WORLD END

Blade And Demon

The group plunged into the cold, icy water, their breath held tight in their lungs. They swam close together, the darkness of the pond enveloping them as they descended deeper. The pressure built around them, the cold seeping into their bones, but still they pushed downward.

Then, without warning, the water spat them out.

They fell through empty air and landed hard on solid ground, the impact jarring their bodies. Jogo cried out, rubbing his back where it had struck the stone. He reached for the sword handle at his side and activated his ability. Light erupted from the handle, forming the blade of his weapon and illuminating their surroundings.

Above them, the water hung like a ceiling—a dark, rippling canopy that never touched the ground. It was as if they had entered another world entirely, one where the laws of nature bent to an unseen will.

"What in the name of… is this?" Sil whispered, his voice echoing in the vast chamber.

Israel nocked an arrow and fired it upward. The projectile shot into the water above but never came back down. He watched it disappear with a thoughtful expression. "Didn't expect something like this. Quite a fascinating find."

Miles knelt, pressing his palm to the cold stone floor. trying to sense the vibrations of the earth beneath him. "What do you think made this?" he asked.

The group looked around. Before them lay the remnants of something ancient—rubble and shattered pillars, the bones of a settlement that had long since crumbled to dust. The destruction was absolute, as if a great force had swept through and left nothing but echoes.

"It looks like a settlement was built here," Israel observed, scanning the ruins. "And later fell into ruins. Probably a beast attack, destroying everything in sight." He began walking forward. "Let's keep moving."

Sil pointed toward a hollow opening within the large cave they had fallen into. "And what's that?"

Israel walked ahead and examined the ground. His eyes narrowed as he found what he was looking for: drag marks, identical to the ones they had seen outside the pond near where the crab beast had been defeated.

"We're heading in the right direction," he said, his voice low. "Stay ready, gang."

--

The group moved into the tunnel, Jogo's light blade cutting a path through the darkness. The walls were rough, uneven, as if carved by something massive and uncaring.

Soon, they began to see the remnants of a m******e. Pieces of beast crabs were scattered everywhere—claws, shattered shells, half-torn bodies of lesser crabs that had been ripped apart with brutal efficiency.

"What the hell?" Sil breathed, his face pale. "Was that beast feeding on the other low-tier crabs?"

Miles stepped forward and drove his earth spear into a crab that was still alive, its body torn beyond recognition. It twitched once, then went still. Miles pulled his weapon back, his expression grim. "Let's keep moving."

Israel nodded.

They pressed deeper into the cavern, the air growing colder and strangely still. Then they stepped into a chamber that took their breath away.

Blue light flooded their vision, emanating from a mountain of glowing stones piled high against the walls. The stones pulsed with a soft, ethereal radiance that lit the entire cavern in hues of sapphire and blue like the sea. The tunnel did not end here—a hollow opening on the far side led deeper into the darkness—but for a moment, none of them could move.

"SL Stones," Jogo whispered, awe in his voice. "And this much in just one place."

"They're quite rare," Israel said, stepping forward to examine one pile of SL Stones. "But they don't sell for much. They're usually found in Hollow Earth territories mostly. They grow where beasts have lived for a long time. The beasts themselves have no use for them."

"With this kind of amount," Jogo said, his eyes wide, "we'd be set for life with riches."

"We didn't bring any mining tools, in case you forgot," Israel reminded him dryly.

Before Jogo could respond, a rumble shook the cavern. It came from the deepest, darkest part of the cave—from the hollow where the blue light did not reach.

All humor drained from their faces. Israel pointed toward the darkness. "We should keep moving and see what's making that rumble. It's coming from there, it's where the beast that took the dead giant crab could be."

The group advanced, tension coiling in their muscles. Sil raised his shield and readied his sword. Miles pointed his earth spear forward. Jogo tightened his grip on his light blade, the glow intensifying as he channeled more energy into it.

