THE LAST BLOOD SOVEREIGN

CHAPTER 9:THE GUARDIAN OF THE VALLEY

 

BOOM!

Another thunderous step shook the Valley of Fallen Kings.

The gigantic skeletal warrior emerged fully from the crimson mist.

Its ancient black armor was cracked by countless battles, yet it radiated an overwhelming aura. A tattered crimson cape fluttered behind it, and its enormous sword dragged across the ground, carving a deep trench wherever it passed.

Blue flames burned fiercely within its empty eye sockets.

Kael instinctively took a step back.

"What... is that?"

The spirit of the First Blood Sovereign stood beside him.

"His name has long been forgotten."

"He was once the greatest general of our clan."

Kael looked at the old man in disbelief.

"He was... one of us?"

The old man nodded sadly.

"He gave his life defending the Blood Sovereign Palace."

"When the clan fell, his body remained here."

"But the Abyss corrupted his soul."

"He became the eternal Guardian of this valley."

Outside, the giant stopped walking.

Slowly...

It turned its burning gaze toward the ruined tower.

It had found them.

The Guardian raised its colossal sword.

Then...

It pointed the blade directly at Kael.

A deep, lifeless voice echoed throughout the valley.

"Heir..."

"Prove... your... blood..."

The words sent chills down Kael's spine.

The giant swung its sword.

A crimson wave of energy tore across the battlefield, destroying everything in its path.

"Move!" the old man shouted.

Kael leaped through a broken window just as the tower exploded behind him.

BOOOOM!

Stones flew through the air.

Dust swallowed the battlefield.

Kael rolled across the ground and came to a stop behind the broken remains of a massive statue.

His heart pounded violently.

"One attack..."

"It destroyed the entire tower."

The Guardian slowly advanced.

Each step shook the earth.

There was no anger in its movements.

No hatred.

Only duty.

The First Blood Sovereign's spirit appeared beside Kael once again.

"You cannot defeat him."

Kael looked up.

"Then how am I supposed to survive?"

The old man smiled faintly.

"By thinking like a Sovereign."

Before Kael could ask what that meant, the spirit vanished.

"I'm on my own..."

The Guardian's sword came crashing down.

Kael dashed to the side.

The impact created a crater nearly thirty meters wide.

Chunks of rock rained from the sky.

Kael's mind raced.

"He's too strong."

"Too fast."

"I can't overpower him."

Then he remembered the old man's words.

Think like a Sovereign.

His eyes swept across the battlefield.

Broken pillars.

Collapsed temples.

Ancient chains.

Ruined siege weapons.

This valley wasn't just a graveyard...

It had once been a battlefield.

An idea flashed through his mind.

The Guardian attacked again.

Instead of retreating randomly, Kael sprinted toward the ruins of a gigantic stone gate.

The giant followed.

Its heavy footsteps echoed behind him.

"Come on..."

"Just a little farther."

The Guardian raised its sword for another devastating strike.

Kael smiled.

"Now!"

He dove beneath the cracked stone gate.

The Guardian's enormous blade slammed into the ancient structure.

CRAAASH!

The centuries-old gate collapsed instantly.

Thousands of tons of stone crashed onto the giant.

A cloud of dust covered everything.

Kael breathed heavily.

"Did... did I do it?"

Silence.

Then...

A skeletal hand burst through the rubble.

The Guardian slowly pushed the massive stones aside as though they weighed nothing.

Kael's smile disappeared.

"You're kidding..."

The giant stepped free, unharmed.

For the first time since entering the valley...

Kael felt true despair.

Nothing worked.

Nothing even slowed it down.

The Guardian lifted its sword once more.

This time...

Kael had nowhere left to run.

Just as the blade began to descend—

The crimson mark on Kael's hand suddenly burned.

A warm voice echoed within his soul.

"Do not fear your blood..."

"Command it."

Kael instinctively raised his glowing hand.

Crimson energy flowed from his veins like liquid fire.

For the first time...

The Blood Sovereign Art awakened.

"Crimson Pulse!"

A shockwave erupted from Kael's palm.

The Guardian's sword stopped in midair.

A crimson ripple spread across the battlefield.

The giant took one...

Then two...

Then three unexpected steps backward.

Kael stared in astonishment.

"I..."

"I pushed it back..."

The Guardian lowered its sword.

For several silent moments, it simply stared at Kael.

Then...

To Kael's complete surprise...

The giant slowly knelt on one knee.

Its booming voice echoed across the valley.

"The Blood... remembers..."

Before Kael could understand what was happening, the giant reached into its own chest.

With one powerful pull, it removed a glowing crimson crystal from within its ribcage.

It held the crystal out toward Kael.

"The... Heart... of... Kings..."

"The... first... inheritance..."

As Kael reached for the crystal...

The entire valley began to shake even more violently than before.

Far beyond the mountains, an earth-shaking roar echoed through the crimson sky.

The Guardian lifted its head.

For the first time...

Fear flickered in its burning eyes.

A gigantic shadow spread across the valley.

Something far stronger than the Guardian had awakened.

And it was coming.