mantid Blades collapsed, its body lurching forward as its balance disappeared. But I wasn't done.

One stroke.

Two strokes.

Three.

Each swing of my nodachi carved through its arms, slicing them clean off before they could so much as twitch. Its weapons, its strength—all stripped away.

The once-proud warrior slammed into the ground, twitching, writhing.

And yet—it still refused to die.

Its wings buzzed violently. Aether began to condense around its wounds, tendrils of energy knitting flesh back together.

Regeneration. Again.

I felt my jaw tighten. Enough.

I lifted my hand, Codex Nexus swirling in response, its pages flipping furiously as it pulled forth my command.

"Legionarius Divinum—Final Judgment."

Two massive, greatswords materialized in the air above me, their sheer size casting darkened silhouettes against the battlefield.

Each blade hummed with Aether, their edges radiating a deadly glow—unstoppable, absolute.

The Mantid Blades' eyes widened in recognition. It tried to move.

It tried to regenerate.

It tried to escape.

Too late.

I brought my hand down.

The first greatsword plunged through its chest.

The second slammed through its head.

The battlefield shook with the impact.

The Mantid Blades convulsed. Its body thrashed violently, mandibles snapping, wings twitching uncontrollably. But the Aether-infused blades did not let go.

Aether flooded into its body, forcing its very essence to unravel. Its regeneration failed.

It shrieked—a sound of agony, of defeat, of finality.

Its exoskeleton cracked, split apart, as Aether consumed it from the inside out.

The proud warrior… disintegrated.

Piece by piece, the Mantid Blades crumbled into nothing—not even dust left behind.

Silence fell over the battlefield.

I let out a slow breath, my grip loosening on my nodachi.

It was over.

As the remains of the Mantid Blades disintegrated into nothingness, something took shape in its place—a Blood Crystal. But unlike the usual shards formed from fallen Swarmborn, this one was enormous.

Its size alone confirmed its tier, a testament to the sheer strength of the enemy I had just slain.

I extended my hand, bookmarking it, a function of my Codex Nexus that allowed me to store and transport rare materials. The crystal vanished into the swirling pages of my artifact, now ready to be presented to my grandfather.

A single glance around the battlefield showed the extent of the destruction—ruined structures, the bloodied remains of countless Swarmborn, and Blood Crystals scattered across the land.

I let out a low chuckle.

"So, I guess this is over."

With a flick of my wrist, I unsummoned both my Codex Nexus and Legionarius Divinum, the hundreds of Aether-forged weapons fading like dust in the wind.

Yet, even as I did, my eyes lingered on the sheer amount of Blood Crystals left behind.

"If I could take them all…" I muttered under my breath.

The wealth they represented was staggering, a fortune beyond measure. But possessing this many Blood Crystals would draw attention from the higher authorities. They would be audited, confiscated, or worse—I could be labeled a target.

I shook the temptation from my mind.

Then, from a distance, I spotted Freya.

She was rushing toward me, her hands moving in sharp, frantic signals.

Something was wrong.

And then—I felt it too.

A strong surge of Aether, like a tidal wave, crashed toward me.

My gaze shot toward my Aether Watch, an advanced sensor embedded in my wrist that detected battlefield fluctuations.

Just moments ago, this entire region had been classified as a Level 3 Danger Zone.

Now?

It was escalating into Level 2.

Then—I saw it.

A towering figure stepped into view, ten feet tall with a dense, chitinous exoskeleton that gleamed like polished obsidian.

Its massive arms, thick as pillars, flexed with raw power. The creature's horned head turned toward me, and I felt something I hadn't in a long time—a primal, instinctive sense of danger.

I had read about these creatures. Seen their reports.

But this was my first time facing one in the flesh.

A King of Intellect—a Tier ranked below a Monarch Queen but far above a General-Class Swarmborn.

A Juggernaut Beetle.

And it was fast.

Despite its colossal frame, it closed the distance in an instant.

I barely had time to react.

BOOM!

Its massive fist—the size of a boulder—came crashing toward me.

I barely managed to summon my Spartan Shield.

CRACK!

The impact exploded against my shield, sending shockwaves rippling through my bones. I felt the air leave my lungs as I was launched backward, my vision twisting into a blur of motion.

Blood spilled from my lips as I was hurled through the air like a broken doll.

Gritting my teeth, I forced Aether into my palm, charging a spear.

"Spear Cannon—Overload!" 

I amplified the output tenfold, directing all my remaining energy into the attack.

The moment I unleashed it, a roaring explosion engulfed the Beetle Juggernaut, flames and electricity bursting outward in a fiery shockwave.

For a moment, I thought I had done something.

But as the smoke cleared—

The creature stood untouched.

Not a single scratch on its jet-black carapace.

Then, it let out a sound that made my skin crawl—

Screech!!!!!!! Screech!!!!!!! Screech!!!!!!!

A deafening roar.

It wasn't just a sound. It was a statement.

It was letting me know that my strongest attack had meant nothing.

I clenched my jaw, preparing for another strike—

But before I could react, Freya caught me mid-air.

Her grip was firm, her expression tense.

"Even with both of us, we can't defeat that thing!" she shouted. "We need to retreat! Teleport us out—NOW!"

I nodded, instantly summoning my Codex Nexus, the pages flipping violently as I prepared a long-distance teleportation.

Our destination—to my room.

"Now… TELEPORT!"

Nothing happened.

My breath caught in my throat.

What?

🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋✦ AetherBorne: The Archivus Legacy ✦🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