The passage grew darker, as if a thick fog clung to the air and swallowed the light. But Jogo's blade pushed back the shadows, allowing them to see the cracked stone beneath their feet.

"Still walking," Israel murmured, noting the fissures in the ground that seemed to radiate from somewhere ahead.

Finally, they reached the end of the cave.

Israel stopped and studied the floor. "Hey, Jogo. Hand me your sword."

"You know you can't use it," Jogo replied. The weapon works differently with your soul energy; anyone else would find it a dead weight but me

Israel frowned. "Right. Forgot about that. Alright, come over here and help me trace this c***k on the ground with your light blade."

Jogo moved forward, gripping his sword with both hands. He pushed more of his ability into it, and the blade blazed with brilliant light, illuminating every corner of the cavern.

"Ahhh, that's even better," Israel said, studying the ground.

But Sil was looking elsewhere. His voice cut through the silence. "Is that a sword?"

All eyes turned.

A long blade— longer than any sword they had ever seen—was pinned to the ground. Its body was cracked, fractures running along its length like veins of lightning frozen in metal. It looked ancient, worn, as if it had been broken in some forgotten battle and left to rust.

"That's one big sword," Miles said.

"How can you tell?" Jogo asked, glancing at the blind hunter.

"I can sense its energy line," Miles replied. "It's full of it. And… that's where all those rumbling sounds are coming from."

Israel approached cautiously, his curiosity piqued despite the danger. Jogo held up a hand. "Careful, man."

Israel knelt beside the massive blade, studying it with a hunter's eye. "Hmm. This is an Ōdachi," he exclaimed, fascination coloring his voice.

"A what now?" they all said in unison.

"An Ōdachi," Israel repeated. "It's a Japanese katana. Just… big."

"What would that be doing here?" Sil asked. "And something feels off. Look at all those cracks."

"Bring Tusk over here," Israel suggested, gesturing for Jogo to come closer.

Miles turned toward Jogo. "Tusk?"

"Yeah, that's what I call the sword I'm holding. Got it from a Rhino-like beast. The beast's soul crystal was forged into the blade."

Israel was only half-listening, his attention fixed on the Ōdachi. He studied it without making physical contact, circling it like a scholar examining a relic.

"Whatever," Jogo said, breaking the tension. "What should we do? There's no sign of any beast, or the crab beast we defeated, or its soul crystal. Shouldn't we just go back, mine those Soulic Stones, and go home?"

"Yeah, we should," Miles agreed.

"Alright," Israel said. "But first, I'd like to pull this up. Inspect it later. Might be a good beast weapon."

"That looks pretty old and ordinary," Sil said, stepping closer to the sword and Israel. "Might not even be a beast weapon. And from what I can see from that Ōdachi, it's broken. If you pull it out from the ground, there's no telling what would happen

"I don't think it's a good idea either," Miles added, walking forward with Jogo.

The group gathered around the Ōdachi, their earlier fear giving way to debate.

"Go ahead and pull it out already, Israel," Jogo said with a shrug. "You don't have a sword, and this one fits you. If it might be a good beast weapon, why not?"

Sil shook his head. "I'll go with Miles on this one."

Israel grinned. "Here I go."

He grabbed hold of the Ōdachi's hilt and pulled.

For a moment, nothing happened. The blade didn't budge, didn't even tremble. It was as if the earth itself refused to release its prize, the cracks glowed blue all connecting to the Ōdachi And making its c***k spot glow blue as well

Then they saw it.

From the edge of the cave, a massive eye opened—golden in color, with thin, vertical lids. The eye blazed with fiery intensity, and as they watched, a being emerged from the cave wall itself.

It was twenty feet tall.

Chains hung from its hands, clinking with each movement. Horns towered above its head like the antlers of a great deer, and dark feathers covered its body, with a humanoid stature. Its face had no visible features—only the horns and the single, burning eye that fixed upon them with cold intelligence.

