The air around me crackled with an energy so dark and oppressive that it made my chest tighten. My instincts kicked in before my brain could even catch up. The figure beside me had already moved, placing themselves between me and the source of the disturbance. A low growl rumbled through the earth, reverberating in my bones as though the very ground beneath us trembled in fear.
I didn't even need to turn around to know that something huge was coming. The sky seemed to darken, as if the sun itself was shying away from whatever was emerging from the depths of the earth.
"Stay back," the giant said in a low, commanding voice. There was no hesitation, no fear. Just pure, unwavering authority. It made me want to trust them—for now.
I watched as the figure before me, though larger than any human I'd ever seen, took a deep breath. The air around them shimmered, swirling with faint golden threads of energy. They weren't just tall and imposing; they were something more—something that spoke of untold power.
"What is it?" I asked, my voice rough and low, trying to make sense of the situation.
A rumbling, guttural growl answered me, and it wasn't coming from the direction of the darkening sky. It was from the ground, from beneath us. The earth split open with a horrifying, grinding sound, and I felt the tremor through my bones.
The figure glanced at me with a grim expression. "We're not alone in Alathar."
Before I could process what they meant, the creature revealed itself. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in my previous life, a twisted amalgamation of shadow and monstrous flesh. Towering over us at least three times the height of the giant, it was covered in jagged scales of obsidian-black and crimson, with glowing veins pulsing under its skin like molten lava. Its face—a grotesque, snarling maw of razor-sharp teeth and unblinking, blood-red eyes—seemed to pierce through the air, as though it could see the very fabric of our souls.
It let out a deafening roar, one that caused the ground to shudder violently, sending ripples through the air as if the very atmosphere itself were recoiling in terror. My mind immediately snapped into battle mode, though I had no weapon.
No sword... no armor...
I tried to summon the strength I once wielded with ease. My powers, the abilities I had honed through centuries of war, should've been at my fingertips. But nothing came. My mind screamed for control, but my body felt sluggish, unfamiliar.
I cursed under my breath. "This... this isn't possible. I've been through worse than this."
The figure beside me didn't seem to notice my panic. Instead, their expression hardened, and with a swift motion, they raised one arm. The golden light around them brightened to a blinding intensity, and a barrier of shimmering energy enveloped us. The creature recoiled for a split second, its massive claws scraping against the edge of the barrier with a screeching hiss.
"Stay behind me," the giant commanded, their voice firm.
I didn't need to be told twice. There was something about this creature—something primal—that made every cell in my body scream to get the hell away. But there was nowhere to run. It was as if the very earth itself was in on this game, trapping us here.
The creature bellowed again, its enormous jaws opening wide, revealing a sickening array of teeth that could've shredded a mountain. It slammed its claws into the barrier, cracking it in multiple places with each strike.
"Foolish," the giant muttered under their breath. "It's still too early for this."
Before I could ask what they meant, the creature lunged.
It happened so quickly that I barely had time to react. Its claws slashed through the air, aiming straight for the giant. But the being was faster. With a fluid movement, the giant raised both hands and unleashed a burst of energy that sent the creature stumbling back, its claws scraping the earth, sending up clouds of dust.
The force of the blast was enough to make me stagger, but the giant stood firm, unaffected.
"You will not harm this place," the giant said, their voice now more like a growl, an ancient power radiating from every word. "Alathar is sacred."
The creature let out an eerie, unearthly scream, its blood-red eyes locking onto the giant. It was learning. Adapting. I could see it, feel it—the way it studied its enemy, sizing up the being before it. But the giant didn't flinch.
And then, the giant spoke to me, their voice low and urgent. "Arthur, this will be a test. You've faced death before. Now, you will face it again—with us."
I didn't fully understand what they meant, but there was no time to question it. The creature had recovered, and its next strike came faster than the last, slashing through the air with a deafening crack.
This is real. This is real. My heart pounded in my chest, and I had to admit, a surge of adrenaline pushed away the panic. This was no ordinary fight. This wasn't some foolish demon from my previous world. This creature was a beast, a force of nature.
But something in me stirred. A memory. A deep, ancient instinct to fight. I had lived for centuries, had risen from the ashes of war and death, only to find myself in a world that didn't even make sense. But maybe—maybe—this was how it was meant to be. Maybe this world had its own rules, its own tests, and if I was to survive here... I would need to understand them.
I clenched my fists.
"No sword, no magic, no system..." I muttered to myself. "Fine. I'll fight with what I have."
The moment the creature lunged again, I rushed forward. The gap between us closed in the blink of an eye. My legs burned from the strain, my body still unfamiliar, but there was no stopping now. The creature's claws came down, aiming for the giant, but I dove between them, reaching into my memories.
My hands didn't grip a sword, but they would.
With a roar of my own, I swung my fist with every ounce of strength I could muster. The force of my strike met the creature's side with a sickening crack—the sound of bone, or something worse, shattering under the impact. The beast howled, its red eyes flashing with rage, and for a moment, it staggered back, its claws scraping the earth in frustration.
I had no sword, no magic, no system. But I had the strength of fate and a lifetime of battle instincts that refused to die. I would not be helpless again.
The giant glanced at me, their golden eyes gleaming with something that could've been approval—or perhaps curiosity. "Impressive. But you must do more than this."
"Do more?" I grunted, my body aching from the sheer force of the strike. "I have no idea what the hell I'm doing."
The creature let out another roar, the ground beneath us shaking with its fury. But I stood firm. I was ready.
And I wasn't alone anymore.
The battle had just begun, but it wouldn't end until one of us fell.