Heir to The Forgotten Throne-Chapter 14: The price for Victory

Ryu's sword clanged uselessly against Kolasis's tough hide, the force of the rebound nearly disarming him. His eyes widened. Only the commander and a few of the stronger knights can actually injure this thing...

Realizing his attacks were ineffective, Ryu darted away, ducking behind a blackened tree for cover. He clutched his head, breath ragged. "If I'm going to feel excruciating pain in a minute anyway, what's a headache going to change?"

He focused, gritting his teeth. A chime echoed in his mind.

> [Skill Activated: Avalin's Deception]

[Effect Enhanced: Skill strength has tripled while in Avalin's Forest]

The moment the screen faded, Ryu's perspective shifted—his consciousness latching onto Kolasis.

Once again, Ryu was overwhelmed by the beast's primal senses. The reek of blood—its own and the knights'—burned his nose. Heat signatures lit up his vision in unnatural hues. He could feel the pain, the fury, the confusion.

But he had no time to marvel. He had a plan. Unlike last time, the illusion was simple.

Make the knights vanish.

He erased their presence from Kolasis's senses—no sounds, no scent, no heat.

It worked.

Ryu could feel the monster thrash, swinging its limbs wildly at invisible enemies. Despite being slashed and stabbed, it couldn't comprehend where the attacks were coming from. The beast howled in fury.

Ryu clenched his jaw. He couldn't control Kolasis—but he could feel what it felt. Each stab and slash echoed in his nerves. He grunted through the phantom pain, refusing to lose focus. "Shit! This hurts!"

Then—agony.

Something tore into his shoulder. Ryu's mind screamed in tandem with the monster's, though his body made no sound.

A moment later, he felt Kolasis flick something—someone—off its arm, hurling them violently away.

He tried to stay focused, but curiosity tugged at his mind.

> [Skill Deactivated: Avalin's Deception]

Ryu gasped as the battlefield returned to view. Kolasis was drenched in vermilion blood, deep wounds scored across its body. One particularly savage gash slashed across its shoulder.

"Must've been that sharp pain I felt..." he muttered, looking in the direction Kolasis had flung its attacker.

His breath caught.

"The commander..."

He sprinted toward the unmoving figure. The commander was slumped against a tree, blood pooling around him, armor cracked and dented.

Ryu knelt and checked his pulse—weak, but still there. Relief flooded him.

Then he heard the system's voice again.

> [Warning: 10 seconds before excruciating pain begins]

[Warning: 9 seconds...]

Ryu's heart sank.

"Of course," he muttered bitterly.

> [8 seconds...]

He looked up—and froze.

Kolasis's blazing vermilion eyes were locked onto him, saliva dripping from its maw, the knights were lying around it.

"Shit!" Ryu turned and ran, heart hammering in his chest. "Why the hell is it chasing me? The knights are right there!"

He didn't know the answer. He just ran.

> [You will now feel excruciating pain due to overconsumption of Avalin's Tears]

It hit him like a tidal wave.

His nerves screamed. Every bone felt shattered. Every limb torn. Every breath a torment.

He crumpled to the ground.

"No, no, no—!"

Behind him, Kolasis thundered closer.

Ryu screamed through the agony. "Activate skill! Avalin's Deception!"

> [Warning: Mental integrity critically low. Activating this skill may result in death.]

"If I don't activate it, I will die!"

> [Warning...]

"I said activate the damn skill!"

> [Skill Activated: Avalin's Deception]

Relief flooded him—but there was no time to rest.

Through Kolasis's eyes, he saw his body lying just meters away.

I don't need to make it see anything.

Let it feel what I feel.

With that thought, Ryu channeled every ounce of his pain into the illusion.

Ryu made the creature feel every shred of pain he was enduring. Kolasis let out a thunderous scream, staggering several steps before collapsing near where Ryu had fallen.

Ryu gritted his teeth, focusing on maintaining the illusion. He felt as if he'd black out at any moment, but he couldn't afford even a second of weakness. If the illusion faltered, Kolasis would kill him.

The pain only worsened, searing and endless, until the system chimed again:

> ["Mental integrity is too low. Avalin's Deception will be forcibly deactivated."]

Ryu saw the screen flicker before his eyes. He let out a weak laugh, hoarse and bitter.

"How absurd... looks like this is the end, huh..."

His body was ready to give in. He closed his eyes, ready to surrender—

CRUNCH

The sound jolted him. He opened his eyes—and there, standing before him, was the commander. Kolasis's claws had pierced through his armor.

"You can't die yet, kid. You said you'd drink with us in fifty years, didn't you?"

Tears threatened to fall, but Ryu couldn't muster the strength. He smiled faintly.

"I guess... I did promise."

Using his sword for support, Ryu forced himself to stand.

The commander shoved Kolasis's claws out of his body with a grunt.

"I'll make an opening. You kill it. Got that?"

Ryu nodded, teeth clenched.

The commander wiped the blood from his mouth, but Kolasis gave them no time. With a savage roar, it swung its axe at the commander.

The commander rammed his sword into the ground to block the blow. The impact cracked the earth and shoved him back.

Panting, he stood and raised his sword again—this time, it gleamed with radiant golden light, illuminating the battlefield like a dawn breaking through darkness.

Ryu blinked at the sudden brilliance, too stunned—and in too much pain—to speak.

The commander looked at his sword and gave a crooked grin.

"So this... is aura, huh?"

Kolasis charged again. But the commander didn't dodge or block—he attacked. With a mighty roar, he cleaved through Kolasis's arm, spraying blood across his armor.

Kolasis howled, guttural and enraged, but the commander wasn't done. He leapt onto the severed arm, climbed its shoulder, and slashed through the half-healed wound the knights had made earlier—severing the limb entirely. It crashed to the ground, shaking the earth.

The commander grinned savagely.

"Told you I'd get an arm!"

Ryu, still trembling with pain, let out a laugh. Despite everything, the commander's fire hadn't dimmed.

Then, with a final roar, the commander drove his blade into Kolasis's neck, creating a deep, gushing wound. But the effort spent him—he fell to the ground, tumbling hard.

"Looks like this... is the end... Now kill that... bastard," he rasped.

Ryu screamed, "No!"

Kolasis turned toward the fallen commander, blood pouring from its wounds—but still alive. Still moving.

Ryu stood. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to stop.

> ["Warning: exerting your body will cause death."]

"Shut up..." he muttered. "I'm going to kill that thing—even if it's the last thing I do."

His vision blurred. The system chimes rang in his ears like war drums. He couldn't feel his limbs anymore. But he had one goal—one promise to keep.

He ran.

Stumbling, staggering—charging.

He climbed onto Kolasis's bloodied body. Something pierced his side—claws, maybe—but he didn't care.

He leapt onto the beast's shoulder, groping through the haze of pain for the deep wound the commander had left behind.

And then, with one final scream, Ryu plunged his rapier into Kolasis's neck and dragged it across, tearing through muscle and bone.

"This... is for the commander!"

He fell.

The ground rose to meet him. His body, numb and broken, couldn't move. Then came the chimes:

> ["You have killed Kolasis."]

["You have passed the tria—"]

["Warning: death imminent."]

Ryu's eyes fluttered shut as darkness embraced him.