"What the hell is that?" Jogo breathed, terror and shock plastered across his face. The same expression was mirrored on the others.

"Don't move," Israel said, slowly removing his hand from the Ōdachi. "It might be friendly."

The moment his hand left the sword, the being spread its arms wide.

Sharp, deadly feathers flew toward them like a storm of blades.

Sil reacted instantly, throwing himself in front of his team with the Cleric Shield raised. The feathers struck the shield, but the force of the impact cratered the ground around them, sending up a cloud of dark dust that choked the air.

"Might be friendly, you say?" Miles growled, throwing his earth spear toward the creature.

The spear struck the being's head but shattered on contact, dissolving into harmless clumps of dirt.

"I'll be damned," Miles exclaimed.

Israel rose to his feet and fired four arrows in rapid succession. They exploded the moment they connected with the creature's body, sending up a cascade of fire and smoke.

The creature emerged from the explosion, its golden eye fixed on them. It tilted its head to the right—a slow, deliberate motion—and then released a gush of wind that slammed into the group, sending them flying in all directions.

Jogo scrambled to his feet, but before he could raise his blade, the creature was upon him. It moved with blinding speed, faster than any of them could track.

One strike.

The creature's hand slapped Jogo's head from his body.

His corpse dropped instantly, crumpling to the ground. His light blade went dark, plunging the cavern into near-total darkness. The only illumination now came from the blue cracks in the floor and the faint glow of the Soulic Stones behind them.

The creature turned toward Miles.

Then it paused.

Its attention shifted to Israel, who had the Wolf Feng Bow drawn, the string pulled back to its limit. The bow glowed with stored energy, the arrow nocked and ready.

Israel released.

A massive energy blast erupted from the bow, a beam of pure force that struck the humanoid creature square in the chest. The explosion that followed slammed the being against the cavern wall, cracking the stone around it.

Sil ran to Israel, who had an angry expression, and positioned himself near the Ōdachi. "What the hell is that thing?" Sil shouted, his voice tight with tension. "It killed Jogo like it was nothing! One hit!"

The creature was already moving again. It appeared before them in an instant, its hand sweeping toward the left.

Sil raised his shield to block.

The Cleric Shield—forged from an Intermediate-tier beast, upgraded with Emperor-tier materials—shattered on contact with the creature's hand. Sil stared at the broken fragments in shock, then tried to block with his sword. That too was shattered, the metal falling away like glass.

The creature's strike sent both Sil and Israel flying across the cave, their bodies slamming into the far wall with bone-crushing force.

Miles stood alone.

He had raised an earth golem—a statue twenty feet tall, matching the creature's height. His muscles strained, every fiber of his being poured into maintaining the construct. Blood trickled from his nose, his eyes, his ears as he pushed his soul energy beyond its limits.

Got to hold this beast down, he thought, his mind racing. Give the others a chance to escape.

Israel pushed himself up from the rubble where he had landed. His arm hung at an awkward angle, broken, but his eyes were fixed on the battle. "We're no match for that beast," he muttered.

The creature turned to face Miles and his earth golem. It spread its arms, and another volley of iron-hard feathers shot forward. The golem raised its arms, absorbing the impact. Cracks formed across its body, but it regenerated almost instantly, the earth reforming and reshaping faster than the creature could damage it.

The beast closed the distance. Its fists struck with devastating speed—a flurry of blows that the golem struggled to match. Each impact sent tremors through the cave, and the golem's body began to fracture under the assault.

Miles coughed, blood spraying from his mouth. Blood flowed from his eyes, streaking down his face like tears. The golem reformed one last time and landed a heavy punch that knocked the creature to its knees.

But the beast was not done. It rose, sliced the golem's leg off with a swipe of its hand, and then punched upward with enough force to launch the entire construct into the cavern ceiling. The golem shattered against the stone, raining earth and debris down upon them all.

