[The Black Gate]
A massive gate stood before them. Towering. Ancient. Pure black stone, etched with glowing red runes pulsing faintly.
Caleb (whispers): "It's real… We actually found it…"
Imperial stepped toward the gate. He reached out—his fingertips barely grazed its surface when—
A spark of light magic flickered and pushed him back.
So subtle only the sharpest eyes could see it.
Asher: "But how? That should've repelled you completely… With your power, it should've exploded in rejection…"
Without answering, Imperial drew his lightning blade.
Then, turning to Asher—
Imperial: "Come here. Open the gate."
Asher: "Are you mad?! No one can open it. Are you trying to kill me?!"
Imperial (calmly): "You're an anti-magic user. This gate is sealed with pure magic. Your magic should break the seal."
Realization struck Asher. He stepped forward.
Asher: "...It's worth a try."
He clenched his fists and shouted—
Anti-Magic: Thrust!
A pulse of anti-magic slammed into the gate. For a moment… nothing happened.
Soren: "Nothing? The seal didn't break, and Asher wasn't harmed either... Were the rumors fake?"
Then—a low rumble.
The gate began to open.
Dust fell from its seams as it slowly creaked apart—for the first time in centuries.
And then—they saw them.
Floating just inside were three entities. The one in the center, regal and otherworldly, stepped forward.
Cursed Guardian (in a hollow voice):
"We've awaited your return… Lord Sruken..."
Imperial stepped forward without a word.
Inside the chamber stood something—embedded into the ground.
He walked up to it. Gripped it.
With one smooth pull, he lifted it free.
A black blade, shaped with terrifying precision.
He sheathed it at his side.
Then the entity floated closer.
Cursed Guardian: "My lord… Have the preparations for your full revival been completed?"
Outside, Asher, Soren, and Caleb stared in stunned silence.
Imperial unsheathed the blade again with his left hand.
Imperial: "So this is the Blood Moon Blade—Kurotsuki... I understand now why it's called the strongest."
He turned back toward the exit.
But the two humanoid creatures moved to block his way.
Imperial (smirking): "Ah… So you've realized I'm not the one you've been waiting for."
In a flash—he struck.
Both were sliced down in a single instant.
But the Cursed Guardian behind him remained still.
Then, an attack—a black wave of cursed energy—lashed out toward Imperial.
He countered with a single slash of Kurotsuki, neutralizing the strike.
The two defeated humanoids stood back up—regenerating.
Imperial (calmly): "Immortal types, huh."
He then turned to Asher—raising his hand.
In an instant, Asher was sent into a dark magic space.
Now only Soren and Caleb remained.
Imperial: "They're general level. You two can handle them, right?"
Soren (grinning): "You bastard… You really are throwing us into hell."
The battle began.
Imperial drew his second blade.
In his right hand—Raiktsu, crackling with raw lightning.
In his left—Kurotsuki, a pitch-black blade radiating ominous energy.
The third and the first strongest legendary swords were now in his possession.
He bent forward slightly, blades forming an "X" across his chest.
And then—BOOM!
The ground shattered beneath his feet as he launched forward like a lightning bolt.
Vosh!
He vanished from sight—then reappeared right in front of the Curse Guardian.
SLASH!
He swung the X-blade combo with devastating force. The guardian was hurled backward, crashing mid-air—but before he could even hit the ground, he vanished.
Imperial's eyes snapped upward.
Above him.
"Curse Magic: Curse of Weight."
A wave of dark pressure shot down from the Guardian's palm. A crushing spell. The air itself warped under the force.
But Imperial reacted.
His body dissolved into a shadowy gas—Dark Mist Form.
The spell struck with such force that even his gas-form twisted open—a massive hole was punched through both his form and the ground beneath. The crater was bottomless—its end swallowed by darkness.
As his body reformed back into solid shape, Imperial hovered, unshaken.
"If I got hit by that just now…" he muttered, eyes narrowing.
"I'd be dead. I can't underestimate him. He's not just a guardian—he's one of Sruken's top commanders. From the feel of it... at least Emperor-level."
But his thoughts were cut short.
The Curse Guardian appeared right in front of him.
A cold hand pressed against Imperial's chest.
"Curse Magic: Vile Bloom."
"Huh? How didn't I sense him…?"
From the point of contact, a black flower bloomed—cursed energy pulsing from its petals. Roots burst forth, crawling across Imperial's body like mist, binding him in cursed tendrils he couldn't touch.
He tried to tear them away—but they were intangible. A gas-like curse. Untouchable, and worse—constantly feeding on his magic.
His grip tightened.
"I don't have time to waste," Imperial growled.
"Dark Magic: Arc of Destruction!"
He slashed forward—an arc of dark power flying toward the guardian.
But—
Too slow.
The Curse Guardian summoned a monstrous beast—the same kind Imperial had seen back in the cursed forest. It shielded the guardian, absorbing the attack.
"Why…?"
"Why was that so slow…?" Imperial muttered.
"Is it this cursed flower…? It's weighing down my movements."
Before he could adjust, the Guardian struck again.
"Curse Magic: Endless Agony."
A tiny black orb launched from his fingertip—piercing into Imperial's forehead.
At first—nothing.
Then—
THUMP!
His heartbeat surged.
THUMP-THUMP!
"Aaaahhhhhh—!!"
Imperial screamed. His head snapped back as a wave of pure pain surged through every nerve. His magic trembled. Even the air felt like it was being sliced by razors.
But then—
Silence.
Imperial lowered his head.
Breathing… steady.
He looked up and smiled.
The Curse Guardian's eyes widened.
"What?! How…? How are you enduring that?"
Imperial answered coldly:
"Pain?"
"What pain?"
A black rift opened behind him—a miniature void.
It sucked in the cursed flower and its roots, swallowing them into nothingness.
The moment they vanished—
Imperial moved.
A blur of light and lightning. Slashes—fast and sharp—rained down from both blades.
The Curse Guardian blocked desperately, barely keeping up.
Imperial's magic surged again. He tossed Raiktsu into the air—blades still flashing.
Then—ZIP!
He appeared right in front of the guardian, catching him off-guard.
Lightning spread across the ground in a field-like pattern beneath their feet.
SLASH!
He swung at the Guardian's chest, but the enemy blinked away just in time—only to land right above the mark where Raiktsu now stood—embedded vertically into the earth.
The instant the sword's tip touched the ground—
KZZZTTTTT—!!!
A concentrated lightning beam erupted straight upward from beneath the Curse Guardian—blasting him skyward.
BOOM!!!
The entire forest lit up as if it were daytime. A shockwave of blinding white tore through trees, lighting the sky with arcs of holy thunder.
But as Imperial prepared his follow-up—
He froze.
A new presence.
The Curse Guardian landed—but this time, his aura was monstrous. His power had grown exponentially.
He raised his hand, eyes burning with curse fire.
"Curse Zone: Endless Sins."
A massive zone expanded from beneath his feet—red-black magic spreading in every direction.
The sky darkened.
The entire Cursed Shrine… and even the surrounding forest… became part of the Curse Zone.
Imperial's eyes narrowed.
"Now the real battle begins…"