Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 459

Chapter 459: War XXXII

Aiden shot forward like a golden comet, his sword cleaving through the first skeletal guardian. The golden flames wrapped around his blade burned away the dark energy that kept the creature together. Its bones disintegrated into ash before they even hit the ground.

“Not so tough,” Aiden muttered—right before the sand beneath him exploded. More skeletal warriors emerged, this time armed with heavy shields and long spears, encircling him with military precision.

Nexus whistled, his hands tracing complex sigils in the air. “They’re adapting. Classic ancient defense mechanisms—learning from each strike. If you keep cutting them down the same way, they’ll just keep getting stronger.”

Aiden smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Then I’ll just have to mix it up.”

He switched tactics, summoning the Reaper Scythe Martial Spirit, black energy crackling around him as he swept through the next wave of guardians. The scythe left trails of void-like energy in its wake, swallowing the skeletal warriors whole. Those caught in its arc were consumed entirely, leaving no trace behind.

Nexus’s sigils lit up, forming a protective barrier around Aiden. “I’ll hold back the ones coming from the south. There’s a central pillar in the heart of these ruins—that’s where the fragment is. You’ll have to reach it and disable whatever is keeping these things alive.”

“On it,” Aiden replied. He spread his dark wings and took to the sky, weaving between crumbling towers and columns as more guardians clambered after him.

The ruins stretched far wider than they’d initially thought. As Aiden flew closer to the central pillar, the air grew heavy, thick with the power of ancient seals. Strange symbols carved into the stone glowed ominously, pulsing with rhythmic energy. At the very top of the pillar rested the fragment—shining like a shard of starlight.

But something stirred beneath it.

The sand began to twist and churn, and a massive form rose from the depths—a skeletal giant clad in ancient golden armor. Its eyes burned with twin suns of blue flame, and in its hand, it wielded a colossal halberd crackling with dark lightning.

“Well, that’s new,” Aiden muttered, hovering midair. “I’m guessing you’re the final boss?”

The giant didn’t answer. It simply raised its halberd and brought it down with terrifying speed.

Aiden dodged, the weapon striking the ground and sending a shockwave of dark energy rippling across the ruins. The impact shattered nearby structures and sent a plume of sand and debris into the air.

“Nexus!” Aiden shouted through the dust. “I’m gonna need some backup!”

“Working on it!” Nexus’s voice crackled over the distance. “That thing’s core is connected to the fragment—it’s acting as both the guardian and the anchor. If you destroy it, you’ll sever the energy flow and claim the fragment!”

The skeletal giant roared, its voice shaking the very ground. It charged toward Aiden with surprising speed for its size, swinging its halberd in wide arcs that tore through the air like lightning strikes.

Aiden grinned, his battle instincts sharpening. “Guess I’ll have to take you apart, piece by piece.”

He summoned his Death Dragon of Infinite Darkness Martial Spirit, black scales shimmering as a massive dragon materialized around him. Its eyes glowed with infinite depth, its wings spread wide as it roared back at the skeletal giant.

The battlefield erupted into chaos as dragon and giant clashed, each strike shaking the ancient city to its foundations.

The skeletal giant’s halberd clashed with the Death Dragon’s claws, releasing an explosion of dark energy that crackled across the sky. The dragon snarled, its massive jaws snapping at the giant’s shoulder, tearing through ancient armor as if it were paper. Fragments of bone and energy burst from the wound, but the giant didn’t falter.

The blue flames in its eyes burned even brighter. The halberd pulsed with abyssal energy, and with a swing, it cut through the dragon’s wings, forcing Aiden to leap backward as the dragon flickered and reformed around him.

Nexus’s voice echoed in his mind. “It’s focusing all its power into that halberd. If you can disarm it, you’ll cripple its strength!”

“Easier said than done,” Aiden shot back.

He tightened his grip on the Reaper Scythe, its dark edge vibrating with untapped power. “Then I’ll just rip that weapon right out of your hands!”

Aiden charged, his wings folding to gain speed as he hurtled toward the giant’s arm. The skeletal guardian swung its halberd in a wide arc, but Aiden twisted midair, narrowly avoiding the deadly edge. He slammed his scythe into the halberd, locking the two weapons together.

“NOW!” Aiden shouted, his aura flaring as he summoned the full power of the Golden Sword Martial Spirit. The radiant energy coursed through him, golden light intertwining with the dark void energy of the scythe. The combined force overwhelmed the halberd, cracking its surface.

The skeletal giant roared in defiance, but Aiden didn’t give it a chance to recover. With a final burst of power, he wrenched the halberd free and threw it into the sky, where it exploded into a shower of black lightning and ash.

Disarmed and vulnerable, the giant staggered. Blue flames flickered in its eyes, dimming with every step it took toward Aiden.

“Time to end this,” Aiden said, his eyes gleaming with resolve. He raised his sword high, golden and black energy swirling around the blade. The Death Dragon coiled around him, merging with the blade and turning it into a weapon of pure destruction.

He descended in a flash of light and darkness, cutting through the giant’s core with a single, decisive strike. Time seemed to freeze as the skeletal guardian’s body cracked and crumbled. The blue flames in its eyes extinguished, and it collapsed into a pile of ash and broken armor.

The central pillar trembled, and the fragment hovered into the air, its light intensifying. Aiden reached out and grasped it, feeling its ancient power resonate through him.

“Got it,” Aiden said, breathing heavily. “The fragment’s secured.”

Nexus appeared at his side, his robes fluttering in the wind. “You really don’t know how to take it easy, do you?”

Aiden smirked. “Where’s the fun in that?”