"He's done for," Israel said, his voice hollow. "He must have drunk all the healing elixir. That's the only way he could use so much soul energy to put up a fight against that thing."

Sil began to run forward.

Israel screamed after him, "Sil, let's get out of here! You can't save him!"

But Sil didn't stop.

He ran toward the fallen Ōdachi, snatched it from the ground, and—unlike Israel, who had failed to budge it—pulled the massive blade free with ease. He kept running, closing the distance between himself, Miles, and the creature.

The beast turned toward Miles, who lay helpless on the ground. It raised its hand, ready to crush him where he lay.

In a blur of motion, Sil moved.

The creature's hand was severed at the wrist before it could descend.

"What the…" Israel breathed, his eyes wide with shock.

The creature launched itself upward, creating distance between itself and the one who had wounded it. Its golden eye scanned the darkness, searching.

It found Sil standing in the center of the cavern, seven feet tall, holding the Ōdachi as if it weighed nothing. The blade was as long as he was, yet he held it steady, his stance perfect.

The creature's severed hand regenerated in moments, flesh and bone knitting back together. It stared at Sil, and then—with an enraged shriek—it unleashed a wave of bloodlust so potent that the air itself seemed to thicken.

Israel felt it hit him like a physical force, pinning him in place. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

But Sil was unaffected.

He turned his head toward the beast, his expression calm, and then he jumped. He soared through the air, the Ōdachi held like a spear, and threw it directly at the creature's chest.

The beast caught the blade in a clap of its hands, stopping it inches from its body.

Then Sil appeared behind it.

With one punch, he sent the creature crashing into the ground below. The impact cracked the stone, sending shockwaves through the cavern.

Israel stared, frozen not by bloodlust now, but by sheer disbelief. Was he always like this? he thought. Was he pretending all along?

The Ōdachi reappeared in Sil's hand. He descended upon the fallen beast, driving the blade deep into the single eye that blazed in its chest. The creature convulsed, struggling to remove the sword, but it was already too late. Its body began to evaporate like paper consumed by fire, turning to ash that scattered on an unfelt wind.

More soul…

The words echoed through the cavern, formless and ancient. The Ōdachi floated upward, drifting toward Sil, who stood motionless among the fading ashes.

Israel's voice cracked as he called out, "That explains why it was so strong. It wasn't a beast. It was a demon." He struggled to push himself up, his body still trembling from the bloodlust that lingered in the air. "Hey, Sil! You alright?"

Then a new wave of bloodlust erupted this time it was coming out of the Ōdachi Sil held.

It was more terrifying than the demons had been—suffocating, absolute. The air became heavy, crushing. Israel couldn't move, couldn't speak. His lungs burned, his vision blurred.

Sil stood still, the Ōdachi pulsing with a violent red Aura. His body trembled under the pressure of whatever force was trying to claim him. One of his eyes glowed crimson. The other was filled with tears.

Israel tried to push through the bloodlust, tried to move, to escape, to do anything—

He felt the sword pierce his chest.

Sil stood before him, the Ōdachi driven deep into Israel's body. His red eye blazed with inhuman fire, but his other eye wept.

Sil turned toward Miles, the only one still alive, still barely conscious. He began to walk toward his fallen comrade, the Ōdachi held ready, pulsing with that violent red light.

Mid-step, Sil stopped.

His voice tore from his throat, raw and broken. "Stop… it…"

He dropped the Ōdachi. The blade clattered against the stone.

Then Sil collapsed, unconscious, his body giving out at last, inside his head heard a voice Demon Soul absorbed like a robotic voice

The cavern fell silent.

The blue glow of the Soulic Stones cast their ethereal light over the scene: Jogo's body lying where it had fallen, Israel's form crumpled near the far wall, Miles unconscious on the ground, and Sil sprawled beside the fallen Ōdachi.

The sword pulsed once, twice, and then its light faded, becoming nothing more than an ancient, cracked blade lying in the dust.