Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-2219

I'm a bit preoccupied today, so, rather than a standard chapter, here's an example of a one-shot I've been working on. There are a few more like this, but you'll have to wait until the big announcement to learn more xD…

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[The Broken Ones, Chapter 0]

"I will…wait for you…"

Clinging to the body of the woman he had loved and fought alongside for the past thirteen years, anguish beyond description gripped the heart of a young man with raven-black hair and pale-blue eyes.

"I won't keep you-"

Before the man could finish, the woman lying on the ground placed her bloodied fingers over his lips. The light had already faded from her once-vibrant pink eyes, but, despite this, she was able to stare directly into the man's regret-filled expression as she softly muttered, "No…this world still needs you…promise…promise me you won't abandon them…"

Though he would have readily made such a promise a few days prior, the raven-haired man found himself unable to speak due to the overwhelming pain and resentment he was currently experiencing.

With blood pooling in his mouth due to the intensity in which he had been gritting his teeth, the raven-haired man gently squeezed the woman's left hand as he whimpered, "I…promise…"

Smiling in response to the man's words, the woman moved her fingers from his lips to the side of his face, gently tracing a line of blood across his cheek as she weakly cried, "You never were good at lying…"

The moment the woman's words finished, her fingers fell from the man's cheek. Her body, once lively and full of energy, now lay limply within his arms.

Staring into the unfocused eyes of the woman he loved, even greater anguish seized the man's heart. He was able to force a smile near the end, but, much like his promise, it was the furthest thing from sincere.

With tears flowing freely from his face, the raven-haired man reached out to close the eyes of his childhood friend and lover. Due to the smile on her face, it almost appeared as though she were sleeping.

"Even in death, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. If I weren't afraid of leaving you alone in the afterlife, there is nothing in this world that could prevent me from destroying it…"

Punctuating his words, the raven-haired man placed a chaste yet lasting kiss on the woman's forehead. Shortly after that, the spherical barrier he had created to protect her slowly withered away, each of the hexagonal segments resembling ice melting under extreme heat.

Seeing the scene of the raven-haired man cradling what remained of his lover in his arms, the color drained from the face of a priestess with long, silvery-blonde hair and an outfit that was significantly less reserved than one might expect from the High Priestess of the Sacred Order of Light.

"Oh, Gods…"

Hearing the High Priestess's trembling utterance, a fiery light appeared in the raven-haired man's eyes as he gently laid his lover on the ground. Half of her body had been completely destroyed. In place of a lower body, the only thing that remained of the woman was charred, steaming entrails.

"Anastasia…"

Feeling a frigid chill run from her crown to the base of her spine, High Priestess Anastasia took several instinctual steps backward. It had been years since the man referred to her by her full name. He was actually the only one she allowed to call her Anna, so, feeling a sense of dread unlike anything she had ever experienced, Anna clung to her scepter-like staff and muttered, "Caen…I'm so sorry…"

After arranging the hands of his deceased lover over her chest, the raven-haired man, Caen, rose to his feet and said, "Once this battle has finished, we're through. I…we have given everything for the Empire and the Sacred Order of Light. Go back…tell your Gods, the Emperor, and the Archbishop that they can find a new pawn…"

Without waiting for Anna's response, Caen grabbed the hilt of a massive, almost comically oversized sword. The blade alone was more than 180cm in length, yet, as if it weighed absolutely nothing, Caen was able to pick it up with one hand before leaping into the sky like a rocket soaring towards outer space.

At the apex of his jump, tendril-like wings of light, now stained with hints of pitch-black energy, emerged from grooves in Caen's armor. With them, he was able to fly at hypersonic speeds through the sky, his destination a largely destroyed castle formed from black iron, marble, and brimstone.

Located in the depths of the castle, seated atop a large throne that had the upper half sliced away, was a voluptuous woman with long black hair and fiery golden eyes. The curved, blade-like horns framing her head and the segmented tail flowing from behind her back and resting on her thighs gave away her status as a member of the Demon Clan.

Though several bruises and abrasions covered the demoness's body, her beauty was such that she could charm most people with a simple glance. This was largely due to her heritage as a Succubus, but, even more than that, it was the overwhelmingly powerful aura exuding from her body that brought most onlookers to their knees.

