There existed a man—a man both feared and revered by all of humanity.
He was known by many names. To some, he was the Phantom of Death; to others, the Blade Demon.
But the name he was best known by was
-CAESAR HAIDES -
This was the man who had vastly defied human limits, transcending his swordsmanship to a state of godhood.
He alone achieved what no other could, shattering the very veil of expectation between what it meant to be mortal and divine.
From the moment he first held a sword, the path of swordsmanship flowed to him as seamlessly as taking a breath, as if God himself had pointed and declared,
"You're the one".
By the age of 15, he had outmatched Grand Marshals. At 17, he crushed powerful Sect Masters. By 19, he had slaughtered an Emperor. And by 23, he was practically the strongest.
In his path,
Many became his enemies.
Many more became his followers.
But certainly, no one became his equal.
He was, without a doubt, the most prodigious warrior to have ever existed.
He was The Unrivaled Swordsman.
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The air hung heavy, thick with the sharp scent of steel and blood. Beneath a sky of crimson-red, countless warriors, twisted and severed, lay scattered across the ravaged earth.
At the center of this carnage, a solitary figure stood cloaked in midnight-black. Waves of warriors surrounded him, grim and desperate.
The young figure's void-like hair flowed freely in the wind, and his abyssal gaze swept over the crowd like a calm before the storm.
Then suddenly, a voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the silence.
"Caesar, this is your end!"
Another figure stepped forward, clad in luxurious gold armor and a crimson cape that marked his royal status.
His voice was firm and loud. "-You have become a threat to the empire. Surrender now, and you will be given a painless death."
Caesar's lips curled into a smug, wide grin. "Hahahaha! A threat, you say? What a joke! I helped you conquer empires, and now that you've achieved it, you deem me a threat!?"
For a moment, everyone stood still as the weight of his statement settled over the crowd.
"Look around, can't you see it?" the armored man countered, his voice losing some of its initial bravado.
"Everyone here only sees you as a threat. You've just become too powerful to be let loose in this world of ours."
Caesar's grin widened, a cold mockery. "Oh really? So, because I'm so powerful, you now see me as a threat to the empire?"
Silence. No one dared to interrupt.
"Cut the bullshit!" Caesar's voice suddenly hardened, infused with vast killing intent as his gaze fixed on the golden-armored figure.
"We all know the only reason you're hunting me is because you're envious! After all, prideful trash like you can't stand being overshadowed!"
Another brief silence stretched, heavy with anticipation.
Then, the golden-armored man, released his hand, signaling a silent command rippling through the crowd. Instantly, the warriors began to step forward slow and deliberate.
"Hey, David," Caesar sneered, his eyes still fixed on the golden-armored man his—former ally.
"you think ganging up on me will help you kill me? Just because you've become the so-called 'emperor,' you think you can fight me with your measly pawns?"
Ridiculed by his words, the crowd's blood began to boil. Grips tightened around weapons, knuckles whitening.
"—I mean, look at them! HAHAHA!" Caesar continued, his laughter echoing eerily across the blood-soaked ground.
"Well, I guess that's to be expected. After all, trashy and mediocre people like you always seem to find ways to flock together with other trashy people."
That was it. Everyone snapped. With a loud roar, they rushed forward weapons raised and aimed straight at Caesar.
As the tide of enraged warriors surged toward him, Caesar's demeanor underwent a startling shift. His smirk vanished, replaced by an unsettling calm, emotionless and predatory.
A burly man with a grizzled beard, his face a roadmap of countless scars, leaped forward, rage contorting his features. He swung his two-handed axe in a wide, deadly arc, aiming directly at Caesar.
"DIE! YOU ARROGANT PIECE OF SH—"
SWOOSH!
'Huh?'
Stunned and disoriented, the man watched the setting sun spinning wildly as his own severed head drifted backward.
In the blink of an eye, Caesar moved so swiftly it was as if he had teleported.
THUD
The moment the severed head hit the ground, another warrior, already behind Caesar, slashed his sword.
"TAKE THIS, YOU FUCKER!"
Clang!
Caesar blocked the attack instantly, his sword meeting the other with a sharp crack. Without a moment's hesitation, he delivered a powerful side-kick.
THUD!
The enemy warrior flew backward, tumbling into his comrades and spewing blood.
Whizzz—Thudd! Whizz—Thud! Whizzz—Thuddd!
A flurry of high-speed arrows zipped through the air, but Caesar, a blur of motion, easily dodged each one of the arrows.
Immediately after dodging the arrows, dozens more warriors, their faces contorted with unyielding rage, wielded their weapons, surging forward.
"AAAARRRGGHGHHH!!!!!!"
They yelled in unison
"Die You Monster!"
"Just Die Already!"
Swoosh! Clang! Clang! Swoosh! Clang! Thud! Swoosh! Thud!
With blinding speed, Caesar blocked, dodged, and countered everyone. Severing every threat, every limb, like a dance of death choreograph by the grim reapear.
'You've got to be kidding me. All and each of them are at least 6-stage' , an archer thought as he witnessed the slaughter from a distance hidden amidst the chaos.
'I need to shoot him now while he's still fending others off.'
Shnkkkkk—Vwoop!
The arrow zipped toward Caesar like a whispered threat.
Whizzz!
Noticing the incoming projectile, Caesar hasten his speed, disarming and parrying others to avoid being hit.
Swoosh! Clang! Clang! Swoosh! Clang! Thud! Swoosh! Thud!
A blur of concentrated chaos ensued as his enemies fell, one by one, faster and faster.
Thwock!
The arrow found its mark, piercing flesh—the flesh of an enemy Caesar had deliberately used as a shield.
'This archer is getting annoying. I need to kill him first', Caesar thought, his eyes flickering toward the distant archer with an unblinking, predatory calm.
'FUCK! You've got to be fucking kidding me," the archer thought, panic washing over him as he met Caesar's menacing gaze.
In a heartbeat, he turned and ran fast.
Thump—thump—thump—thump—thump.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Help me! Someone!"
Caesar paused for a moment, controlling his breathing, then lunged forward with deadly speed, chasing down the fleeing archer.
Whooooosh!!!!
Swoooooshh!!
Clang!!!!!!!!
Just as Caesar was about to slice the archer in half, a familiar figure blocked the incoming attack, sending Caesar skidding back.
the archer stumbled, hitting the ground with a soft thud. Sheer terror plastered his face, and a dark stain began to spread across his trousers.
'This Monster…' David murmured, his gaze flicking from the terrified archer to Caesar.
"Right on time… David." Caesar began to smirk, a dark satisfaction spreading across his features as he finally faced his former ally.
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AUTHOR : Hi everyone! This is my first novel, so please bear with me if there are any mistakes. I'd really appreciate it if you could point them out so I can learn and improve and make your reading more enjoyable. I initially wrote this for my own enjoyment, but decided to share it to get feedback and grow as a writer. Happy Reading Everyone!