LIGHTNOVELONLINE LXXXVIII. The Guardian Awakens
Plummeting down the cradle, Virno passes by several of its tall buildings and falls straight into the river below. This time, however, he sank straight to the bottom, gazing above at the yellow lights that escaped from the skyscraper's windows as they slowly faded out of view. There, surrounded by complete obscurity, the sword began pulsating in his hand.
Virno: NNGHH...!
From its hilt, a wave of glowing green sigils began spreading all across his body. Try as he did, Virno could not control them. With their imprints now covering the entirety of his skin, a familiar pain came over him, yet its intensity was like nothing he had experienced before. His insides began to boil. He felt his muscles ripping apart, his tendons tearing, his bones breaking... His entire body was being destroyed by the overwhelming force that the runes commanded. Disoriented by how much he was hurting, he opens his mouth to scream and, inadvertently, swallows a large amount of water as he instinctively gasps for air. Chaotic as his mental state was, there was but one thing his brain had committed to above all else: not letting go of the sword. Under the immense stress, Virno passes out, sinking lower and lower down the river.
The Guardian: GRRRROOOAAARRRRR...!
High above the cradle's waters, something had begun to stir within the beast that had once expelled Virno's spirit from the cradle. Though it usually flew around peacefully in the upper part of the abyss, now it had begun to frantically make its way down towards the river. As its long, serpent-like tail weaves through the buildings, the light from their windows shines on it to reveal full appearance: it had the horns of a ram, protruding from a gigantic fox head, with teeth as sharp as a lion's and eyes as bright and as yellow as a panther's. Out of its long, draconic torso sprouted two sets of massive griffin-like wings, strong enough to hold its colossal frame in flight, as well as six massive talons countless times sharper than the keenest of blades. Without hesitation, the beast plunges into the depths below.
The Guardian: RRROOOAAAARRRRRR!!
However, the river would not permit it to sink. The buoyancy of its waters were so great that the beast was slingshotted back out, its back colliding against one of the buildings, collapsing it. Enraged, it roared loudly as it spat fire from its mouth and into the tranquil stream, yet to no avail. Try as it might, the river carried on, serene as it ever was. But then, from deep within, a singular point of glowing green light shone. It was slowly rising to the surface, at roughly the same speed as the buildings that occasionally emerged from the waters. Whatever it was, the beast seemed to be interested in it, as its gaze fixated exclusively on it as, in anger, flames began to escape from the spaces between its sharp teeth.
Virno: ...
Covered in green light, Virno's body felt lighter than ever before. It felt as if he and the sword had become one, impossible to discern where one began and the other ended. Though he could not see his own frame underneath the glow that coated his skin, he felt that he was still very much himself... Albeit much lighter and much stronger, somehow. While he was carried towards the surface, he began to hear roars that resembled the ones he had heard before, during his other visits to the cradle. Closing his eyes as he looks above, he could perceive its aura.
Virno: I sense your desire... Your intent to exterminate.
Soon, his building rose from the surface and, as it did, the light around Virno began to slowly dissipate. Underneath, his body seemed to have evolved far beyond the peak of human physique. He had developed muscles that, quite simply, the human body had never evolved to develop. He had grown tendons and ligaments that were not encoded within human DNA. His bones felt strangely flexible, yet more solid than ever before. His skin had thickened to the point where he could hold the sword of greed by its blade and not get cut, whilst preserving its full elasticity. Though his facial features remained very similar, his overall frame had almost doubled in size. Countless runes still covered the entirety of his body yet, now, they rotated and pulsated in sync with one another, gracefully channelling currents of divine power effortlessly. The sword, brimming with power not long ago, seemed to have now fully transferred them to its new master. Virno leans over the edge of the rooftop, pointing the sword straight at the beast below.
Virno: Today, the cradle loses its guardian...
Furiously, the beast roars from below, its powerful voice causing water and buildings alike to tremble. In response, Virno lifts the sword high in the air, conjuring a massive maelstrom around him which rips the buildings from the river, creating a hurricane inside the cradle. Pulled by the powerful wind, the beast takes flight in an attempt to leverage the air flow to approach Virno.
Virno: ... Fall.
Pointing the sword downwards, an overwhelming wind blows from up above, dissipating the maelstrom as it sends everything that had been caught up in its pull crashing back down into the river. As the beast is hurled into the water, Virno remains floating ominously in the air, grinning.
Virno: The obelisk has shown what you can do... Your abilities pale in comparison to those of a god.
In retaliation, the beast hunkers down on its six legs, spreading its wings high and forming two archways with them. Grey energy begins to accumulate inside the arches, as the guardian's tail end, too, glows with magic.
Virno: Grey...?
Virno observed it for the duration of its wind up, hovering above looking down to it somewhat confused, yet still completely confident in his own power. Before long, the tail rapidly strikes between the arches, perforating the two clusters of energy that had gathered and firing a beam of highly-concentrated magic towards Virno. Try as he might to dodge, it was much too fast, striking him directly in the torso. Instantly, he felt that something was wrong.
Virno: HRGNHH...
The clock began to unwind within his body. The painful transformation he had gone through was now playing back again, except in reverse, as he lost control of his powers and began falling down from the skies. Though he still gripped the sword, the unbearable pain he was going through made it impossible for him to fight back in any way. He musters what little power he can to glide across the river away from the beast, trying his best to keep himself from passing out as his body morphs back into its previous weaker form.
Virno: Dammit...! What move was that?! That magic is just like theirs... Like Sadduccee's and Ballo's...!
The Guardian: Fool.
Virno's eyes widen, as he hears a voice echoing within his mind.
The Guardian: The obelisk shows only what it wants you to see. Underestimating me will be your last mistake...!
The guardian now soared above him, ready to pounce.
The Guardian: You are to become the most short-lived of wielders.