Unaffected by the oppressive yet captivating aura, Caen went out of his way to smash through one of the only undamaged segments of the roof. His collision with the ground caused a shockwave and a large plume of dust and debris to spread through the ruined chamber. From within, the radiant blue eyes of Caen could be seen before he casually dispersed the entire cloud of debris with a single swing of his now-luminous holy sword, the Legendary Sword of Promise, Löfte.

"Lilis Marina…you will pay dearly for what you did to Rika…"

Undaunted by Caen's words, Lilis, the Demon Queen of Chaos, rolled her eyes before leaning her cheek against the knuckles of her right hand and remarking, "You massacred my people, destroyed my kingdom, and killed my most cherished and beloved vassals. If I didn't take at least one thing from you before I died, the souls of my people would never be able to find peace…"

Gripping the hilt of his sword, Caen responded to Lilis's words by stepping down with enough force to shake the very foundation of the throne room. At the same time, a runic pattern spread across his right arm as he swept his greatsword in a sweeping arc that appeared to bisect reality itself as it barreled toward and through Lilis's body. She didn't even try to resist, as, unlike the Heroes that had appeared before, Caen was a monster beyond compare.

With her body bifurcated just under her breasts, Lilis slumped forward before falling face-first onto the hard stone floor. Vibrant golden blood flowed from her wounds as a rainbow-hued crystal, half of which was still located in her stomach, unleashed a tremendous volume of mana into the surrounding environment.

Flashing forward at a speed that resembled teleportation, tears flowed from Caen's eyes as he grabbed one of Lilis's horns, twisted his body, and threw her against the furthest wall. The resultant impact sent spiderweb-like cracks from floor to ceiling before Caen's Löfte pierced through her heart and pinned her to the wall.

Appearing less than a few centimeters away from Lilis's face, a steady stream of tears continued to roll down Caen's face as he weakly growled, "Rika didn't deserve this…even until the very end, she never killed a single demon…she was kinder and gentler than anyone. If not for her, you would have died during our last encounter! Why!? Why her…!?"

Raising her head to meet Caen's gaze, a naturally alluring smile gradually took shape on Lilis's face as she asked, "Who knows…? Maybe I resented how she was able to smile and pretend like she had done nothing wrong? She may not have held the blade, but by supporting and healing you, that woman may as well be responsible for the deaths of millions…she…no one deserves to walk away from this happy…"

With her magic core destroyed, the only thing keeping Lilis alive was her desire to see the anguish on Caen's face. Truth be told, she hadn't meant to kill Rika, better known as the Third Imperial Princess, Adrika Von Kroft.

The latter may have supported Caen, but she was also the representative of the faction suing for peace between the Kroft Empire and the Demons of the Planes of Twilight. With her death, any hope of peace between the Alliance of Light and Demonkind had disappeared.

With an ability that allowed him to deduce truth from lies, Caen could tell Lilis wasn't being honest with him. Before he could press her for the truth, however, her head and body slumped forward as the unrepentantly sharp edge of Löfte bisected her like a hot knife through butter. Her two halves ended up striking the stunned Caen, golden blood staining his face and body as she sloughed off of him and onto the ground.

Though the blood of Demons was poisonous to others, Caen's countless Blessings provided him a near-absolute immunity to status afflictions. At least, they were supposed to.

Demonstrating just how shameless they could be, the Gods immediately retracted their Blessings the moment Caen had slain Lilis. They had been observing when he told Anna to return and inform them he was no longer their pawn. Thus, before he could become a threat to the Empire and the Sacred Order, they retracted their Blessings with the intent of letting him die alongside the Demon Queen.

Accompanied by a hissing sound, Caen felt as though his entire body was enveloped in molten gold as Lilis's blood sank into and burned through his flesh. In spite of this, he didn't cry out in pain or agony. Instead, he simply smiled as his once-indomitable strength rapidly drained from his body.

"Sorry, Rika…my mother always told me it was rude to keep a woman waiting…don't worry…once I get to the other side…you can scream and shout at me all you want…"

Feeling more powerless than when he had initially reincarnated into the world of Vega Terre, Caen collapsed to the ground in a heap. The blood soaking the floor was like an acid bath, but, without trying to escape, the corners of his smile curled upward as he closed his eyes and succumbed to a familiar darkness…

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"Welcome back, Mr. Walker. Did you enjoy your time in Vega Terre…?"

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(A/N: Let me know what you guys think. I could really use the feedback.)